Garage 006: Harvest

[powernoodle]

That' should be our Mission Statement   

     

[gregozedobe]

I think my inner cynic must be taking over, I initially read the text as "Leatherman Garbage".   But the scary thing is, the non-cynic part of my brain commented: "Yeah, after what I've been seeing lately from the Leatherman Garage that seems to be about right"      

[genevabuck]

I think my inner cynic must be taking over, I initially read the text as "Leatherman Garbage".   But the scary thing is, the non-cynic part of my brain commented: "Yeah, after what I've been seeing lately from the Leatherman Garage that seems to be about right"      

I just typed it up as Garbage accidentally on FB. Maybe it’s subconscious after I just saw detailed pics of the Harvest over there. I haven’t had buyer’s remorse like this in a long time. It’s not only a pos, but the blade is weird, and the finish looks like it was made by an amateur in their actual garage. The blade is closer to a kitchen knife than a hunting knife an has strange angles.   To add insult to injury, I told my wife that I wasn’t getting this one because I’ve been trying to rein it in. So I impulse bought at the last minute because I have the first five. Guess what?  Unknowing of my lack of discipline,  it turns out she bought me one as a surprise and sent iit to her parents house. So now I have $500 wrapped up in two $60 knives that are arguably the worst product LM has ever made. SMDH. 

[Aloha]

I thought the garage was a creative lab?  I mentioned in the ARC thread that I was not understanding this fixed blade being part of the garage releases  .  While I love a good fixed blade and this being LMs first it could be a regular release. 

[Poncho65]

I don't think this should have been a Garage release 

Limited edition release, yes The Garage was suppose to have been about innovation and trying different ideas that they wouldn't normally be able to do or release  but a fixed blade is literally the opposite most companies make these and release multiple different versions and variations of these and no one bats an eye because it is a very common thing

The Mr Crunch was completely different (the plier head was one of the coolest things around), the Darkside was a variation of the Charge with extras (at least it was still different and innovative), the next couple were knife based and not my thing but at least we're some different the 40th Anniversary should have just been a limited edition ARC that was for the 40th Anniversary along with other models for the 40th Anniversary (perhaps release the white with the 1983 pieces and then another more widely produced model) but that is me and just my opinion on the matter 

YMMV and you see it completely different though

[powernoodle]

The Garage was suppose to have been about innovation and trying different ideas that they wouldn't normally be able to do or release

That totally nails it, sir.  Everyone from SOG to Gerber to Ontario - and a zillion others - makes a basic fixed blade with sheath.  There is nothing "Garagey" about the Harvest, though it is a collectable for those so inclined. 

Leatherman had months or years to come up with the 001 Mr. Crunch, which had genuine Garage innovation.  With each passing release, Leatherman devotes less and less time to innovation and you end up with a fixed blade that can be cad/cammed in short order.  With each progression from 001 > 006, the innovation largely diminishes.  The 001 Mr. Crunch was innovation.  The 002 Darkside was groovy, but it was a Wave/Charge in a Halloween costume.  The 003 was a T4 for metrosexuals.  Even the 005, which yes was cool and looked like something a Storm Trooper would carry, was also a P4/Arc in disguise.  Will the 007 be a $250 pry tool? 

I love Leatherman, and have made about 9 of Tim Leatherman's boat payments.  But with praise comes scrutiny, especially in the era of skyrocketing prices.  Lets just keep it real that the Garage series is not a sneak peak into Leatherman's secret underground laboratory.

 

[Aloha]

  X2

Garage release 007 Pry tool. 

Thinking about Garage 007, they should really take this opportunity to release something awesome.  I sure hope they do. 

It appears they aren't are edgy as they thought they were?  .  The Crunch remains one of the coolest MTs from Leatherman.  Imagine that being released today as a Garage tool? 

While I like the ARC its a P series tool in my eye.  The GOAT MT is a good example of where LM can go.  Heck, they can take pages out of Gerber and SOG if they are out of ideas already.  I'm sure Tim has old drawings/ideas somewhere?

