Does anybody know where Leatherman multi tools are made?? package says Portland OR, but does not say “made in usa” anywhere on it If it’s made in China…I’m not considering it…
My understanding is they are made in the USA.
You can look on this site for recommended products to buy that are made in the USA. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean all components of the product are made in the USA. It does mean that the product was assembled and tested here by American labor. This site below does recommend Leatherman.
They have a 25 year warranty and they’ll ship it back to you for free if you have a problem. I think I read Leatherman has something like 55% of the U.S. multi tool market. I have had two of their multi tools and they were good to go. I did have a small piece bend and break off on the inside channel where you fold the pliers back into. This happened on both models but did not affect function at all. The point where this small tab of metal breaks off seems to be where all the pressure is when you fold the tool back up when not in use. I didn’t send them back for repair because both pairs seemed to function a little better after the tab had broken. In other words, it was easier to close but it wasn’t that hard to close to begin with if that makes any sense. I put some hard use on the ones I had and they still functioned. I gave one of mine to my brother and the other one to a friend recently and they are still going strong.
I did like the selection of tools on the “Wave” and if I’m ever in the market for another one I would buy again.
I could have sworn my Charge TTi had “made in the USA” on it.After another inspection all i can find is “packaging made in China”(on the tin/box).
It’s a beast though.By far the nicest multi-tool i’ve ever handled…Then again,it’s the only $100 multi-tool i’ve ever used.
Interesting.
I have one of the original Leatherman Multi Tools when they first became popular. Picked it up in the Clothing Sales Store in Germany back in 1985/86. That thing stayed on my person for years while on duty, and came in handy on many FTX’s and deployments.
During Desert Storm I was working on my vehicle, and applied too much torque to the tool. One of the rivets that holds the blades into the handle, had its head partially snap off.
I wonder if Leatherman would repair it under warranty even after all these years?
China or Portland, OR is moot to me.
I’d pass on anything from Leatherman due to his politics. He supported John Kerry, and made no bones about it.
I prefer Gerber, SOG or Swiss Army/Victornox.
I’m not too worried about his politics…I want a multi-tool that as much as possible is made/assembled here in the U.S. The selection I have is small, Winchester,(china) Gerber, (taiwan,SP?) and Leatherman… in this case the Core model,I’m not paying good money for either a cheap knockoff, or a taiwanese knockoff of slightly better quality, I’d rather not support the communist chinese…So, whenever possible, I try to buy American made, I’ll buy the Leatherman…
Well, 25yrs is 25yrs, looks to me like you still have a year or so left…I call them up and see what they say, I’d bet they’ll honor their warranty
thats honorable or patriotic either way good luck in your venture. i own several leathermans and i dont care where they are made.
I don’t care for leatherman’s politics, but it’s hard for me to use any other brand of tool. I’ve tried the swisstool, powerlock, and a few others, but I kept coming back to my leatherman core since it was the only one that was a sturdy well rounded tool. The other brands weren’t junk, they usually just had some defficiency that made them less than ideal for my uses. I’m thinking about getting their new supertool one of these days since it addresses a few of my compliants about the core. That, or see if I can find a bunch of cores on closeout.
In regards to parts content, I think there is some good threads over on multitool.org’s forum that adress that issue.
He uses profits from his company to support people who don’t want you to have a knife, let alone a gun. Your money sent to him helps.
BTW, all my Gerber stuff is stamped “Portland, OR” on the blades and “Made in the USA” on the sheaths.
I like the SOG power pliers, with the gear pivot point.
Its at least as good as any leatherman I’ve carried/used.
With The gear drive, you can generate some good force to cut stuff with, fold it back over, like you are closing it, and get even more.
It also, will not collapse on itself, like a leatherman, if the jaws get stuck on something your trying to cut. Seen that happen a few times with leathermans. Maybe you shouldn’t be cuttin stuff like that, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Recently I was issued a brand new leatherman, it stayed in the box, and I carried a SOG instead. Because of work issues, I now am mandated to carry the leatherman. I’ll probably either carry both, or just skip the leatherman, and deal with the consequences.
Pretty sure its USA made also, at least that what the package said.
Bob
WELL i do care about his politics and wont be purchasing anymore leathermans.
As fate would have it I followed Glock-Fu’s link to U.S. made stuff…It seems Leathermans are assembled here in the U.S. using imported and U.S. made parts,From what I can find out from the multi tool site, the knives, files, plier heads, phillips screwdrivers, corkscrews, are all made overseas…Mexico,(plier heads) Switzerland, (files) and I don’t know where the rest comes from but, I’ll wager China… That’s just not good enough…I had just bought a Leatherman Core… The more I read the more I became interested in SOG’s multi-tools, So, just for giggles I clicked on their web page and on the “find a dealer” link…Much to my suprise the local Lowe’s is a dealer. I went and looked and they had exactly 2 in stock…both powerlocks…on the package it was clearly marked “Made in the U.S.A.” I bought it on the spot… The difference in price with tax Between the 2 was less than 20 cents…I returned the Leatherman back to the store where I bought it within an hour…The Sog is an impressive tool, one thing I like is the ability to replace/change blades, screwdrivers, etc, without having to send it back, and replacement parts are very reasonably priced, and allows the user to configure the tool to his needs. Anyway, I found what I was looking for I’ve been carrying it at work and have used it a little bit, it works well, I’m very pleased, I bought a multi tool that’s made in the U.S. Is high quality, and most important of all I did a little bit to support goods made here, in the U.S.
I’ve have been carring one or other 88 on I like the SOG para tools better had 5 Gerbers issued don’t like as well but not a anti-gun like “Tim”:mad: is still looking for next replacement for my super tool I broke 1st one in 91, 2nd 93 and few others gerbers always pinch my hand/ fingers. :mad: still looking for the SOG Demo tool in PX they only have Leatheman and few Gerbers in stock and very few SOGs but not the one I’m wanting to replace Leatherman with.
I’ve used Leathermans for years. They are decent for a light duty multi-tool used for relatively light chores.
For anything heavy…try something else. I’ve broken knife blades, screwdrivers, and on one occasion I even broke the pliars themselves.
I won’t be buying any more Leatherman products simply because I’m tired of them breaking when I need them most.
I’ve heard lots of compliants about Leathermans and Gerbers breaking. My two Leatherman Super Tools are quite old and beat up, but they’re head and shoulders above the cheapo Gerber multi-tool i picked up to stash in the car a few months ago. The Supertools show their age though. Clearly they don’t make them like they used to.
I’ve found this site to be quite helpful in researching multi-tools: http://www.multitool.org/home/
What models have you tried?
The original super tool, the Wave, and the titanium charge.
SOG tool with the gears. Outstanding. Not to mention that Tim Leatherman was a big time Clinton supporter.