Switching from Buck 110 to Leatherman Wave

[VorpelSword]

II worked in the oil industry in the field fo years as a "Mud Man". In the 1980s, the knife to carry in that work context was a Buck 110 or similar. I wore out or broke several in heavy abusive use in those days.

Later on, I changed careers and worked in a major hospital doing diagnostic imaging with isotopes ("Nuclear Medicine") The work uniform for me at that time was: a low-end version of business casual". I still EDC'd a Buck 110. Used it at work every day for one thing or another. And then the powers that be decided to crack down and significantly enforce the "no weapons at work" policy. This was a VA hospital and violations could amount to being, literally, a Federl Offence.

ell it was a well-paying job inside and out of the sun . . .so I switched to a multitool. The Buck was wearing out my pockets anyway. Had several different ones, finally settled on the Leatherman Wave in a horizontal belt sheath. Used it every day for one thing or another and kept on keeping on without disturbing the serene tranquility of the 3rd floor administrative suites.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I keep a Super Leatherman (35+ years old) in the SUV or the BMW saddlebag (2002 R1150RT) when traveling and an original Leatherman in my daypack when hiking -- both hard to beat for sheer utility and they've come in handy on a number of occasions. Pretty useful for handling isotopes, too, I'd guess .

 

[VorpelSword]

Isotopes?

We had plenty of the right equipment for safely handling radioactive materials. The multitool came in handy for swapping out oxygen cylinders and de-wobbling a stretcher or adjusting a sticking IV pole . . .that sort of thing.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

It's funny. You sum up the mild generational divide between my old man and me. He's a contractor and has carried a Buck 110 or homage of some form or flavor as his go-to work knife for 45 years. He uses it to cut, dig, pry, etc. Pretty much anything that he can before sending one of the gophers to run back to the truck to get the tool needed.

I started carrying a multitool back in the fall of 1999. It was my freshman year of college, and I was on the rowing crew. We were just a club sport (ie no money), so the only way we could get our 8-man boat to the various regattas was to unbolt it in the middle and stack it on a panel van and drive it. I'll never forget seeing the more senior team members prep our boat for the race. They had the two halves off the top of the van, Vaseline applied to the gasket in the middle so that the boat didn't leak (well, maybe it still leaked, but it didn't SINK), and the two ends sandwiched together. Then about 3 or 4 of them all whipped out Gerber multitools. >snick..snick...snick...snick< as they flung out the jaws and started to tighten the bolts. I was hooked.

I bought my Gerber the next day at Walmart and have pretty much carried some sort of MT most every day over the last 20+ years. Generally a P4 or Rebar, but its been a Wave, Surge, etc before too.

My dad still folds out his 110 for pretty much everything on the job and passes it to me to clean and sharpen about once every two months. For me, the utility of having the right tool for the job and the ability to augment my imagination to solve a problem far outweighs the robust build of the 110. Maybe it was too much MacGyver when I was a youngster

 

[ShaiHulud]

Hopefully your wave doesn't operate like my brand new surge did
Way too many issues out of the box .
Good luck

 

[eveled]

I’ve carried a 110 everyday for a long time. I tried to switch to a Leatherman and it did not stick. I very much prefer real tools, and pliers that wont get me electrocuted.

 

[jbmonkey]

carry a 110 everyday on my belt. have a multi tool in the form of a swiss army in my pocket. covers most of what I need daily. have a Leatherman in my truck somewhere. last time I used it for a real task was...........can't even remember......did use it months ago to scrape some corrosion off a battery terminal though......

 

[VorpelSword]

My Wave is new out of the box this year, replacing one I lost (my fault).

Deploying either blade is a little stiff. I also find that depressing the liner lock tsb is more difficult thn I recall from others I have owned (and likewise lost). in the past. I am holing that applying a drop of oil from time to time and working at it will smooth it all out.

 

[VorpelSword]

I’ve carried a 110 everyday for a long time. I tried to switch to a Leatherman and it did not stick. I very much prefer real tools, and pliers that wont get me electrocuted.

I totally agree. There is nothing like having the right tool for the job. Souds like you have a regular need for real" tools and access to them when you need them.

I travel in an urban setting often dressed in what some call business casual. The belt worn Leatherman gets me through the day. The heavy Buck 110 is just too big a blade and too heavy on my belt and wears out the pocket of my slacks.