Yachting Monthly – March 2018

LEATHERMAN WAVE

CONCLUSION

This knife has four main blades:

straight, serrated, wood saw, and

metal saw with coarse and fine

files, all of which can be locked

open. The wood saw was easily

the best on test and ferociously

sharp. Both cutting blades can

be opened singlehanded.

It has good needlenose pliers,

with wire cutters and strippers

incorporated into them. There’s a

small reversible screwdriver fitting

for flat/cross head screws (other

bits are available) as well as a fine

reversible screwdriver. Care needs

to be taken folding the scissors;

they can be easily damaged.

There’s a lanyard loop, but

using it impedes the screwdriver.

http://www.leatherman.co.uk

In spite of playing with knives for

many days, the YM test team’s

fingers remain intact and any cuts

are healing nicely. All the multitools

had very sharp blades and no one

blade stood out for

sharpness during

the test period.

The only other

tool that all the

knives had was

a bottle opener;

we checked

these all

worked well.

You’ll have to

prioritise which

tools you want the

most and which you will

actually use. The Victorinox Swiss

Champ leads the way in the

features, possibly too many –

which add bulk, and while the

blades lasted well in a oilskin

pocket, the plates between them

showed signs of corrosion.

The Wichard was simple, light

and comfortable to use. The decent

lockable marlinspike, proper lanyard

and build quality of the the Currey

Lockspike Captain feel like the

knife will survive for years and be

passed from one generation to the

next makes it our Best Budget Buy.

The Gerber Crucial offers the

basic tools one needs, a fairly

reasonable set of pliers and true

singlehanded operation of the

blade, with the ability to open

and unlock with ease. All this, and

good value for money too. YM’s

Best on Test, however, goes to the

Leatherman Wave, even though it

SPECIFICATIONS

MAKE Leatherman

MODEL Wave

WEIGHT 241g

BLADE LENGTH 72mm

CLOSED LENGTH 100mm

LOCKING BLADE Yes

FEATURES 17

SINGLEHANDED USE Yes

was the most expensive on test by

some way. With the exception of the

scissors, all the tools feel solid and

work well. It is Leatherman’s most

popular knife and it’s easy to see

why; it has all the tools one actually

needs. An excellent set of pliers and

four good, lockable and easy-to-

access blades and a variety of

screwdrivers and other tools,

all ready at a moment’s notice.

GROUP TEST

An excellent range

of useful tools

£129.95

The pliers on the Leatherman

range were by far the best

on test, offering the best grip

With both straight and

serrated blades, the Wave

is designed for a life at sea

The Wave was the most

expensive but its quality and

collection of tools shone out

The Gerber Crucial has a

basic collection of useful

tools at a reasonable price

THE
BEST
ON TEST