Free T4 does not get enough love.

[NetsNJ]

I love this tool so much that I bought two, one to carry and one to sit on the shelf.

I am just in awe that I basically have a Swiss Army Knife now where I can open, lock, unlock and close every single tool one handed.  I think it is a pretty amazing feat of multitool design.  It's not a gimmick.  This thing has basically replaced the Climber, Spartan or (Wenger) Swiss Sportsman that I usually carried. 

Did I mention, included belt clip?

What do other people think?  I feel like these awesome little knives got lost in the hype (and inevitably disappointment) with the P series.  The P series has a plier defect.  The K series does seem gimmicky -- it's a mid/low-range knife with some tools in the butt, and a crazy price.  But the T4 hits the sweet spot.

What do others think?

[Antti Lammi]

Myself i cant justify 85€ to tool that similar to SAK except it one hand opening. Toll itself seems pretty awesome but pricetag is just way too high for me.

[NetsNJ]

That's like 95 US$.  That's insane.  I got both of mine for about $45 (each) w/tax+shipping from eBay.  Which I think is reasonable.

Europe really gets screwed.

[Sam Lim]

That's like 95 US$.  That's insane.  I got both of mine for about $45 (each) w/tax+shipping from eBay.  Which I think is reasonable.

Europe really gets screwed.

So does the rest of the world... 

[Poncho65]

I have one and really like it but couldn't pay what they are asking for it in the rest of the world 

[chrono]

Thanks to this topic that I found out my T4 was one-hand openning    You see, I had been using my index fingers to open the functions all this time 

I can see a lot of possibilities for this design:
- Limited edition for knife blades
- Different material for scales
- Different material / color for spacers
- Different color for scales
- Perhaps an all-black, DLC coated version?
- XL version with larger blade, file, and saw

For the current design, I would like to see another slot for a tweezer on the B spacer. You never have too many tweezers 

[Wessaen]

The T4 is my usual go to these days for pocket carry. The beefiness of the tools and ease of opening make it great.

The only times I don't carry it these days is when I anticipate needing a saw or if I desire a more "refined" carry. At those times I carry the Delemont S18 or the Pioneer X.

-Wes.

[zoidberg]

I'm still waiting for Obi to send mine over...

[AimlessWanderer]

One hand opening isn't important enough for me to compensate for the high price (here), and dwindling faith in their quality control, never mind many of their recent design attributes. 

I do have reservations about any tool that puts a screwdriver and file on the same implement, as they should be heat treated differently to my mind. Add in the screwdriver on the tip of an awl  plus my lack of faith in how those tools are retained (if you want to reach past the tool for something else in the same pocket, without accidentally deploying sharps ) and I'll stick with Victorinox and Gerber, thanks    Less cost, and more faith they'll function safely 

[Raoul Octav]

The only beef i have with my T4 :
-price, bought mine for 70USD here in EU. For this amount i could have bought two Vics with many other tools to feel my needs
-size, it is too thick. i found myself using the P2 often than the T4, just because it is slimmer, and has the tools on the same side with the option to open the retainer from each lateral side, ease of use in one word
-lack of can opener
on the plus:
- that one hand opening is great, i ca imagine that in winter, with gloves, it's going to be edc.
- tools are locking, solid lock.

[Poncho65]

I'm still waiting for Obi to send mine over...

 

[Top-Gear-24]

I agree that the T4 is underrated.

I bought mine because I wanted it in my collection, never considered carrying it, until it arrived and I was pleasantly surprised.

Since then I've carried it regularly and it's a nice pocket knife, the OHO tools are a nice feature (but the OHO knife could've been easier,  after a bit of practice it's doable, but it's nowhere near as easy as the knife on the P4, or the Wave for example).

And there's the price... 

I paid 78 Euro for it which makes it ridiculously expensive if you compare it with a SAK with roughly the same functions.  Which is also the reason why I still only own one (normally I buy two of every tool I use as EDC, so I have one user and one NIB in the collection). If the T4 was sold under 50 Euro or so, I would've had two by now.

Last but not least, it's a beautiful tool in my opinion, it looks great on pics and I really like the feel of it. 

And the fit and finish on mine was great (just as on my two P4's, I know about the plier problem on the P4 but since I'm not a heavy plier user that doesn't bother me much...).

[Time22]

...
...
...
-lack of can opener
on the plus:
- that one hand opening is great, i ca imagine that in winter, with gloves, it's going to be edc.
- tools are locking, solid lock.

I’ve been edc’ing the T4. Love it. And I like the fact it comes with a clip, however I had to reach for a Spartan SAK to open a can of tuna.

[parnass]

I really enjoy using the Leatherman Free T4 and carry it almost every day with a small Knipex Cobra pliers.  The T4 replaced my Victorinox Pioneer X due to the easily accessed, firmly locking tools, and end mounted Phillips screwdriver.

[Steelej1976]

I love this tool so much that I bought two, one to carry and one to sit on the shelf.