007 release should be epic given the idea that Bond has some of the coolest gear. 
 

     

[mansedan]

Garage 007 is going to be a black oxide Bond with white hardware and like, scissors added.

[Crunchie64]

Garage 007 is going to be a black oxide Bond with white hardware and like, scissors added.

Is this a guess or inside information?

I think licensing for anything with Bond and 007 together is going to get very expensive for Leatherman.

[Grand_Banana]

007 release should be epic given the idea that Bond has some of the coolest gear. 
     

The hidden/additional tools in the dark side would’ve been a great “007” kind of tool with the hidden features.

Or like mansedan said, it’ll be a “normal” model like the Bond but with those hidden features like “looks like a normal LM, but push this button and poison dart shoots out.”  It’ll come with the tag lines like “don’t touch that 007” and “need I remind you you have a license to kill, not remodel without a contractors license” 

[Crunchie64]

Okay, I’ve got a feature - point the built in scanner at any screw, Hex, Torx, or other fitting, and the correct bit will start glowing in the bit kit.

[renegade]

Rumor has it, the whole garage concept is to keep Tim’s son busy because he prefers to surf and very little interest in the company.

[genevabuck]

Rumor has it, the whole garage concept is to keep Tim’s son busy because he prefers to surf and very little interest in the company.

Not surprising.  I actually suspected it in a prior post. This product is so bad that LM couldn’t even brag it up. 

[fullbreakfast]

I just typed it up as Garbage accidentally on FB. Maybe it’s subconscious after I just saw detailed pics of the Harvest over there. I haven’t had buyer’s remorse like this in a long time. It’s not only a pos, but the blade is weird, and the finish looks like it was made by an amateur in their actual garage. The blade is closer to a kitchen knife than a hunting knife an has strange angles.   To add insult to injury, I told my wife that I wasn’t getting this one because I’ve been trying to rein it in. So I impulse bought at the last minute because I have the first five. Guess what?  Unknowing of my lack of discipline,  it turns out she bought me one as a surprise and sent iit to her parents house. So now I have $500 wrapped up in two $60 knives that are arguably the worst product LM has ever made. SMDH.

Well , you could always sell one or both for a profit on eBay and take your wife for dinner somewhere nice with the proceeds.

[genevabuck]

Well , you could always sell one or both for a profit on eBay and take your wife for dinner somewhere nice with the proceeds.

Yeah, I’ll probably eventually unload one at  or near cost to a fellow collector in need.

[MrToolJunkie]

I am glad I got out of the Garage game. After the first one, it does not seem like anything that new or cool.

[Craig_S]

By the time they get to release #10, it's going to be a round metallic disc with no features whatsoever.

I didn't even log in when it was time.

Craig

[powernoodle]

I would say that the 006 Harvest, and the Garage series generally to some degree, have been somewhat of a swing and a miss for Leatherman among the MTO crowd.

Though I agree with the majority of comments, I'm still a big fan of Leatherman and spent a not inconsequential sum on several Leatherman MTs over the past few weeks to shore up my hoard with models that are being or may be phased out.  Though in my view Victorinox makes a much more elegant design with tighter tolerances, Victorinox is akin to Glock in that it has not done much to the product line in quite a long time.  Even if you aren't a huge fan of the Free lineup (I still prefer the Wave+, etc.), at least Leatherman has released several models in the T, K and P series, plus the Raptor, Raptor Response and upcoming (grotesquely overpriced) Arc.  So props to Leatherman for churning the butter, even if the Garage series has not lived up to the initial promise of innovation.

[Rich_SD]

I don't care what all of the cynics say - it's a damn nice knife.  Maybe I'll pick up another and do the Britney Spears knife dance! 

[Poncho65]

Congrats on getting one,  Rich

[Legend]

I’m proud to own it.  One tool, a couple thousand uses.  Maybe the marketing was too meta for some, but I appreciate that LM put this one out.  Damn fine execution.

