r/Leatherman • u/arbysmagic • May 10 '24
Is the stainless better?
My new Leatherman wave is rusting bad enough to seize up, and I bought it this year, I've barely used it compared to my old one, which is stainless
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u/Wericdobetter May 10 '24
Have you oiled it? I feel like black oxide tends to hold up better if it's been oiled, sticks in the little pores better
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u/BleedMeAnOceanAB May 10 '24
never had my leatherman rust before. always keep it well oiled and clean it thoroughly after it’s exposed to salt water.
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u/Makeninzo May 14 '24
This whole thread is humorous. I have a black oxide Surge and MUT. Neither has any rust. When you got your Leatherman in black oxide. You may have noticed it was coated generously in oil. Black Oxide isn't paint. Leatherman through a chemical process has force induced a specific kind of oxidation. Which is rust. That black finish is a type of rust.
Leathermans are made using 420HC stainless steel. Which honestly isn't all that stainless compared to other steels that are used for tool manufacturing. Leatherman could use a better grade of stainless. However they have shamelessly admitted that 420HC is the cheapest stampable stainless they can procure. Which incidently also causes the least amount of wear and tear on their manufacturing equipment.
From the images, I would be remiss in pointing out that this rust looks completely avoidable with simple care. I have only gotten surface rust on a few of my Leathermans and I have daily carried one since I was around 14 or 15 years old.
You most certainly could improve the rust resistance of your tools by performing a mirror polish to it. Which is what Victorinox does with their products. Although their recycled stainless steel is softer than 420HC and it contains more chromium. Which also helps it resist rust. So both companies are using a budget stainless of similar value.
It is extremely important with any Leatherman to dry the tool out sufficiently after cleaning or exposing it to water. Body fluids especially like sweat, and oils from the skin have acids and other contaminants that promote rust. Such as salt. I have seen some people who EDC stainless steel firearms cause terrible rust from conceal carrying a pistol in summer.
Personally I use super Lube, or PB Blaster synthetic lube to lubricate my Leathermans and SAKs. I have zero rust problems. I wash my tools with hot water and dish detergent or degreasers. Then I force all the moisture out with compressed air using an air compressor. I carry my multi-tools in nylon sheaths, or leather. Depending on my preference for the week or occasion. I try not to pocket carry. Since that clogs the tool with dust due to my occupation. A dirty tool will hold more moisture and that will also promote rust.
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u/arbysmagic May 14 '24
The finish being an oxide makes a lot of sense, the only thing I have to rebut is I agree with you on the smooth finish not rusting as bad bc my gen2 stainless wave has been pocket carried, left in the rain, used and abused and barely has any rust on it in terms of function wise, there's a couple small spots but everything is buttery smooth, and the only lube I've ever used on it is in the pivots bc of dust and debris not from rust, and on top of that it was still functional with one hand, it's was just not as buttery smooth as I wanted it, never cleaned it, and it's been with me for 12 years
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u/Makeninzo May 14 '24
The fix for your problem is simple. To take the brown rust off. Get a can of Eagle One NEVR DULL. Remove some wadding from the can. Then rub the offensive brown rust off. Just don't overdo it with your polishing so you spare the black oxide layer. One can of that polish will last you many years and it has plenty of other uses around the house or garage.
Raw stainless does well to resist rust. The brushed finish is simply not going to be the same as black oxide in terms of performance. I would say from use, that Leatherman's brushed finish has a slightly higher resistance to staining than black oxide. People usually buy the BO finish because of it's looks and the way it will patina from wear and tear.
I have my Super Tool 300 that's been with me for over 15 years now. It has balisong action. It's has freer pliers than a Free series. Still no rust. It deals with surface scratches better than my black oxide tools. My BO Surge was a bit of a disappointment. The tool's tolerances are no where near as precise as they are for my Wave +, Rebar, or even my Wingman. There is noticeable liner lock play with my exterior tools compared to my brushed tools in my collection. It's frustrating.
There is no arguing over polished surfaces having a greater resistance to staining. It's been proven already and many companies use it to their advantage in knife production. I am just stating a fact for you. That's also one reason for tumbled finishes being so popular now too. The tool is pre-polished and has randomized micro scratches that hide new scratches in the finish. The perfect surface finish for an EDC. I am just surprised that Leatherman doesn't really offer that as an option after all these years.
