Leatherman Wave or Gerber Compact 400?

J

jdailey4206966

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May 28, 2008
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My name is Joe, and I am logged in here under my friends account, since I don't have the internet myself. My friend Jason (the account holder) has a Leatherman Wave, and had a Gerber compact 400 multi-tool. I like both, leaning more towards the Wave, cause he said his Gerbers sucked, but I have talked to other people who have the same tool and swear by them. I am not sure which one to choose. Gerbers are cheaper, and more compact, but I also like the wave because of the tools it has. Which do you think you would rather carry. Of course he favors the Wave, but I want to do some research on my own. Thank you for the help.
 
well there are several arguments for either...some say Leatherman hold up better to the abuse thrown at them vs gerbers...i am one to agree with that....i have had both in the past but currently own the leatherman wave and i do believe for the little bit extra it coast its well worth it...much better quality and more options...the only advantage to a gerber i have ever liked beside the price was the quick one handed opening...which i have learned to do on my leatherman and my leg so its works...
 
Jason here, yeah I have told him about that. My wave has withstood many beatings and still ticking, meanwhile, my old broken gerbers are probably layin somewhere in a landfill, unless someone found them and tried to send them back for warranty work, which I wish them the best of luck with. I hope he chooses the wave, because IMHO, it is the best tool I ever had. The one handed open is nice. I can do it with mine too, and it is well loosened I can open it like a butterfly knife if I choose.
 
If you want something that will hold up to abuse and is a good tool to boot, why not try one of the Vic multitools? Not the Swiss Army knives, but the plier based multitools, the Spirit, or it's bigger brother, the Swisstool? I used to be a diehard Leatherman guy, and still have the Wave in a drawer, but after many mishaps with it (Handles bit my hand and gave me many a blood blister when slipping off screws, and the closed handles are not very ergonomic when using the knife blades), I gave up on it and switched to a Swisstool, sent to me by a fellow forumite, and man oh man, it's like night and day. The Swisstool is a tank. I feel like I can take on the world with it. The quality is typical of Victorinox, the warranty is for life, and the price is very reasonable. Cheaper then the Leatherman. You might want to give those an honest look.
 
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Depends on what you intend to use the tool for. If it is heavy duty use, Leatherman and Victorinox are your better option.

I used to have a Gerber 400 (gave it away as a present). It was relegated to the office (IT worker) where the one handed opening pliers were great. For general use, I preferred my Charge.
 
I would also recommend looking at Victorinox. They make my favorite multitools. I think if you are interested in something compact, get the Victorinox Spirit. I think it is the best small/med tool on the market.
 
The Gerber 400 is at best a 'light duty' tool. For serious use; upgrade to any of the 'Big Three': Victorinox, Leatherman, or SOG. I personally use a SwissTool, and the quality is self-evident upon usage. The quality of the Gerber units has diminished over time. Many posters here have decried the Gerber multi units as "junk"! Gerber doesn't seem to heat-treat the steel (pot-metal?) significantly. I have seen many of the fold-out implements break and strip-out very easily. This being said, no multi-tool should be used, in place of a main-line dedicated tool, if it's available. All multis are designed to be convenient stop-gap acessories. Some are just higher-quality items, bear this in mind and you won't be disappointed, nor have the tool fail at a crucial juncture.
 
I have a Gerber 400 and love it. I like the fact that it's lightweight for edc.
It doesn't get heavy duty use, so it works really good for me when I'm at home or at work where other tools are available to me if I need them.
I am planning to get the SOG S62 for when I'm away from home so I have a heavy duty tool that will do a lot more than the 400 and, also open one handed and have compound leverage pliers ( both are feature's of SOG's)

I've looked at the Gerber Diesel and the Letherman Wave, both very good tools but I like the SOG for the above reasons. Plus SOG's also have a lifetime warranty.

So there you go. Now you have to decide.............:)
 
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