Tidal Wave

[Dunc]

I am now 5 months into my new job and very pleased with my Victorinox Spirit as my work EDC , or so I thought . The fact that it doesn't have a one handed opening blade has started to bug and worry me a little .It isn't so much the fact I may need to deploy the blade one handed while holding onto a swinging rope with the other hand while carrying out a daring rescue , more of the fact that I was finding myself standing on the deck of a boat and needing to cut a rope and what with being in very tidal waters with inexperienced boaters crashing into everything on their way up and down river Ifelt safer holding onto the boat with one hand and deploying the knife with the other .I handled a Wave at the meetup last year and I thought it was a more sensible option then the Charge I used to have . So with the first months wages I purchased a brand new LM Wave with Leather Sheath .After EDCing Victorinox Multis for so long it felt a little weird at first . I like the Horizontal carry option but wished the sheath had wider belt loops , I really had to force it on to my belt but after a while it did stretch a little and one plus side is that it dosnt slop about .
   What I didn't like was the bright Yellow "LEATHERMAN" logo on the front , talk about drawing attention , a Sharpie marker pen soon sorted that out and after 3 months of daily use no yellow is showing through .

   What I did like was the two little pouches in the sheath and after some helpfull advice on here they were soon filled with a Fisher Bullet pen ( Matt black ) and a Fenix L0D . Its a bit of a tight squeeze at first but give it a little time and use and they all wear in nicely .

  Now for the tool itself    I'm not going to harp on about fit and finnish , its a Leatherman with a 25 year warranty , if it breaks they will fix it . The pliers had zero play in them and after 3 months of use still have none . The handles have none of the sloppy feel of the original Wave and are very comfortable , second only to the Vic Spirit .

    In the past I've slated the LM Bit changer and bits but things and opinions change and I will have to bite the bullet and say they have caused me no problems . In the 3 months of testing I havent come across any deep set screws .One thing I did like is the fact that its not the end of the world if you mess up the tip of the phillips , you can just replace the bit . Vic owners don't get that option .

File was very good and one of the best on a multitool .And it doesn't rub on the handles either .

Saw was also very good and despite having drunk a half bottle of rum on one occasion proved very good at cutting 2"x1" timber for an outside bar ( Long story ) .

Scissors , not sure I liked them as much as Vic SAK Scissors but I can't really fault them .

Can/Bottle opener . Can opener isnt as good as vics but then I probably only use a can opener a couple of times a year and it works ok . Bottle opener is fine after extensive testing  

Mini bit driver , My opinions on this hav'nt changed and as a person who wears glasses and owns about four pairs the mini driver doesn't fit any of the screws on them unlike the Vic one which is superb . The only use I found for it was as a mini Marlin spike to get a knot out of my daughters Necklace . Oh how Leatherman would have been on a winner if they had put an awl in there instead .

Pliers , I have to say they are faultless and may I say appear to be harder then Victorinox pliers .Certainly after pulling countless nails and picture hooks out of the walls of my new house there are no marks on the jaws like there are on my Swisstools .

Ruler , I have used this about 3 times so far and its fine although I need my glasses on to read it . Not as good as the Swisstools but way better then the Spirits  

Knife blades  , the main reason for getting a Wave . Very smooth with no play . I'm quite happy with the liner lockup too . I have heard some people complain and say the one hand opening holes are rough and poorly finnished   They are only rough on the side you put you thumb on . turn the blade over and look at the other side , no roughness . This makes me think its intentional to offer more grip to the thumb .
   The plain edge takes a great edge and is easy to sharpen on the Spyderco Sharpmaker . The serrated blade due to the edge angle is a little more difficult and requires a little more skill/concentration but can be done . One thing I do like is LM puts grooves in the top of the Serrated blade so you can tell either at a glance or feel in the dark which blade is which. At work I always have the serrated blade on top as it sits in the horizontal sheath , if i need it in a hurry its going to be the serrated blade to cut rope . This has already been prooved at work with a boat that was taken downriver by a strong tide and still had one rope attached , the boat weighed about 10 tonnes and either the mooring post , rope or kleet was going to give and fly trough the air like a bullet so a swift deployment and cutting of the rope was needed .

To sum up I really like the Wave and I will continue to EDC it . I've left it 3 months so I could give it a proper and honest testing and its really shone through .
   Its a shame theres no awl and I really miss this but the sheath and carry options realy make up for that , I find the little pockest for a pen and torch extremely handy and with the quick release lanyard that can be threaded through the bottom of the sheath it make for a very versatile EDC option .

As always I'll finnish off with some random pics of the Wave in action . Sorry about the poor quality but I've changed my phone .
































Dunc

[ringzero]

Very nice review, Dunc - and the pics are just fine.

Glad you're liking the Wave, and can see where you might need the OHO blades.  But don't you also carry a Spyderco for cutting lines and such?