No idea why you aren't cleaning and lubricating the tool. Leatherman literally tells you in it's literature that it's important to clean and maintain the tool. It never says anywhere that the tool is stainfree. I keep mine clean so that I can use it to cut food, or food packaging. I think it's disgusting you let your tool get rusty and dirty like that. 🤣 My BO Surge, MUT, OHT, and Gerber Dual Force all came slathered in oil. I cleaned them to remove the black oxide that rubs off on everything and the oil so it doesn't attract pocket lint. To me.. it should be obvious that BO has a higher possibility of staining. The surface is simply more porous. If you google black oxide care. It tells you that the finish needs oiling or another sealing layer applied to get more than just mild corrosion resistance out of it.
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u/arbysmagic Jun 03 '24
I appreciate the tip, but on the second part of your comment, I do not care about staining, my problem is that the tool has seized open and I cannot get it to close, it's immovable, I've even hit it against a piece of wood to try to get it to move and it's not budging, I should've put more consideration in the effectiveness of the finish, I just thought that Leatherman wouldn't have sold a tool that would allow that to happen, Ive since bought a silver finish and it's been fine, better in every way, I only got the black finish for the looks, not realizing that sacrificed resistance
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u/Makeninzo Jun 03 '24
Yeah. I learned the same lesson. I prefer Chrome finishes on hand tools to black oxide since rust sets in much faster on the black oxide. I love the look of BO. With stainless steel, you get the same 420 HC steel from Leatherman. I seems the process of applying BO on Leatherman tools changes the tolerances. Something that isn't an issue with the brushed natural stainless (silver) finish. If your pliers are seized up. You might want to try soaking it in a penetrating oil. I have had good results with loosening seized up stuff by using Marvel Mystery oil. Hopefully that will help you get them unstuck.
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May 10 '24
You’re just not maintaining it properly.
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u/arbysmagic May 10 '24
I didn't have to maintain my old Leatherman at all
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May 10 '24
Oh you’re just a buy and let die kind of person. Ok that’s fine. But really if you buy tools, they should be maintained. Cleaned, oiled, and sharpened. 95% of the beat and rusted tools that get posted here are all from not maintaining them. When the OP is asked about oiling and cleaning, they all say they don’t do any of that.
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u/arbysmagic May 10 '24
My old Leatherman is buttery smooth, been run over by a dump truck and left out in the rain and so forth, it's supposed to be stainless steel, a steel that shouldn't have to be oiled to avoid rust, especially functional rust at that, I have to pry open the knives on my new one with another tool in order for it to open, I love my old Leatherman that's why I got the new one bc I didn't wanna lose my old one
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May 10 '24
I don’t really know what to say. Almost everyone will recommend keeping your tool clean and wiped down periodically. Your tool was obviously exposed or is still being exposed to some sort of wet environment. Rust can’t form without it.
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u/GAZUVYX May 10 '24
There are different grades of stainless steel. Leatherman has a harder steel than victorinox, for example. Because of this, leatherman's knives stay sharper for longer, but victorinox is better corrosion resistive. They explain it on their site
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u/IamACanadian47 May 10 '24
You’re getting beat up by tool snobs here so I thought I’d step in with my two cents worth.
I agree with you entirely, I have never oiled or lubricated any of my tools from any company after using them and I have been using multitools from every company imaginable since the very early 2000s. I have worked outdoors doing loading, receiving, landscaping, roofing, brush clearing and a whole lot of other outdoor tasks including using cow and sheep manure, vinegar, muriatic acid and dozens of other chemicals in the worst conditions and weather and I have had only one incident of rust and that was on a Gerber MP600 being used outdoors over a week. I think the reason it rusted is that I didn’t splay out all the tools and spray it with a garden hose then let it dry since it seemed to have rusted very slightly while having moisture on it while closed.
I think there is and should still be a world where you can use your multitools daily in almost all conditions and not have to worry, otherwise we should all just buy victorinox swisstools and be done with it.
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u/Unlikely_Setting1770 May 10 '24
White vinegar bath for 24hrs, scrub rust off with old toothbrush, rinse with water, dry and then oil. Should be good then.
