Leatherman Wave+ Remains to be seen as so far I've only bought it for five days of life but I'm optimistic

Submitted by Dartmouthest t3_zvfh7z in BuyItForLife

Leatherman Wave+ Since scouts in the nineties I was envious of a friend of mine who had a proper Leatherman. At the time I just had a knife, and in the past decade I've had a couple cheap multitools that have come and gone as expected. This model seemed to be a solid fit for my everyday needs, and their warranty, reputation and the probably ninety various reviews I read online suggest me to believe that it should withstand at least some tests of time. I'll post an update in twenty years

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Lentamentalisk t1_j1q8ynd wrote

I'm at about 13 years on mine, with me every day, and still going strong. Unfortunately I had a + that was confiscated at an airport when I forgot I was wearing it. The replaceable wire cutter blades are clutch. The regular Wave is still pretty nice though.

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Flossthief t1_j1s44af wrote

We need pre-screening kiosks for safely and cheaply shipping knives home before it's too late

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TheoHW t1_j1r1fk8 wrote

Imagine being in the airport staff... They must have the biggest EDC collection of all time.

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Medium_Brood5095 t1_j1qf8j7 wrote

Leatherman Wave is one of the most famous multitools. Les Stroud brought it into pop culture in his Survivorman show. Here's an episode where it features prominently but there's many others. Also if anything should happen to it, Leatherman has a 25 year warranty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6hU7d3yW10

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Dracomies t1_j1ozcmr wrote

Leatherman warranty is pretty good iirc. 25 years.

There are so many die-hard fans for the Leatherman Wave as well.

I'm definitely more of a Vic multitool person because I like the low weight.

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Gravybutt t1_j1qhz8w wrote

Had mine 6 years now as I am hard on it. Absolutely love it.

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Potential_Wave_3662 t1_j1rg1mb wrote

What about Leatherman's pocket knives? I was thinking about buying the Leatherman Skeletool KB Pocket Knife with Bottle Opener, but I don't know about the quality. Does anyone have any experience with them?

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Electrical_Point6361 t1_j1slkr9 wrote

I have, I think, the smallest pocket knife (I have to look up the model) anyways, I used to love how it looks, it seems very sturdy, but every time I tried to close it, it literally bit me! It snaps closed so quickly and powerfully that if I am not extremely careful & slow, and use another sort of tool to slow down how fast & hard it snaps shut, it will injure and hurt my hands and fingers. This has happened on too many occasions that I had to stop using it. It seems one needs super strong grip strength to use. For such a small tool, I think this is crazy and am disappointed that I can’t use this for anything.

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Potential_Wave_3662 t1_j1ttr2z wrote

That's sad. I was not expecting this :/

Thank you very much for sharing your experience

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Electrical_Point6361 t1_j1w0sfb wrote

I am sad too. It was reasonable priced but I paid more because I ordered a “custom” color with constellations etched into it. It’s suppose to be used as a key chain too, but the o-ring (to attach a larger ring with the keys?) is teeny tiny and doesn’t seem very strong. I love what one is supposed to be able to do with a multi-tool “pocket knife”. I ordered my brother, the classic Leatherman years ago. He loved it. I think back then (the 1980’s?) I got it from L.L. Bean. I would still give them a try. I like that it’s made in the U.S.A. and I like the story of how the company came to be.

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RedditPlayerThree t1_j1pin3d wrote

My wave is still going strong, purchased in 2005.

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TDMcCormick t1_j1r4ais wrote

My original Leatherman is still in perfect shape and is close to 30 yrs old now. I use it heavily

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Appropriate_Pie_5431 t1_j1rvis8 wrote

I have carried a surge since the early 2000s every day. I have had to replace bits and blades. But I treat the thing like a tool and it is still kicking.

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[deleted] t1_j1oxmaj wrote

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Dracomies t1_j1ozixj wrote

The issue is...what other multitool would you recommend? Because honestly Wave+ is pretty sturdy and I don't think there's much that are even more sturdy than that. Also you can turn it in and they'll repair it or send you a new one iirc. But as mentioned, I don't think there's anything else that would be more sturdy that that, at least as a multitool. You're probably harder on it than like most people who use the tool.

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Kregerm t1_j1p24zb wrote

Unpopular opinion here but if you use something, hard, sometimes more than it was designed for it will break. I know ranch work that tool could be out 20 times a day doing 20 different things. BIFL should mean I treat it with kid gloves and only use it 1-2 times a year.

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[deleted] t1_j1q5mox wrote

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Kregerm t1_j1qcu32 wrote

Were you trying to replace legit fencing pliers with a multi tool? The fence pliers we had were like 11” and pretty solid. Yeah I an see if your twisting wire the pliers aren’t made for lateral loads.

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nyuckajay t1_j1rah6c wrote

Dummy used wrong tool for job and is suprised it didn’t work…

Harrr harrr imma rancher and fix fences. Something something I work harder than you, something something take a stab at trucks.

We run these bad boys off shore in naval engineering and they do fine, saved our asses dozens of times. Even dismantled stanchions on a sail boat with two once to remove a dude in shock on a backboard. They work great, both Victorinox and Leatherman, gerber to a degree but much less hard use. For harder use I mostly bring a surge, but I digress.

So I guess yes, if you’re a stupid rancher who doesn’t understand the limitations of multi tools, and is too fat to waddle their ass to a box when they know they’re about to dick with work hardened steel, they aren’t the tool for you.

But if you’re anyone else who has a general understanding of tools, than a multitool can be a life saver.

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h3nt3n_1 t1_j1p6gn6 wrote

For ranch work i would suggest you go with the Surge. I have a family friend with a cattle ranch in Wyoming who has had, and abused, a Surge for 6 years. He has only had to warranty it twice, but he does go through the wire cutters about once a month. As long as you use each aspect of the tools within reason the Surge will last a long time. The only reasons he had to warranty it were 1: he snapped the plain knife off by trying to pry with it. 2: he snapped the large flat head off by trying to pry with it. He has not snapped anything on it since I gave him a LynchNW pocket prybar. Having said all of this, the main plier head is starting to wobble a little, but not much yet.

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Lentamentalisk t1_j1q9bxx wrote

Dude, if you're using electrical wire cutters to chop heavy gauge barbed wire, then no shit it's gonna break.

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[deleted] t1_j1qa5vv wrote

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CMYKoi t1_j1qrw15 wrote

"I occasionally use my knife as a screwdriver and this POS just won't retain an edge for some reason...the tip even snapped off at one point!"

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TimidPanther t1_j1ozswe wrote

25 year warranty, I’d say that is buy it for life.

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I_CAN_JUGGLE t1_j1q6xxd wrote

Yeah I’m in the navy and this thing lasted me a year. Definitely not BIFL.

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nolanhoff t1_j1rbrer wrote

Are you trying to use it as an everything tool for every day? Why wouldn’t you buy the correct tool when doing reparative tasks. I’ve never had a leatherman fail on me or my family. Had mine for a decade before I lost it

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