Is something coming...?

[FolderBeholder]

Might pony up for a Blazer in denim....but will wait for some reviews.

[BPRoberts]

The fixed blade prices are well and truly insane. Buck and Gerber (and I'm sure a bunch of other reputable companies) are offering USA made Magnacut fixed blades sub $200, and Leatherman wants $300? The folders are at least in the same universe as a the upper level Benchmade, Kershaw, etc., but those're already overpriced and from a known "knife company" not a branching out multitool one. Didn't all 3 of the Garage knife releases flop? Garage 7 is still in stock! Why did they think this would work?

[Rich_SD]

Count me disappointed, but I’m still going to buy a couple.

[Rich_SD]

Ok, my wallet is lighter by $1,000 

I grabbed the Glider, Blazer, and Trac. 

Yes, I have I hole in my head. AMA   

[genevabuck]

Anyone know what the warranty is on these before I look at them?  I can buy an equal priced Benchmade and the will take care of everything from repairs, to cleaning, to calibration, to sharpening, for life. I’m wondering if this is one of those deals where in seven years they tell you that they ran out of parts and wanna send you a Rebar.   Also, are the folders spring assist?  A lot of coin for a folder that isn’t.

[Fireman]

As my avatar says, I don't  get it.  Benchmade makes at least a hundred folder variations in that price range, and Leatherman comes at them with three.   

[Rich_SD]

Anyone know what the warranty is on these before I look at them?  I can buy an equal priced Benchmade and the will take care of everything from repairs, to cleaning, to calibration, to sharpening, for life. I’m wondering if this is one of those deals where in seven years they tell you that they ran out of parts and wanna send you a Rebar.   Also, are the folders spring assist?  A lot of coin for a folder that isn’t.

That probably explains why Leatherman just announced that they will provide sharpening service for their Magnacut blades.  For warranty, it has always been that they will replace it with a similar priced tool.  For Garage tools, they replace those with a store credit for the purchase price.  👍👍

[genevabuck]

I just logged in as their little countdown clock expired. Not seeing any Wave Alpha.

[ThisAlarm7]

At first glance I thought the folders had a bit slot in the back which would have been a nice touch but in fact the bit driver is apparently in the lanyard bead according to the video which is even more disappointing.

[Poncho65]

Well color me underwhelmed I would much prefer affordable MTs instead of overpriced knives but they are in the business of making money, so if it's working I can't blame them

[genevabuck]

LM can do what they want. I’m sure that these knives are pretty nice. I just wanna know how they are “Built Different.”   

[IMR4198]

Leatherman dropped some videos about these items.  Worth a watch.  Best wishes.  G
 

[SubMY]

Well this release was just a tad underwhelming to say the least. The knives themselves don't look half bad, I'm curious what is "patent pending" about the lock though? It looks to be just a variation of Spydercos compression lock, ie the smock lock.

The price though...someone in leatherman is out of their mind lately.

I was hoping leatherman would go back to the good old days of specialized tools. Gardening shears and vice grips. Or something I really wish for some sort of salt proof diving/fishing knife.

[powernoodle]

The comments on Leatherman's Instagram account are almost universally unhappy.  Commenters seem to think that a multitool company should release new multitools.

[Poncho65]

The comments on Leatherman's Instagram account are almost universally unhappy.  Commenters seem to think that a multitool company should release new multitools.

 

[genevabuck]

The comments on Leatherman's Instagram account are almost universally unhappy.  Commenters seem to think that a multitool company should release new multitools.

The only thing left is for Benchmade to counter with a line of multi tools.

[Poncho65]

  they would also probably be out of my willing price range

I would love to see it though

 

[JonesE]

I went and looked at the folders. The scales are stainless steel and the color is Cerakote. No thanks. For $300.00 I would expect Titanium or Carbon Fiber. I wish them success, but this is not for me.

JonesE

[kaevin]

Three fixed blades and two locking folders, all in Magnacut.

Pretty enough knives, but pricey and no good for the UK market 🤷‍♂️

No good here as well, as you can't bring a folder out here like UK.

[genevabuck]

Leatherman claims that the Rustler was “inspired by chuckwagon cooks from the past.” 

[Rich_SD]

I just got home from work and was able to read social media sites talking about the new knives.  Wow, there is an epic-level temper tantrum going on at Reddit.    I get that some people are disappointed that it's not what they had hoped for (I wanted a Crater replacement  ), I get that  some people don't want Leatherman to sell knives, and I get that people don't like the high price.  But geez, it's just a new product release.  If you don't like it, don't get it.  I'm sure Leatherman will release something else some time later.  You would think some Redditer's lives are dependent on just the right tool being released  (but only the exact tool they want).   

If selling knives nets Leatherman more profit, then I'm all for it.  I need that company to not only survive for the life of my tool warranty, but I also don't want them to ship manufacturing overseas like other multitool makers have done.  If releasing an overpriced knife helps do that, then I say release 5!

