Leatherman Wave+ Review: Four Years of EDC and Backcountry Use

I bought my Leatherman Wave+ on a Tuesday morning in January 2022, three days before a five-night solo trip into the Olympic Peninsula backcountry. The forecast called for rain every single day, which in Washington state means it did rain every single day. That trip was my real first test of the tool, and by the time I drove home with muddy boots and a full heart, I knew I would not be putting the Wave+ in a drawer. Four years later, I still have it on my hip right now.

This is not a review based on a weekend campout or a hands-on at REI. This is four years of daily carry, more than 50 backcountry trips across the Cascades, the Olympics, and the Mt. Rainier foothills, a fair amount of home repair use in between, and enough honest observation to tell you exactly what this tool does well and where it has real limits. The Leatherman Wave+ is a 18-in-1 multi-tool weighing 8.5 oz with a 2.9-inch 420HC main blade, needle-nose pliers, wire cutters, a 154CM replaceable blade, scissors, a saw, three screwdrivers, a file, and a bottle opener, among other tools. It costs more than a lot of multi-tools. I want to explain why I still think it is worth it and what to know before you buy one.

How I've Used It

My Wave+ rides in a black nylon sheath clipped to the D-ring on my pack's hip belt on trail days. Around town and at work, it lives on my belt in the same sheath. I am a finish carpenter by trade, so it sees wood shavings, adhesive residue, and paint fumes on weekdays and creek mud and pine sap on weekends. That is not a gentle environment for any tool.

On backcountry trips, the tools I actually use most are the needle-nose pliers for stove repair and guyline tensioning, the main blade for food prep and tinder processing, the scissors for first aid and cutting cordage, the flat-head screwdriver for stove jets and headlamp battery covers, and the saw for cutting small branch stakes when the ground is too rocky for tent pegs. I have also used the file to knock a burr off a camp pot handle, the bottle opener more times than I would like to admit, and the wire cutters once to clip a broken tent pole sleeve that was gouging the fly.

At home and on job sites, I use the Phillips and flat screwdrivers almost daily, the pliers for small fasteners, and the blade for scoring tape and opening packages. The fact that I reach for the Wave+ before I reach for a dedicated tool says something real about how it integrates into actual work.

Blade Quality and One-Hand Opening After Four Years

The main blade is 2.9 inches of 420HC steel. That is a mid-grade stainless alloy, not the high-end stuff you find on premium fixed blades, but it is entirely appropriate for a multi-tool because it is easy to touch up in the field with a ceramic rod or a diamond card. I sharpen mine about once every six weeks with heavy use. After four years, the blade still takes a good working edge and holds it through a day of camp cooking and light cutting tasks. It has not chipped, has not developed any play in the lock, and has not shown any surface pitting despite consistent exposure to moisture.

The one-hand opening feature is the thing that separates the Wave+ from cheaper multi-tools. Both the main blade and the serrated secondary blade open from outside the handle without having to open the pliers first. That sounds like a small thing until you are one-handed because your other hand is holding a headlamp, a wet piece of cordage, or a tarp corner at midnight in sideways rain. It matters. I have tried multi-tools without this feature and I always notice the absence.

Both blades open one-handed from outside the handle. That sounds minor until you are holding a headlamp in the dark and need to cut something right now.

Pliers, Wire Cutters, and the Tools That Get Daily Work

The needle-nose pliers are the heart of any multi-tool and the Wave+ has good ones. They are sturdy without being chunky, and the spring-loaded action means they pop open without any fiddling. After four years of heavy use, the pivot is still tight. No wobble. The wire cutters built into the pliers have replaceable blades, which matters if you use them on hard wire regularly. Mine are original and still cut cleanly through 14-gauge wire.

The scissors are a genuine strength of this tool. Most multi-tool scissors are small and weak. The Wave+ scissors are full-size relative to the tool, spring-loaded, and sharp enough to cut medical tape, thin rope, and clothing without the fabric bunching. I have used them to trim blister bandages in the field more times than I want to count. They are among the best scissors on any multi-tool I have handled, and I have handled a few.

The Saw: Genuinely Useful, Not a Gimmick

Most people overlook the saw on a multi-tool. The Wave+ saw is 2.9 inches long with aggressive teeth. It will not fell a tree, but it cuts through green wood up to about 1.5 inches in diameter with patience. I have used it to cut small stakes from alder branches, trim notches for a debris shelter frame during a skills practice in the Cascades foothills, and hack through a root that was holding a tent peg hostage in rocky ground near Rainier. Each time it did the job. The teeth are still sharp after four years. I keep the blade oiled, which helps.

What the saw is not good for: anything over about 2 inches in diameter, anything you need to cut quickly, or any extended cutting session without some serious forearm fatigue. It is a field-expedient tool. Use it as that and you will not be disappointed.

Real Wear Patterns After Four Years

Here is what actually changes with long-term use. The grip texture on the aluminum handles wears smooth in the spots where your fingers contact the tool most. By year two it was noticeably slicker, especially when wet. I now wrap a short stretch of paracord around the base of each handle, both for grip and because the paracord is useful. That is my workaround but it is a workaround. The original grip texture is not great for wet hands.

The nylon sheath that comes with the tool is adequate but not excellent. The velcro closure wore out after about 18 months of daily carry. I replaced it with a Leatherman MOLLE sheath for about $20. The clip and attachment options on the MOLLE version are far better anyway. If you buy the Wave+, budget another $20 for a better sheath.

The Lanyard ring is small and fiddly. I never used it. The bit driver attachment requires a separate Leatherman bit kit that does not come in the box, which I find slightly annoying given the price point. It is a legitimate add-on if you do a lot of screwdriver work, but it should be clearer in the marketing that the bits are separate.

Weight and Size Honest Assessment

The Wave+ weighs 8.5 oz with the sheath. That is not ultralight. If you are a gram-counter running a 15-pound base weight, you will feel this on your hip. I run a heavier pack because I build my kit around durability over weight savings, so 8.5 oz is a reasonable trade for the tool coverage I get. But I want to be clear: this is not the tool for an ultralight thru-hiker who wants every ounce accounted for. There are lighter multi-tools. They have fewer tools and less robust construction. That is the trade.

The closed length is 4 inches exactly. It fits in a jeans pocket or a hip belt pocket. I would not call it compact but I would call it manageable. Most people who carry it daily find the sheath clip is the practical carry solution rather than pocket carry.

Who This Is For

The Wave+ is a good fit if you want one tool that genuinely covers both trail use and everyday carry without feeling like a compromise in either direction. It suits backpackers who run moderate pack weights and want real tool capability, preppers building a bug-out bag where tool coverage matters more than shaving ounces, hunters and anglers who need pliers, a blade, and a saw at minimum, and tradespeople who want something on their hip during the work week that also goes on weekend trips. If that is you, I do not think you will regret this purchase after four years any more than I do.

Who Should Skip It

If your pack weight is under 20 pounds and every ounce is a decision, look at the Leatherman Skeletool at 5 oz or the Leatherman Charge+ TTi if you want similar tool coverage in a slightly lighter package with better blade steel. If you only need a knife and a screwdriver, a dedicated folder and a pocket driver are better options and cost less. If you are buying your first multi-tool and are not sure you will use all 18 tools, start with something under $50 and see which tools you actually reach for. Then come back to the Wave+ when you know what you need.