What full size Leatherman to buy?

Good choices. I have recently been carrying my usual fare, a Surge with accessories, on my belt, and a Free P4 clipped in the left front pocket of my jeans. The P4 is there because it is a fairly recent acquisition with which I need to become more familiar. The Surge is my go-to tool that can handle most anything I can throw at it. The P4 has the better bottle opener and, also, a better fidget factor! T-A
 
Well, having read through all the answers I am actually paying close attention to this thread because I have not been able to find the right full size tool yet! Here is a rundown:
  • I have had 2 of the original one-hand open Gerbers: the pliers broke twice and the knife steel was super soft. Gave then away (that was like 10-15 years ago)
  • Had one of the original Leatherman Waves (with the leather sheath) it was the best tool I have had to date. One hand opening tools are a must and having them be accessible from the outside seems a no brainer. I wore out the cable snippers on that one. Ended up giving it to someone while traveling internationally. (We were working on their house for them, and the guy really liked it. He had no tools of his own so it seemed only fair to leave it with him.) I figured I would replace it when I got back to the states. So I began looking into the current Leatherman offering.
  • Had a LM Wingman, the blade snapped, they replaced... the screwdrivers deformed on replacement... sent in and had a "credit" with LM.
  • Bought out of pocket (not using credit) the Skeletool. Had 2 of those. (Pliers broke, knife snapped). Didn't care for the combo blade and would prefer better steel on the more expensive CX. Sold this one at a discount.
  • Bought a Surge to try. (From REI and cost something like $120!) Replaced crappy sheath with leather aftermarket ($30) so now I am in to the Surge for $150. It has been pretty solid with a couple exceptions- Large flathead deformed on first use, knife does not want to keep an edge, and it is STIFF to open and close. (Even after oil and working period!) In addition, the tool mix is just so-so. Seems like charge has a little better tool load out.
  • Used LM credit to purchase Free P2 as LM said it was the latest and greatest and the successor to the wave. I think the free has been the best and the worst of all! Opening the pliers one handed and the smoothness of the magnet system is great. Ease of getting to the tools is awesome as well. Pocket clip included is a winner. That is where the goodness stops. The rubber elastomers built into the handle to facilitate the opening mechanism make the handles flex and you lose power when using the pliers. The pivots CONSTANTLY come loose. (I have used both blue and red locktite.) The tension on said screws is crucial because it will bind up the opening and render the selling feature of one hand opening useless if too tight. No matter how tight... handles still flex. They will pinch your hand as well. Scissors... suck. Can't cut a piece of 550 cord... it is like they are gnawing through them. Combo edge knife = useable knife blade in either type of edge is so short it is unusable. Soft tools as well... (deformed large screwdriver as well as awl). The package opener edge machined onto the large flathead means your screwdriver is sharp... and thin at one corner. Dumb tool load out... thanks for like 5 flathead screwdrivers... what is left that uses a flathead!?! LOL End of awl is actually a flathead screwdriver as well... diminishing the usefulness of the awl itself. SUPER FUN to play with, but not as useful as you would hope. Expensive ($100+)
So here is where I am:
  • I have to sell these 2 off and am trying to decide what is next... grab a wave again? Are the tools going to be as soft and pathetic as these other two current production tools?
  • Try the crunch? It is one of the few I have not tried and at least I might end up with a usable vise-grip?
  • Gerber Centerdrive? Decent size plain edge blade and a normal bit holder? But it is Gerber... hmmm
  • Have heard a lot of good re: Victorinox. Wonder if tools and materials are higher quality? No pocket clips. Not as easily accessed tools on the handles. My hunch is this is the next call.
  • Try a SAK with a pliers in it... I have no idea which one.
I guess what I am hoping to contribute to the OP is that I am wary of current production LM, and think the wave still seems to be the most promising but that is from my experience with an older era tool. (I never had problems with my old wave!...I wish I would not have given away my one from the late 90's!). I would NOT recommend the free series is you are an actual tool user. I am following along on this thread to see what recommendations are out there. Looking at Swisstool and Centerdrive currently. Hope this helps. - Josh

ps- One other thing. I am a tradesmen / carpenter who lives on a small farm. I am not prying with my knife or using the tools out of line with normal tool use. Tightening the large flathead screws on an electrical panel is hardly "extreme" use and should not deform a tool! I use the tools on the job site as well as while working on my tractor, motorcycle, and car. Turning bailing wire and snipping it is common. Wiring outlets and stripping 12/2 with ground and 14/2 with ground is also common and part of the MT use. If I am asking too much of a $100 dollar tool... then let me know!
 
