It Happened. The Harbor Freight Wave Clone...

I have an Ozark Multiforce. I prefer how they got rid of the hand pinching problem with that clone. It's an improvement over the Leatherman Wave. The Harbor Freight Wave clone doesn't have that improvement. So you can still accidentally pinch your hand with it in a very painful way.

The file on the Multiforce is garbage though. Mine wore out pretty fast on the diamond side. The Harbor Freight Wave clone looks like it has a much better file.

The Harbor Freight clone also has a micro bit driver, which isn't present on the Multiforce. Not that I would ever use it though. It's a wasted tool for me, which is odd because I use the mini screwdriver on my SAKs all the time. But I have different use cases for my pliers based multitools. If I need that size of pliers then it's a different situation than my normal EDC. I'm working on something more substantial than my normal day to day needs. What I would prefer is to have an awl instead of the micro bit driver.

The flat bit driver is really surprising. I think this is the first time I'm seeing a mainstream clone of Leatherman's flat bit system. This will probably fit my Leatherman ratchet driver.

The glass breaker is something new.

The gut hook on the serrated blade is nice. I would probably use that to strip wire.
 
Walmart already had a knockoff, and there's multiple other Chinese brands that are popular on YouTube.
Their worthless Buck 119 knockoff has made no impact, and neither will this I don't think.
I don't agree with them and never will, but at least I know the initial hype will fade and people will stop talking about it for the most part.

Sadly there is one issue and that's when they very closely copy one of the big hitters all the Harbor freight super fans will start to claim leatherman ( or usually Snapon) supposedly is importing their tools and that this is somehow the same exact tool for significantly less.
There's a lot of people who secretly want the popular premium tools they can't afford, and those people will do everything they can to justify the existence as well as their purchase of an imported knockoff from Harbor freight.
Just wait till all those people try to say this knockoff is somehow better.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Sadly there is one issue and that's when they very closely copy one of the big hitters all the Harbor freight super fans will start to claim leatherman ( or usually Snapon) supposedly is importing their tools and that this is somehow the same exact tool for significantly less.
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^^^

some of their “pro” line of tools is ok, but it’s not the same as the brands they claim to compete with. Harbor freight has its place but if you’re using the tool all day everyday you’re likely taking your money elsewhere. There’s a reason snap on and matco cost as much as they do. Same with their knives. I don’t think anyone looking for a buck 119 is buying their $10 Chinese copy. Or if they do I suspect they’d be in the market for a real buck soon after realizing the knock off is a piece of crap.
 
Guy McVer said:
Completely different price point.

Different features too, No bit driver. No diamond file. But at least it has an awl.
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Yes and there is a reason for that price point. In my never to be humble opinion they are just better. Every tool locks, the ergonomics are better. They have a file that works well, the scissors are better etc. It’s true that there is no bit driver, but there is a Phillips and flathead screwdriver which is all I’ve ever needed. Your mileage may vary.
 
Daedric Panther said:
^^^

some of their “pro” line of tools is ok, but it’s not the same as the brands they claim to compete with. Harbor freight has its place but if you’re using the tool all day everyday you’re likely taking your money elsewhere. There’s a reason snap on and matco cost as much as they do. Same with their knives. I don’t think anyone looking for a buck 119 is buying their $10 Chinese copy. Or if they do I suspect they’d be in the market for a real buck soon after realizing the knock off is a piece of crap.
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One of the biggest problems is YouTube and social media which has made DIY'ers want what the pro's have when they'd never have known what they were missing otherwise, it has fueled the market for knockoff and lookalike tools.
It's the reason 90% of imported ratchets today resemble Snapon and there are new Leatherman wave knockoffs popping up all the time, because I don't think the average Joe is likely encountering either where they shop or the knockoffs would have started long before.
 
I'm fully set and satisfied with my current "arsenal" of Leathermans (Wave, Skeletool, Kick, Micra, Squirt PS4, and 1st-gen Juice S2). But if/when I decide I need another MT, I'll save money by buying a gently used genuine Leatherman (or Victorinox), not buying some sketchy clone made by kids in China. I'm cheap, but still reckon life's too short to carry half-butt tools.
 
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elevator man said:
Now, if they'd start making replacements for the great Juice series leatherman discontinued, I'd buy one if those
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Those have already existed for a very long time. Trust me when I say that you don't want one. The quality is terrible and they're bigger than a real Juice, which kinda defeats the purpose.
 
With condolences to the fanboys, these Gordon Wave clones already seem to be quite popular.

One thing I noticed about the Gordon sheath is that while it does look very similar to a Leatherman sheath, it doesn't appear to have any room for a bit kit, and it lacks the side sleeves to carry a bit extender or a ratchet in case you want to be able to use normal bits. That's definitely an issue.