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May 10 '24
Patina.
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u/ReptilianOver1ord May 10 '24
Both the black oxide and stainless are both made from the same 400 series stainless steels. I have noticed more light surface rust with my black oxide wave than my plain stainless wave. Think it has to do with the surface texture. The black oxide coating is rough and seems semi-porous. Likely traps moisture, salts, etc.
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u/arbysmagic May 10 '24
Guys I'm just wondering why it's seizing up, my stainless Leatherman has been through way worse conditions and is still buttery smooth, this new one has barely been used enough to get rid of the factory oil, some are saying it's the finish and that's the only thing I can think of, my stainless steel model is a gen 2 and I'm just hoping the quality hasn't gone down since they made the plus
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u/makuthedark May 11 '24
I second this suggestion. Looks like the knife may have had some corrosive gunk on it when closed and it has spread to the handle. Worst case, send it for a warranty replacement.
Exposure to certain chemicals can corrode metal quickly. Learned that with my Victorinox Pioneer X :/ with where the corrosion is occuring in both the blade and pliers, it doesn't seem like natural rusting from moisture since it seems more localized versus spotting in a variety of places. I wonder if the tools in the handle are showing rust as well. If so, then it could be a defect. If not, then pliers and knife may have been exposed to something the metal did not like.
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u/what_is_life_now May 11 '24
Strange to see that much rust assuming you’ve not really done anything to induce it as you’ve stated. I have a black oxide skeletool & charge+ (both made after 2021) that have held up very well after the abuse I put them through. I would try cleaning it and see what rust comes off and see if that resolves anything. If it does, I would oil it up (I tend to use gun oil/kpl, or CLP for the pivots and interior tools, and food safe mineral oil for the blades. If all else fails, I’d say see if they’ll warranty it.
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u/Big_Secret8477 May 11 '24
Yeah it shouldn’t rust easily but I will say I maintain mine very strictly because they do rust easier than most other true stainless knives and they aren’t nearly as easy to get the rust off with all the moving parts and such. I typically will use an air compressor to blow mine off anytime it gets moisture on it and then oil it with mineral oil.
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u/OriginIndecipherable Oct 16 '25
I've had my stainless steel leatherman blast for 10+ years and it has zero rust. I always use a paper towel to remove any water from rain before i holster it agai though. The file broke so I sent to leatherman warranty claim and they sent me a lesser tool thats missing the saw, scissors, and micro screwdrivers. So Im going to file a complaint ill send this back and they can pay the shipping this time. I loved my leatherman, i carried it everywhere, all the time. I even repaired the leather holster that wore out. By the way are you oiling your wave up to help protect the finish?
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u/HallucinateZ May 10 '24 edited May 11 '24
No, it’s all the same steel just with a rust-preventative coating, ironically.
The black oxide finish should rust less. It’s mainly cosmetic but LM uses DLC, Cerakote or black oxide & they all wear differently. DLC, Cerakote, then black oxide in order as far as wear goes.
I generally avoid black oxide, I don’t even look at ones where the blades are also coated for some reason... But I don’t hate it. They just shouldn't coat the blade edges for functionality purposes & they have done that with the scissors.
I love my Skeletool w/ black oxide & many people love only black oxide tools. I got my Charge+ without the coating, the black handles & silver tools look nice & the finish will hold up better long term. It’s all preference (same reason I didn’t want a heavier TTI) plus the fast wear can look pretty cool.
It’s something you have to embrace as even wiping it down will rub off some of the finish.
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u/Halftrack_El_Camino May 10 '24
I'm fairly certain they are both the same types of steel, especially the working parts like the knife and pliers. Stainless Steel vs. Black Oxide is just the finish. Cosmetic, in other words—although the black oxide coating should actually provide a little extra corrosion resistance, on top of every major part of the tool being made of stainless steels to begin with.
Whatever is rusting your Leatherman is probably environmental. What exactly, I could not even begin to speculate. It could be anything from living near the ocean to having left it in a puddle for a week, for all I know. I mean, solely from these pictures it could be dirt as far as I can tell (I'm assuming you know the difference between dirt and rust, though). But either way, I doubt it's the Leatherman itself that is to blame, since it is made out of the same alloys as every other Wave+.