Henry Rifle Forums

much to my chagrin my Leatherman Charge ALX ===> https://www.cabelas.com/product/Leather ... &gclsrc=ds has to be returned for warranty repair .... I've carried it on my belt most every day since 2005 and it has proven to be a very handy tool .... as can be seen below, the thumb bar (for lack of a better name) on blade on the left of the picture is broken .... it is used to assist in opening the blade .... apparently it hit at just the right angle, on something hard, when I dropped it .... I called their customer service number in the hope that they could just send me a replacement blade but the rep said it had to be returned to them for repair .... they said as a general rule they repair and ship out within a week of the tool's arrival ..... Leatherman has proven to be a very good company to deal with .... I hate to be without it for a day, much less for a couple of weeks

I have never been interested in one of these. It is just too bulky for my carry comfort. Obviously, it is a heck of a tool. Maybe someday...

Hope yours is returned in good condition soon. I would be lost without my pocket knife.

13 years of daily service from your Leatherman multi-tool is pretty darn good, JEBar. I can see why you depend on it, especially as you travel and need to keep your rig and campsite accessories all going. Hope Leatherman continues their good service your way, and that you'll be back in operation soon!!
PT7

most certainly agree that its too bulky to serve as a pocket knife .... I wear mine in a sheath on my belt

JEBar,

What kind of steel is your blade made of? Leatherman web site indicates there are different steels available. The Cabelas link you posted lists the 154CM knife. I've read that's a pretty good quality, strong steel. But evidently not strong enough to resist breakage from being dropped. Just curious as I like reading/learning about knife steel. Thanks.

it does have 154cm stamped on the broken blade .... I don't know much about steel but do know that the one with the broken thumb bar did really well .... it shipped to them today , my hope is it will be back by the end of next week or early in the week after

Again from my "steel reads," JEBar, that's good steel material. Whenever I search for an evaluation of a steel type, there is usually a single paragraph that is the groundwork for all the details and specs that might follow. Here are some snippets from those descriptions about the steel choices available for your Leatherman.

I saw three choices of blade steel for your multi-tool:
~~S30V which is the best, high end steel. Also read there is a premium price to get this stuff. I have one Buck folder which I had custom-built with this steel. I simply wanted to have one knife in my small collection with this top-of-the-line steel. I can see/feel the sharpness is a "cut above" my other knives.
~~Your 154CM is a high-end stainless steel made in America by Crucible, the same manufacturer of S30V. It is rated as a quite durable steel that holds an edge very well and is easy to sharpen. That durability is evident in your case having used the Leatherman for 13 years now.
~~420HC is an excellent general purpose knife steel, which provides extra strength, hardness, and wear resistance. If you ever look at Buck's knife offerings, they very often use 420HC steel for their knives.

Yeah, I know I ramble on. But I enjoy my small knife collection and especially learning about what all goes into knife construction. Like you, I'd missed my EDC Victorinox Tinker...without it, there is a huge hole in my right pocket. And just like your Leatherman multi-tool, if I didn't have my Victorinox Spirit multi-tool for my home projects, I'd be spending a lot more time rummaging my toolbox for just what is needed!

Best on getting your tool back real soon!

JEBar wrote:it does have 154cm stamped on the broken blade .... I don't know much about steel but do know that the one with the broken thumb bar did really well .... it shipped to them today , my hope is it will be back by the end of next week or early in the week after

thanks for the info

Carried a Leatherman Wave for years before I retired. Now I just keep it in my car in case I have a need for it.

My Benchmade 470-1 has a S30V blade. I guess that's part of the reason for it's cost. Only way I would pay more for a knife is if Wash. state was to legalize automatic knives, I would love to have a Benchmade OTF (out the front).

http://blog.bladeops.com/advantages-of- ... steel.html

Interesting article on the S30V steel, Dave77.

One thing I was going to further research, which I didn't know about, was the term "martensitic." That classifies S30V by it's crystalline structure. Sure is digging deep into another one of the many details of steel structure:

"Martensitic is a specific type of stainless steel alloy. Martensitic steels are carbon steels that are usually tempered and hardened. This tempering gives the steel good hardness and high toughness." The concluding remarks also verified that my custom-built folder does have a very good steel blade. The summary left no doubt that I'll have very little, if any, problems with this blade down-the-road. ---> "If you are looking for a high end stainless steel knife that will keep an edge, that will be durable, and will resist corrosion–definitely consider one made with a CPM-S30V blade."