[Huntsman]

 

[Václav Veselý]

Hello from the Czech Republic. If the price seems high to you, for us the price with shipping and taxes is about 470$. For leatherman enthusiasts it may be affordable, but for the average user it is definitely not. You can buy here knives of better parameters for a lower price from manufacturers from the USA, Europe and of course from China. I own Arc Obsidian, which was at a lower price and offers much more. I think in the future I'll buy one for my collection anyway, but right now it's a really big disappointment. 😶

[Kamtorinox]

Globally underwhelm...

Create rage among MT fan..

[genevabuck]

Globally underwhelm...

Create rage among MT fan..

I suspect that these will sell about as well as the Garage Malloy Special which is still available.

[stuntzombie]

I like the designs, but was definitely hoping for something more along the lines of the Crater series, or maybe even an update of the Free T series.

Ah well. It's not for me, but I'm sure someone will buy them.

[Huntsman]

I just got home from work and was able to read social media sites talking about the new knives. 
Wow, there is an epic-level temper tantrum going on at Reddit. 

I never use Reddit - But this prompted me to check it out - And yes - Wow!!
I thought this first post from one of the threads (Enough is Enough Leatherman!) was pretty good

Nobody — and I mean nobody — asked for expensive fixed blades. We’re not out here begging for $300+ knives we’ll never use due to other real knife brands!
No, from Leatherman we want compact, functional, everyday tools.
We want gear we can toss in a pocket, clip to a belt, or actually carry without a backpack. What happened to the ps4? The Juice? The crunch?? That’s the stuff that made people loyal to this brand.
Instead, every new launch is a knife or recolor with a giant added price tag.
Stop chasing the “luxury knife” market and start listening to your core customers — the EDC crowd, the blue collar workers, the REAL users.
FELLOW REDDITERS! IF YOU AGREE, LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! let’s remind Leatherman what people really want (yet again) 😔

It was accompanied with a very funny image - The LM new knife family - stock image - with a big red cross on each of them   
I had to laugh     But I am a bit sad   

I love Leatherman - But I do know that innovation plus diversification is critical for any company to survive - So I am all for this in principle - But if they have misjudged the single blade market (mainly price it seems) and are also not sticking to their core competencies, and also ignoring their loyal fans and customers, who are asking for various variations/relaunches of their great tools - then that is not good.

So yep, for me, the Juice and Crunch were fantastic tools they withdrew - I can only assume because they were not good sellers - If they were great sellers they would not have withdrawn them - No matter what we say!!

But I really think they could have made so much more of the Juice family by aggressively pursuing new markets - primarily the outdoors and leisure market - and, dare I say it? even the female market -  as opposed to the DIY and tools and macho male market.

So Victorinox here is a great opportunity for you - A Victorinox Spirit/Juice     
How good would that be!!

[Rich_SD]

  💯


Leatherman said several times that the Juice line was discontinued due to poor sales.   I laugh when the Reddit mob thinks they are a representative sample of anything more than the people who browse, post, or vote on that subreddit.  That post has 1,800 upvotes, but that's just 18% of the number of tools that Leatherman manufactures in a single day.  If every upvote meant 5 Juices sold, that's less than a day's work for Leatherman.

Don't get me wrong, a new Juice would be cool, but I highly doubt they're going to make one any time soon.

Also, I agree that the new knives are overpriced, but there is a simple solution to that - just don't buy them.  That will get Leatherman's attention more than a silly Reddit protest.

[ReamerPunch]

With how saturated the knife market is, it makes no sense to me to buy those. I can buy a great knife for less than a third of the price of one of those. Had they released them ten years ago, for less, maybe they would have been a staple.

[powernoodle]

Below is a little online review of the Leatherman knife lineup at Gear Junkie.  What jumped out at me just a little, in addition to the bold MSRP, is that the deployment on the folders is a little stiff, and that the Cerakote on the metal scales scuffs easily. 

The article below states that Leatherman has invested in a new production facility in Portland for these knives.  So Leatherman is going all in on knife production.  This is not just a side show.  Unfortunately for the consumer, Portland has one of the highest business tax burdens in America which invariably gets passed on to the consumer.  A new facility in Texas or Tennessee could have reduced that burden, and likely the MSRP, but no one asked me.

Being a user and hoarder of Leatherman toys, I do want to own one or two of these knives.  But at $300 each, I think that's prolly not going to happen.  From just a design and aesthetic perspective, these have the look of $129 knives.  3 ounces of Magnacut is not 3 ounces of gold.

I have unopened clamshell Leathermans in my stash with the $29 price sticker still on the package.  Those days are long gone.  Inflation of course has a good deal to do with that, but perhaps even more so is the creeping pricing strategy that is transitioning from Leatherman for the Everyman, to a niche market of $249 MTs and $300 knives.  This is the so-called "premium pricing strategy", wherein a manufacturer raises the MSRP in order to give the impression that item must be good or it couldn't cost so much.   It is largely smoke and mirrors. While this may (or may not) be good for Leatherman in the end, I do not see it as a good thing for the MTO member or average consumer. 

The awesome ST300 is still available for $99, so Leatherman's glory days are not dead just yet.  But the demise of the Everyman Leatherman is not far over the horizon.

https://gearjunkie.com/knives/leatherman-launches-premium-knives