Leatherman Arc as a Knife - Blade Review (Can it replace your folder?)

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 23 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 91

  • @Passively-Prepared
    @Passively-Prepared Рік тому +16

    I’ve always been a big tool guy, never a knife enthusiast. Hence a Leatherman was always my most important edc item, but I did always have a one hand knife on me. Carried a Rebar with a Kershaw Leek for awhile then got a P4 to have the one hand knife on my Leatherman. The Arc has been my first experience with a super steel knife and holy cow am I in love. I actually would go out of my way to use my serrated blade to keep my straight blades sharp. Only ever owned a pocket pull through sharpener. As soon as I ordered my Arc I got a Worksharp bench sharpener and a strop with some green compound. After some practice the edge retention is unbelievable to me. Plus I’ve been stropping once a week or after a “heavy” use day. I haven’t hesitated to use this knife on anything. By far the greatest thing I’ve carried on my person and can’t imagine anything will top it anytime soon. Don’t even get me started on the most perfect versatile toolset on a multitool ever, or the best multitool platform ever… Anytime I get new gizmos and gadgets I’m happy but this is different. Best I’ve ever had.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому +3

      Dude that’s awesome! I love hearing a story like that and always proud when a fellow tool user takes up sharpening!

    • @Passively-Prepared
      @Passively-Prepared Рік тому +2

      @@EngineersPerspective701 yea man. My whole philosophy rn is your 4 steps to sharpen any steel philosophy. Above and beyond where I was before. Not sure how much further I’ll get into it but I feel more legit lol. Still awhile before I perfect this philosophy before I could even begin looking at the next step down the rabbit hole.

    • @kooimanator
      @kooimanator 9 місяців тому

      i carry the leek and the arc and work in retail. the leek has been my go to boxcutter for years (cant recommend that knife enough, its lightweight, thin and lightning fast) and the arc has been handy in all my light repair jobs. honestly i veiw it as an upgraded wave as i dont see much use with the knife blade in daily use as a leatherman knife is just bulky and clumsy in my opinion

    • @Skyline0000000
      @Skyline0000000 6 місяців тому

      60.5 HRC ? I doubt it. Which part of the blade showed this result? Some tests show that the edge seems to be between 56-58 HRC.
      I am curious why leatherman didn't mention the hardness of the blade in official materials.

    • @braydonjacoby5758
      @braydonjacoby5758 Місяць тому +1

      Your comment just locked it in. Arc is on order. :D

  • @ryanh477
    @ryanh477 7 місяців тому +4

    This is the exact video I’ve been looking for. Thank you for going over this exact thing!!! I’ve been wanting to replace my folder with a multi tool but I haven’t found one that is 100% good for a replacement until I found the Arc. I’ve got one ordered and on the way to my house now!!

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  7 місяців тому +2

      That’s awesome! Glad it helped with your decision! The Arc has been my most carried blade since October last year and still hanging in there which says A LOT for me considering my love for dedicated folders and super premium steels!

  • @r0gerp0dacter
    @r0gerp0dacter Рік тому +3

    The Arc blade is double thickness as other Leatherman blades specifically down right before the bevel starts. So this thing is much thicker than normal. Take measurements right before the grind starts and see compared to the P4 etc. Arc is 1.0mm and P4 is 0.5mm as is the T4 and Skeletool etc.
    They likely did this to make it much stronger because the serrated blade is gone so now the main blade does double duty.

  • @MrPC1121
    @MrPC1121 3 місяці тому +2

    I suspect leatherman keeps blades as thick as they do because they expect people to beat on their multitools. Given their generous warranty, it's likely cheaper to just make then blades thicker and more durable in the first place.
    Also, if you need something slicy for food, a victorinox alox bantam will slip into a pocket without any fuss.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  3 місяці тому +1

      Agreed on the blade thickness. Minimizes their warranty costs and also customer downtime are the big drivers no doubt

  • @TTHCLove167
    @TTHCLove167 Рік тому +4

    I have just about every leatherman and my ARC IS SUPER STIFF ON THE PLIERS. other than that it’s absolutely amazing.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому +1