It's also helpful to know this steel holds an edge well. I'm not overly skilled at sharpening knives, so this quality is a real plus.

Appreciate the follow up post!
PT7

PT7 wrote: It's also helpful to know this steel holds an edge well. I'm not overly skilled at sharpening knives, so this quality is a real plus.

Appreciate the follow up post!
PT7

Have you ever tried one one of the WorkSharp sharpeners. I'm the same and have tried all kinds of stones and sharpeners with so-so results. I was kind of skeptical but it will quickly put a nice edge on all my knives. Even quickly put a very sharp edge on my old Buck 110 which takes forever to sharpen with stones. They even have a diamond belt kit if you need to repair/sharpen ceramic kitchen knives.

http://www.worksharptools.com/sharpener ... pener.html

I will only use the very finest abrasive belt on my Benchmade but I don't use it for heavy duty cutting so only have to give it a light touch up. One thing neat about Benchmade is their Lifesharp Service, send them your knife and they will put a factory edge back on it and pay return shipping back to you.

Never have tried one; in fact, first sharpener system I've seen with a flexible belt....interesting.
Thanks.

for the last few months I sharpened my Leatherman with a Bavarian Edge .... see last post this thread ====> http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... dge#p60007 .... results, a sharp working edge (not a shaving edge) .... worked well on both the regular and serrated blades

I wrote some comments in that thread after I also got one of the Bavarian Edge sharpeners. It works quite well for a fairly inexpensive tool. But as I also noted, I wouldn't use it for any knife like this higher cost custom built S30V blade. Will have that done by someone who does sharpening as his trade.

agree, it works well on kitchen knives and work knives (like our Leatherman) but I don't use it on my good knives

I have never been interested in one of these. It is just too bulky for my carry comfort.

Hardly - I would feel NAKED without my leatherman on my belt - I use mine daily at work and often othertimes.
I have also found a new way to carry mine and it has been working for years.
I went into my LGS one day with the thought of finding a MAG pouch to hold it snugly and securely.
After looking at the choices I saw a Galco leather single mag pouch for a typical double stack 9mm mag.
I took it out and clipped it to my belt, put my Leatherman Wave in it and walked around with it for a while to get a feel for it.
Result? It seemed to be MADE for it and was comfortable to carry and easy to access.
The pouch has a removable bayonet style clip on belt clip which can allow the pouch to be 'click' adjusted for various angles if one wants to use it in a 'tactical' mode for quick access to the magazine but I have preferred to remove this clip and simply thread my belt into the standard 'belt loop' to hold it vertically.
The hex screw at the top is an 'adjustment' with a rubber grommet to adjust tension for mag retention but it works great with the Leatherman which equates a 9mm mag size and thickness.
A little thought and experimentation can result in some GREAT discoveries.
$35 and a lifetime purchase as it is made in Italy and is a quality product.
AND - FWIW a full size Colt 1911 or Mod 66 Smith rides on my other hip so 'bulky' is not a factor.

nice, I've never considered a magazine pouch

nice, I've never considered a magazine pouch

Whal, I Ah iz 'wunna them 'Po backwuds Country Boyz who hazta alwayz be a 'thinkin fer mahself an come up with som purty creeativ wayz ta deel with stuff & such!

I'm not sure how many models I looked at when considering buying a Victorinox Spirit X, but a number of them came with either a leather or nylon pouch. I chose mine partly to have the leather pouch. It is designed with a standard belt loop for a vertical hold, and the leather is very good quality. Easy way to carry this 7.4 oz., 105mm multi-tool. Perfect set up!

Before I got the Spirit, I had purchased two strong nylon sheaths to carry other knives. The size is perfect to carry my Spirit X, and for all of my 91mm SAKs (e.g. Climber, Tinker, etc.). My Buck 722 Spitfire perfectly fits in this sheath also. These sheaths are made by Kalashnikov. What I really liked about them is the option to belt carry the knife either vertically or horizontally. I mostly have them horizontal for easy access. Photos follow.

Hope this doesn't sidetrack your thread too far afield, JEBar!! I just don't have a Leatherman to show off.
PT7

My Victorinox Spirit X Multi-Tool The Victorinox leather sheath is left of my Spirit X multi-tool. The top tan Kalashnikov sheath shows the option for vertical or horizontal carry, and the black Kalashnikov on the right is identical showing the front view.

The nice thing about the mag pouch I am using is it fits very snugly to my belt and waist and moves with me, with none of the typical flopping or looseness some of the typical belt pouches have.