I am just in awe that I basically have a Swiss Army Knife now where I can open, lock, unlock and close every single tool one handed.  I think it is a pretty amazing feat of multitool design.  It's not a gimmick.  This thing has basically replaced the Climber, Spartan or (Wenger) Swiss Sportsman that I usually carried. 

Did I mention, included belt clip?

What do other people think?  I feel like these awesome little knives got lost in the hype (and inevitably disappointment) with the P series.  The P series has a plier defect.  The K series does seem gimmicky -- it's a mid/low-range knife with some tools in the butt, and a crazy price.  But the T4 hits the sweet spot.

What do others think?

The T4 will never replace my Swiss Army knife but it does look like a good tool.  The only problem I see based on a youtube review is the small metal file.  The reviewer said metal shavings got stuck to the file due to the magnets in the T4.  Also the file seems to small to be very useful. 

[Wessaen]

The T4 file works just fine to clean off burrs and do minor touch ups which is all I would really demand of a pocket knife sized file anyway. The only thing I really miss having on the T4 is a saw, which would also probably be too short for anything other than occasional use.

I haven't noticed any metal shavings getting caught up in the file but I mainly use it on stainless steel, brass, and wood/plastics. And fingernails, works pretty darn good on those too.

Now if the K series also had a saw & file we might see more people actually use it.

I just won my first K series off a super low evilbay bid this weekend, just waiting for it to arrive to see what my thoughts are on it. So far my assumption is that it is too big for me and will end up gathering dust in my collection box.

-Wes.

[Steelej1976]

The T4 file works just fine to clean off burrs and do minor touch ups which is all I would really demand of a pocket knife sized file anyway. The only thing I really miss having on the T4 is a saw, which would also probably be too short for anything other than occasional use.

I haven't noticed any metal shavings getting caught up in the file but I mainly use it on stainless steel, brass, and wood/plastics. And fingernails, works pretty darn good on those too.

Now if the K series also had a saw & file we might see more people actually use it.

I just won my first K series off a super low evilbay bid this weekend, just waiting for it to arrive to see what my thoughts are on it. So far my assumption is that it is too big for me and will end up gathering dust in my collection box.

-Wes.

I don't own a T4 so you would know the usefulness of the file better then me.  I agree with you about the saw.  I think if they took out the file, moved the phillips/bottle cap opener to where the file is, and added a saw I would be all about it.

It is a good looking and functional tool as is though and I agree with the OP that a lot of people overlook the T4.

[Steelej1976]

One hand opening isn't important enough for me to compensate for the high price (here), and dwindling faith in their quality control, never mind many of their recent design attributes. 

I do have reservations about any tool that puts a screwdriver and file on the same implement, as they should be heat treated differently to my mind. Add in the screwdriver on the tip of an awl  plus my lack of faith in how those tools are retained (if you want to reach past the tool for something else in the same pocket, without accidentally deploying sharps ) and I'll stick with Victorinox and Gerber, thanks    Less cost, and more faith they'll function safely 

You raise some of my same concerns with it.  I agree with you about the awl/small screwdriver.  I think the file is too small to be of much use to me as a metal file.  I do think the magnetic retention to hold the tools in is probably good but you do raise a good point.

[NetsNJ]

Top-Gear-24, great photos!

[Top-Gear-24]

Top-Gear-24, great photos!

Thanks my friend  .

 

[Raoul Octav]

Well, mine gets a dissasembly treatment.

[parnass]

Raoul Octav, that was a very interesting disassembly video.  It shows that the T4 construction is quite complex.

[Raoul Octav]

Yes, way complex than i taught. The reassembly is easy yet the magnets are quite strong, and you have to fidle with lots of parts. I'll upload it today.
Interesting, there are 2 magnets, 2 plastic/resin pieces and you can not swap tools from one side to the other without taking into consderation the overall thickness allowed per side

[pfrsantos]

Raoul Octav, that was a very interesting disassembly video.  It shows that the T4 construction is quite complex.

+1

Very good, thanks for sharing!

 

[Poncho65]

 

[Raoul Octav]

this is my version of the reassembly, probably there is an easier one:

Fun Facts, when i didn't filmed, it went smooth and fast. when i filmed i had all the issues with the magnets and springs and and and

[stugumby]

Im pairing mine with a 2nd gen wave, has the awl and reg phillips that the wave dosnt. Extremely serviceable and quite durable so far. one thing i dont like is the shortness of the blade, same length as a cadet but has the beefier blade profile but excellent for opening boxes etc. I have the k2 in both versions, carry the k2x daily at work replacing a beloved early expanse/crater with 154cm blade. Still cant help comparing it to vic explorer, but the build design is quite different but functions well, just a chunky monkey in the pocket carry. Scissors are ok but i think vic scissors are a bit better at cutting fabric/nylon cord etc.

Glad i own it, use it quite a bit but i have been a vic fan for over 50 yrs so quite hard to give up the familiar for the new designs. Maybe they can tweak the design to add a fully serrated blade model.

The K series blade is quite capable but it gets thicker from edge to top, sticks sometime on semi solid items. Great for edc work, love the all locking blades.

Didnt care for the full price so waited and got mine from the bay as new.