Leatherman Multi-tools Prices?

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.308 Norma

.308 Norma

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Can anyone tell me what the deal is with Leatherman multi-tool prices? I've been considering a Leatherman Rebar (like we bought for one of our grandsons for Christmas) for myself, but they seem to be the same price ($69.95) everywhere I look. I saw one in Sportsman's Warehouse a couple of weeks ago that was marked 5% off because the package had been opened, but that's the only discounted one I've seen anywhere.
I should have bought the 5% off one, but I figured I'd look around on the internet and find one a lot cheaper. That didn't work out worth a darn - as I said, Leatherman Rebar multi-tools are either $69.95 or $69.99 everywhere I've looked.:confused:
 
The Rebar is worth every bit of the $70 it commands. Its like a Supertool 300 Lite. Then again, im one of those idiots thst carries a $130 tool, so take my glowing recommendation of worth with a heavy grain of salt :D
 
The only Leatherman I've ever seen on a substantial discount was the Sidekick one Christmas season at Menards, for $14.95, I grabbed two for my sons, wish I'd have grabbed a couple more. I have a Charge Ti, given to me for using it to unjam a friend's klik-klak .22.
 
Fiv3r said:
The Rebar is worth every bit of the $70 it commands. Its like a Supertool 300 Lite. Then again, im one of those idiots thst carries a $130 tool, so take my glowing recommendation of worth with a heavy grain of salt :D
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As I said, the Rebar is the multi-tool we gave our grandson for Christmas. And we chose the Rebar because that's the one our grandson put on his list of Christmas gift ideas.
Our grandson is going through Aircraft Mechanics school (graduating in the spring), and it wasn't until I looked at the Rebar we bought for him that I'd ever paid much attention to them. I should have bought the one that was marked 5% off because the package was open for myself. Oh, well.:oops:
I have a birthday coming up soon. I can get my wife to buy me a Leatherman Rebar for that.:D
 
Minimum Advertised Price is common these days, as are ways to circumvent them. A dealer can sell for any price desired, but may not show a price lower than MAP in ads or supply may be halted. This is the reason for the "price too low to advertise" "put in cart to see price" "scratch and dent/return/preowned discount" language. Someday they may realize that instead of protecting a value based on fantasy, it makes it easier to sell knockoffs and similar products from other suppliers.

If you know a local hardware guy, you can offer to buy 3 at a reduced price which has nothing to do with advertised prices. The tough part of that is that small operations probably pay higher wholesale because they can't buy in the vast quantities of the big boxes. Most of mine have come from pawn shops.
 
I'd second looking for a used one. I've bought a number of used SAKs and one Leatherman Supertool 200 that looked brand new for much less than new, esp if you buy them in a lot. Both of my kids, college age now, have had a Leatherman Sidekick and SAK for years and they use the SAK much more than the Leatherman.
 
I do like the new changeable cutting inserts but not really a fan of the original everything’s inside design. Makes it so I have to open it up to use the blades, not one handed and slower.

AFB44A1A-DCA3-46AB-8294-DDA8FA1D0A37.jpeg

Also not as comfortable of a grip if using it as pliers or cutters.

6BE23024-F543-4E52-849C-3A4102141C24.jpeg

They are smaller and lighter though.
 
A number of years ago Leatherman went the way of Benchmade and now a few others in their distribution and pricing policies. They eliminated wholesalers and free market pricing and this makes it rare to find them discounted. This is spreading through the cutlery business. I bought 4 or 5 of their tools before the policy took effect at wholesalers prices and am glad I did. They make first rate stuff but I hate these policies.
 
Like any good product or tool the price is what it is no matter where you look. A few dollars here and there matter nothing I look at shipping and sales tax for best deal.
 
