Leatherman New Wave Multi-Tool: Gear & Hardware Review

“Every engineer ought to own a multi-tool pliers.” This belief has guided me ever since I first entered the realm of engineering and technology. In fact, I instituted a dedicated house rule for the Mountos Lab: anyone who wishes to enter the workshop to use testing equipment or build hardware prototypes must present their favorite multi-tool pliers and a quality pen as an admission credential.

Of course, behind all that grandiose talk lies a simpler truth: I succumbed to gear shopping again (gazes into distance)!

When you break it down, the Leatherman New Wave is simply a consolidation of various miniature hand tools into one folding chassis. While I may be short on cash and a wife, the laboratory storeroom certainly lacks no tools. Yet some temptations cannot be resisted: devoid of destructive vices in daily life, beyond buying fresh cooking ingredients and specialized workshop gear, I simply cannot resist acquiring these mechanical playthings made for craftsmen.

Do you wonder if I regret buying such an expensive multi-tool? Absolutely not! The price tag may not be gentle on the wallet, and its substantial heft prevents it from slipping effortlessly into a trouser pocket like a Swiss Army knife. Yet that substantial weight imparts a reassuring solidity—one that suits a rustic woodsman like me all the better.

All told, the Leatherman New Wave handles exceptionally well in the hand. Although it lacks a spring-assisted pliers mechanism—requiring a touch of deliberate finesse to manipulate fluidly—trading away spring assist preserves the New Wave’s transformer-like modular versatility, balance, and mechanical resilience.

Truth be told, I know the opportunities to deploy this Leatherman New Wave in anger will be relatively scarce. In the workshop, if a task calls for pliers, I would rather reach for standard heavy-duty shop pliers than scuff up such a finely crafted instrument!

Perhaps its true brilliance will only shine when I take off on an overseas backpacking expedition again—and likely only in a somewhat unpredictable country.

During a solo backpacking trip through New Zealand, I carried a 14-function Swiss Army knife. Opportunities to actually deploy it were few and far between—though helping an attractive British traveler extract a stubborn wooden splinter from her middle finger made for quite a pleasant memory (blushes).

My idealized philosophy of travel remains traveling unencumbered: stepping out with only a passport, a wallet, and a handful of essential EDC items like this tool, roaming freely across the globe (though in mainland China, it would likely be promptly confiscated by public security officers at transit checkpoints).

The Leatherman New Wave has been on the market for a long time, and at times it feels a bit bulky. Recently, I’ve been eyeing a compact pocket multi-tool for everyday carry; Swiss+Tech’s designs look sleek and modern, so my next acquisition will likely come from them.

Personally, I would love to see cutlery and tool makers release a truly modular multi-tool platform, allowing users to customize attachments on demand (such as swapping in a ferrocerium firestarter rod specifically for wilderness camping).

On a minor concluding note: one tiny pivot screw on my Leatherman New Wave slipped out and was lost. I emailed the brand’s distributor in Taiwan Province, Police, inquiring whether a replacement screw could be purchased separately, but received absolute radio silence—a rather disappointing after-sales experience.