How does Spirit compare to Wave

J

jscalia

Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
126
I am looking to purchase a Wave simply because my Spirit does not have a functional lanyard ring that allows me to attach my car key to it. It appears that the Wave is a similar size and does have the ring. How do the two tools compare?
 
jscalia said:
I am looking to purchase a Wave simply because my Spirit does not have a functional lanyard ring that allows me to attach my car key to it. It appears that the Wave is a similar size and does have the ring. How do the two tools compare?
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Both are too heavy to attach car keys. How about a rabbit's foot? :D
 
yeah..my spirit rides in a nice vic sheath,,would be kinda heavy on a keyring
 
That's a heavy keyring, indeed.

I like the Spirit over the wave because it has better fit and finish, and all the tools are accessible without opening the pliers. The Wave has four tools that can be opened without opening the pliers, and the blade can be opened with one hand, but it just doesn't feel that sturdy to me. I know for a fact that the pliers are of better make on the Victorinox. I watched a guy test the pliers of various multi-tools to failure and the only one that didn't fail was the Victorinox.
 
shangchi108 said:
That's a heavy keyring, indeed.

I like the Spirit over the wave because it has better fit and finish, and all the tools are accessible without opening the pliers. The Wave has four tools that can be opened without opening the pliers, and the blade can be opened with one hand, but it just doesn't feel that sturdy to me. I know for a fact that the pliers are of better make on the Victorinox. I watched a guy test the pliers of various multi-tools to failure and the only one that didn't fail was the Victorinox.
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Could you describe how the test was conducted, and was the tested Vic pliers a Swisstool or Spirit?
 
znapschatz said:
Could you describe how the test was conducted, and was the tested Vic pliers a Swisstool or Spirit?
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The entire multi-tool would be put into a vise grip and then pressure would be applied using a wrench to the jaws alone. Every set of jaws shattered except for the SwissTool, which simply wouldn't break.

This was about eight years ago, if memory serves, and the Spirit did not exist at that time, so I can't really say about current production, but from what I've seen over the years in regards to Victorinox production, I suspect things have gotten better instead of worse.
 
If you can live without one hand opening blades , the Spirit is so superior to the wave as to make comparison a joke. Build quality is astronomically higher, ergonomics in the plier mode is superior .

There are a couple of points , that are intended for a corkscrew , these can be readily fitted for a lanyard or indeed a key ring - tho the Spirit is a tad heavy for keychain use.

With respect to the last poster's comments on Swisstool pliers , they have been revamped twice since inception . An originally strong system is now much stronger . The Spirit pliers are slimmer , but incorporate engineering experience gained from the Swisstool .

Chris
 
cdf said:
With respect to the last poster's comments on Swisstool pliers , they have been revamped twice since inception . An originally strong system is now much stronger . The Spirit pliers are slimmer , but incorporate engineering experience gained from the Swisstool .

Chris
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That's good to hear. I always have the SwissTool in my car, and carry the Spirit on my person, with confidence.
 
jscalia,

If you're interested I wrote a comparison of both in another forum, here. I hope this helps.

-Papacat.
 
Papacat said:
If you're interested I wrote a comparison of both in another forum,
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Nice review, and you made good points. Did you also notice how the Wave seems to have a lot of play in the handles from side to side when it's closed? It just feels like it wasn't well constructed overall.

I do wish Victorinox would drop the butterknife, but it's still a functional design, if you don't need the pointed blade, however it does make it easier to carry around sheeple who fear anything with an edge, and it does make it more suitable for those who may have to use the blade in a medical/rescue situation.
 
May I suggest a good keyring MT would be the Leatherman Squirt
(P4-pliers, S4-scissors).

next to the Spirit;
201mro.jpg


120rnn8.jpg
 
Actually I prefer the Charge. I have had lock failures on the Spirit but never on a Charge. Also I like the needlenose pliers better. One other thing I like better is the knife. The Charge can replace a separate knife for me but not the Spirit. Just my opinion.
 
jscalia said:
I am looking to purchase a Wave simply because my Spirit does not have a functional lanyard ring that allows me to attach my car key to it. It appears that the Wave is a similar size and does have the ring. How do the two tools compare?
Click to expand...

For me is too heavy for the car key, I think that the screwdrivers on the Wave sucks and the Spirit are better.
 
Tango44 said:
For me is too heavy for the car key, I think that the screwdrivers on the Wave sucks and the Spirit are better.
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Thought I'd never agree with this, but maybe you are right. The "slippy" drivers on Swisstools I formerly trashed can work better, under conditions, than the new Leatherman system. Even so, while there is much to admire about the Spirit, on balance, Leatherman works better for me.

Overall, I usually prefer Leatherman over Victorinox partly because of superior square cut screwdrivers with longer shanks. That's not as true of some current models. While the new bit holder system provides more versatility, it is by itself stubby and relies on having to carry extra stuff to realize its advantages, including a bit extender for deeply countersunk screw heads. Thus begins a slippery slope that ends with a multiple piece miniature tool kit.
In addition, the extender lashup seems rickety, and in the rough and ready of everyday work, it is easy to lose small parts, which is why military version SAKs omit the toothpick and tweezers. That goes against the KISS principle and the basic concept of multitool as a single, handy, pocketable item.
That said, I like my Surge and always carry it when expecting to spend a day away from my tools working on something (scavenging trim or small parts at a junk yard, for example). I carry it in the belt pouch with extra bits, exchange saw/file and extender, altogether weighing a pound, so it doesn't ride with me as a "just in case" item very often. At home I have proper tools close by, which I mostly prefer, although often use a multi-tool for convenience or "just because" :) .

For EDC, I have other Leatherman models carried by pocket without accessories, usually a Juice CS4 or Charge (fancy Wave), which I like for one hand opening, excellent knife blade, diamond file and pocket clip. Much as I admire SAKs, I'm hooked on "real" pliers, not to be had in anything smaller than the Spirit, which I find not comfortable in the pocket because of no clip.

I hope this helps. :)
 
Hi shangchi108:

The Spirit S model has two blades--scissors swapped for the standard spearpoint. I personally find the scissors jaw opening to be a little small, so I ordered an "S"pirit--which I'll pair with a VIC Climber when I need to include scissors and a corkscrew.

Best regards.
 
i owned a new wave, spirit plus with ratchet, swisstool. i prefer the spirit over the wave. Having said that, both the swisstool and wave are also good tools
 
I like my Wave a lot, and I've had good luck with Leathermans. That said, I'm interested in buying a Spirit due to its smaller size. Plus, Victorinox is one of my top favorite manufacturers.
Jim
 
I've got them both. The spirit is often the only edged gadget that I'll take travelling (I go to India, Laos and Vietnam once per year as well as most parts of Oz). It's the perfect tool to cope with all the little emergencies, from fixing busted shower heads in dodgy hotel rooms to trimming my sideburns, that crop up on the road; and it never raises eybrows at customs checks. It lives in my travel bag.

The Wave (with bit-kit) tends to get used more around home because it's got wider capabilities.

If I had to choose one it would be the Spirit - because the extra things the wave can do are really covered by the toolbox that sits in my shed 20m away. The one place where the Wave wins out over the Spirit fr me is whe I'm bike touring.
 
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