Also right now there doesn't appear to be any compatible bit kit sold by Harbor Freight, so you're going to be stuck using Leatherman's own bits, and the availability of those has been inconsistent over the past few years. I don't know what the current situation is with Leatherman's flat bit availability.

It will be interesting to see if Harbor Freight starts selling their own bit kit for this, and whether they will have a bigger selection than what Leatherman offers.
 
So I went down and bought one of these this morning. Similar situation to what others have been saying; I had to get someone to get one out of the back for me because they weren't even out on the shelf yet. One employee knew about them and another wasn't even aware that they existed.

Fit and finish appears to be better than an Ozark Multiforce. It looks really nice. There is no side to side play in the outside tools. However there is some slight rocking with the lockup. It's nothing major but it is annoying to notice.

Deploying the pliers is actually really smooth, however the action of the pliers is slightly tighter. It needs a little breaking in. Not much though, and it's definitely better out of the box than most Leathermans these days.

Wire cutters seem pretty good, but I have not tested them on any heavy gauge wire yet.

Plier head is super solid. It has zero play. It comes to a perfect point. No misalignment. Very nicely done. You almost can't see the seam at the tip when you close them. It looks like one solid piece. It's crazy. I would not expect that from a 40 dollar multitool.

The plain edge knife is decently sharp out of the box but it could still do with a little touching up. The serrated knife is amazing at cutting paracord. It's faster at it than the plain edge blade. The gut hook does an okay job on paracord, but it's not as fast. The scissors are fantastic. Not as good as victorinox, but getting in the neighborhood. Not bad for a 40 dollar Leatherman knockoff.

The micro bit driver is garbage. I hate it. The phillips side almost doesn't even look like a phillips and using it feels like it is going to strip out in two seconds. What a waste. They should have just put an awl there instead. So disappointing.

The main bit driver is magnetic. That's an improvement over the Wave, in my opinion. I like it. The included bit appears to be pretty well cut. I'm not sure about the durability, but it doesn't have any rounded edges like you'll find on cheap poorly made phillips heads.

The ruler markings are deep, so they're not going to wear off. The "Gordon" branding appears to be laser etched, so if you were thinking that you might be able to get rid of it with chemicals or something, then I don't think that's going to happen.

I cannot get the pocket clip off. It's stuck in there super tight. *

The tip of the can opener is slightly rounded. That's disappointing, but most of you probably don't even use the can openers on multitools to actually open cans. I do use them for that, so I'm a little upset. I have not tested it yet though. It may still work just fine.

This is a really good deal. The one thing I hate about it is the micro bit driver. The phillips side of the bit feels and looks crappy as hell. And there is that slight rocking when you lock the outside tools.

It's definitely better than the Ozark Multiforce though. Since they both cost the same price, then the Gordon easily beats the Multiforce. However it obviously cannot beat the Leatherman Wave in terms of quality. The Wave costs 3 times the price and has a 25 year warranty. Arguing about a knockoff clone that costs 1/3rd as much as the original is kind of missing the point.



edit: * Just to be clear, this is to say that the lockbar is doing its job as intended. You absolutely cannot remove the pocket clip without depressing the lockbar to release the tab that fits into the pocket clip to hold it in place. It's super solid.
 
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Guy McVer said:
It will be interesting to see if Harbor Freight starts selling their own bit kit for this, and whether they will have a bigger selection than what Leatherman offers.
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If the bits they eventually come out with will fit the Leatherman, then the bit shortage issue will be solved.

If they're worth a crap.
 
I figured out a little trick with the bit driver on the Gordon Wave clone and the pocket clip. You can put the bit through the side of the bit driver and wedge it against the pocket clip and the bottom of the plier arm.

trick.jpg


This lets you have a relatively low profile sideways bit driver, although it is a bit up-angled. Because of the angle of the bit, it's not 90 degrees when you use it this way. It's more like a 110-120 degree angle. If you want to change the angle, you can flip the pliers around, but it doesn't hold the bit very securely that way. The angle is closer to 90 degrees though. I'd say it's somewhere around 80-85 degrees.

If you take the pocket clip out, the bit will stick to the magnet at the base of the bit driver, but it's not really held in place and the space in the side of the bit driver is too large.

The trick as it is shown in the picture would also let you use the Leatherman Ratchet or Leatherman Bit Extender sideways, without the extra height of the plier handle getting in the way.

The alternative is to use the classic "pistol grip" method, but you get less clearance with that method because the entire length of the handle is added to the length of the bit and the extension (or the ratchet).
 
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