Wave vs Spirit

[LUW]

A few weeks ago I decided to get a new MT, so of course I came upon the biggest dilemma of MTs: should I get a Wave or should I get a Spirit? I first bought a Spirit and a few days later I also bought a Wave, since I really needed two new MTs to replace my old Gerber Multi-Plier and my Kershaw Multi-Tool. So here's what I think about the two:

Size

They're basically the same length, but the Wave is wider. In terms of weight, the Wave weighs 244 g and the Spirit 212 g.

Handling

With the pliers open they're equivalent, but maybe the Wave is a bit more comfortable because it's wider. But with the pliers closed, ie, if you are using the tools, the Spirit is a quantum leap better, no doubts about it. The Spirit is comfortable, while the Wave was bad enough to even hurt my hand. I took it to my shop and I filed and sanded every live corner of the handle, and not it's MUCH better then when it came out of the box, but the Spirit is still better.

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[LUW]

Pliers

Here it's also a tie, both have good pliers that work very well. Mmaybe it's because it is new, but the Wave isn't as smooth to open as the Spirit. But then the Spirit is also new...

Tools

I guess this is a very personal issue, every person has their needs, so there can't be a winner in this category. The Wave has two blades, one PE and one SE, and to me that's overkill. All my life I carried a PE folder and never wished once that I had a SE, so having both is just waste of space in my eyes. Besides, even when I pack a MT I always carry a (SE) folder, so this is not an important feature to me. If I had to choose though, since I already carry a PE folder, I would go with only one SE blade, like what you see on the Spirit. All blades on both MT came wicked sharp.

An advantage of the Wave is that both blades are one hand openers, so that could be a reason to ditch the folder and only carry a MT. Unfortunately though, that oval hole on the spine of the blades is hard to open, not even close to how easy a regular Spyder hole or even a thumb stud is.

I have to make a special comment on the scissors, which are a big deal for me. Here the clear winner is the Wave, that has a much better scissors then the Spirit. The scissors on the Spirit is too short and doesn't cut as well as the Wave's.

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[LUW]

Extras

The Spirit came with a ratchet, extender and bits, and also a corkscrew that fits in a special hole on the handles, one on each side. The Spirit is not the winner here because you can also get other accessories for the Wave.

The Wave only comes with one bit, on one end a Phillips screwdriver and on the other end a slot screwdriver. That's a very nifty way to use the bits, and you won't have to carry a second tool (ratchet of the Spirit) to use other bits. The only problem is that while the Spirit uses standard bits, for the Wave you need these special slim ones only from Leatherman. Still, beats carrying a ratchet 10x1 in my book.

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[LUW]

Sheath

I would say that the Spirit's sheath is slightly better made then the one that comes with the Wave, but both or very good. Unfortunately the Spirit's sheath does not allow horizontal carry, and the Wave does, and it's also slimmer (since it doesn't carry the bulky ratchet) which is definitively a plus. With the pliers in place, the sheath + Spirit (with ratchet) weighed 366 g (!!) and the Wave + sheath weighed 269 g.

One neat feature of the Wave is that you can carry it opened in the sheath. That comes in handy when you're using the pliers a lot.

You're supposed to carry the corkscrew with the point outwards, but since I don't want to prick accidentally my fingers, I stuffed it alongside the bits and it worked. The Wave is way less cluttered when in the sheath, even if I did carry the accessory bits that fit in the front and rear pouches of the sheath.

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[LUW]

And the winner is...
































Beats me . Both are very good MTs, and I honestly can't say who has the upper hand. Without a doubt the Spirit has the better fit, it was better made then the Wave, but in terms of function they're equivalent. Both have pluses and minus, but when you add everything up, the score would be too close to declare a winner.

I don't think you can go wrong with either of them, but maybe the tool configuration will dictate what would be the best one. For what I want both are great :thumbup:.

 

[*jijoel*]

Thanks nice review and nice pics:thumbup:.
I already have a Wave and are on the look out for a Spirit.
Have handled one 2 weeks ago and liked the Spirit better then the bigger Swisstool.

I think the wave and the spirit are both equal and just like you said both have their own plus or minus.

 

[ufox9al]

The Spirit came with a hatchet, extender and bits, and also a corkscrew that fits in a special hole on the handles, one on each side. The Spirit is not the winner here because you can also get other accessories for the Wave.

The Wave only comes with one bit, on one end a Phillips screwdriver and on the other end a slot screwdriver. That's a very nifty way to use the bits, and you won't have to carry a second tool (hatchet of the Spirit) to use other bits. The only problem is that while the Spirit uses standard bits, for the Wave you need these special slim ones only from Leatherman. Still, beats carrying a hatchet 10x1 in my book.

Great comparison review! A couple of minor corrections. The "hatchet" is actually a "ratchet" (and it's absolutely great!). And the Wave actually comes with 2 double-ende bits - the second, tiny, one has a tiny phillips on the opposite end.

 

[westllen]

Thank you for the excellent pic's and review! "Great Post":thumbup:

 

[LUW]

The "hatchet" is actually a "ratchet" (and it's absolutely great!).

Dear god, how could I let that pass?!? And that's because I ready every post twice before uploading it

. I bet that if it was a hatchet the Spirit would be a tad uncomfortable for pocket carry .
Sorry .

And the Wave actually comes with 2 double-ende bits - the second, tiny, one has a tiny phillips on the opposite end.

Now that you said I see I forgot to mention about the small screwdriver bits on the Wave. A very nice tool, specially for those who like me wear glasses, it's perfect to tighten your glasses. Even better then the small gray screwdriver that comes with the corkscrew on most SAK.

