Leatherman Wave+ Review: Honest Carry Notes (May 2026)
Multitool Review · May 2026
Leatherman Wave+ Review: Honest Carry Notes After a Month
The Leatherman Wave+ is the refreshed 2018 version of Leatherman’s flagship multitool, made in Portland, Oregon. It packs 18 tools — needle-nose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, hard-wire cutters, two knife blades, saw, scissors, ruler, can/bottle openers, file, large/small flathead, Phillips, and bit driver — into a 4-inch closed package.
This is the multitool for someone who actually uses one. If you’re the person friends call when their car door panel is rattling, or you find yourself opening packages, stripping wire, and tightening screws on a typical Saturday, the Wave+ is the answer. It is not a keychain tool — it lives on a belt sheath or in a daypack, and it is heavier than you remember every time you pick it up.
Specs
What we liked
- The outside-accessible blades and saw open without unfolding the pliers — a small thing that turns out to matter every single day.
- The replaceable wire cutters are a brilliant touch. Five years in, you swap them, and the tool is new again.
- The 25-year warranty is as good as it sounds. We’ve sent two in for repair over the years and gotten replacements both times.
What we didn’t
- 8.5 oz on the belt is real weight. By the end of a long workday you feel it. The smaller Skeletool is half the weight if you don’t need the full kit.
- The pliers grip is where you get the hot-spot if you’re working hard for more than ten minutes. Wear gloves.
- The included nylon sheath is fine but not great. The leather one Leatherman sells separately is worth the upgrade.
Verdict
Six years after the + revision, the Wave+ is still the multitool we hand to friends asking for one recommendation. It is heavier than you’d like and the sheath is cheap, but the tools you use most are exactly where they should be, and Leatherman’s warranty means you’re buying it once. Best value in the multitool category, May 2026.
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