Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Wave multitool > Owner Review by Sam Johnson

Owner Review – Leatherman Wave Multi-tool
February 18, 2006

I started backpacking in 2001, but I have car camped all over the western US. My longest backpacking trip was 14 days with the Colorado Outward Bound School (now Outward Bound West), but most of my adventures are weekend trips. These trips have typically been in the the chaparral of Santa Barbara County or in Plumas National Forest.

List of Tools:

Needlenose Pliers with Regular Rounded Interior Jaws and Wire Cutter
Clip-Point Blade
Serrated Blade
Diamond-Coated File
Wood Saw
Scissors
Four Flathead Screwdrivers
Medium Phillips Screwdriver
Can / Bottle Opener
Lanyard Attachment

Descriptions of Tools and Comments

Large needlenose pliers – This tool includes rounded interior jaws that make it more versatile. The pliers' jaws are stored inside the multi-tool and to access, the handles are rotated 170 degrees. The needlenose point is large enough to be operated in a similar fashion to regular pliers but bends inward to make good contact at the point. This makes the pliers suitable for finer work – I have pulled wood and glass splinters from hands and feet with it. The wire cutters are satisfactory, but can be problematic because the pliers do not lock to the frame of the tool. When cutting some wire, the pliers will jam, and be stuck closed. Reversing force on the handles merely causes the tool to fold up. The handles must be pulled on rather than used for leverage. Care should be taken when cutting soft, heavy gauge wire – I have had trouble when cutting 10 SWG copper wire.

Clip-Point Blade – This is accessible without opening the entire tool. Easily opened with the aid of the thumb hole, the 2.5 in (6.3 cm) blade locks in place with a quality liner lock. The liner lock rests fully behind the blade, and is approximately half the width of the blade. It is disengaged with a secure push – not so easy as to be a hazard, but not difficult either. The blade locks in line with the handle, a feature I prefer, but this makes it more difficult to cut on a flat surface without hitting my knuckles. As noted, the blade is a clip point (not serrated) which gives it a fine point suitable for detailed work. However, the weight from the frame and other tools make it rear heavy, and a solid grip is advised for delicate work – I find it useful to run my index finger over the top of the frame so it runs alongside the blade while keeping my thumb on thumb hole. The blade is sharpened on both sides which allows for a nice edge.

Serrated Blade – On the opposite corner from the clip-point blade, the serrated blade is also accessible without opening the tool. It has both the thumb hole and liner lock as described above. The blade is sharpened on one side only, with one large serration followed by two smaller ones. I have found it excellent at cutting cordage, fabrics and bread. This blade also features a nose rounded down to the blade line. It is not sharp and rather thick, making this blade relatively safe for cutting clothing away from skin. I have only used it in this fashion once, but when gripped securely, there was little danger of cutting the skin.

Diamond-Coated File – I have used this only rarely. This tool is accessible without opening the multi-tool body, and locks in place with a liner lock. It has a rough and a fine side, as well as small teeth running along the underside. The file is useful for taking the edge off of sharp metal – useful if a piece of gear breaks. The larger bits could be filed down with the rough side, then finished with the diamond coated finer side. In a pinch it could be used to reform the edge on another knife. The teeth allow this tool to be used as an inefficient hacksaw.

Wood Saw – As with the other tools accessible without opening the body, this locks when fully extended. The two rows of sharp teeth that line this tool are very good at cutting wood. However, since it has an absolute length of 2.5 in (6.3 cm) the usable cutting length prevents any lumberjack activity. In a pinch it can be used for sawing through larger pieces of wood, but the piece of wood needs to be continuously rotated to avoid hitting the end of the saw on the uncut portion of the wood. It can also be useful for cutting through part of a piece of wood, which can then be broken by leaning against an object (cut side down) and applying force. Sawing has never been much of a critical part of my backpacking, camping and hiking adventures, so I've mainly used it for fun.

Scissors – I've found these to be very well designed. They are stored inside the body of the multi-tool but as with all interior tools (except the pliers) the handles can be closed again once the tool is extended. Along with spring loaded blades, this makes the scissors very usable. Sometimes a knife is dangerous or less useful for delicate work. I have cut many pieces of moleskin with these scissors. Similar to the pliers, the blades can get jammed shut, and must be forced open. However, they can easily be opened and rarely jam.

Flathead Screwdrivers – Leatherman describes the sizes in general terms but I have measured the heads as follows: Extra Small – 1/16 in (1.6 mm), Small – 1/8 in (3.2 mm), Medium – 3/16 in (4.8 mm), and Large – 1/4 in (6.4 mm). The extra small head is both too wide and too thick to fit most eyeglasses, which is disappointing. These all function as screwdrivers should, except that the blades are not centered in the frame, so turning the tool can be awkward. The handle in which the screwdriver is not stored may be turned at a right angle to the other handle and used for leverage against tight fasteners. Special care should be taken to avoid injury as the screwdriver blades are well squared and the corners sharp.

