Bought a wave, some impression, and some questions

J

jzmtl

Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
434
Bought a wave because they are 30% off. My first plier type multitool, last one was a swiss knife but it fell out of my pocket on a taxi (at least that's what I think happened)

First impresstion, the sheath is horrible! Seriously, just because the brandname is leatherman, dosen't mean you have to make those horrible fake leather sheath to go with it. I took a hammer to the sheath to soften it up, now it feels better.

The sucker is heavy too, half a pound dangling on my belt, it won't make to my EDC list I'm afraid.

Another impresstion is, the grind etc. on the knife seem very crude, even compare to my $20 byrd crossbill, or even 7 year old $20 gerber.

Overall I'm not very impressed with the wave.

Now the question part. The additional bits they sell, do they attach to the sheath somehow? I notice on the elastic band part of sheath they have some tab, are they used to attach the bits holder?
 
If you are concerned about the weight of the multitool I suggest you sell the Wave and get a SwissTool Spirit instead. :)
 
I love my wave. I EDC it everywhere. It may be the model (older one) but mine has an excellent, real leather sheath (the one with the sealed folded corners). I remember weighing it and it was 8 oz. maybe? Mine has no bits and i think i prefer it like that. Oh and the grind is perfect on mine :D .
 
auspx said:
If you are concerned about the weight of the multitool I suggest you sell the Wave and get a SwissTool Spirit instead. :)
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That 1 oz savings will allow you to carry that pack of chewing gum you were going to leave at home. :)
 
I think I'll keep it for now, won't EDC it but for camping etc while away from my vehicle (that I keep a toolbox in) it'll sure come in handy.

But weight is not main reason for not EDC it, it's the ultra uncomfortable sheath. The belt loop is too low, so no matter how I adjust it, hanging horizontal or vertical, I can feel it poking somewhere pretty much all the time. :(
 
I had the original Wave. The tool was OK, the leather sheath was excellent.

Victorinox tools are way better than Pleatherman stuff. No comparison. Pleatherman tools are crude, like unfinished. They have good designs, but don't execute them properly. The Pleatherman "wobble" is just plain ridiculous. Vic. tools are as solid as a bank vault.

I think LM should have concentrated on refining their origanal designs instead of offering silly trend tools.
 
znapschatz said:
That 1 oz savings will allow you to carry that pack of chewing gum you were going to leave at home. :)
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At least the leather sheath that comes with the SwissTool Spirit doesn't suck. :)

The old Leatherman Wave had a very good leather sheath. Then LM outsourced the manufacture of their tools and accessories to China. :barf: The results speak for themselves. I just don't understand why LM keeps making the same mistakes over and over. They have some good ideas but then manage to screw it all up.

Take for example the high quality steel used in the clip point blade on their Charge models. Why only for one blade? Why not for the serrated blade? Why not for the scissors or can opener? And their bit drivers are a joke. Make the multitool fatter but give us a normal 1/4 inch drive for crying out loud. The ability to swap the wood saw and the file on the Surge was a great idea. So why doesn't the Charge (and especially it's newer versions) have this? Or the big heavy duty scissors that the Surge has?:thumbdn:

Leatherman multitools seem to be very popular around here but I honestly don't see why. You want a multitool with very tough pliers? Get an SOG Powerlock. Want a multitool with high quality tools and great rust resistance? Get a SwissTool. Oh yeah and both of these have a high quality leather sheath, unlike the Leatherman.
 
Get the nylon sheath. It has a compartment for the bit holders.

I wear my sheath horizontal and I can't even feel it. I have to reach for it every so often just to make sure it's there.
 
Boy lots of Leatherman haters out there. I haven't or do I own a Swiss tool and I'm sure their very good. I use a Leatherman Blast for everyday use It serves me well since I only uses it a few times week. The sheath is adequate. I don't know if would hold up to the constant use that a tradesman would demand.
 
I've owned The Swisstool, the Spirit, Sogs Paratool and Poket Plier, and have rid myself of all of them in favor of my Leatherman Wave. It hands down beats any other tool I've ownedor handled. The drivers on the Vics aren't worth a damn (I've bent most of them with only moderate use), and getting the tools out is a nail breaking experience. Not very convenient or handy when using gloves. The Sogs were ok, and very tough, but the Wave is every bit as tough as the Sog. It built like a tank and has the one handed opening blades, which is VERY handy. All the tools can be opened up rather easily, and the drivers can take abuse. I've torqued and torqued n some pretty big jobs, and they sta intact. Fit and finish? It's a tool, not a diamond ring. They can be a bit rough looking. It won't affecit's use. As for rust? Never had any rust I could't wipe away with my thumb. Usually superficial. Again, it's a tool. It's like my dad's old tools. They had lots of rust on them,but were still loved and used often. I have given allmy other tools away and just use my Wave. Hands down best multitool I've ever used. As for the sheath, get the nylon one. It's much better.
 
