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- Oct 3, 2000
- Messages
- 1,001
I am thinking of buying one to augment my other sharpy things. Any poinions pro and/or con? Where would be a good place to buyt one below retail? Thanks!
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Leatherman Wave
- Thread starter Charlie Fox
- Start date
Old Knife Guy
BANNED
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- Sep 19, 2000
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- 447
I know these multi-tools are popular, but unless your job or hobby requires you to travel light and be away from a proper tool box, I haven't been impressed with the examples. Some of units have a limited selection of well thought out attachments, but most look like SAK on steroids. Some of the blades I have sharpened for friends are cheap metal that has been over hardened, probably never meant to be touched up.
I take a different approach, and sometimes it takes me into the wilds of South Dakota. I may have a screwdriver with a hollow handle for bits, but I check before-hand
the sizes screws and bolts with me. I take a proper knife, spare ammo, duct tape and spare nuts and bolts. I do carry one of those bright orange plastic balls with eight bits, but only because it is cheap and light. Rather than a multi-tool, I'd rather plan ahead.--OKG
I take a different approach, and sometimes it takes me into the wilds of South Dakota. I may have a screwdriver with a hollow handle for bits, but I check before-hand
the sizes screws and bolts with me. I take a proper knife, spare ammo, duct tape and spare nuts and bolts. I do carry one of those bright orange plastic balls with eight bits, but only because it is cheap and light. Rather than a multi-tool, I'd rather plan ahead.--OKG
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2000
- Messages
- 838
The WAVE is IMHO, the best innovation in the Multi-tool market. You can open either a plain or serrated blade with one hand. Try doing that with a old leatherman or Gerber Multiplier. No pinched hands like with the Multiplier either!
I have carried an original leatherman, a Multiplier, and now a Wave on my duty belt. I carry a Super Tool in a pocket on a sheath made for my Randall on my SWAT gear.
The Wave sees much more action than any other.
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Mark, Isiah 40:31 They that wait on the LORD shall mount up with wings as eagles...
I have carried an original leatherman, a Multiplier, and now a Wave on my duty belt. I carry a Super Tool in a pocket on a sheath made for my Randall on my SWAT gear.
The Wave sees much more action than any other.
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Mark, Isiah 40:31 They that wait on the LORD shall mount up with wings as eagles...
Mykl Clark
Banned
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2000
- Messages
- 2,714
You just can't beat the Wave definetly the best multi-tool out there for us MacGuyver types.
And yess I do carry duct tape with me at all times. I have some wrapped around one of my dog tags in my wallet
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Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
And yess I do carry duct tape with me at all times. I have some wrapped around one of my dog tags in my wallet
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Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
Esav Benyamin
MidniteSuperMod
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
- Messages
- 90,915
I hate having equipment falling apart around me. When I was inspecting Postal Service vehicle operations, I was disgusted with the loose screws, nuts, and bolts on almost all the vehicles. I carried a small multibit ratchet screwdriver and a 5" Vise Grip. I fixed equipment around the office, too. I hope nobody tells Xerox!
When the original Leatherman came out, I thought I was set for life! Then I got the Supertool, and the saw took me from the street into the woods. OK, it is a pain opening each tool, but once you've got it out and locked, it is tough and reliable.
Are the others any good? Probably. I've been carrying a Schrade Tough Tool recently. It's easier to access and open each tool, but they don't all lock. And the whole thing is bigger around than the Supertool, and weighs as much.
What about the Wave? I heard there is some wobble. I don't like the sound of that. Do all the tools lock? A screwdriver has to lock, or it buckles just when you get it turning smoothly. I'll hold off buying one till I get a chance to try it out.
When the original Leatherman came out, I thought I was set for life! Then I got the Supertool, and the saw took me from the street into the woods. OK, it is a pain opening each tool, but once you've got it out and locked, it is tough and reliable.
Are the others any good? Probably. I've been carrying a Schrade Tough Tool recently. It's easier to access and open each tool, but they don't all lock. And the whole thing is bigger around than the Supertool, and weighs as much.
What about the Wave? I heard there is some wobble. I don't like the sound of that. Do all the tools lock? A screwdriver has to lock, or it buckles just when you get it turning smoothly. I'll hold off buying one till I get a chance to try it out.
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2000
- Messages
- 344
The Wave is the best selling multi-tool we have ever carried and to date we have had 0 returns out of over 800 sold. Not bad.
The wobble is normal much like that of a butterfly knife. Similar design and it does not create problems in use. All the tools lock and 4 tools (blades and saw) can be accessed without opening the tool at all. Really cool
Get one and try it out. You won't be sorry.
