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 Better Aug 16, 2010
Better than the other 2 Leatherman products I've owned (and liked). I would rate this 5 stars if the plyers had a spring or some method that kept them open while using them. This is the only reason I still carry my Gerber as often as this Leatherman.
 Good tool, not sure about the hype. Aug 06, 2010
Did anyone happen to read the two star review on here from the overly-critical "apophasis"? At least, that was my impression of him when I read his review, before I bought the Charge TTi myself. I have to say - my initial impressions of the tool were the same as his.
Out of the box, my TTi felt clunky and difficult to open. There was an obvious "catch" to each side where the handle pivoted over the pliers, which was simply annoying upon opening. But then to close the tool, this excessive sticking becomes more evident, as it means pinching your fingers against the head of the pliers in order to push them fully shut. Quite disheartening.
Next, I pulled out the blade. I was sure he'd had a lemon. But no, I could see plainly at arm's length how poor the grind on the blade was. In fact, I hadn't even bought the TTi for its blade, as I've always been the sort of person not to think of a multi-tool blade as a "real" knife, but to see a piece of S30V that hasn't even been given a fair chance at performing to its potential... as a knife enthusiast, I was disappointed.
Finding his two main gripes to prove true, I set about testing the functionality of the tool-open-put-into-sheath business. Just as he said, if you cram the pliers in deep enough, they don't come out. The back edges of the pliers are sharp enough to cut yourself on if you catch them right and they definitely don't like to let go of that nylon.
At this point, I would've been at about three stars instead of five.
I really wanted this tool to work for me, though, so I set about solving my problems. Rather than loosening the Torx bolts that hold the pliers in place, which would degrade the sturdy lockup of the inner tools, I decided to see what was sticking up the opening of the pliers. Upon close inspection it was plain to see where the pliers pivot on the outside of the handles there was a coarse patch of metal on either side. With a small file, I removed a small amount of metal from both sides. Then, I used a buffing wheel with some polishing compound to smooth out the surface. Finally, I spread the polishing compound inside the pivot point, and worked the pliers open/closed repeatedly for an hour or so, taking care to notice which side offered more resistance and work that side more. Then of course I cleaned the tool out, oiled it, and cleaned again the excess.
After that, I set about sharpening the blade (also with my Spyderco Sharpmaker, oddly enough).
Now, I can open my TTi one-handed. There is enough resistance in the pivot points that the tool won't open inadvertently, but nowhere near the crunchy, awkward, sticking feeling it had when it came out of the box. It feels smooth and convenient. The blade, which now shaves hair with hardly noticeable pressure on the skin, I like the shape and ease of deploy so much that I have replaced my previous EDC knife entirely by this unit.
And the pliers sticking in the sheath when open? That I knew the solution to before I bought the tool. Don't do that. You know what you do with a multi-tool when you want to use both hands and you don't want to fold it up to put it away? You slip one handle of the tool in your pocket and let the other hang out. Problem solved. This is easier to coordinate than stuffing the thing into a sheath on your belt, and I am surprised any of the mechanically inclined folk who buy these would pay any attention to the feature. That feature of the sheath probably looked nice as a bullet point on a package somewhere, but that part of it is a novelty. Unless of course you happen to be multi-tooling in the nude and have no pockets, in which you have no place wearing a belt either.
To summarize: I love this tool. It saves me time and frustration daily. I wish I had upgraded to a full-sized one years ago. But, Leatherman really should put more attention to the fit and finish on these things - if only for their higher end tools such as these. For paying over a hundred bucks, I would expect a tool to be sharpened properly and operate as if it doesn't have grit in it, and if I didn't know how to work a knife sharpener and a Dremel I would still be at three stars instead of five.
Charge TTI Jul 31, 2010
For starters, I'd like to note that this Charge TTI also comes with a "Gift Tin" although it doesn't say it in the title. (When I was looking, I noticed the one with the leather sheath came with one.)
This is probably the most solid multitool I've ever owned. I have a friend that owns a Wave, and I like my Charge TTi a whole lot better. The handle's nicer, the blades are nicer, and you can tell the difference in weight.
Pretty much everything else I'd want to say is in the other reviews. I just wanted to talk about those two things, because they were what I wanted to know when I was picking which multitool to buy.
The perfect multi-tool Jul 19, 2010
Was purchased as a gift, came in a nice looking tin box. He absolutely loves it and has no idea how he ever survived without it before.
The everything tool. Jul 08, 2010
I have been carrying this tool on my belt for several months now and have found it to be exceptionally useful. It has a sturdy construction and provides and impressive array of features for an object of its weight and bulk. To date, I have used it to rewire the internals on an electric guitar, to do work on the center console of my car and as a daily aid at my landscaping job. I find that the lock out feature on each subcomponent is very useful and I love the interchangeable bits in the bit driver.
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