Oringal Leatherman Wave

NAN · Aug 18, 2008

I have a Leatherman. It is really a great piece of equipment. They only thing that bothers me is that it does not have a saw. So I am constantly deciding between a Swiss Army knife with a saw or my Leatherman with pliers. It is always a tough decision.

I decided I wanted to upgrade to a Leatherman with a saw, and quickly settled on the Wave.

One thing bothers me though. The new model Wave comes with a "bit driver" that allows the user to switch out the particular bit with a sold separately bit pack. To me this seems both cheap and flimsy and I know that I will loose the bit a day into using it.

Does anybody have positive experiences with the Leatherman bit driver? Does it work and function well? Would you recommend this or the original, non-changeable phillips screwdriver as a better choice?

All opinions are appreciated.

ElCuchillo · Aug 18, 2008

I have the Newer Wave, with the interchangeable bits, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. Some have claimed they are weak, but I Have torqued and torqued on them, and they've hung tough. The bits have not fallen out, either. The tool is a tank, too, capable of taking inordinate amounts of use and abuse. Just becareful of the pliers. They pinch your fingers if you are not being careful. However, like I said, it is a tough tool. Some have also complained that the stubby bit drivers make it hard to reach recessed screws, but, I have not had that problem. Great tool. I'd definitely recommend one.

Raymond1000 · Aug 18, 2008

ElCuchillo said:
I have the Newer Wave, with the interchangeable bits, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. Some have claimed they are weak, but I Have torqued and torqued on them, and they've hung tough. The bits have not fallen out, either. The tool is a tank, too, capable of taking inordinate amounts of use and abuse. Just becareful of the pliers. They pinch your fingers if you are not being careful. However, like I said, it is a tough tool. Some have also complained that the stubby bit drivers make it hard to reach recessed screws, but, I have not had that problem. Great tool. I'd definitely recommend one.

If you buy any Leatherman with the interchangeable bits, get a bit extender from the company. That extra three inches comes in handy, and it lets you use standard hex bits as well.

Morablades · Aug 18, 2008

A Core or Supertool 200 is a better choice for me. They have everything the Wave has, locking mechanisms and you don't have to waste your money and time with extenders and extra bits. Plus, they can do everything a Wave can do. Unless you want the outside tools. In my opinion the only thing needed to update the Leatherman Wave was to add locks.

Millhouse · Aug 18, 2008

The bit driver system on the current Wave is fine. If you need to access deeper recessed screws, a Core or Blast may be the better option.

ElCuchillo · Aug 19, 2008

Millhouse said:
The bit driver system on the current Wave is fine. If you need to access deeper recessed screws, a Core or Blast may be the better option.

Ok, so I guess I'm switching back to my Swisstool. I was unscrewing something about an hour ago and the bit driver attachment broke. DAMN!!! Second Leatherman that goes caput on me.

LX_Emergency · Aug 20, 2008

Let them know....they'll replace it no problem.

antonio_luiz · Aug 20, 2008

I looked long and hard for an original Wave after my first got stolen and 4 years later managed to find one BNIB. Never let me down - just couldn't warm to the new model.

NAN · Aug 20, 2008

Thank you all for your input.

I am at heart, a purist. I just plain do not like the idea of the bit driver.

Keep It Simple Stupid...right? I think I'll hunt around on Ebay. See what I can find.

Swisstool? Could be interesting...I will take a look.

ElCuchillo · Aug 21, 2008

ElCuchillo said:
Ok, so I guess I'm switching back to my Swisstool. I was unscrewing something about an hour ago and the bit driver attachment broke. DAMN!!! Second Leatherman that goes caput on me.

Actually, it's the THIRD Leatherman to break on me. I've had a Blast, a Wave, AND a Juice XE6 break on me. The Juice lost a spring off the back, the Blast lost one of the locks (hinge broke), and the bit driver on my Wave broke.