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Every knife from every major manufacturer. If you don't see it, don't worry we can get it.
www.onestopknifeshop.com
Call 1-800-956-4652 to Order
Call 1-904-739-3438 for INFO
Sales at 1SKS help support this forum!
1SKS is a WOW company!
The wobble is normal much like that of a butterfly knife. Similar design and it does not create problems in use. All the tools lock and 4 tools (blades and saw) can be accessed without opening the tool at all. Really cool
Get one and try it out. You won't be sorry.
------------------
Every knife from every major manufacturer. If you don't see it, don't worry we can get it.
www.onestopknifeshop.com
Call 1-800-956-4652 to Order
Call 1-904-739-3438 for INFO
Sales at 1SKS help support this forum!
1SKS is a WOW company!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 1999
- Messages
- 738
I disagree with 1SKS regarding all the tools locking. The four tools available one handed lock, the others snap into place. This is reasonably secure on mine, but it is not "locked." I did email 1SKS about a month or so ago, with a query regarding the tool kit, which is now available for the Wave. Their description and that of another web site implied there was a special belt sheath. As far as I can tell this is just the hard plastic tool holder which has a clip on the back. If anyone knows about this I would be curious as to whether there is actually any special supplemental sheath.
My positive take on the Leatherman Wave
Leatherman Wave, 7.9 ounces sans sheath, Slightly Revised Review 2000-1129
I love my Leatherman Wave. Comfortable handles and easy access to 2 blades*, file, and saw which all lock. The other tools do not lock, although they do snap into place. *[one handed, but be careful as I recall some posters have gotten nicked-by the serrated blade]
Judgment call quibble: Cannot really call this a true camping/survival tool as it does not have an awl---of course most of the time the four screwdrivers will get more use. The small one could act as an awl in a pinch, along with judicious use of the blade. I have not figured out where to put one though...perhaps one that slides on, possibly locking to the lanyard attachment as it slides over a screwdriver blade. Why can't we have our cake and eat it too! After some consideration I would probably substitute an awl for the next to smallest screwdriver, and if necessary slightly reduce the size of the next one up, to compensate. Perhaps someone with knowledge of screw sizes could comment, or someone else could come up with a better solution. The original model has an awl, but hopefully if one is ever added to the Wave, it will be a better quality one, similar to the one on the SAK Rucksack.
No excuse failures:
1. Lanyard hole is too small. Almost no one, is going to thread it with a split ring. I have not yet "improved" mine by enlarging the hole slightly.
2. Inch and centimeter markings are conspicuously absent. Since they stamp Leatherman on the side, there is no excuse for not putting some gradation lines. Further, they need to differentiate the markings so one can tell easily which blade is going to open. Inches on one side and centimeters on the other would help. I scratched some in but they are not as clear as the ones that come on the original Leatherman. How can they improve the design so much, and then degrade something, that they had already figured out. Of course, since previously they only had inches, the improvement would have been to add metric measurements.
I do not have much experience with other tools, but still like the Wave. The diamond file is awesome for fingernails, the feature it is most borrowed for, and then secondly the scissors. I note the file recently showed some rust. I am not sure if there was any particular reason or whether I had used a Tuf-cloth, which did not penetrate the grooves....???
I like the tip I saw about putting some grooves in the serrated blade to differentiate it. I had centimeter markings on that side, but since self applied they are faint. The grooves would be a more positive indicator. There is now a took kit available for the Wave.
The Leatherman Pulse has been favorably reviewed here: http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002272.html
My main quibble with the original Swisstool is the fact that after years of SAK's, many with scissors, they leave those off??? It appears that there is a new model or two, that now have scissors.
I note that apparently one of the Gerber multilocks have a nifty feature--a mount in which you can insert your jigsaw blade of choice--oh yes, and an awl. I have only seen Ron Hood of www.survival.com using it on a video. I have not seen other ones with an awl, so maybe it was a special feature. A Gerber Multi-Lock I that has a saw coupler is the Multi-Lock 600 Series Woodsman. I saw a picture at http://www.nwcutlery.com/gerber3.html
The Multi-Lite has one also. The new Gerber Legend 800 has the saw coupler and there have been some comments on it here: http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002353.html
Looking at the manufacturers website, at http://www.gerberblades.com/800.html it appears that the Legend 800 does not have an awl.