PS:  Very relieved to see that your Wave isn't already covered with rust, since you live so close to the sea and everyone knows about the LM rust issue.
 
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[DaveK]

Great write-up Dunc, and I'm chuffed that you're getting on well with the Wave (a tool that I've never really carried or used much tbh).

I agree with ringzero, the pics are absolutely fine!

[ecfiffer]

you know i was on the fence about edcing a wave, and now that i have one, i love it.  it is all i need and more.  i did hook up with toothrot and he made me a modded bit adapter that i use ALL THE TIME.  in time i will get the black oxide one but for know, i am very happy! glad to see you are as well!

[Dunc]

Very nice review, Dunc - and the pics are just fine.

  But don't you also carry a Spyderco for cutting lines and such?

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No I donated my Spyderco Atlantic Salt to the Lifeboat ,my payed job on the River is totally different . Its a bit confusing .

Dunc

[Dunc]

PS:  Very relieved to see that your Wave isn't already covered with rust, since you live so close to the sea and everyone knows about the LM rust issue.
 
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I'm not even going to think about going down that road .

Everyone take note ..... I was not the first one to mention the R word 


Dunc

[DaveK]

Everyone take note ..... I was not the first one to mention the R word 

Have you had any problems with rust?

[Dunc]

Everyone take note ..... I was not the first one to mention the R word 

Have you had any problems with rust?

Nope none on the Wave . A little on my Sideclip but nothing to write home about .


Dunc

[Chako]

Good read, great photos. 

[Gareth]

Nice honest review Dunc, thanks for the pleasant read.  If Leatherman ever make a left-handed Wave, I'd happily buy one.

[rp252]

Hey Dunc, I'm glad to hear your liking the wave.

I've recently gone from EDCing a Spirit to EDCing a Charge XTi.  I'm really pleased with it currently though haven't given it as thorough a workout as your Wave has got.  The one handed blades are more convenient than the Spirit's, but having to open the tool to get at the drivers is a little less convenient.  Opening the tool to get at the bottle opener after a few too many cold ones can prove problematic  

I'm loving the XTi, but I do miss my Spirit.  Both excellent MTs.

Cheers for the review mate, it was an excellent read.

[Dunc]

Hey Dunc, I'm glad to hear your liking the wave.

I've recently gone from EDCing a Spirit to EDCing a Charge XTi.  I'm really pleased with it currently though haven't given it as thorough a workout as your Wave has got.  The one handed blades are more convenient than the Spirit's.  On the other and, but having to open the tool to get at the drivers is a little less convenient.  Opening the tool to get at the bottle opener after a few too many cold ones can prove problematic  

I'm loving the XTi, but I do miss my Spirit.  Both excellent MTs.

Cheers for the review mate, it was an excellent read.

If you miss the Spirit carry both , I keep my Spirit in my bag just incase .

Dunc

[rp252]

Hey Dunc, I'm glad to hear your liking the wave.

I've recently gone from EDCing a Spirit to EDCing a Charge XTi.  I'm really pleased with it currently though haven't given it as thorough a workout as your Wave has got.  The one handed blades are more convenient than the Spirit's.  On the other and, but having to open the tool to get at the drivers is a little less convenient.  Opening the tool to get at the bottle opener after a few too many cold ones can prove problematic  

I'm loving the XTi, but I do miss my Spirit.  Both excellent MTs.

Cheers for the review mate, it was an excellent read.

If you miss the Spirit carry both , I keep my Spirit in my bag just incase .

Dunc

I would, but I left it in the UK for the duration of the time I'm in NZ   My SAK ranger has an easily accessible bottle opener for those 'double vision' moments! 

[DaveK]

Everyone take note ..... I was not the first one to mention the R word 

Have you had any problems with rust?

Nope none on the Wave . A little on my Sideclip but nothing to write home about .


Dunc

Pleased to hear that. The bead-blast finish on the Sideclip is notorious for rusting (apparently, the finish consists of minute dimples, just perfect for retaining moisture) - so much so that the later models were polished instead to help prevent it.

It's very refreshing to hear an objective opinion on brands on here btw, rather than blinkered "x brand is better than y brand". I read your reviews, whereas I'll generally skip some others.

Nice one

[Dunc]

Everyone take note ..... I was not the first one to mention the R word 

Have you had any problems with rust?

Nope none on the Wave . A little on my Sideclip but nothing to write home about .


Dunc

Pleased to hear that. The bead-blast finish on the Sideclip is notorious for rusting (apparently, the finish consists of minute dimples, just perfect for retaining moisture) - so much so that the later models were polished instead to help prevent it.

It's very refreshing to hear an objective opinion on brands on here btw, rather than blinkered "x brand is better than y brand". I read your reviews, whereas I'll generally skip some others.

