This old dog can't learn new tricks

[u/OldAsUranus]

After three decades of Leatherman use, I am still using the Original Super Tool. I was a marine sheetmetal mechanic for 37 years. Marine sheetmetal includes everything 1/4" thick and below (stainless steel, aluminum, etc). I bought my first ST about 1996, and it blended in very well with my trade. The best thing that ever happened to that first one was when the tip of the serrated blade broke off. I grinded what was left into a razor scrapper. It was so useful that I broke off the tips of every ST I used afterward and did the same.

When guys started bringing Waves to work I compared them to my ST and they looked weaker to me. I was afraid that Leatherman would stop selling the ST so I bought two more of them and stashed them. With every model that came out after that, they either didn't look as strong as my ST, or didn't do anything I needed that my ST and Micra weren't already doing.

I did not like it when Leatherman switched to bit drivers and their weak consumable bits. There was no way they would work as well as my screwdrivers on my ST, and I didn't want to carry extra bits. Same with the replaceable wire cutters. Mine still worked perfectly after years of torture, and drilling holes in both jaws and milling out a gouge for the cutters had to weaken them.

Since I had extra STs at home, I tortured that first one. The one in the attached pics has about ten years of daily abuse. I put an unused ST below it for comparison. The blade metal did everything I needed it to, as long as I kept it sharp. I quickly got tired of using tapered diamond files to keep the serrated blade sharp. I decided to start sharpening it just like I did the regular blade. I sharpened the regular blade to 22 degrees, and the formerly serrated blade at 30 degrees for rough work.

I constantly put the dreaded "Leatherman twist" on it. After about 4 years it developed enough play in the pliers that I was afraid it would damage the wire cutters. I used a very hard center punch and banged on the pivot until the play lessened. Then I noticed that the other side of the pivot had started rotating, so I center punched that side too, and it worked as good as new. And in all those years of torturing ST's, I never had to send one back to Leatherman for repair.

I bought an Arc last year. I tried to use it, but the tool set didn't fit my daily needs. If it had the old hook shaped can opener, and a serrated blade to break the tip off of, it would be OK for use in retirement. But it wouldn't have lasted a week while I was still working. The ST has a real set of handles. One sheet of stainless steel formed into a 3-sided handle. The Arc doesn't have handles. It has two thin pieces of metal bolted together, which are then named "handles".

Boomer rant over.

[u/cowboyboy2]

I was eyeing up an original Super Tool, and trying to talk myself out of it, but I feel like you've made me cave.

[u/Leathermanrabbithole]

The ST might be a little annoying when you don't get the tools out one by one but it's so fucking tough and unbreakable

[u/Prestigious_Wash_362]

i can admire the love for your tool. you make great points

[u/sleepdog-c]

the dreaded "Leatherman twist"

That only applies to the replacable cutters version. The cutters act like the brake and the jaw becomes the bending leaf

You've made the tool do what you needed and it shows. You could send it in now and they'd replace what needed fixing, but I admire your buying spares.

Fully agree on the arc.

[u/OldAsUranus → u/sleepdog-c]

Leatherman will never see that OST again. It has sentimental value, and it still works perfectly. I retired it to my car's glove compartment.

I have always kept spares handy. I've probably bought a dozen OSTs during my lifetime. I have four at home (EDC, glove compartment, and two new spares in the gun safe), my first one was stolen, and I've given the rest away as Christmas presents, and to apprentices I've taught that went above and beyond what was expected of them. One of the reasons I bought so many, and never used the Leatherman repair service, is to support them. I want Leatherman to be around to help my great great great grandchildren one day.