TLDR
- After 5 years of hard use I still rate this tool very highly
- I’ve only broken one minor part – the spectacles tool and I got a replacement bit for £5 or so
- Though you can get cheaper, you probably will not get better, it’s beautifully designed, a pleasure to own and use
- Be aware not necessarily legal to carry in the UK
Situation – Why I Needed a Leatherman
I am one of those people who is constantly fixing, adjusting and generally fiddling with things. A lot of the time I am working away from my regular tools, having a Leatherman Wave+ with 18 different tools in my pocket is always useful.
When I bought it 5 years back, I had no idea how practical and durable it would be. If I lost it, I’d be ordering another one immediately.
Specification
The Leatherman Wave+ is the company’s best-selling multi-tool. It has 18 different functions, can be operated one handed and everything apart from the pliers locks into place (more on that later).
It is a masterpiece of design. It is pleasant to handle. I have to stop myself opening and closing it because it feels really good when you do.
Main features include:
• Long nosed pliers with wire strippers, cutters and a semi-circular serrated cut out for gripping and turning larger objects.
• Conventional cutting blade (7.42 cm) and a serrated blade for rope, webbing, seat belts etc (this is the most useful tool IMHO)
• Large flat bladed screwdriver suitable for prying open tins of paint etc.
• Nail scissors – good for cutting paper and thin materials. Can operate one handed
• Multi use file – diamond carbide on one side and rough metal on the other. Good for sharpening other tools / blades in the field.
• Wood saw blade- only little, good for pruning small branches or cutting through something of approximately finger thickness.
• Adaptable Posidrive or flat bladed screwdriver – take the tip out, turn it around plus you can get an accessory set to widen its scope
• Spectacles screwdriver (easily snapped, cheap to replace though)
• Ruler in centimetres and inches – max 8 inches
• Can and bottle opener. The can opener is very good to use – check my video out above.
Mine came with a webbing sheath, but I chose to get the leather belt sheath instead. I now use the original sheath for the bit kit set.
My Verdict After Five Years of Daily Use
I still carry my Wave+ with me most of the time around the house and garden. I feel a bit naked without it. It is a fantastic bit of kit capable of helping me with an infinite array of problems.
It has been on all of my sea kayaking trips, usually sitting in a dry bag at the bottom of the kayak. It has been used to fix camping equipment and boats, cut rope, saw branches for firewood, remove a tick from my calf, cut up food, open tins and cut wires.
Around the house and in the field it has helped me with everything from wiring a plug to, just today, fixing a rotating cake stand for my wife.
I use the serrated knife most often for opening delivery boxes and cutting rope. Next most useful are the screwdrivers, then the pliers. I have hardly ever used the conventional knife blade, and the only time I tried to use the spectacles screwdriver for a bit of gentle prying it broke.
My Wave+ has developed a touch of orange rust around the joints. That will be my own fault for using it near the coast. It will come good again with a wipe from an oily rag.
Mine has had a hard life and it is still in great condition. I was able to get a new spectacles screwdriver blade for only a few quid.
Be Careful – Not Automatically Legal to Carry in the UK
You cannot carry any locking knife in a public place without a good reason.
Because each blade on the Wave+ locks into place, you need to take care with this. There are plenty of perfectly good and respectable reasons to carry one. Just make sure you have thought about it, as the penalties can be quite severe.
Verdict
Five years on, my Leatherman Wave+ has earned its place as one of my most trusted tools. It is solid, clever and endlessly useful, the sort of thing that quietly makes life easier every week.
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