Last week I wrote about how Leatherman’s bestselling Wave Plus multi-tool is on sale for $99.95, from $119.95.
What I had not realized at the time was that the all-black Wave+ multi-tool is also on sale for the same price.
The Wave+ has 18 tools and functions. The pliers, wire cutting blades (which are removable and replaceable if you damage them), knife blades, scissors, and bit holder are quite handy in my opinion.
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I’ve used multi-tool pliers on-the-go before, scissors, knife blades, screwdrivers of all kinds of sizes, bit holders, wood-cutting saws, and the bottle opener. I even used the can opener once or twice.
You might not use everything here, but I’d argue that the Wave+ has a good balance of EDC necessities – for those that choose to keep a multi-tool close by all or part of the time – and extras that are handy on occasion.
$100 is a lot of money for a multi-tool. I think that the Wave+ is a great second multi-tool, for users who learned their preferences with something less expensive.
I know that aesthetics can play a part here as well. So if you are only on the fence about the Wave+ because of the silver color scheme, maybe the all-black version, with black oxide-finished stainless steel, is more your style.
The sheath is a little different – the black version comes with a Molle-compatible sheath.
The regular plain stainless steel version is also still on sale at Amazon and Leatherman.
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Bill
I was considering the black oxide finish on the Wave+ for my 11 year old grandson, but decided to go with the SS finish after reading a few reviews. The most common complaint of the black finish is the stiffness it imparts to all of the joints, which may make it too difficult at his age.
Chris I
I’d bet my life that an 11yo that has a need or purpose for a legit multi-tool in thee family life other than their smartphone is *at least* 2x as strong as this 38yo typing this comment.
JoeM
I have the Surge in Black Oxide. You can “Tune” the tightness of the hinges with a Security Torx bit on both sides of the joint. They make it very friendly to self-tightening and maintenance. So, if you’re concerned about how strong the joints are for that Extremely lucky Grandchild of yours, grab a Security Torx key, and loosen it with the tiniest bit of pressure, until the tools slide easily enough for the child… Child may be wrong here… Loved One more likely. Once they have entered your heart enough to get this effort going, they are no longer mere “Children” they are definitely Loved Ones.
I believe it’s a TS8 or TS9 size you need. At least, that’s the size on my Wave SS. Pretty sure the Black Oxide version takes the same size. Just don’t need to measure it in how many turns to loosen it. More like tiny amounts of pressure. Just apply pressure in the correct direction, and it’ll loosen enough before you can perceive anything move, beyond the bit/key/driver itself. Yes, you will need the same one for both sides. TS bits are relatively inexpensive anyways, so a couple TS Key kits of the same type would solve this for you.
Bill
Well Chris, I don’t know if he could take you in an arm wrestling match, but I have exposed him to my shop and tools since he was a toddler. So yes, he knows which end of a screwdriver to use and can use a knife and other tools without hurting himself, usually. He also loves our great outdoors adventures of camping and hiking, and only complains when it’s time to go home.
Now let me tell you about his younger brother…………………. 🙂
JoeM
Okay, I’ve been wondering if I should go to replace my SS version of the Wave, and now you say the Black Oxide Wave+ is on sale? That sounds like an omen to tell me I should prioritize the upgrade when I can. Nothing wrong with my Wave (at all) but it’s shiny. I want to cut down on the shiny tools as much as possible.
Thank you for the head’s up, Stuart! I appreciate the work you do here!
Stuart
If nothing is wrong with your Wave, look at something different, like the Free series.
JoeM
*Shudder* Not that series… I already have the Crunch, Signal, Skeletool, Skeletool KB, and yes, the upgrade from Wave to Wave+ Black Oxide in my sights.
I despise the naming of that “Free” Series. It should be Gauss or Flux due to the Magnetic Locking system, and the Black Oxide versions should go by Stealth. That would make sense considering the novel use of Magnets for the locking blades and tools, but Leatherman decided to muddle the language to something totally unrelated to the actual design. Flux and Gauss are the measurements used to describe Magnets, and RADAR uses a frequency of Radio Waves to detect things. When something can bounce, or redirect, these RADAR sweeps, it is called Stealth Technology. So, again, Reference to the Electromagnetic Spectrum, since Radio Waves fall on that spectrum, as does visual colour in our eyes. Blacking something out is an absence of Colour, therefore, to our Optics, a Black Oxide version of the series is evading the RADAR in the visual spectrum. Perfect EM reason for calling it Stealth.
There are plenty of great Leatherman tools they’ve made over the years. In the past little while? I have definitely parted ways with their Marketing department… Not an ounce of common sense left in Marketing these days. I have no hesitation about the quality, whatsoever, but I won’t support that abominable line name. *Shudder* Sorry. That line gets under my skin. And I am genuinely trying to get away from shiny tools. My photosensitivity has become worse over time, so… shiny=Bad.