      Very unfortunate! Wrench hard on a lot of stuff and get them broken in. Otherwise I do have a video on how to break them in instantly

  • @johnflais3776
    @johnflais3776 6 місяців тому +1

    I don't have an Arc, only the Free P4. My two cents however would be that even taking into consideration the superior Edge retention of Magnacut (I own three blades made from that steel, it's possibly my favorite stainless so far), it will likely come down to ergonomics as well. What I mean is how long do you expect to be using the knife blade? If you simply use it to open or cut down something, the Arc will be totally fine (likely also the P4, Charge etc, if you can get over the blade deployment not being super quick, and the fact it will need to be sharpened more often). On the other hand, if you expect to use the knife for, say, 15+ minutes at a time at least occasionally, the Free handle platform in my opinion (as someone with fairly calloused hands) is simply suboptimal in terms of ergonomics. And that's the main consideration that prevented me from pulling the trigger on the Arc, because I don't feel I would use the Magnacut blade to its potential because of that. That being said, I applaud the step Leatherman took with the Arc, and hope it leads to further innovations in multitools.

  • @ericasedc
    @ericasedc Рік тому +6

    Been looking forward to this brother!

  • @Jim90wa
    @Jim90wa 6 місяців тому +1

    Thank you. That's exactly what I've done and am very happy with that decision. Keep the information coming!

  • @oni-one574
    @oni-one574 10 місяців тому +1

    The Arc has replaced my daily pocket knife. Formerly, Sebenza Large, Guardian Tactical Recon 40. It's just awesome having a pair of pliers and screwdriver in my pocket. Screwdriver on demand has been so useful to fix every doorknob that starts to jiggle.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  10 місяців тому +1

      This is the first multitool that has done the same for me!
      I’ve tried in the past with the charge, skeletool CX, Free P2, Vic spirit X but none did it for me. I always wanted my actual knife back. For 2 months now that is no longer the case with the Arc. Seriously enjoying it!

  • @quimblyjones9767
    @quimblyjones9767 Рік тому +1

    Your knowledge and detailed analysis are bloody impressive, well done mate

  • @andeeaye
    @andeeaye Місяць тому +1

    I just sold my CRK Large Inkosi. I'm gonna use the Arc for everything.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Місяць тому +1

      That’s a bold statement for sure! I love the Arc for sure but sad to see a CRK go!

  • @ervinslens
    @ervinslens Рік тому +1

    Brilliant presentation bud, professional and enjoyable! 🤗🤗

  • @MikeBaxterABC
    @MikeBaxterABC 11 місяців тому +1

    9:50 .. You have all the stuff .. if you want a skinny blade knife, for kitchen use on your Leatherman, just stick it on the sanding belt until it's all skinny, I plan on taking half millimetre off mine when it comes, (Just keep the steel cool)

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  11 місяців тому

      I’ve reground a handful of my knives but monosteel is a huge pain in the ass as I’m sure you know. Good ceramic belts help a lot but still pretty terrible.

  • @LosRiji
    @LosRiji 11 місяців тому +2

    Yeah. An Arc and a spyderco Endela Wharncliffe K390 is what I carry for work. Civil it is a TRC this is freedom M390 and a UG tools Tiny MagnaCut and sometimes a leatherman

  • @joiryde1328
    @joiryde1328 8 місяців тому +1

    I still have to carry my Spyderco smock for the fidget factor alone. And cutting up pizza for the kiddos

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  8 місяців тому +1

      Plus the Smock is a sick knife so really you have to carry it on principle

  • @Northanteus
    @Northanteus 9 місяців тому +4

    Thus guy is worried about how well his knife will cut an apple, while I'm thinking of self-defense against a pitbull chomping on my arm. 🤣🤔

  • @LosRiji
    @LosRiji 11 місяців тому +1

    I have to say the sharpening of the arc is a no brainer. Have the Charge tti now in m390 and in comparison it is a pain to sharpen the tip.

