Please help: Do I have a Fake Wave??

R

RodgerThat

Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
2
Dear members

Your advice will be greatly appreciated, especially since I haven’t heard back from Leatherman yet (24hrs). I have mixed emotions at the moment so would just like to get some peace of mind…

I recently purchased my first “big-boy” Leatherman (Wave) and I am super excited about my new tool.

I live in South Africa and with a lot of junk from China finding its way through our borders, last thing I want to do is inadvertently buy I fake Leatherman, especially since this is my very first “serious” Leatherman. I bought it online (S.A’s version of eBay) from a 'trusted/verified dealer' . It appears that they have sold quite a bit of kit, for quite some time now and I could not see any shocking reviews. Seems legit...but I just wanted to double check. It came boxed, with user guide, standard sheath (made in China sticker inside ("LTG PART 905600, 07/13, MADE IN CHINA"?) suspiciously poor quality standard Leatherman nylon sheath, with the tool inside a small blue plastic bag...nothing else.

I would Greatly appreciate it if you could give me some advice. How can I verify that my new tool is indeed ‘the real deal’? I saw on the internet some mentioning of manufacturing (date) stamps inside the tool. Mine does not seem to have the one the one forum member referred to. It does however have the following stamped inside : 12 and 4D on one (in)side and 12 and 5D on the other end (inside). Any issues with these stamps?? Also, the etching (pictures) of the‘open locks’ on my Tool is outlined (double lines), and the other pictures I have seen of the Locks are only One-lined, not outlined. Is this something to be concerned about?? Please excuse my paranoia but are there some there areas I should look at? Like I stated, I do not want to own an inferior (fake) product. I will gladly post pictures that might help with determining the authenticity of the product. Just let me know what info/pictures you need.

Your reassurance and assistance in this regard will be greatly appreciated!

Kind and nervous regards
RodgerT
 
Herewith, some pictures related to my concerns:
From Top: My Wave
stamps inside (and/or lack thereof?)
20140129_160155_zpse61c29bb.jpg
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Outlined etched picture of lock on Liner Locker


Nylon Sheath (China) Printing not centred


Forum members’ Waves:

Date stamp


Single-lined etching of lock on Liner Locker.
 
Looks legit to me, based on the quality of the metal surface and the satin finish, alone. The first Wave was DC'd in '04, IIRC, so a 2005 date stamp wouldn't be unusual, I suppose. The sheath was probably just a misalignment of the embroidery in whatever machine likely churns them out.
 
Looks real to me but sometimes it can be hard to tell for sure since Leatherman doesn't seem to have a ID guide up.

Also, consider that there is only one authorized dealer in South Africa but they are the South African distributor of Leatherman Products. If in doubt you could call Awesome Tools (the distributor) and see if the seller is a client or not. That could at least tell if the dealer you bought from gets knives from an authorized distributor.
 
FYI, I sent and eamil to Leatherman earlier today to see if there were some tips or a guide for IDing their products.
 
Looks real to me. The only difference was just the lock symbol but they may have just changed that over time as mine appears to be a 2011 model.
 
Ya they changed the lock symbol recently, I noticed that too on a new one I bought from Dicks. I think the newer sheathes ARE made in China. Your Wave looks legit :). And the dates aren't always stamped on the inside of the handles. I've even had new Leathermans with different dated handles. Their QC seems to lack sometimes.
 
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