The new wave has replaceable wire cutters so that should answer your only issue with the previous model?
 
The new wave has replaceable wire cutters so that should answer your only issue with the previous model?

I have seen that. Thank you for reminding me. I think my only hesitation on a new wave - despite that updated feature - is the overall quality of the components themselves. It seems as thought they have gone down hill since the old days. (What hasn't I suppose?) I don't want to distract from this thread, so I should probably start a new one - but I want to ask the community about any experience with new production Wave+. All things considered - to answer the OP's question - in my experience the Wave is the best choice in the LM line up. - Josh
 
The only heavy duty Leatherman I own is the Super Tool 300. And it has served me well over the years I love it.
 
I'ld recommend the wave probably the best all rounder, had mine for many years. I did post a review at the end of 2019. It's still going strong. If you prefer better blade steel maybe a charge. Checkout the secondary market.
Good luck
mitch

My sweet spot is/was the Blast and Kick. If I grab another it might be the Rebar, or one of those new Free doo hickies. They look interesting. The Leatherman that I love to hate, or hate to love, is the Sidekick. I bought it years back as I was walking through a Walmart. It's heavy for it's size, but fairly compact and very tough, it's the weight of it that turns me off a bit. I had a Supertool 300 a few years back and forgot it on the radiator of a car at an auto wreckers. I didn't go back to try to get it as I realized that I didn't like the weight of it. I prefer the smaller lighter mid range Leatherman tools.
 
Last edited:
The Wave or Wave+ is a great EDC multi-tool. However, when there's work to be done I prefer the Super Tool 300. The lack of one hand opening from a closed tool is easily solved with my ubiquitous pocket folder de jour; I never leave home without one.

A pocket folder and a ST 300 can do much.
 
I have a Blast that is about 15 years old. Its been a beautiful tool, very happy with it. Plenty of screwdrivers, pliers and scissors, file and saw, can opener and bottle opener. Love it and wouldn't trade it in for anything.
 
Leatherman Ti Charge for me. It really gets used every day multiple times per day.
 
I have the Squirt, multiple Juice's, Skeletool, Signal, and a Ti Charge.. at least in the LM lineup. My most used (for going on around 20 years) is the Juice S2. However, I generally don't use it for nuts and bolts, so the small pliers works out fine. I use it for small jobs related to property management. The Charge was just too bulky for only using a couple tools, and the one handed openning blades made it feel weird for me when doing a lot of work with the screwdrivers and pliers.

My friend works on semi's, drag racers, etc. He likes the Wave. However, he usually uses the Gerber Suspension (the old version they still sell at Menards, Not the new version). I asked him once why he used the Gerber over the LM, and he said he liked the lesser weight and spring pliers on the Gerber. I might pickup a Wave+, but haven't felt like spending the money since my Juice does everything I want it to do (I carry a seperate folding knife).

If you don't mind not being able to open one handed, one MT I was impressed with was the Vic Spirit... although I wish I got the Spirit X for the plain edge blade. Beside that, the only other gripe I have is that the metal used for the handles is a little thinner than I'd like, so there's a little flex if you are holding something with the pliers and twisting hard. I've also thought about picking up a Rebar because I like the size and weight of the package, but I use the scissor on my Juice enough that I don't want an increase in size while losing a tool I commonly use.
 
I have had a Leatherman Wave for a very long time. The tough Stainless Steel has been through blood, mud, aluminium cans, food and way more for years now with no scratches or rust of any description. The mechanism probably needs a bit of readjusting and the blade needs some sharpening; but really you can't go wrong for a full-sized Leatherman.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top