  • @mcsequoia5107
    @mcsequoia5107 Рік тому +1

    Solid review that's very informative and useful but a bit over my head when you started talking about how you sharpened it and strop it. I wish you would've tested the factory edge for a while, then changed the edge geo and then did a comparison video.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому

      I do talk about it briefly in my sharpening video you can go watch.
      The factory edge rolled very early on in use. Likely some residual burr from the sharpening just folded over. Some commenters made a big deal out of it and took it as proof that any steel better than 420HC is worthless.
      Didn’t have it in me to have the whole learn to sharpen talk again in this video (I have many of videos with that talk) so I focused on what users can expect if they actually care to maintain their tool.
      In that first sharpening I follows the original angle and it performed very adequately with the same edge retention of the second sharpening edge.
      Hope that helps a little!

  • @LosRiji
    @LosRiji 11 місяців тому +2

    On all my fixed MagnaCut blades I go 12k then ceramic spyderco UF306 with a 0,25 micron diamond strop. With my Arc how ever I choose 3k resin bonded diamond stone with a 4 micron strop. Cuz in the case of Arc the geometry doesn't benefit from a polished edge. You'll need some aggro serrations for the optimal performance. Field maintenance is done by fällkniven DC4 und CC4 with aliexpress' 2 and 4 micron diamond paste on the leather sheath

  • @yukerekesh
    @yukerekesh 3 місяці тому +1

    Here are many bloggers making videos about Arc. Many knife lovers talk about a pocket knife in terms of its sharpness and steel grade. Simple - not enough, they say! The knife is not sharp enough.
    BUT FOR WHAT? WHAT DO YOU CUT WITH THEM EVERY DAY? WHAT CAN YOU CUT WITH A MULTI-TOOL THAT S30V STEEL IS NOT ENOUGH? I don't understand.
    I understand when a person uses a specialized knife for work, the specifics of everyday activities. But this is definitely not a multi-tool with its cutting edge of the blade on average 60 mm! A multi-tool is made for something else! Why is there a Magnacut in it?

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  3 місяці тому

      Hey dude, there are tons of videos out there on why a person chooses a particular steel for their uses. Go watch those.

  • @internetrules8522
    @internetrules8522 7 місяців тому

    I only carry a multitool, not a pocket knife. I think it's good enough if i somehow need a knife, and if i actually expect to be using a knife a lot i'd just bring one of my fixed blades (e.g camping, work), or a utility knife if i expect to be doing a bunch of dumb shit, but want a razor sharp blade that i'm ok with wrecking (e.g work). so i think having a multitool with a blade that is comparable to a dedicated folder is pretty good for people like me who don't want to carry even more shit while just going about life.

  • @anthonybarnes4534
    @anthonybarnes4534 4 місяці тому +1

    Great video! How do you get your blade to snap out so cleanly? Mine is pretty sluggish and takes a good umph to flick it out on the first try

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  4 місяці тому

      Nothing special, I think I flushed out the pivot with a little soapy water and worked out any gunk. Then applied Gunny Glide lube after it dried over night and presto!

  • @james3803
    @james3803 2 місяці тому +1

    I really don’t understand why they didn’t just make the knife a bit thinner and make the slope all the way from the top of the blade to the edge… the the ark would be perfect for me but now I just want to carry the ark plus a Spyderco instead of just the ark 🙄

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  2 місяці тому

      No doubt it’s to avoid the warranty claims of broken blades. Magancut blades are probably a lot spendier to replace than the good ole 420HC

  • @turing2376
    @turing2376 Рік тому +1

    Love the analysis, makes sense. Probably wasnt feasible but I wish they could have overcome that narrow blade width just a bit by giving us a hollow ground blade like the free p2 and maybe just a couple notches higher with the heat treat. It is already a pretty expensive knife though, and I dont know how that might have complicated things for them or affected their overall earnings equation. Still, like you said, in the end if it works noticably better than all those before it then it does seem like a win.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому

      I think it’s a categorical victory for Leatherman but Just a little harder and a little thinner (even 0.020” BTE) with a hollow grind would make it almost perfection considering it’s a multitool blade

    • @revolutionimagesmedia7789
      @revolutionimagesmedia7789 22 дні тому

      Get a fixed blade that you don’t have to worry about deploying. Much better for defense.

