Leatherman Wave Plus 18-in-1 Multitool: What It’s Good For and Who Should Buy It
The Leatherman Wave Plus is a full-size multitool built around spring-loaded pliers, replaceable wire cutters, and 18 total tools packed into a 4-inch closed frame. It’s been Leatherman’s flagship for over two decades, and the “Plus” version added electrical crimpers and a second, sharper blade over the original Wave. I’ve carried one on my belt through fifteen years of guiding, and if you need a single tool that handles fence repair, tent pole splints, and stripped wire in the same afternoon, this is the one to buy.
What You’re Actually Getting
Closed, the Wave Plus weighs 8.5 oz and measures 4 inches. Open the pliers and it stretches to 6.4 inches, long enough to get real leverage on a stuck bolt or a bent tent stake. The frame runs 420HC stainless on the working tools and 154CM on both knife blades, a real upgrade over cheaper multitools that cut corners on blade steel.
Here’s the full tool lineup:
- Spring-loaded needlenose pliers
- Spring-loaded regular pliers
- Replaceable wire cutters
- Replaceable hard-wire cutters
- 420HC straight knife blade
- 420HC serrated knife blade
- Premium wood/metal file
- Wood/metal saw
- Spring-loaded scissors
- Ruler (in and cm)
- Can opener
- Bottle opener
- Wire stripper
- Electrical crimper
- Medium screwdriver
- Small screwdriver
- Phillips screwdriver
- Diamond-coated file
Leatherman backs the Wave Plus with a 25-year limited warranty. That matters more than it sounds. Multitools take abuse most knives never see: dropped in mud, used to pry, exposed to salt air. A company willing to stand behind that for a quarter century tells you something about build confidence.
The Tools That Actually Matter
The pliers are the reason to buy this over a pocket knife with a few gadgets bolted on. Spring-loaded, needlenose, and rated for real work. Leatherman’s published specs put the Wave Plus pliers well above what you get on compact multitools like the Skeletool. On fence work, boat rigging, or vehicle repair in the field, that plier strength is the whole value proposition.
The replaceable wire cutters are the second big differentiator. On cheaper multitools, dull cutters mean a dead tool. On the Wave Plus, you unscrew two tiny bolts and drop in a fresh cutter insert. Leatherman sells replacement packs separately, and that serviceability is a big reason this tool has stayed relevant since the late ’90s.
The 154CM blade steel on both edges is a real step up from the 420HC on Leatherman’s budget lines. It holds an edge longer and resists corrosion better, which matters if this thing lives on your belt through humid summers or coastal trips. I’ve run mine through three seasons of salt air on the Maine coast without a spot of rust.
Who This Multitool Is Built For
This tool makes sense for people doing actual field repair, not people who want a cool gadget on their belt. Overlanders, hunters, ranch hands, and backcountry guides are the target user, and it shows in the tool selection. No glass breaker, no seatbelt cutter, no tactical branding. It’s a mechanic’s toolkit shrunk to pocket size.
If you fix your own truck, splice your own trailer wiring, or spend weekends maintaining a cabin, this earns its spot in a glove box or pack. The scissors are sharp and spring-loaded, genuinely useful for cutting cordage or first-aid tape. That alone separates it from cheaper tools that treat scissors as an afterthought.
Backpackers who want one tool for camp repair and cooking tasks — can opener, bottle opener, file for burrs on a trekking pole — get real mileage here too. Pair it with a good sheath and it rides comfortably on a hip belt or pack strap.
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Who Should Skip It
If you’re counting grams as an ultralight backpacker, 8.5 oz is heavy for a multitool. The Leatherman Skeletool CX weighs half that and covers 80 percent of casual use cases — knife, pliers, a few drivers — for people who don’t need the full toolkit.
If your use case is mostly EDC around town, opening packages, occasional screw tightening, the Wave Plus is overkill. A slim Victorinox Classic SD or a compact keychain multitool lives in a pocket more comfortably and gets pulled out more often. That matters more than raw capability if you’re not doing field repair.
Check local law before you clip this to a belt if you carry in states or workplaces with strict knife-length restrictions. The blades are legal in most places, but a few municipalities have specific rules on locking blades over a certain length, and the Wave Plus straight blade runs close to 3 inches.
Realistic Expectations
This isn’t a precision knife. The blade grind won’t compete with a dedicated fixed-blade for fine woodworking or food prep. The saw handles small branches and tent stakes, nothing larger than wrist-thick wood. The file works but it’s slow on anything beyond light metal burrs.
The pliers take two hands to deploy. Flick the tool open, then swing the handles closed to lock the jaws. That’s slower than a one-hand-opening knife, but it’s the tradeoff for real plier strength instead of a token gripping tool.
In my experience, two things hold up better than expected: the pliers under real mechanical load, and the scissors staying sharp longer than you’d guess from a multitool attachment. New units run stiff before they break in. That’s normal for a tool built this tight.
Leatherman sells a nylon sheath separately, and it’s worth the add-on if you carry this daily. The stock sheath keeps the tool accessible without digging through a pack, and it protects the exposed blade edge from dulling against gear.
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The Verdict
The Leatherman Wave Plus earns its reputation as the standard full-size multitool for people who actually fix things in the field. The pliers and replaceable wire cutters do the heavy lifting, the 154CM blades hold an edge, and the 25-year warranty backs a tool built to take real abuse.
Skip it if you’re chasing
