The "spirit vs wave" debate

[grunch]

Apologies if I missed this thread somehow deeper in the forum. Just wondering people's thoughts on the spirit vs the wave! Personally I have both because I like having MTs stashed in useful places (tool kit, day bag). Anyone owned both? Have preferences?

 

[James Y]

I own both. In fact, I've owned two Waves, but the first one got stolen out of my car; thus I no longer keep any tools/knives in my car, but that's another thread.

I like both my Wave and my Spirit, but I like the Spirit more, and that's the MT I carry. It feels more streamlined and solid to me than the Leatherman. Some say the Victorinox screwdrivers are slick, and they are more slick than the LM drivers, but not enough to bother me in use. I also like that the Spirit's tools don't clump together when I access them.

The one thing I disliked about the Spirit is the sheath it came with. It became useless within about a year. I've been carrying it in an old Benchmade Balisong sheath, which has also seen better days. I'm planning on getting an S1 sheath for it soon.

Overall, the Spirit is my all-time favorite pliers-based MT, and I don't plan on replacing it anytime soon.

Jim

 

[bflying]

I have and enjoyed the Wave pretty much since it was first introduced. It seemed to make the jump from less comfortable multi-tool, to almost as comfortable to use as a specific single purpose pliers. But have not tried the Spirit yet. Now I think I should.

Besides always having a Wave handy, I also have a half dozen little Ps4's scattered around for those times when an extra tool is needed.

 

[Mr. Tettnanger]

I have both. The build quality on the Spirit is much higher than that on the Wave. The Spirit feels much more ergonomic and comfortable in my hand. I like the locking mechanism as well. The Spirit feels like a much higher quality, better built tool in my opinion. I also like the bottle/can opener and longer screwdrivers much better on the Spirit!

My only complaint is that the Spirit does not have one handed opening. Although it is not essential, it sure is handy! I get frustrated fumbling around with the Spirit trying to find the blade and getting it out. It is still new to me since I've only had it a few months now. There are times that I will strap on my Wave or Charge TTI instead of my Spirit when I know that I will be doing work that requires frequent use of the blade. I almost always carry my Leatherman Juice in my front pockets. I'll strap on a multi took over the weekend as well.

The Spirit is my go to multi-tool now. I only use the Leatherman Wave or Charge as noted above and that is very infrequent.

To anybody debating these two tools, if you can swing it financially, I suggest buying both. Fiddle around with them for a while and decide for yourself which one works best for you and sell off the other one. It really is the only way to tell for sure.

 

[znapschatz]

I have both. The build quality on the Spirit is much higher than that on the Wave. The Spirit feels much more ergonomic and comfortable in my hand. I like the locking mechanism as well. The Spirit feels like a much higher quality, better built tool in my opinion. I also like the bottle/can opener and longer screwdrivers much better on the Spirit!

My only complaint is that the Spirit does not have one handed opening. Although it is not essential, it sure is handy! I get frustrated fumbling around with the Spirit trying to find the blade and getting it out. It is still new to me since I've only had it a few months now. There are times that I will strap on my Wave or Charge TTI instead of my Spirit when I know that I will be doing work that requires frequent use of the blade. I almost always carry my Leatherman Juice in my front pockets. I'll strap on a multi took over the weekend as well.

The Spirit is my go to multi-tool now. I only use the Leatherman Wave or Charge as noted above and that is very infrequent.

Good review, although I don't agree that the Spirit has a "much higher quality" build than the Charge TTi. Mine has been getting a pretty good workout for the last 8 years and is looking and functioning just fine. However, there is no denying that the Spirit is a handsome tool (with wretched scissors .) Overall, I much prefer the diamond coated file and the sharp-cut screwdrivers to their counterparts on the Spirit, and the compact bit kit versatility. While I find the OH opening to be the biggie and a safety issue (think up on a ladder,) for me, the big drawback on the TTi is lack of an awl. I almost passed on it because of that, but found an awl mod that fit the pocket clip slot. That worked well enough and fit into the rear compartment of the supplied sheath, so it's all good.

To anybody debating these two tools, if you can swing it financially, I suggest buying both. Fiddle around with them for a while and decide for yourself which one works best for you and sell off the other one. It really is the only way to tell for sure.

This is wisdom, and exactly what I did, except that I went Charge.