Customer Reviews

Leatherman 74103003 Juice KF4

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd been lusting after a Leatherman Micra for a while (I have a collection of pocket knives and I am perpetually on a quest for the Perfect Folding Utility Knife.) Is this The ONE?

The patented design includes a fold-out pliers--you bend down the two sides and out pops a very useful set. And there are two wire cutters--one for hardened wire and one for soft. The blades include a pretty good saw (I used it to gnaw off a small centimeter-thick dead branch on a tree.)

Here's a complete list of the tools:

Needlenose Pliers
Straight Knife
Wire Cutters
Hard-Wire Cutters
Extra-Small Screwdriver
Small Screwdriver
Med / Lrg Screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
Lanyard Attachment
Saw
Awl
Serrated Knife
Diamond File
Ruler

I keep this little gadget in my pocket all the time at home, to take care of this and that around the house and also to prevent my spouse from swiping it. His eyes gleamed when I unpacked it, but I'm keeping it.

First off, the guy that wrote the review titled "More expensive with fewer features", has no idea what he's talking about. Plastic? Where?!! The colorful sides are anodized aluminum. They are not structural and make the tools feel great in your hand. And like all Leatherman's, all of the tools are first class and open and click into place beautifully. The juice models are a nice middle size between the micra and the full blown larger models. It's not too big to carry in your pocket, and not too small to do some really useful work. I currently have the Juice S2 and am looking to get this model for Backpacking. The addition of the file, saw, awl, and serrated blade for only 26 more grams over the S2 is outstanding. And no, I don't work for Leatherman, but I do love quality tools. You can't go wrong buying this tool.

This product is great I've already used it on a camping trip!

About the casing: I've had a leatherman squirt p4 for about 2 years on my keychain. I use it just about every other day for some small thing or another. I can say that the casing is not cheap plastic, and to affirm another reviewer it is anodized aluminum. Both the squirt p4 and juice kf4 have the same casing and after 2 years of constant abuse there is some wear on the anodization after many drops of my keys, and random projects. The wear is relatively minimal to how hard I have used this little tool (squirt p4). I'm not worried the slightest about the kf4 being damaged by falls or scratching from stuff in pockets or a backpack. It's not a delicate tool, and neither is the squirt p4.

Build quality: I noticed that the awl sits above one of the blades and holds it in place somewhat, the only time I feel that it isn't perfectly sturdy is when the awl is extended and the closed blade has the slightest play.

One engineering oddity is the difficulty of using this tools' lanyard loop for a keychain/lanyard. I find it difficult to pull the loop out and resorted to using my p4 to fish it out. Maybe after some use this loop will be more easily removed. For the time being, I am not using the loop. The kf4 is too big for my keychain. It's slightly different from the squirt p4 in that the loop must be extended from the inside, whereas the squirt p4 has the loop out by default. It all makes sense but personally I can live without the loop on the kf4.

Attention to detail with this tool's build is amazing. I didn't realize until I was playing with this tool more, that each blade has a different feel on the outside of the knife when it's completely closed. Basically without looking at the tool, by touch only, one can identify which type of blade is on each part of the tool. The back of each blade has a distinct feel that lets the user know what they're touching. Example: the saw has a ripple, whereas the straight blade has a distinctive edge.

The pliers were handy in a situation that required a fix to my old 70's backpack frame. I had to cut a thick ring to repair the strap holding pin, and bend it to fit. The wire cutter jaw worked perfectly in this situation too.

I had gotten this a number of years ago, fun color, functional, wish it lasted more than a month. The part that holds the knife in place does not hold it in place anymore opens in pocket...has been in a drawer ever since, I think it is under warranty but I dont know how to go about doing that.

I would give this TEN stars if not for a dangerous design flaw. I love the thin needle nose plier head.

BUT, when the pliers are used, you can get a *VERY* severe pinch of your skin in the palm of your hand that can draw blood. The design is such that the handles meet/touch without a gap to prevent a blood drawing pinch. I own three other Leatherman multitools NONE of the handles meet/touch they all leave a gap to prevent this problem. That is why I call it a design flaw.

THis tool is good, but the pliers cannot be used safely.

This is a great little multitool. I liked it so much I bought two. The reason...I was out camping and my buddy had a bottle of wine..who would have thought that I would have needed a corkscrew!!! Now I have one with and one without a corkscrew, and can have one on my work belt and one on my personal belt with out changing them all the time. Love it!

This product really comes in handy. It's durable. It has helped me out whenever I need it. This is what I look for in a pocket knife. Quality and durability.

I own three Leatherman tools, ranging from the Micra to a huge do-all tool that lives in my car's toolbox, but after examining this unit (and the rest of the "Juice" series), I'm giving it a pass.

Here's the problem: The Juice series is nothing more than existing models dressed up with plastic scales at a higher cost. The scales don't add any functional advantage; instead, they just provide a weak areak that can break if hit too hard or dropped on cement from a geat enough height. Even if you protect them from breaking the plastic will scratch over time and lose what attrativeness it may have.

The beauty of the original Leatherman tools is that they're pure, rugged function. Solid stainless steel and they'll last a lifetime. Buy one of those and you won't regret it.