Pros: Blade Material, Finish, Handle Material, Included Tools, Locking, Materials
Cons: Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard
Great Quality but some Leathermans are getting Overpriced
The Leatherman Wave Alpha is tied for my favorite Leatherman along with the ARC. Of all the multi-tools Leatherman offers these are the only two that offer all of the tools I want/need in a multi-tool. Knife, Saw, Awl, Flathead, Philips, Scissors. The Wave Alpha meets these tool needs and the contoured G10 Handles make it feel good in the hands as well. Additionally I like how they upgraded to an integrated lanyard loop instead of the worrisome clip-on one. This is because my preferred carry method is to attach a hook shaped key dangler (Key Smart XL Key Dangler) to the lanyard loop and hook it to my beltloop and let the tool hang inside my pocket. This reduces the bulk footprint of a belt pouch while also minimizing the perceived weight of just clipping it to your pocket or even just tossing it inside your pocket. Despite all of the things the Wave Alpha does right, there are two major things it does wrong. Price and Accessories. At $200 it is a bit overpriced for what you get, or rather, what you don't get. There is no belt clip included, nor is there even a nylon belt pouch which is practically standard across all other models. If they're not going to include those extras they should have bumped it down to at least $180, maybe lower. But if they insist on the $200 price point, a belt pouch and extra bits should be standard. Overall even though I still like it from a tool standpoint, the price does not match the quantity/quality of the product. If you can afford to spend a bit more you might as well just upgrade to the ARC which comes with a belt pouch, extra bits, and operates on the FREE system of easy to open pliers. If you want a tool on a budget and think you can do without the scissors, then the Rebar or Supertool 300 are a much better bang for your buck as they offer all the tools I mentioned sans scissors.
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