Phillips Screwdriver – A #1 Phillips head, this tool is very sturdy and features four full blades (not just a flat “V” shape). The tip is noticeably different from the rest of the Wave tool's stainless steel. Leatherman claims this is hardened tool steel and my experience indicates it is a good deal harder than the rest of the tool.

Can / Bottle Opener – This is not a very complicated tool, but it is thicker than most pocketknife can openers. The tool is more blunt, and requires more force to open cans. However, it can also take more force and I've used it to open stubborn cans.

Lanyard Attachment – I do not use my Wave tool in a situation where I feel it necessary to use a lanyard, but this attachment seems well designed. It can fold out from inside the tool and provide an anchor for a lanyard. It is small and rounded – blending nicely with the tool to both the hand and the eye. Additionally, it can swing out past the edge of the handle so as to not prevent the use of any other tool.

My purchase also came with a high quality leather sheath and belt loop.

Maintenance

Leatherman recommends cleaning and re-oiling the tool every so often, as well as sharpening the blades but does not give a specific length of time. I have never re-oiled mine but the inner tools sometimes stick. However, I do not have any problems with the outer four tools. I have not fully resharpened the blade; I have only refined the edge with a honing steel. It is still quite sharp, but could probably use a good, full sharpening. Based on my experience handling and honing the blade, sharpening should be easy, even towards the handle . Although the construction is a stainless steel, it is only corrosion resistant (as with all stainless steels). Periodic maintenance should prevent most corrosion. Maintenance should be performed more often if used in damp or marine environments.

Personal History with the Product

I have used this tool backpacking, car camping, day hiking, traveling, EDC (Every-Day Carry), and around the house. I love to have it camping, as it is useful for many tasks. On a day hike, I find it less useful, as I usually bring a Swiss Army or folding knife. For EDC I find it heavy – I prefer tools to be accessible but not on my person. I'll often throw it in my backpack, my bicycle's pannier or my car's glove compartment, where it hardly takes up any space.

I began looking at Leatherman multi-tools when I first learned of them. My biggest concerns were that the handles were sharp when trying to apply force through the pliers, and the tool needed to be open to access the knife. The Wave tool met these shortcomings and added a liner lock – greatly increasing safety in using the tool. The rounded handles make this tool easy to hold, and permit easy shifting in grip to adjust for balance issues.

Field Information

Regrettably, I failed to include my Leatherman on Outward Bound, which is probably the hardest environment to which I have exposed my gear. I've had my Leatherman longer than I've been seriously backpacking, so it has accompanied me on all backpacking and car camping trips except my Outward Bound experience. These trips have included northern portions of the Sierra Nevada, the Santa Ynez mountains on the California coast, Santa Cruz mountains, Pfeiffer Big Sur California State Park, Redwood National Park, Zion National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. Elevations have ranged from sea level up to 10,000 ft (3000 m) and temperatures in the general range of 40 to 100 degrees F (5 to 40 degrees C) with occasional extremes to 20 and 120 degrees F (-5 and 50 degrees C). I have had to use the tool in terrible downpours, and after use merely shook it dry, then replaced it in my pack. The worst result was minor surface corrosion which I later scraped off with a fingernail. I've dropped the tool on Sierra Nevada granite from six feet multiple times, and still no trouble. I've been pretty careful (lucky) with the Leatherman because I have never truly thrashed it, by dropping it in the mud, snow or battery acid. The roughest environments to which the multi-tool is repeatedly exposed are chunky peanut butter and cheddar cheese. Spreading of PB is not the Leatherman's greatest strength, but it suffices. In cutting cheddar cheese, it excels, easily achieving translucent slices. Despite covering both blades and much of the tool handle in both PB and cheddar (sometimes both at once), I have never gummed up the hinges, but these substances do fill in the thumb holes on the knives – easily scraped out with a toothpick or small stick.

Additional Remarks

The only problem I have encountered is that the stop which prevents the clip-point blade from opening too far has broken off. Now the blade opens too far and does not have as solid of a feel as it did before. I broke this while using the tool as a froe (splitting kindling), which was probably not what the designers had in mind for this tool. Even after the stop broke I could still take pieces of kindling off of the log with the tool, and did eventually get a fire going. I do think that the stop could have been designed to be stronger, and withstood my use – but I understand why it did not. If I had to do it again, I would still purchase the Wave tool, but I would modify my froe-ing technique.

The blades easily open – but not so easily as to be hazardous. The construction is very solid, except for the opening stops on the four outer locking tools (clip-point blade, serrated blade, diamond-coated file, wood saw). It has taken a ton of abuse, still looks great and I have no doubt that it will continue to serve me for many, many years.

I would like to see a locking device for the pliers, so they do not jam as easily. I would also like to see a sharper and thinner can opener. The other tool I would suggest is an awl. I find awls useful for repairs and other essential camping tasks that a blade cannot easily perform.

The Wave tool is about what I expect in size, weight and functionality from a multi-tool. Larger and more complex tools are on the market, but I do not have a need for so many functions. When backpacking and camping, I only need a step up from a pocketknife not a step down from my tool box.

Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Wave multitool > Owner Review by Sam Johnson