CEO Ben Rivera has a rock in his Leatherman Collection.  Literally a rock, with a LM sticker.  Sticks and stones quite simply are the original multi tools.  You bet your ass that if LM released a Garage rock, I’d buy it.

For the cynical guys out there, I understand there are people who would buy anything LM puts their name on.  That isn’t me, but the point here is honoring the past.  That is what I’m supporting with Batch# 006 Harvest.  Every Garage release loses money so it isn’t a money grab.  They already sell 8k tools a day.  The garage truly is a place to explore ideas.

Moving forward, I believe LM will stay in their lane.  Knives aren’t the core business at LM and I don’t believe knives are their future. 

Everyone likes to think of the Garage mission statement as “Innovation,” which it is, but they have outlined their goals specifically and they have stated that some releases will fail.  Obviously this wasn’t for everyone, but I understood what they were doing and I support honoring the past, so that is why I bought this one.  I intend to use it also, as I do with all of the Garage releases.  Not sure I’d use the rock though. 

[Crunchie64]

It would be great to see the Garage tools distributed in a completely different way.

Instead of sold in a mad rush to end up on ebay or in display cabinets, why not hand them out as prizes for best review of a tool, best photo, most seals rescused in a year, etc.

That way Leatherman can make sure they’re going to people who will use them, test them, promote them, and most importantly, give feedback of how they actually handle and last.

Even sending Garage prototypes out as warranty replacements would serve a purpose. Broken your biggest screwdriver blade? Try this new pry bar design. Bent the blade on your Skeletool stabbing a maurading polar bear? Try this Surge ++ with new Taser built in.

I’d be happy to pay a deposit for a Garage tool, test it for six months or so, then either provide proof I haven’t sold it and buy another, or return it in exchange for the next.

It might not make as much money for Leatherman ( probably a drop in the ocean compared with regular tool sales as pointed out above), but it would be a better way to get tools into the hands of people who would use them and contribute to research and development.

Limited edition versions of production tools could still be launched to appeal to collectors, but maybe not sold in quite such small quantities.

[Legend]

There’s some fun ideas.  I definitely think they should be used, and feedback should be shared.  Great thoughts.

[powernoodle]

I don't care what all of the cynics say - it's a damn nice knife.  Maybe I'll pick up another and do the Britney Spears knife dance! 

      

Not that it matters, but the Harvest is selling on eBay in the US$300 - $350 range, and that number will prolly go up over time as they disappear.  That's not the gargantuan price that some of the Garage series are commanding, but still its a fine collectable, maybe a user for some, and certainly an appreciating asset.

[Rich_SD]

Congrats on getting one,  Rich

Thank you 

why not hand them out as prizes for best review of a tool,

Write an essay to get a tool? 🤢  Are you my English Teacher in disguise?   

[genevabuck]

I  just saw on Reddit that people are complaining that the blade on the Harvest is slicing right through that trash sheath that they charged premium money for. What a lemon.

[Fireman]

CEO Ben Rivera has a rock in his Leatherman Collection.  Literally a rock, with a LM sticker.  Sticks and stones quite simply are the original multi tools.  You bet your ass that if LM released a Garage rock, I’d buy it.

Maybe they could glue flint, obsidian, and granite together to make a multirock for you.

[Aloha]

I don't dislike this knife.  Its a style that many are used to and in materials we are also used to.  Whats compelling is that its LM first fixed blade.  That alone is interesting to me.  I did not get one nor did I attempt to get one. 

After seeing a few videos of this offering from the Garage the collector in me understands more why the Garage is a thing.  If I was in my hard core collecting days I likely would have picked this up.  I love fixed blades and LM so this would have been a no brainer for me. 

I like the looks of this offering very much.  Again nothing we haven't see before but still its nice looking.  Too bad about the sheath for that user getting sliced.

If I see one on the loose I could be swayed to get one.   

[Legend]

Maybe they could glue flint, obsidian, and granite together to make a multirock for you.

Mulitrock.  .  Yes please.

[powernoodle]

These are back in stock.

https://www.leatherman.com/batch-006-harvest-693.html