But I'm glad you guys liked the review. I was kind of expecting that the Spirit would be my favorite, but I really can't say that. It does have some weaknesses, but it also has some strengths that the Spirit doesn't have. The only thing that really isn't forgivable is the finish of the tool . The Spirit feels like a custom blade, hand made with a lot of attention to details, while the Wave looks as if it was fresh out of the cookie cutter machine . A shame, because I'm sure LM must loose a few sales because of that.

If I could handle both tools at a shop and was looking for just one piece, being both at the same price level, I probably would go with the Spirit. Just because the Wave feels rough out of the box. That's interesting, because a few weeks ago Ii handled a Skeletool at a store and it felt much better then the Wave, even after I softened up the live corners.

 

[cdf]

Good review . My two fave. Multi's are the old ( pre 2004 ) Wave and the Spirit . I much prefer the Spirit .

A usefull accesory for the Spirit is the Leatherman Universal Tool Adaptor . It works on the Spirit and Swisstool just fine . It uses 1/4" hex bits . I don't care for the new Leatherman bits /driivers . The bits are hard to replace , the driver on my Skeletool ( same /similar to Wave ) first jammed , then cracked .

I guess what tips the balance is the superior implement /build quality on the Spirit . The awl , chisel/slitting tool , and much superior Vic. can and bottle opener clinch the deal .

Very nice pics , fine review .

One decided advantage to the Wave is the ability to take a pocket clip .

Both tools have quite poor quality sheaths , In a way this is OK , as I would rather see the money go into the tool - I've thrown all Multi sheaths over my left shoulder , and either bought my own , or used mag pouches .

Chris

 

[LUW]

Up above I said that the Spirit's scissors weren't as good as the ones found on the Wave. Let me clarify that: the scissors on the Spirit suck

!

I just tried to do some delicate work with the scissors (removing some dead skin from a ruptured blister on my left hand) so I tried out the scissors. The scissors on all my SAK always worked for stuff like this, but the ones on the Spirit just don't have the geometry to do the same (are they for lefties, by any chance?). Using the scissors on the Wave I had the same results as if I used the SAK scissors, and the scissors worked perfectly.

So if the Spirit's scissors truly suck, and I use the scissors a lot, maybe 1st prizes goes to the Wave and it's not a tie after all .

 

[cdf]

I'm in a minority , but I find the Spirit scissors are OK for my needs . Why they didn't just use regular SAK scissors is a mystery to me . Those things work well .

Chris

 

[LUW]

I really can't understand why not... The scissors do cut well as they are on the Spirit, but because of the geometry/angle of the edge it is impractical for delicate work when you have to put the scissors flat to where you are cutting .

 

[houdini28]

My two favorite multitools are the pre2004 Leatherman Wave and the Victorinox Spirit. I have no real preference for one over the other, but I currently edc the spirit. The main draw back is the lack of a onehanded opening blade. The scissors also suck, but for most of what I do they work well enough.

 

[LUW]

Just an update: I've been EDCing the Wave this whole week. I forgotten that I have an old Böker sheath that allows horizontal carry, and the best part is that the straps are secured by Velcro, so you can use it on wide or narrow belts. Since the LM sheath can only be carried horizontally on a narrow belt, the Böker sheath is a perfect way to carry the Wave on the belt.

So far the Wave is a delight to use - I had the chance to use quite a few of the tools and ALL worked terrifically. Even the SE edge blade (remember that I always pocket a PE folder) saw some action. It's not a breeze to open, like 99,9% of my folders, but you can open it with only one hand and since it came razor sharp from the factory, it performed great.

The filing and sanding I did around the live corners of the Wave made it very nice to the hand, so now I can palm it without the sharp corners biting into my skin. As I said up above, the scissors are great, so at least for me the Wave is a great piece of equipment for EDC. I normally only carried a folder and a Micra in my pocket, but with the possibility of horizontal carry on the belt (it doesn't stand out, specially when I'm wearing a black belt) and the great scissors, I ditched the Micra in favor of the Wave, and also deleted my old Gerber Multi-Tool form my messenger bag.

I'll carry it for a few more days and then I'll switch to the Spirit to see how it behaves in the every-day. Afterwards I'll make a comment here .

 

[cdf]

Look forward to your impressions . The Wave and the Spirit are the two top contenders in the mid sized Multi wars .

Chris

 

[sambo.]

nice comparison review.

would you mind putting in a bit of an update in six to twelve months? i find long-term reviews to be very useful.

i've had a Wave for 10 years and love it. if something happened to it, i'd seriously look at one of the Vic offerings.

 

[cdf]

nice comparison review.

would you mind putting in a bit of an update in six to twelve months? i find long-term reviews to be very useful.

i've had a Wave for 10 years and love it. if something happened to it, i'd seriously look at one of the Vic offerings.

I too rocked a wave since their inception , I would like to hear you long term reactions too . I switched to the Spirit wholeheartedly about a year ago . Tho i had bought that Spirit in 2005 . Previously I had a semi serious flirtation with the full sized Swisstool .

Chris

 

[LUW]

nice comparison review.

would you mind putting in a bit of an update in six to twelve months? i find long-term reviews to be very useful.

i've had a Wave for 10 years and love it. if something happened to it, i'd seriously look at one of the Vic offerings.

Sure will! :thumbup:
My intent was to switch to the Spirit this week, but I think I'll have to keep the Wave on my belt a bit longer. My dad, when I told him I was going to order a Spirit, got interested in ordering one for him too. Since his BD is April 1st, I decided to order a second one and then give it to him as a gift. But it's taking longer then I expected for it to arrive, so maybe I'll give him mine and wait for the second one to come. With that I have to keep it pristine, so for now I'll keep EDCing the Wave until the 2nd Spirit shows up.

 

[sambo.]

I too rocked a wave since their inception , I would like to hear you long term reactions too..

here you go, a review i wrote a while back:

A Decade With My Trusty Leatherman Wave