38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

Leatherman Charge TTi, 12 Jan 2010

As the result of a stupid (and expensive!) mistake at the airport, I lost my first Charge TTi to the security dustbin at Gatwick recently. This is my second Charge TTi and my third Leatherman ( my first one is a 14 year old SuperTool that is still in very good condition and which I keep as a fallback). The fact that I replaced the lost Charge with the same tool says a lot – including the fact that although it’s not cheap, I think this tool is worth every penny of the asking price.

Any problems or issues?
Well, on first inspection, the new tool was extremely stiff, but the trick of soaking it in very hot water, followed by a sparing squirt or two of PTFE lubricant spray helped a lot and I’m sure that with use it will continue to free up as the previous one did.

As with any plier-based tool you need to exercise care to avoid nipping your finger in the apex of the grips if you allow the jaws to slip on the workpiece – but then care in use should be a ‘given’ with any type of tool.

Something I have noticed over the years is how many people seem to be rather nervous around multi-tools – many of my otherwise perfectly capable friends and colleagues hand back the Leatherman to me still open after they have borrowed it, saying something like, “I like my fingers, so I’ll let you close it up !” & I suppose the point here is to take the time to get to know your multi-tool inside out. Every item on the Charge TTi locks firmly into position for use, but the lock releases are well implemented and very easy to use. Yes, of course you need to be careful, especially when closing a blade, but then so you should be with any sharp tool – and if you don’t keep tools sharp then they are worse than useless, blunt tools are positively dangerous!

I have heard it rumoured that Leatherman blades don’t hold their edge as well as, say Victorinox. All I can say is that in my experience, Leatherman blades as supplied are very sharp indeed, and it is perfectly possible to keep them that way. I use a small kitchen knife sharpening tool (can’t remember the exact details, but made or sold by ‘Aston’ rings a bell) that I picked up a few years ago at the ideal Home exhibition, which not only keeps the clip point blade razor sharp, it does a brilliant job on the serrated blade too.

What do I like about his tool? Lots!
The main difference between this and the previous model I owned is the cutting hook on the tip of the serrated blade – it is shown as being useful for cutting seat-belts, and whilst I am comforted by the ease with which I could escape from a seatbelt should I need to, I find a far more mundane use for it as an excellent tool for cutting nylon cable ties without risking cutting into the cables, and also for cutting packing strapping and the like.

Between them the clip pointed blade and the serrated blade/hook will cope with just about any cutting task – though there are some I would avoid with any non-disposable blade such as cutting carpet, as this is one of the quickest ways I know to take the edge off a blade. The wood saw blade is superb and will cope easily with surprisingly heavy cuts – there is absolutely no feeling of it being a last resort if no other option is available, it does the job very well indeed, and can get into places that would not be accessible with a more conventional saw. The box joint on the plier is very firm and convincing, and on my previous Charge TTi showed no signs of becoming sloppy after considerable use.

One of the great things about this multi-tool is that every item on it is both sensible & useful – obviously there will be tools you use more than others, but I find that I do use pretty much every aspect of this tool. The interchangeable bits bring considerable additional flexibility, and whilst I tend to leave a reversible medium cross/flat bit in the holder as ‘standard’ the fact that you have the option lifts it above most of the competition.

Talking of which, when I had to replace the lost tool, I took the opportunity to do some research, and came to the conclusion that the closest competition came from the Gerber range. Whilst there are some very attractive options in that range, I came to the conclusion that the combination of tools on the Charge TTi was the most useful to me – and that together with the very positive experience I had already had with Leatherman products, that made the decision.

A multi-tool is a very personal choice, driven in part by the nature of the tasks you wish to undertake with it. I can’t help you decide if this is the right tool for your needs, but I can tell you that in my view, if the combination of tools it contains matches your needs, and you are prepared to spend the money, then the practicality & quality with which Leatherman has implemented the tools in the Charge TTi is of the very highest order.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Very well made super-tool, 13 July 2011

I was unsure about spending the extra to get a Charge TTI instead of the plain Wave but having received the Charge I am very glad I made the decision to get the premium model.

One of the less obvious differences seems to be that the handles are much more comfortable with rounded edges; the Wave has more sharp edges so doesn’t feel as good when gripped hard. The Charge also comes with a useful cutting hook as part of the serrated blade, it supposedly has better steel in the straight blade and also comes with a mini bit-set. Altogether it just looks better put together than the Wave and feels slightly more robust. I already have the feeling that this little tool is going to last a few decades. I am pleased to see they are still made in the USA and not put together in China like so many other products these days. I’m sure some parts are imported from other places but at least the final assembly and quality control is still happening in the birthplace.

I would highly recommend the Leatherman Charge TTI!