Leatherman Wave II

OK, here it is, my first Big Review.

The one I've been itching to do, hell, quite possibly the whole reason I started this thing, is the Leatherman Wave II.

First though, a little history. I got my first Leatherman some years back (I forget how many). It was a SuperTool, the first generation and it was a beautiful piece of shiny steel. I got it from an epic knife shop in my home town that no longer exists called Barry's Blades and Outdoor Adventures. This place was like the gadget freak's paradise and buying that Leatherman was a serious decision. I must have spent like ten hours in that place checking out all the multi-tools. I had plenty of knives but that was my first multi-tool, so it was a BIG decision.

Anyway, I actually ended up going with a SOG multitool. BIG mistake! I had it for a few days and realised it was a lemon and asked if I could trade it for a SuperTool. Being the gentleman that he is, Barry said OK so I got the SuperTool and Barry slapped an awesome lanyard on it for me, made of lumo green and yellow paracord. I had the leather sheath and the whole ensemble rocked like a SOB. Needless to say, within a month or two my daypack got stolen out of my car and the SuperTool vanished into the mist. Now, I never lose shit, so this was a major disaster. Anyway, I got over it but for one reason or another, I didn't replace the SuperTool straight away. I think I got a Swiss Champ instead, but that's another story.

To cut what's shaping up to be a long one short, the Wave was eventually released by Leatherman and of course it turned everyone on its ear. Here was a multitool that could be opened with one hand! Hot damn. Of course, the Wave broke all records and it was a pretty damn great multitool, maybe the best ever. Naturally though, Leatherman could not sit still. They had to come out with an even better Wave. So they went ahead and produced the Wave II. I looked at it when it came out recently and it looked pretty good to me. It had the same basic set-up but these tools locked into place. Major improvement. It also had this nifty little bit kit that meant the whole set-up could be extended to increase its versatility.

Man, I was sold. I got onto Amazon and ordered the sucker, with a leather pouch that looked real fancy in the picture. The thing took forever to arrive due to the rather inept crowd I ordered it from but eventually the postman dropped off that little white slip and off I went to the PO. I was a pretty excited dude.

I've had the Wave II for a few months now and this is my take on it. Apart from the locking tools, I have to say its something of a disappointment. Why? Well, for a start, the damn thing is heavy, man. Its a real drag on the old belt. It's chunkier than the first Wave and a good bit heavier. Now don't say you should've got the Charge because that's titanium and therefore lighter. I checked that shit out, and it's only a few grams difference.

Don't ask me why it's so much heavier. If I wanted a heavy mother, I would've got the SuperTool 200 (which I think maybe I should have, but I'm not a goddamn plumber, I'm a copywriter...). Then there's the lanyard thing. The first Wave had a perfectly good lanyard ring attached to it. This one, you've got to buy the lanyard ring as an optional extra. What's up with that, Tim?
Isn't it enough we pay $75 for the doodad, now we've got to outlay another $4.99 for the lanyard and pocket clip which is pretty useless anyway. You put this chunk of steel in your pocket and your pants will be hanging around your ankles, man!

So that's a big minus. Finally, that little old bit kit I mentioned? Well, I still haven't got one. I've already got a couple of sets of minature screwdrivers so I keep asking myself, do I really want to outlay another $15 for this action and the answer keeps coming back, No, I don't! Someone's going to have to buy that thing for me as a present, cos I just don't feel like its worth the extra dough.

One more issue. I don't know what steel they've used on this thing for the blade but it's got a crapload of carbon in it. That's great for keeping it sharp, but it ain't so grand for keeping the rust from starting up at the drop of a hat. And for what is meant to be a hardworking tool as opposed to a fancy blade that you mollycoddle, that's a pretty bad choice. Next time, Tim, slap some more nickel into that mother! I don't like rust, it gives me the creeps.

I always carry a primary blade which is shaving sharp, I don't need my Leatherman to be that sharp, it just has to function as a back-up in case I left my primary blade at home. I suspect that's the case with most Leatherman users. If you carry one tool, you're fairly likely to have another on your person somewhere.

Anyhoo, that's my take on the Wave II. It ain't all bad, but its a long way from perfect. I don't know if I should have paid the extra dough for the Charge but they're essentially the same tool except the Charge has a better blade steel and its a smidgen lighter. Not sure if its worth the extra loot and there's still that lanyard ring to deal with...

On a more positive note, the new scissors kick ass, so way to go on that score.

All in all, it gets a 3/5. Sorry, Timbo, but that's the way its gotta be.

Thanks for reading.