tools – Kikuyumoja

The Leatherman Arc

opened Leatherman Arc box — The opened cardboard box that the Leatherman Arc came shipped in: The tool, the sheath, a bit set, a flyer.

I recently bought the new Leatherman Arc, a new multitool by Leatherman that uses the “FREE”-technology Leatherman introduced a while ago. The most notable part about this purchase is not the tool itself, but the price it is being sold for: Here in Germany, it costs 299 EUR (taxes & shipping included). That’s a lot of money for a multitool, especially since the Chinese competition sells cheaper multitools via Amazon for 10% of this price.

I am new to the Free technology, which is why I bought this tool. I buy a new multitool about every 10 years, and my 20 year old Leatherman Wave has already been exchanged two or three times on their lifetime warranty.

opened Leatherman Squirt PS4 and Olive i3E EOS — My all-time favourite tools: A Leatherman Squirt PS4 and a small, AAA-driven LED light. These are my daily drivers.

Since the introduction of some legal limitations in the EU that regulate which type of knife you are allowed to carry in public, I’ve mainly carried a small Leatherman Squirt PS4 in the 5th pocket of my trousers. The Leatherman Squirt PS4 is hands down the BEST tool ever produced. Not quality-wise, though, as I already had to replace it 4 or 5 times! Some of the materials used are too brittle, especially the file. But it works so well and is always with me (along with an Olight i3E lamp).

The LM Squirt PS4 is sadly out of production, and I also started a new job at a museum where I often need a screwdriver / knife / pliers for smaller repairs. I also own and use the Leatherman Wave and Leatherman Charge Ti which I consider the best multitools for my requirements. Continue reading “The Leatherman Arc”

The Leatherman sheath, part 3

The quest for the ultimate Leatherman sheath may be a never ending story, although I have to admit that I stopped caring about this issue when two things happened some years ago:

1. The purchase of a Skinth OG sheath in 2012. This sheath was made by the Canada-based designer Eric Au and is well worth the money (~ 40 EUR).
2. I switched from carrying a bigger Leatherman (LM) multitool to a Leatherman Squirt PS4 which is a tiny little multitool that sits in the 5th pocket of my jeans.

My initial desire for the ultimate sheath began in 2004 when I got the (back then) updated LM Wave 2004 which was a massive improvement over the „Original Wave“. Bigger, wider, much more useful on the one hand, but on the other hand it came shipped with an awful Leatherman sheath made out of stiff leather. Now in 2018 it is still very stiff, not very useful. And sadly, the current Wave as sold in this Shire still comes shipped with a really stiff leather sheath that may look durable, but is a pain to wear on the belt. Who uses these sheaths anyways? And why can’t they make great leather sheaths even when they carry the “leather” word in their name? Continue reading “The Leatherman sheath, part 3”

Der 30 EUR Ringmaulschlüsselsatz und seine Maßhaltigkeit

Dieser Tage musste ich eine neue Badewannenarmatur montieren, weil sich der Vorgänger trotz Kartuschen-Überholung mit Armaturen-/Hahnfett nicht mehr zur vollen Dichtigkeit überreden ließ. Außerdem war es mal Zeit für einen Wechsel. Die verchromten Überwurfmuttern sollte man laut der Anleitung mit einem 30mm Schraubenschlüssel anziehen, aber weil meine Schraubenschlüsselsammlung bis dahin nur bis Größe 22 ging, und selbst diese nur als Ringschlüssel vorhanden war, griff ich notgedrungen zur altbewährten Wasserzange, die mit einem Handtuch unterlegt war. Eine Armaturenzange mit Schonbacken wollte ich mir für diesen einmaligen Anwendungzweck nicht zulegen und zur Not geht es mit der Wasserzange auch immer, aber als Technikmensch ärgert es einen natürlich schon, wenn das falsche Werkzeug am Start ist.

Das Leben ist zu kurz für das falsche Werkzeug. Das erkannte ich spät, aber dennoch vor einigen Jahren, als ich für meine diversen Handyreparaturen und Repaircafé-Aktivitäten den ganzen China-Schrott entsorgte und dafür meine geliebten Wera, Wiha und Gedore Schraubendreher organisierte.

JKE toolset — Bild 1: Meine bisherige Sammlung an Maul-/Gabel- und Ringschlüsseln in einer günstig nachgekauften Transporttasche.

Continue reading “Der 30 EUR Ringmaulschlüsselsatz und seine Maßhaltigkeit”