Will Schrade replace it with a whole newer version of it if you break a knife blade tip? Leatherman did for me after my son broke the regular knife blade tip, and I wasn't the original owner, it was given to me. Even if I had paid full price for it, I'd say it was worth what it would have cost me. They also replaced my son's Wave with a new one after he broke the blade on his, no questions asked, and his was a gift also. Then the dummy lost it. :mad:
 
ericuda said:
Like any good product or tool the price is what it is no matter where you look. A few dollars here and there matter nothing I look at shipping and sales tax for best deal.
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When I was in Sportsman's Warehouse the day before yesterday, I noticed they still had the Leatherman Rebar in the taped up, previously opened box that I saw before Christmas. And it was still marked "5% off." So I bought it. 5% covered the Idaho sales tax, and I don't have to worry about giving my credit card number to some company on the internet that I've never heard of, then worrying about when and if they're going to ship.
Now all I have to do is build a pouch for my new tool. And I'll enjoy doing that!:D
 
rust collector said:
Someday they may realize that instead of protecting a value based on fantasy, it makes it easier to sell knockoffs and similar products from other suppliers.
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It's not about protecting value, or some other "fantasy". It's about locally owned, brick and mortar stores being able to make a decent profit so it's worthwhile for them to carry that brand's products. Without MAP, Amazon, BHQ, KnifeCenter, and a few other high volume, online retailers would sell at low margins making their profits on moving large quantities. Sal Glesser has posted about that quite a bit over the Spyderco forum, so you might want to drop in over there for a more complete picture than my quick summary from memory.

As for knock-offs, they'll always be less expensive than the original. They don't have to pay for the R&D, they can manufacture in lower cost countries, they can use lower cost materials, and they can do lots of other things to cut corners.
 
Value is in the eye of the beholder. Sal has done well, and I hope he continues to do so. There are many good knives out there without the price protection, however, with good features all their own. Many use old designs and features that are not protected. Muzzling dealers, who should be able to sell their wares for any price they choose, doesn't seem right but time will tell how that works out.
 
rust collector said:
Muzzling dealers, who should be able to sell their wares for any price they choose, doesn't seem right but time will tell how that works out.
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You really should go over to the Spyderco forum and ask Sal about it. IIRC, if they hadn't put MAP in place, and also quit selling to Amazon, they would have no dealer network left, and then Amazon and a few other large online retailers would be dictating terms to Spyderco.

To your other point about designs and features that are no longer protected by patents or other IP laws, yes they're out there. The Cold Steel Tuff Lite (at least the pre-GSM models) is very close in construction and quality to the Spyderco Native 5 Lightweight, and the Tuff Lite is 1/3 the price of the Native 5 LW. However, the N5 LW is made in the USA with a CPM-S30V blade, has a bushing pivot, and the best back lock mechanism I've ever encountered. Sal has said that all of the Native 5 line's back locks have tolerances of ten-thousandths of an inch in places. And for a little over the base model's price, you can get a nearly rustproof Salt variant of the N5 LW. You can guess which one rides in pocket much more than the other.
 
entropy said:
Will Schrade replace it with a whole newer version of it if you break a knife blade tip? Leatherman did for me after my son broke the regular knife blade tip, and I wasn't the original owner, it was given to me. Even if I had paid full price for it, I'd say it was worth what it would have cost me. They also replaced my son's Wave with a new one after he broke the blade on his, no questions asked, and his was a gift also. Then the dummy lost it. :mad:
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That's no help to me anymore, Leatherman only gives a measly 25 year guarantee. lol

I got my PST model in the mid to late 80's, and they started dating the inside in '92, so they know mine is too old for warranty work. On the other hand, it has lasted over 30 years. They created a fine product.
 
rust collector said:
Muzzling dealers
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It isn't that simple. As Uga has said and we all have seen, "big box" retailers can undercut local retailers. Online retailers can undercut big box retailers since they have nearly no employees and lower overhead essentially just operating a warehouse, shipping department, and the online marketing team. While this is the future for mass produced products, knife manufacturers are trying to preserve small retailers as the transition to the future eliminates them. Eventually there won't be enough brick and mortar sellers to preserve and MAP will become a thing of the past as we buy from just the two umbrella corps (Amazon or Walmart).
 
I never said it was simple. There are plenty of moving parts. Every measure to control price will be met with counter measures such as scratch and dent sales, add to cart to see price, call for pricing and other techniques. Ultimately, the market will establish the value. When bogus bugouts are available for $25, many will find them good enough and BM will make nothing on the sale. I agree with you that the relentless drive to produce and find the cheapest option will end up badly, but won't end soon.
 
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