I have a Leatherman OHT multi-tool (here’s the review), and it’s a fantastic multi-tool. The quick-access pliers are incredibly useful, and make this one of my favorite multi-tools ever.
Its pivots are adjustable, and this is a good thing but also a downside.
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I’ve been using my OHT’s pliers very regularly, but the knives haven’t seen lot of use, until recently. Both main knives are difficult to close. Instead of sliding back into the handle, their liner locks push them outwards a little bit, and into the side handle scales.
I haven’t unpacked my other multi-tools yet, and only put 2 utility knives into my easy-access tool box. So that means my OHT has been somewhat of a workhorse.
I don’t remember the knives being sprung out when trying to close them. It’s so bizarre. But then I had a hunch and squeezed the pivot, and there was quite a bit of play – enough to allow the force of the liner lock springs to put the knives outside their normal range of travel.
Some adjustment with a tamper-resistant Torx T10 screwdriver, and the knife should be back to normal.
It’s great that the OHT allows for adjustments and user maintenance. I generally like tools that are user-serviceable, as this often means you can adjust them to suit personal preferences, or maintain them for longer life.
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But if something is adjustable, or user maintainable, there’s the potential for something to work loose.
I didn’t expect the knife pivots of my OHT to work themselves a little loose, but thankfully it should be an easy fix. Since I bought my OHT when they first came out, maybe later models have better thread locking.
If my OHT had fixed pivots, maybe they wouldn’t have loosened up. But if they had fixed pivots that loosened up, I would have no choice but to rely on Leatherman’s warranty service to get the tool back in working order.
Speaking about Leatherman, I do like their multi-tools that have user-replaceable hard wire cutters. Because of the knowledge I can easily replace heavily worn or ruined cutter blades, I use them more, and in situations I wouldn’t want to risk ruining non-replaceable hard wire cutter blades.
I think this is the first hesitation I have ever had about user-serviceable hand tools.
Tools like Milwaukee’s heavy duty scissors,
Correction: these scissors don’t have a user-removable pivot.
and Wilde’s flush joint pliers are two other examples that quickly came to mind.
Is this something that matters to you when shopping for things like pliers, hammers, shears, and other types of tools that might offer user-accessible adjustability or maintenance options?
Generally, I think that having the option to adjust or maintain hand tools is a good thing, and don’t really see any downsides. I started writing this post thinking that my OHT’s self-loosened pivot is a downside to its adjustability, but part of that is frustration at not knowing where my tamper resistant T10 screwdriver is.
Quite frankly, I do wish that more tools were adjustable or user-serviceable. It would make more tools repairable, rather than replaceable.
fm2176
I like tools that allow some level of adjustment or repair by the user. My military issued Gerber multitools are a decent case in point. I have one that was issued to me years ago, which I misplaced right after getting back from Afghanistan. I let someone use it over there and they bent one of the screwdrivers trying to pry a door open. Having carried it for eight years by that time, I wasn’t super happy, but I took a new multitool I’d been issued and simply swapped out the screwdriver. Now I have an old multitool with a new screwdriver and a new one with a broken driver, along with a few others strewn about the house.
I also like the option of adjusting pliers, lubing ratchets, and otherwise performing basic maintenance on my tools.
fred
I’m thinking that the vaudeville routine about the top banana who sat on stage cleaning a pocket knife to be asked by the second banana what he was doing. Why cleaning my grandfather’s Civil War pocket knife was the reply. The retort came back: why it looks brand new – are you sure it’s from the Civil War?
Well – said the top banana – my dad replaced a few parts like the bail and rivets. Still amazing how shiny it is said the second banana. Well, said the top banana, I did replace the bolsters, bolster liners and the blade too – but it’s still my grandfather’s pocket knife.
On a more serious note – I do like tools like scissors where you can sharpen then adjust the blades.
mike aka Fazzman
Any serious tool people like all of us here are most likely already gonna do this. Like the old saying goes “the more you own,the more you have to maintain”
If You dont at least partially maintain your tools there isnt really a reason for you to be buying them. it only takes a minute of your time to wipe that hand tool down and give it a drop of oil here and there.
Stuart
I’m not talking about tools that can be wiped down and oiled, but those with things like standard fastener pivot hardware, and things lines that, instead of fixed rivets and the such.
Wayne Ruffner
In general, I actively dislike tools that need to be or can be fiddled with. And I shy away from multi-tools for the same reason fm2176 got his tool back busted – if I feel a screwdriver can pry something, I don’t want to have to then wonder whether this contraption’s screwdriver will hold up similarly – it won’t.
And as Fred said, though, there are some that benefit from being disassembled – anything that can get gooey or needs to be sharpened.
Andrew Hussar
Had the same problem with my oht tightened up the pivot screws not a big deal. Works good as new. Just picked up the new sog power play with the bit kit has the same adjustments. Seems to be a good multi tool?
Rusty
If it’s something more expensive I’d prefer screws over rivets so I can adjust and maintain the tool but on cheaper stuff rivets are probably better. The quality of screws used on some cheap tools and gear can get pretty dang abysmal.
Yadda
Being able to adjust the tool is a benefit. It means you should be able to keep the tool in service longer.
Hang Fire
I consider hot rivets to be user serviceable, but perhaps I am not the average user.
I’d rather they just make it simple and design it to be serviceable with appropriate tools. If the average person doesn’t have a tiny torx or whatever, they usually know someone who does. Like me.
Toolfreak
I like the “user-serviceable” multi-tools, not just because you can take them apart to repair and clean them, but so you can swap out tools you don’t use for other ones you do. It makes it pretty straightforward to customize a multi-tool that suits your needs.
The ony thing I don’t like is that the multi-tools don’t come with the tool you need to remove the fasteners on the multi-tool, or even a spot to hold a removable version, or a pocket in the sheath. Seems like a really bizarre omission, given the uses of some of the tools.
You can use another multi-tool to change out the wire-cutting blade on some others, but few multi-tools come with torx/star or hex bits, much less safety-torx.
Maybe the idea is it’s one less thing to lose or manufacture/package and hike prices, and the tools are really like so much other stuff – use it in the field, fix it when back at base.
Jeff
You just made a huge deal over a TAMPER RESISTANT fastener being USER SERVICEABLE. I hope this is a late april fools joke.
Stuart
I don’t get your point.
A tamper-resistant Torx driver costs less than return shipping to Leatherman, where I’m pretty sure all they’ll do is tighten down the pivot the same way. Maybe they’d add more threadlocker too.
Nate
The only thing i dont like about my OHT is it doesn’t have a file.