  • @NavinJ8
    @NavinJ8 11 місяців тому +2

    Great vid! Did you need to use the smaller KME jaws or did the standard ones work?

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  11 місяців тому +1

      Thanks! Standard jaws worked fine. I clamped it as high as I could after removing the thumb stud and also supported the weight of the tool with my off hand while sharpening

  • @kennywheelus6857
    @kennywheelus6857 3 місяці тому +1

    So i e seen where people try to touch the edge back up on the Arc,i have one, question is will hand sharpening only work, cause from what ive see is work sharp field sharpener works an not belt sharpener

  • @edc.productions
    @edc.productions 2 місяці тому +1

    How do you flick the blade open so fast? I have been fiddling with mine and just can’t figure it out.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  2 місяці тому

      All I’ve done is cleaned out the pivot good without dissembling it and then dropped some gunny glide lubricant in there.
      Has a great action now!

  • @HaneezHaroon
    @HaneezHaroon 3 місяці тому +1

    Is it safe to use the knife to cut food items like fruits, meat? Hope all the coatings you mentioned are NOT poisonous.

  • @kennywheelus6857
    @kennywheelus6857 3 місяці тому +1

    Is it the way the steel is made that makes belt sharpening so difficult to sharpen thus go to hand sharpening, just curious,mines not dull yet,still bery factory sharp an my bevels are actually good an not uneven like a lit ive seen or hesrd sbout,i do use mine a lot daily,i do have a strop to help retain the edge when its gets to where it wont shave hair,im just curious as a fellow leatherman owner sn user an owner of a Arc,have had mine since December i got myself for my birthday

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  3 місяці тому +1

      You can belt sharpen it for sure! Definitely not my preferred or recommended method for this steel or tool but 100% will get your edge back to cutting again.
      I like to use diamond abrasives myself for Magnacut. If a guy only has cheap water stones is where there will likely be a struggle.

    • @kennywheelus6857
      @kennywheelus6857 3 місяці тому

      @@EngineersPerspective701 ,oh ok ty,I have a work sharp 🪒 adjust sharpener but now they have the digital one to better set your angles on your bevel,I love the stop for it too,comes in handy,but when I order it,I got the case not knowing it didn't come with the sharpener it's so I had to buy it too an I had added to cart purchased it an no regrets,still learning to get better with it putting wicked edges back on my knives an learning the differences an technique

  • @Passively-Prepared
    @Passively-Prepared 11 місяців тому +2

    Is it possible to achieve hair popping sharpness with this blade geometry?

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  11 місяців тому

      Absolutely! The geometry doesn’t really affect the sharpness at the edge to pop hairs. That’s on you!
      And this steel has been sharpening great for me so far.

  • @SimplestUsername
    @SimplestUsername 11 місяців тому +1

    I wish you showed knife performance as opposed to just talking about how it cuts.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  11 місяців тому +1

      Fair point, it would have been nice to have some b roll running while I talked at the minimum. I wasn’t confident in how using would translate to video plus time constraints

  • @kevinfitz3721
    @kevinfitz3721 Рік тому +1

    I wonder if anyone will offer reblades and regrinds for the arc to get better performance from the blade

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому

      Certainly would be cool!

    • @shamitoson
      @shamitoson 11 місяців тому +1

      Reprofile it yourself. The factory edge is irrelevant, sharpen it up how you like. I do that to all my blades.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  11 місяців тому

      @@shamitoson I’ve done it on several knives but it’s a major PITA. Also not a huge appetite for it on this particular blade.

  • @RealistRatRace
    @RealistRatRace Рік тому +1

    Should I just buy it? It’s nice to have multi tool but is it justified for the price?