Nice one

Thanks for that Dave  I always try to be honest and theres good and bad in all the brands and they should all be given a chance .

Now if I could just lay my hands on a Crunch 


dunc

[Screwtape]

Great photos

For some strange reason i how have the urge to skive off for the rest of the day and stroll along a beach 

[Dunc]

Great photos

For some strange reason i how have the urge to skive off for the rest of the day and stroll along a beach 

When I took the dog for a walk the sea was crashing away , Tide was flooding with a North Easterly . A few kids were having fun messing about in the breakers as the seas still really warm .Wouldn't fancy being out there though .


Dunc

[Benner]

Everyone take note ..... I was not the first one to mention the R word 

Have you had any problems with rust?

Nope none on the Wave . A little on my Sideclip but nothing to write home about .


Dunc

Mike would have had it covered in rust after just a day in his pocket. 

[Shane769]

Great review Dunc Very good read, and excellent pictures.

[Dunc]

Everyone take note ..... I was not the first one to mention the R word 

Have you had any problems with rust?

Nope none on the Wave . A little on my Sideclip but nothing to write home about .


Dunc

Mike would have had it covered in rust after just a day in his pocket. 

    I cannot lie . Its been out in all weathers and theres no rust . Now I don't leave it out in the rain and I do keep it clean .


Dunc

[Mr. Whippy]

Great review, Dunc.  I'm a big fan of the Wave/Charge series.  What is it about the Charge that you didn't get on with?

[Magic Bus]

Good reading there Dunc. I enjoyed it 

[LatinoHeat]

Hey Dunc, great review on a great tool.  Can I make a suggestion?  I know you are out over the water and it would really be upsetting to loose your tool overboard.  I don't know if anyone has told you, or if you already know, but there is a lanyard hoop already inside the Wave.  It is on the saw side.  If you pull the saw out, look inside where the tip of the saw was when it was closed and you'll see it.  Use the small bit driver to slide it up and there ya go.  Tie a lanyard on that bad boy and keep him safe.  Wasn't sure if you knew about this, so I figured I'd give ya a heads up.  Again, thanx for the review, and pictures, which were great.

[Benner]

Hey Dunc, great review on a great tool.  Can I make a suggestion?  I know you are out over the water and it would really be upsetting to loose your tool overboard.  I don't know if anyone has told you, or if you already know, but there is a lanyard hoop already inside the Wave.  It is on the saw side.  If you pull the saw out, look inside where the tip of the saw was when it was closed and you'll see it.  Use the small bit driver to slide it up and there ya go.  Tie a lanyard on that bad boy and keep him safe.  Wasn't sure if you knew about this, so I figured I'd give ya a heads up.  Again, thanx for the review, and pictures, which were great.

Dunc says he uses a lanyard in the first post.

[jzmtl]

Mini bit driver , My opinions on this hav'nt changed and as a person who wears glasses and owns about four pairs the mini driver doesn't fit any of the screws on them unlike the Vic one which is superb . The only use I found for it was as a mini Marlin spike to get a knot out of my daughters Necklace . Oh how Leatherman would have been on a winner if they had put an awl in there instead .

Depends on how old your wave is you probably have one of the early mini bit. The one came with my wave has very obtuse grind and doesn't fit anything, but the bit set I bought later has a sharp bit that works well with my glasses.

Put the bit on a sharpening stone and thin out the edge (I did it on mine), and it'll work well.

[nuphoria]

I love that you still have the Spirit in your bag

Lovely write up mate, glad you're enjoying it

[LatinoHeat]

Hey Dunc, great review on a great tool.  Can I make a suggestion?  I know you are out over the water and it would really be upsetting to loose your tool overboard.  I don't know if anyone has told you, or if you already know, but there is a lanyard hoop already inside the Wave.  It is on the saw side.  If you pull the saw out, look inside where the tip of the saw was when it was closed and you'll see it.  Use the small bit driver to slide it up and there ya go.  Tie a lanyard on that bad boy and keep him safe.  Wasn't sure if you knew about this, so I figured I'd give ya a heads up.  Again, thanx for the review, and pictures, which were great.

Dunc says he uses a lanyard in the first post.

Oh yeah, there it is, I just read it.  Must have read over it the first time.  Well, there ya go.

[J-sews]

Thanks for the fun review and pics Dunc. I like how your reviews are always based on real usage out in the real world.

[Anthony]

Great review

Like you I didn't like the bright yellow LM logo and writing on the sheath, so I used a wire brush and some paint thinner to get it off.  The sheath however hold the tool so damn tight I don't EDC the Wave.  Nevermind a pen/flashlight/bit kit in there also.  Right now I've got something in the sheath stretching it way out so hopefully in a day or two it will be a little looser.

[Smitty44]

Here I up and sold my Wave last year and bought a Spirit just because of you,just kidding,I have have both,and they are part of my rotation,great article and pic's.
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