My positive take on the Leatherman Wave
Leatherman Wave, 7.9 ounces sans sheath, Slightly Revised Review 2000-1129
I love my Leatherman Wave. Comfortable handles and easy access to 2 blades*, file, and saw which all lock. The other tools do not lock, although they do snap into place. *[one handed, but be careful as I recall some posters have gotten nicked-by the serrated blade]
Judgment call quibble: Cannot really call this a true camping/survival tool as it does not have an awl---of course most of the time the four screwdrivers will get more use. The small one could act as an awl in a pinch, along with judicious use of the blade. I have not figured out where to put one though...perhaps one that slides on, possibly locking to the lanyard attachment as it slides over a screwdriver blade. Why can't we have our cake and eat it too! After some consideration I would probably substitute an awl for the next to smallest screwdriver, and if necessary slightly reduce the size of the next one up, to compensate. Perhaps someone with knowledge of screw sizes could comment, or someone else could come up with a better solution. The original model has an awl, but hopefully if one is ever added to the Wave, it will be a better quality one, similar to the one on the SAK Rucksack.
No excuse failures:
1. Lanyard hole is too small. Almost no one, is going to thread it with a split ring. I have not yet "improved" mine by enlarging the hole slightly.
2. Inch and centimeter markings are conspicuously absent. Since they stamp Leatherman on the side, there is no excuse for not putting some gradation lines. Further, they need to differentiate the markings so one can tell easily which blade is going to open. Inches on one side and centimeters on the other would help. I scratched some in but they are not as clear as the ones that come on the original Leatherman. How can they improve the design so much, and then degrade something, that they had already figured out. Of course, since previously they only had inches, the improvement would have been to add metric measurements.
I do not have much experience with other tools, but still like the Wave. The diamond file is awesome for fingernails, the feature it is most borrowed for, and then secondly the scissors. I note the file recently showed some rust. I am not sure if there was any particular reason or whether I had used a Tuf-cloth, which did not penetrate the grooves....???
I like the tip I saw about putting some grooves in the serrated blade to differentiate it. I had centimeter markings on that side, but since self applied they are faint. The grooves would be a more positive indicator. There is now a took kit available for the Wave.
The Leatherman Pulse has been favorably reviewed here: http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002272.html
My main quibble with the original Swisstool is the fact that after years of SAK's, many with scissors, they leave those off??? It appears that there is a new model or two, that now have scissors.
I note that apparently one of the Gerber multilocks have a nifty feature--a mount in which you can insert your jigsaw blade of choice--oh yes, and an awl. I have only seen Ron Hood of www.survival.com using it on a video. I have not seen other ones with an awl, so maybe it was a special feature. A Gerber Multi-Lock I that has a saw coupler is the Multi-Lock 600 Series Woodsman. I saw a picture at http://www.nwcutlery.com/gerber3.html
The Multi-Lite has one also. The new Gerber Legend 800 has the saw coupler and there have been some comments on it here: http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002353.html
Looking at the manufacturers website, at http://www.gerberblades.com/800.html it appears that the Legend 800 does not have an awl.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2000
- Messages
- 1,537
Donald that was a very interesting piece of work you submitted (seriously).I would wrap all your comments up with something I noticed about the difference between Gerber and Leatherman.I mentioned on another post that Leathermans seem to improve while Gerbers remain Gerbers.Leatherman is open to suggestions from users on design changes/improvements.Gerber mentions they only want submissions from patent holding engineers or some mumbo jumbo such as that.These guys haven't a clue what they're drawing except stress points and angle swings.I do have to give Gerber credit though for allowing one to pick and choose which implements they want in their "build your own" site.
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"Just me and my multi-tools."
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"Just me and my multi-tools."
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2000
- Messages
- 3,625
When I got my LMW I noticed that the plain blade was damaged. The point just
before where the belly begins to turn towards the tip (i.e. the last
straight part of the blade before it curves upward) had a folded and damaged
edge. Now I have given it about 70 passes on the white stones of a 203 and
it is mostly gone. At first I thought there may be a quality control
problem. However has anyone else seen this before? I did not want to return
the Wave, as I got it from the States and it is a fairly minor problem for a
knifeknut. I have not really used my Wave, yet so I am unsure if the blade
is pressing on something inside. I think not as testing does not indicate
this. Inside where the blade rests is a stiff rubber? Insert to protect the
blade? It is probably nothing, but it got me thinking.
W.A.
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"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto
before where the belly begins to turn towards the tip (i.e. the last
straight part of the blade before it curves upward) had a folded and damaged
edge. Now I have given it about 70 passes on the white stones of a 203 and
it is mostly gone. At first I thought there may be a quality control
problem. However has anyone else seen this before? I did not want to return
the Wave, as I got it from the States and it is a fairly minor problem for a
knifeknut. I have not really used my Wave, yet so I am unsure if the blade
is pressing on something inside. I think not as testing does not indicate
this. Inside where the blade rests is a stiff rubber? Insert to protect the
blade? It is probably nothing, but it got me thinking.
W.A.
