I have a Leatherman Charge xti with the removable pocketclip. I was at work a few weeks ago and the pocket clip got snagged on a toolbox and broke. I sent Leatherman an email regarding the clip wondering if it would be replaced. The response i recieved 3 weeks later was kind of surprising. I have to purchase a new one.

When i have broken or bent the pocket clips on my Kershaw knives they have been replaced without question. All i had to do was send an email and i received new pocket clips within a week. Benchmade was the same way when i broke the pocket clip on my RSK. I appreciate good tools and i do use them and if I break something due to abuse I won't even think about asking for a replacement. I will go buy a new one or order the part. Maybe I am wrong on this but that's just the way I feel.

I guess I will end up buying a new pocket clip for this while I am at it I might as well order 2 or 3. At 5$ a piece it's not the money but the principle.

Kirby

I believe that since the clip is not included with the tool (i.e. sold separately), it isn't covered by the warranty. Now if you broke the clip on one of their newer folding knives, I believe that would be fixed/replaced.

Also, I would try sending the broken clip and a letter through snail mail. You might get a better result if they have the clip in hand and can see it's broken. I find that e-mails don't always get the best result.

Finally, I forget if Leatherman has a warranty card or not, but I know that some companies won't help you at all if you haven't previously filled out the warranty card and sent it in.

Hopefully that helps. In my experience Leatherman is normally a pretty stand up company. When I became an Eagle scout Tim Leatherman sent me a letter of congratulations and a Wave multi-tool.

how did you do that? Im working on mine right now...lucky!!

I once broke a screwdriver blade or my old PST. My cover letter clearly stated I broke it though sheer abuse (using it as a pry bar) and requested that they charge me for the repair. They promptly repaired it and sent it back, not even charging me for postage. They also upgraded some of the other tools to their newer, improved design.

Jeff

I think Paul810 called it correctly. Add-ons like the clip, screwdriver bits for Wave/Charge/Surge, and so on, may not qualify for warranty replacement.

But for the tools themselves, I've been pleasantly surprised by Leatherman's warranty service. No warranty cards, no sales receipts, and no B.S. I even sent a friend's Wave that had been used very, very hard (bordering abuse if you ask me) and they sent a new one without protest. I do include a friendly note such as "you guys make the best tools ever, but something bad happened to mine ...."

I'm getting ready to send half the fleet for repairs/upgrades after ten years' use. When they come back, it will be like Christmas in July.

I have to agree that a snail mail letter would most likely work better. But the clip wasn't included with the tool and more than likely isn't covered by the warranty.

Man, you are hard on pocket clips. How do you manage to break so many? I have never broken one...

I broke one when it got caught on my seat belt.

When I got my TTi, I sent a complaint that the file was mis cut (basically, has almost no teeth) - they said "yeah, some early ones had that problem - send it back anytime, and we'll replace it

Still have not sent it back, but

The clip came with the Leatherman when i bought it along with a bunch of bits and a holder and the case. I bought it at Sportsman's Warehouse so in my opinion the clip isn't an add on it was a part of what i bought.

As far as pocket clips I tend to have them catch on I beams, tool boxes when climbing around (I work construction). I have caught them on the arm of chairs and couches. While sitting in the couch the clip has punctured the materaial so when i get up it either rips my pocket or bends the clip. The benchmade clip caught on my son's doorknob and actually pulled the round metal plate off the doorknob before it broke.

I am hard on tools. I have broke 3/4" breaker bars and snapped my Klein tools 7/8" diameter sleaver bar in half. I buy quality tools because they stand up better than the cheap stuff. But when something breaks and there is a warranty I expect it to be upheld but as I said that's just my opinion. My father says I should stress test tools for companies/military if it won't break with me then it may not ever break.

I'm amazed Leatherman didn't take care of your problem by just sending you a new clip. They could have saved themselves a lot of bad publicity on this forum! I wonder if the few cents they saved was worth it.

Well I can buy Gerber, Victorinox, or maybe even go back to my Schrade Tough Tool which is what this Charge replaced. I bought the Charge because of reviews and feedback left on this forum. This was the first Leatherman I have had in about ten years. I will jsut find some other manufacturer to buy from from now on.

Hey, REDDOG79, I can understand your frustration. And yes, you absolutely have other choices for multi-tools. Some of the competitors are very good indeed.

But if I may, in fairness to Leatherman, I'd like to point out that their warranty reads:

"This warranty does not cover abuse, alteration, unauthorized or unreasonable use of your Leatherman tool. This warranty does not cover sheaths, accessories, imprinting, color finishes, cleaning, or sharpening."

The website lists "accessories" as sheaths, tool kits, pocket clips, and so on. So I think (with all respect) you can hardly accuse them of going back on their word.

If you want to change brands, hey, that's fine. Freedom is a wonderful thing. But if the tool itself has met your expectations, maybe you're being too hard on them.

That's my perspective, anyway, worth all of two cents.

Cheers,
Doug

(I should add that I have no affiliation with Leatherman -- other than owning most of their tools, as well as their competitors', and the Leathermans just seem to hold up best in my experience.)

Dougwalkabout has a good point about the pocket clip being excluded in the warranty. I was not aware of that when I last posted. However, I am still surprised they didn't just send a clip and chalk it up to good customer relations. Guess folks must break those things by the truck load, and Leatherman cannot afford to give them away.

I gotta say, I'm a little suprised too that they just didn't replace it, despite the warrant disclaimer.

Just an FYI, other good brands with real customer service:
-Benchmade: sent in my Grip several times for tune-ups, always back within 2 weeks
-SOG: when their sheath on a Seal Pup didn't work, I got 2 sheaths and 4 belt loops, along with the screw and stuff, to try in various combos and make work for me.
-Emerson: broke their pocket clip. Sent me a replacement, new hex screw and a wrench. Too bad I lost it a month later.