I have the old one.Best tool out there IMO.If you want lighter and smaller get the older version.The flex that someone mentioned I believe is engineered in.Definately doesnt hurt the performance. I crocused the blades to satin and polished the sheetmetal on mine. looks great.There's a guy on the forum that makes kydex sheaths for them. Check them out.
Can anyone validate their stuff is now made in China?
 
try and look around for the actual leather sheath. mine came with one, and i love it. the weight isnt bad, but it took some getting used to. then again, i usually have a bunch of junk in my pockets that i dont really notice weight on my hips
 
Hey jzmtl, congrats on the Wave! Don't let the LM haters distract you, you made a good purchase. :thumbup: I'm not sure what fuels it all of the hate. LM's aren't perfect, but neither are Swisstools, Gerbers, SOGs, or anything else. That said, I love my Charge TI, which is very similar to your wave. About your questions: If the leather sheath is similar to the Nylon one, that elastic flap will hold the plastic bit-holder that would come with a new bit set. If you don't like the leather sheath, I'd look for a Nylon one, as I'm pleased with mine. I'd also take a look at some of the other accessories, like the removable pocket clip. It's very easy to use, and rides nicely in a pocket (my opinion, of course). The downside to buying the accessories is the shipping you normally have to pay, but I stumbled onto a site that ships free in the States, let me know if you're interested.
 
auspx said:
At least the leather sheath that comes with the SwissTool Spirit doesn't suck. :)

The old Leatherman Wave had a very good leather sheath. Then LM outsourced the manufacture of their tools and accessories to China. :barf: The results speak for themselves. I just don't understand why LM keeps making the same mistakes over and over. They have some good ideas but then manage to screw it all up.

Take for example the high quality steel used in the clip point blade on their Charge models. Why only for one blade? Why not for the serrated blade? Why not for the scissors or can opener? And their bit drivers are a joke. Make the multitool fatter but give us a normal 1/4 inch drive for crying out loud. The ability to swap the wood saw and the file on the Surge was a great idea. So why doesn't the Charge (and especially it's newer versions) have this? Or the big heavy duty scissors that the Surge has?:thumbdn:

Leatherman multitools seem to be very popular around here but I honestly don't see why. You want a multitool with very tough pliers? Get an SOG Powerlock. Want a multitool with high quality tools and great rust resistance? Get a SwissTool. Oh yeah and both of these have a high quality leather sheath, unlike the Leatherman.
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1. Leatherman has not outsourced the manufacture of their tools to China.

2. Rather instead, why don't other manufacturers use premium steel in any of their blades or implements? Would a 1/4 inch bit driver and interchangeable saw blades and bigger scissors keep the tool pocket sized (the Surge weighs half again more)? There are several ways to look at Leatherman's design choices, and finding the most negative of them begins to look like an agenda.

3. Leatherman tools owe whatever their popularity to their high quality tools, durability, availability and customer service. If any of these elements were lacking, they would not be popular, simple as that. I have tried most of multi-tools on the market and prefer Leatherman for a variety of reasons, none of which reflect badly on the other offerings.
 
LukeC said:
Hey jzmtl, congrats on the Wave! Don't let the LM haters distract you, you made a good purchase. :thumbup: I'm not sure what fuels it all of the hate. LM's aren't perfect, but neither are Swisstools, Gerbers, SOGs, or anything else. That said, I love my Charge TI, which is very similar to your wave. About your questions: If the leather sheath is similar to the Nylon one, that elastic flap will hold the plastic bit-holder that would come with a new bit set. If you don't like the leather sheath, I'd look for a Nylon one, as I'm pleased with mine. I'd also take a look at some of the other accessories, like the removable pocket clip. It's very easy to use, and rides nicely in a pocket (my opinion, of course). The downside to buying the accessories is the shipping you normally have to pay, but I stumbled onto a site that ships free in the States, let me know if you're interested.
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Thanks! There's a local store that has the bit set in their catalogue for $18, I'll check with them to see if they have any left.
 
Cool! What are you looking for in a multi-tool? Have you seen the Skeletool that's coming out in a few months? Just asking because you mentioned that the Wave was on the heavy side for you, and you were looking for a little better main blade. The Skeletool will also use the same bits that work in the Wave. I'm looking forward to the hand's-on reviews of it...
 
Yeah I saw the picture, looks pretty nice. As for main blade I really wasn't being picky, just observation (and the result is expected as I don't expect a multitool manufacturer's knife to have the same quality as a dedicated knife manufacturer's). Even when I carried it I still have my pocket knife, which I use for cutting, while multitool only come out when knife dosen't work. I think I'll stick with wave thou, and use my pocket knife for majority of cutting.
 
auspx said:
Take for example the high quality steel used in the clip point blade on their Charge models. Why only for one blade? Why not for the serrated blade? Why not for the scissors or can opener?
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It's a tradeoff between cost and performance.

Why only for the main blade? Well, it's the one that will probably see the most use and the one that doesn't have serrations to help it tear through the material being cut.

Why not for scissors? The benefits of this would likely fall somewhere between nonexistent and moderate. The cost penalty would likely be a bit more than that.

Seriously, even high-quality scissors that do nothing other than function as scissors are not made of high-end steel.

Why not the can opener? See above, times ten. Find a can opener anywhere in the world that is made of "premium" steel. Have you actually had a problem with the edge retention of your Leatherman can opener?

I've had quite a few multitools from all the big manufacturers save SOG, and I find the Leatherman implements to be lacking compared to Victorinox and Gerber. Not that they're bad (they do turn screws and open cans) the other ones are just better.

I had one of the first Waves and got rid of it because I found the lack of locking bits and pieces to be a pain, and I found that I was just as happy and "prepared" in 99% of situations with a big SAK. Usually when I need pliers I find that a high-quality non-folding pair are readily at hand or a short walk away.
 
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