Just me or has the pricing on LM tools really went up the past couple of years? I think back about 6 years, a Wingman was 20 bucks new at Home Depot, maybe 25 at other retailers. Now its 50! The Rev, which replaced the Wingman and Sidekick as the entry level tools, started at 20, now close to 40. I get it, prices go up, but its not even across the whole line. A new Wave is still about the same price I've seen them the past decade (80-100). Sorry, just a quick rant.
Just Leatherman???? A lot of stuff is going up. Partly due to many states increasing their minimum wages.
Go back a little further and the Waves were about $50-60 retail. They've gone up a fair amount in the years since I've been following their price. I think you are correct, though, about the lower-end items going up more steeply. The LM Micra is now $30!
Check-out some of the prices being asked by the major knife manufacturers. "If your not afraid . . . you should be. You will!"
The trend line for increased prices on all sorts of goods started quite some time before the current trend line for increases in mandated minimum wages. I would hazard a guess that increases in pricing tracks more closely to increased demand as well as changes in the value of the dollar vs other currencies. Keep in mind that even for LM, many components are made by overseas entities -- LM does the final assembly here in the US. Same as what happens in autos, clothing, electronics, etc etc etc L'chaim! Moshe ben David
I dont know about that. Ive been to the factory, Ive seen pieces being made in Portland Oregon Ive watched their 1 piece tools getting cut live in front of me Ive watched the tools (ie: knife blades, screwdrivers etc) getting tumbled, cleaned, polished Ive watched the scissors being put together
You're not completely wrong. This question did come up in the form of a lawsuit against LM in 2006 due to some parts being sourced from overseas with final assembly in US. See: https://allamericanreviews.com/leatherman-tools/ From that article: Verdict: Are Leatherman Tools Made in the USA? Yes, most of Leatherman’s tools are still made in the USA. However, not every single part of their popular multitool is sourced from U.S. materials. 5 of the 30 total parts that typically make up their multitool are sourced internationally, according to the filings from a 2006 lawsuit that was brought against them, accusing Leatherman of false advertising “made in the USA” messaging. From the article: "These parts include: Files – Europe Corkscrews – Europe Plier jaws – Mexico Two small fastening components – Unknown The lawsuit ended favorably for Leatherman, as federal courts ruled that since 83% of their components (the base requirement is 70%) are American sourced, they qualify as “made in the USA.” This ruling comes as no surprise to us – tons of companies have had similar lawsuits in the past that have resulted in the same outcome. While a small fraction of their components are sourced internationally, Leatherman continues to get most of their materials from the U.S. and does all of their manufacturing and assembly in their Portland, OR factory. For their multitools specifically, we couldn’t find any products that are produced differently (i.e. overseas), which gives us confidence in the authenticity of their product lineup." L'chaim! Moshe ben David
Coming out in April is the the new, overpriced, Free P series Leatherman P2 and P4 (MSRP $120 and $140) - Nice design, but they use 420 steel for the blades??...Talking about prices going up while quality is dropping on LM multi-tools.
I am so glad that I bought my Wingman on sale at Home Depot several years ago. It's a decent tool and well worth $20, but $50? The fit and finish wasn't all that great on mine, the clip keeps coming loose, and the plier jaws wiggle back and forth a bit. It's still my main multitool though.
Anything that gets popular will go up in price. I remember my squirt ps4 being about 20 bucks, got my 2nd one at 34 bucks.