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому +2

      It’s not going to be so much more capable than other Leathermans that you need to buy it to get more stuff done.
      But it is the best they’ve ever put out and if the magnacut main blade, one handed manipulation, more robust pliers, pocket clip, and awl with the wave internal toolset is what is important to you then I say for sure it’s worth it.

  • @MrJabez89
    @MrJabez89 6 місяців тому +1

    Good morning? It's 10pm.

  • @littlejimmy7402
    @littlejimmy7402 10 місяців тому +1

    That's a lot of money to spend for some action.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  10 місяців тому

      To have a single do everything tool with all your preferred implements is pretty nice to tell the truth. That’s the value case

  • @chrisschwent8451
    @chrisschwent8451 Рік тому +3

    In your opinion is the Arc better than the spirit X

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому +3

      Depends a little on the situation but yes I would definitely recommend it over the Spirit X.
      Spirit X Advantages:
      1) Thinner for similar tool set
      2) Long reach 3D philips
      3) More comfortable handles when using the pliers.
      If these are deal breakers for you then go Spirit X otherwise Arc is the superior tool.

  • @dennishsu1719
    @dennishsu1719 8 місяців тому +1

    no serrated blade will be a problem?

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  8 місяців тому

      Sometimes miss it but I generally keep a pretty sharp blade so I don’t need serrations

  • @MicaelSantana450
    @MicaelSantana450 9 місяців тому +1

    recieved my Arc today
    i used my Surge for a year daily
    i was shocked how small normal size leathermans are
    But super happy with that Magnacut blade
    my first premium steel blade
    it really gets a super sharp edge wich also lasts
    have to admit I had to strop it x4 x5 times more then normal knifes
    and i still see a burr on some spots
    need to switch to diamond paste to strop

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  9 місяців тому

      That’s awesome! Definitely takes a little more to sharpen but it does reward you! I’ve found that it will strop back to a decent edge for a dang long time too.
      Do you feel like it can take the place of your surge?

    • @MicaelSantana450
      @MicaelSantana450 9 місяців тому +1

      I only miss a Ruler on my Arc
      It actually did come in handy quite often on my Surge
      I like the serrated Blade but have to admit I barely used it
      I sharpened its tip to a Chisel wich was very usefull
      wont do any mods on my Arc at all

    • @MicaelSantana450
      @MicaelSantana450 9 місяців тому +1

      @@EngineersPerspective701 oh and the Arcs hammer is perfect to hammer Dovels into the wall
      so no need to use the drill to hammer it :D

  • @tomfaranda
    @tomfaranda Рік тому +1

    Yes but why replace my kabar dozier one hand opener in D2, weighing 2.1 oz. For a smaller blade weighing over 8 oz?

  • @omm77
    @omm77 11 місяців тому

    Как же Лезерманы на китайцев стали похожи, при этом на на этих самых ..,. а плохих китайцев. Это правда не сейчас началось а лет десять назад. Тогда две новых модели пришли скажем так, не очень. Но после них дизайн перешел на все модели. И получилось, ну такое. Как там про фильмы современные -"все говорят, что фильм для дураков, а мне нравится" !)))

  • @stevenglock
    @stevenglock Місяць тому

    STAY AWAY from Leatherman. I paid them $240 for an Arc and paid extra to engrave my name on it, only to get the item and it looks like the engraving was done by a 3 year old. When I called them, they were snooty and only offered the $12 engraving fee back. The item is horrible looking with the engraving, as is their customer service.

  • @usernameisusername
    @usernameisusername Рік тому

    Nobody who actually uses a knife daily uses a multi-tool for it.

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  Рік тому +9

      Definitely disagree. Guarantee there’s a huge number of people that use their multitool knife daily and that’s their main blade.
      I have personally always carried a dedicated folder with a multitool but I don’t think that’s even a majority of people.
      Many people I know buy a Leatherman and just call it their “knife”

    • @xderiwx
      @xderiwx Рік тому +1

      @@EngineersPerspective701 Clay Hayes would be a good example! 👍🏻

    • @EngineersPerspective701
      @EngineersPerspective701  11 місяців тому +1

      @@xderiwx Very good indeed!