Raptor Clones Strike Again!

Chako · **on:** August 14, 2024, 03:25:53 PM

I probably shouldn't look around too hard on AliExpress, especially as I harbour a curiosity drive of a cat, but I stumbled upon something that did catch my eye. I will be quite frank here...I was not happy with Leatherman for quite a few years and walked away from them and practically ignored them due to their selling practices. Before the crack down, I was able to order Leatherman items from US retailers. Then one day, they could not sell to me due to Leatherman not wanting to sell to Canadians. This was before their official Canadian web portal...and seeing that I was now shut out from getting the collector items, I quit being a fan for many years. This is why I do not have any of the carbon or wood Charges, and even missed out on the 2 special edition Raptors...go figure. Well, the portal did open and I was still annoyed that I was only able to purchase regular stock which I already had. This was somewhat renewed with the intro to Garage items. They were not for sale here in Canada, and if I wanted in, I had to pay extortion fees from re-sellers. It really soured me to the whole Leatherman collecting bit. I got around to not giving a smurf about the Garage stuff and I am in a much happier place to the point where I can enjoy my Leatherman collection once again. But enough about my past being sour grapes and on with what picked my curiosity.

When clones first started showing up of the Leatherman Raptor I had to buy one to see what was going on. My first gen fake Raptor did not come with a sheath. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the build quality, especially about the weak materials used for the triangle locking mechanism. It was poor imitation and tried hard to look exactly like a real Leatherman minus the branding and quality. Great, I had piqued my curiosity and was not at all surprised at what I had found out.

Not too long ago I was on AliExpress and I (out of curiosity) typed in Raptor and pulled up a lot of fakes. I quickly noticed how the fakes now come in all of Leatherman's colours. The first fakes came in one colour...black...much like a Ford Model A. Not only did they copy all of the colours, they also had a pair that represented Leatherman's limited edition Raptors. These even glowed in the dark like the limited originals. Well...I bought them out of curiosity. Not only that, but these came with sheaths.

20240814_072405A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_072427A by Chako, on Flickr

How crazy is that?

20240814_072511A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_072526A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_072537A by Chako, on Flickr

The fakes do not feature a locking strap cutter.

20240814_072614A by Chako, on Flickr

The included sheath is interesting. Not quite a Leatherman design, but could be easily mistaken for one if you don't know what your are looking at.

20240814_072647A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_072739A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_072821A by Chako, on Flickr

This is part of the reason why I got them, to see if the glow is ok. I can confirm, the glow is nice lol.

20240814_072918A by Chako, on Flickr

Ok so here we are due to my curiosity, but it is time to do some comparison photos. Now I already have a pair of official Leatherman Raptors...I guess I should call them Ratpor Rescues now, and a single pair of Raptor Response. I wish the Response came with a sheath. On with the photos...

From top left to right

Top row: Gen 1 fake Raptor Rescue, Raptor Response
Bottom row: a pair of real Raptor Rescues, and a pair of fake Raptors

20240814_073710A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_073741A by Chako, on Flickr

From left to right: Real Raptor, old fake, new fake.

20240814_073833A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_073856A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_073940A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_074011A by Chako, on Flickr

20240814_074123A by Chako, on Flickr

Now if you take a real close look, you will notice some subtle differences between the old and the newer fake. The newer fake copies the Leatherman better than the first early fakes out on the market. They also upped their quality somewhat. The newer fakes appear to have a better triangle locking mechanism. The addition of a sheath is also a plus I guess. The fact that these glow, a bonus I suppose. The same instructions come with all the fakes, no matter what model generation.

20240814_074339A by Chako, on Flickr

So what are my thoughts on these. Well, I don't like supporting copies overly much but I also like to buy them to compare them to the originals. That curiosity thing again. The newer copies are better made if you compare them to the first fakes that hit the market years ago. Still no where near the original Leatherman though. They did not copy the liner lock for the belt cutter, and the sheath that is now included is also a little different. I find it interesting that both original and fake sheaths can be rotated sideways. I wasn't expecting the uptick in quality, or that they would glow so gloriously. The Leatherman is still the better buy, although to be honest, I am still more partial to the SOG ParaShears myself.

Poncho65 · **Reply #1 on:** August 15, 2024, 02:59:31 AM

They are very nearly identical shape wise

they look so awesome as well

Great pics

Chako · **Reply #2 on:** August 15, 2024, 05:33:28 AM

Crunchie64 · **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2024, 03:52:30 AM

I’m a big fan of the Raptor - partly to use, partly as a “just in case” tool to keep in the car.

I wish Leatherman had introduced the glow in the dark handles as a standard feature, or even as an extra for a small premium. It really feels like it fits the use and marketing of the tool.

Leatherman seem to be missing a trick by not looking at what sells on the used market for over retail price. I know part of the appeal of tools like the limited Raptors, Charges, and Garage tools is the collectibility, but I can’t be the only one who would pay $160 for a glow in the dark green handled Raptor and $300 for a standard production version of Mr Crunch with a combo or serrated blade.

Edited to add: SOG Parashears look interesting. How does the quality and cutting ability compare to the Raptor?
A Raptor with a deep set bit driver where the glass breaker is would be a good compromise for me.

Chako · **Reply #4 on:** August 17, 2024, 09:37:36 PM

The blade shears are not as thick as those found on the Raptor but honestly they cut just as well.

powernoodle · **Reply #5 on:** August 17, 2024, 10:05:34 PM

I own the Raptor Rescue, the Raptor Response and an Ali Express clone. The clone is very similar if not identical in performance to the real things, at 15% of the price. Its hard to say no to a clone, especially as Leatherman (and everything else) have bloated, outrageous prices. $100 for scissors is hard to swallow. $15 - not so much.