------------------
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto
- Joined
- May 1, 2000
- Messages
- 2,259
I have the LM Supertool and am very happy with it. Is the Wave better? If so, how? I know the blades can be opened from the outside, but since I always have a knife too that's not so important to me. Is the Wave lighter than the Supertool? Is it as sturdy? Any comments would help. (The Supertool isn't really lacking anything except maybe scissors, I'm just looking for an excuse to buy a new toy
)
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Jason aka medusaoblongata
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"I have often laughed at the weaklings who call themselves kind because they have no claws"
- Zarathustra
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Jason aka medusaoblongata
-----------------------
"I have often laughed at the weaklings who call themselves kind because they have no claws"
- Zarathustra
To General:
My new LMW had a flat spot exactly as you describe, in the same place. I thought they sell the ones the hardness test or something. I haven't figured out the angle to try and fix it yet.
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A knife is by default a tool, it's only a weapon when a human chooses to make it so.
My new LMW had a flat spot exactly as you describe, in the same place. I thought they sell the ones the hardness test or something. I haven't figured out the angle to try and fix it yet.
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A knife is by default a tool, it's only a weapon when a human chooses to make it so.
I have gone thru the usual trials of testing various models as they become available. They include all of the LMs and most of the Gerbers. The one I am most happy with and use most is the Super model. As already mentioned, I have little need for a one handed opening blade on the Wave since I always have at least 2 knives on my person. My personal experience with the blade steel with my Super is such that I was able to literally saw thru the lower butt section of a pair of Uncle Mikes steel lined rubber grips for one of my revolvers. Yes, with the plain edge blade, not the saw!! The blade gota bit dull. But that was all. No rolling, no chips, or cracks! A simple pass of a few strokes on a diamond flat restored it to life. I am a true believer...
L8r,
Nakano
L8r,
Nakano
The Wave has several or more advantages over the Supertool. 1)it's lighter (by about 1 oz on my cheapo scale), 2) the handles are more ergonomically designed for a comfy fit, 3)it has 4 flat-blade screwdrivers compared to 3 on the supertool, 4)you can open some of the tools without opening the pliers, 5)you can open some of the tools with one hand 6)it has scissors
The Supertool, in contrast, 1)is a tougher, more robust tool in general (IMO), 2)has a leather awl, 3)all its tools lock (a major feature IMO for safety, 4)has a more robust clip blade
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Hoodoo
I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
The Supertool, in contrast, 1)is a tougher, more robust tool in general (IMO), 2)has a leather awl, 3)all its tools lock (a major feature IMO for safety, 4)has a more robust clip blade
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Hoodoo
I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
Mykl Clark
Banned
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2000
- Messages
- 2,714
The biggestest thing I dislike about my LMW is the obvious omission of the scales. All other LM's have them and these don't. Fortunatly I am right handed because opening the blades on the Wave with the left is more than difficult. The ability to build your own Model 600 Gerber is kinda nice but I wish you could pick which tools you want instead of which group of tools. Oh yeah and if you work on a LMW you can open it one handed as well
Mykl
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Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
Mykl
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Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
- Joined
- Nov 24, 1999
- Messages
- 4,981
The wave seems to be a nice tool and the leatherman name garauntees fit and finish. But I'm more concerned with functioanl use. As was stated some of the tools snap into place via a spring like a slip joint, not really lock. The one hand blade is good, but you can open a gerber blade one handed quite easily with the help of inertia. Just snap the pliars out, and then snap them sideways to open the handles, then use your finger and thumb to grab the back edge of the blade and drop it open. Sure its not quite so easy as the thumb hole and takes some practice but its do able. And the snap out pliars on a gerber are more convenient. If you ask me the main reason to carry a multi tool is for the pliars and wire cutters, the screwdrivers are good to have, but when it come sot the knife I have a better one to use.
Over all, I'd say that a gerber is a better tool for a user. Its cheaper, has better pliars and all the tools lock. Thers more configurations available to. Check out www.byo.gerberblades.com You can pick just about any set up you want with it. It says there's about 8000 combinations possible
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I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer... but I've got the sharpest knife in the room.
[This message has been edited by Matt Shade (edited 12-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Matt Shade (edited 12-02-2000).]
Over all, I'd say that a gerber is a better tool for a user. Its cheaper, has better pliars and all the tools lock. Thers more configurations available to. Check out www.byo.gerberblades.com You can pick just about any set up you want with it. It says there's about 8000 combinations possible
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I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer... but I've got the sharpest knife in the room.
[This message has been edited by Matt Shade (edited 12-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Matt Shade (edited 12-02-2000).]
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2000
- Messages
- 234
If you do decide on a LMW, make sure that the handles align evenly when closed (as viewed from edges)before you buy. I had to go through a couple in-store before I could get one that was right. Although I doubt it would affect the tool in a functional sense.
Odd for a Leatherman though...
Odd for a Leatherman though...