Gerber Suspension Compared to Leatherman Wave (pic heavy)

Cutlerynovice1 · **on:** October 19, 2011, 07:08:35 PM

I purchased the Suspension mainly for it's pliers,I think I paid $27.00 at Wal-Mart for it and I have some mixed feelings about it,the quality isn't as high as my other Gerber tools to include the 600,however it isn't a cheap Chinese POS either,here's my take on it (forgive the poor quality pics I had to use my Kodak ZI8 which is a decent camcorder but not a great camera)

Sheaths: The Suspension sheath isn't terrible but I have some issues with it,first off the 1"/.5" velcro patch doesn't retain very well,second is the stitching is coming apart on mine (not show in pics) however it is light weight and offers vertical and horizontal carry,compared to the Leatherman Wave there is no comparison the Leatherman wins hands down

Compactness: The Suspension in the closed configuration is actually quite bulky and much wider than the Leatherman Wave,again the Leatherman wins

Pliers: One major plus to the Suspension is the plier head,it's spring loading using an internal spring system as opposed to the coil spring seen on cheaper tools like the Winchester Winframe,the disadvantage to the pliers is they don't open very wide,the pliers between the Wave and Suspension are a tie

Plain Edge Blade: The PE blade on the Suspension is a disappointment to be honest,it's made of Gerber's "mystery" 425M stainless steel and is very short (2 inches) , additionally the shape of the blade isn't preferred by me for EDC use,the Leatherman Wave wins again

Serrated Edge Blade: The SE blade on the Suspension is also a disappointment,while the shape on this blade is fine the steel is still quite soft and the 2 inch length adds some major restrictions,the Wave wins again

Wood Saw: The saw on the Suspension blows,it's far to short,thick and dull to be very useful and it doesn't cut very well at all compared to the Leatherman Wave,again the Wave wins

Scissors: The scissors on the Suspension are superior to the ones on the Wave,the spring is much stronger the blades cut much better then the ones on the Leatherman Wave,the Gerber Suspension wins in terms of scissors

Phillips Driver: The phillips driver on the Suspension offers better reach than the on on the Wave but the Wave has the advantage of removable/replaceable bits,the winner of this category is the Wave for versatility

Large Flat Driver: The large flathead driver on the Suspension and the Wave are virtually identical,this results in a tie

Medium Flat Driver: The Gerber Suspension does not come with a medium sized flat driver so in order to get this capability I had to order a separate bit set,the Wave wins in the department due to it being better equipped

Small Flat Driver: The Gerber Suspensions driver has more reach but it also wider,the Waves is much smaller making it better for eyeglasses and is reversible to a small phillips driver,the department is up to you to decide

Can Opener/Cap Lifter: The Suspension has a 2 in on tool where as the Leatherman Wave has a one piece multi-function tool,the can opening abilities on the Wave re better but the cap lifter works better on the Gerber,this results in a tie

Overall the Wave is a better tool but is also twice the price of the Suspension,as an EDC tool the Suspension will function but is overall inferior than the Wave,for $25.00 - $30.00 it isn't horrible but the Leatherman Wingman/Sidekick might be better options.

Gareth · **Reply #1 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:46:00 PM

welcome to the forum.

I don't think you'll find anyone here disagree with the Suspension being an inferior tool compared to the Wave, but fortunately Gerber do some other far better tools than the Suspension.

Cutlerynovice1 · **Reply #2 on:** October 20, 2011, 01:52:56 AM

Thanks for the welcome,for $25.00 it's a decent user maybe something to put in a tackle box ,I do have a 600,Flik and BG Compact and I like them all pretty well

Crouton · **Reply #3 on:** October 20, 2011, 03:17:39 AM

Nice comparison. You may also find my review of the Gerber Ripstop interesting. It's basically the same tool, just cosmetically different.

Check it out here http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,16426.msg311464.html#msg311464
I found the can opener on the Gerber inferior to the wave when I tested them.

Cutlerynovice1 · **Reply #4 on:** October 20, 2011, 04:08:00 AM

Gerber seems to do that alot,the Evo,Tread,Ultimate Tool and Method appear to be the same also,my biggest issue with the Wave as a cap lifter is it's more difficult to place on the lip of the cap,great review,have you tried the Flik?