A decade with my trusty Leatherman Wave

I love my Wave and I have had mine for a few years but the one thing that I dont like is the screwdrivers. They are not long enough and the phillips driver has stripped some. Other than those two gripes, I love mine. I keep it in my truck and usually carry my Leatherman Blast on my side dew to the longer drivers and weight reduction. The Wave is a great tool. With longer drivers and a Awl, it would be Perfect to me.
 
yuh, an awl on the LMW would be a nice addition and i agree 100% on the screwdrivers, they're useful in a pinch but not something i'd want to be relying on day-in, day-out.

mind you, i don't see the 'driver problems as a "flaw". it's a compromise that the designer had to make in order to fit everything in.

so long as you realise that an LMW (or any multi-tool for that matter) isn't a complete replacement for a toolbox you'll be sweet. if you get a Wave and think "sweet, i'll never have to carry another tool again!", you're likely to feel somewhat gipped.
 
update:

I spent about 20 minutes armed with a half-round needle file, a stone and a strop and managed to re-sharpen the serrated blade on my LMW.

it's back to being scary sharp again and wasn't as difficult to do as I initially thought.

actually, it was a pretty fast process for a blade that hasn't seen a sharpen in 10 years.
 
Great review and I agree with the conclusion. I've had mine for going on 3-4 years now and it's been my most useful folding knife out of all of my folders, even though I tend to favor the plain ol' folders.
 
sambo. said:
ask and ye shall receive!
lrsr11495.jpg
Click to expand...
Thank you for the great review Sambo, very nice! But, I will say one thing - a picture like this needs a title! :D
 
I have owned a Wave for at least 13 years and I still carry it just about everywhere. The nylon sheath still looks great and I find the tool itself to be pretty considering the abuse its taken. I will say the one flaw mine has is the smooth blade is VERY stiff. It will not open with one hand without risking some thumb skin. I have lubed it and worked it but it just won't loosen. I'm used to it. Thanks for reading.
 
That was, as most others have said, one great review. I've EDC'd the Wave for just under two years now, and it has it's stories, but none as many as you have. I'll definitely be using this review if I'm ever trying to get my friends to invest in a Wave. Also, while I am not yet, I aspire to be a professional photographer, good to see there are at least two others here on the forums ^_^ Glad to have you here
 
That was a great review. I'm also a member of the LMW fan club. I've had one for about 5 years now and it gets used daily. Unlike you however, I tend to use the saw blade the most, I use it for a jab-saw at work all the time and it just devours wall-board. I've even used it to cut through the spine of a big mule deer buck when I was in a pinch. I also use the scissors almost everyday for one of lifes tasks. The only problem that I've had with it is I broke the saw blade once while cutting through a whitetails brisket. It broke on the push stroke and the broken end was stuck in the ribs and jammed into my knuckle. ouch. I should have been using a different saw but live and learn.
 
Great review!

I live on a farm and carry a Charge all the time, like you Sambo I use it at least once a day.

On the odd chance I am not wearing my work pants, I put my hand where the sheath should be and 'dammit!' its not there :)
 
Dinkum said:
On the odd chance I am not wearing my work pants, I put my hand where the sheath should be and 'dammit!' its not there :)
Click to expand...

i keep mine in my camera bag usually. but i'd left it on my bedside table overf the holidays (when my camera bag was under the bed).

first day back at work yesterday, i reach for my 'Wave and "oh bugger, left it at home"

while these days i tend to use a 3" Fallkniven WM1 as my edc blade, there are still enough uses for the Wave that i feel a complete idiot if it's not there.
 
I have the Wave with the 154CM PE blade. I've carried it for at least a decade and use it many times a day. Your review pretty much sums up my experience with this great MT.
Thanks.
 
With a tool as complicated as a Wave (compared for example to a folder), there tends to be uncertainty if adequate attention to detail was taken in its manufacture; And if quality control was enough. The fact that so many of these Waves have stood up to daily use over many years is a testament to their quality.
 
Nowadays they have replaced the 154CM with an S30V PE blade. They call it the Charge TTi. It has titanium handle scales. Here's a place that carries them. http://newgraham.com/store/product/3360/Charge-TTi-Leather-LM830682/.

They call it a Charge but it has the Wave construction with quick access PE & SE blades.... combo diamond file, regular file and metal saw ....and a wood saw. Inside are the rest of the implements including that great pair of scissors.

I'm not sure to what degree the Wave and the Charge are the same or how they are different beyond the blade material and Ti handle scales. The raised letters on the Ti scales give a slightly better grip than the SS models.
 
Looking at a comparison of the Charge TTi and the Wave on the Leatherman website, it looks a though the Charge TTi is a version of the Wave.
 
Makes me think of my wave, which also got stolen. Great tool, very well made. It was one of my very favorite EDC's, and I still would like to replace it some time, but I can generally get by with a Benchmade folder.

By "post some pics" I believe he meant that he'd like to see some pics of your wave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top