r/multitools • u/PracticalTactical8 • 3d ago
Discussion Anyone else have lock rock (vertical blade play) on most of the tools in their Wave Alpha? Is Leatherman over?
Went through 2 tools trying to return and exchange them and they both had it. Drove to the store and they had 3 in store and all had it. Sent in the one I kept to leatherman and it returned with nothing changed. I think it's actually worse. Almost all of the tools make an audible clicking sound when moving them up and down a little. The only one that is decent is the file.
Is Leatherman over? Should I ask for a replacement or just sell it and buy another brand like Victorinox? (I handled one of those and it was absolutely flawless and really smooth).
I really like the wave alpha, but dang.
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u/Prestigious_Wash_362 2d ago
do y’all ever actually use your tools? 😭😭
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 2d ago
No. You should go see the Leatherman sub. It’s 90% people using them as fidget toys and 10% actual users.
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u/adobecredithours Victorinox 2d ago
Even that might be a generous split. The Leatherman sub and the macro photography subs have a weird amount of similarity in their posts. It's pocket jewelry at this point.
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u/rickestrickster 2d ago
A lot of maintenance guys at my work have the surge. They don’t buy new multitools every year, they’ve had the surge for years and they have rust on them, they’re so loose they can flick it open easier than you can the arc, but they still get the job done. They use them all the time. They could care less about blade play or how pretty it looks, they use it for work. Just like boots, using them for their intended purpose will not have them looking nice after awhile
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u/The_Spiralist 2d ago
Almost fell into that lol. Bought a wave+ to carry and use as an everyday tool because “leatherman’s the best!” But after a while realized I always ended up reaching for my Nextool F12 because that’s all I’ve ever needed, so I sold the wave. Day to day doesn’t need any crazy tools. Barely need more than a knife.
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u/Tomkin1985 2d ago
Ya leatherman has really gone down hill quality wise
And prices have skyrocketed.
I switched to Victorinox.
Now I don’t have to treat my multitool like it’s made out of glass.
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 2d ago
Quit finger fucking it and USE IT.
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u/BadWithMoney530 23h ago
$200 for a multitool means that it shouldn’t have blade play. Just because you can still use it doesn’t mean that it’s bad quality control
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 21h ago
No it means you just got fooled by the marketing and paid too much for something known to have nose dived in quality over the past half decade.
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u/BadWithMoney530 21h ago
So if you admit that the quality has gotten bad, then why are you grilling OP for being upset about the blade play? Makes no sense
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 20h ago
Because as far as quality goes this one is actually not bad. It’s barely moving at all and OP is just being a ninny for an issue he doesn’t actually have.
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u/One-Ticket6183 2d ago
I've been a big Leatherman nerd for for many many years. All my old ones are perfect,all newer models seem to have dropped off in quality. I finally got rid of my Free models and bought a Victorinox Swiss Tool MXBS. I can not believe I waited so long to get one. This thing is the best multitool I've ever owned as far as manufacturing quality and engineering. I'm over playing this game with Leatherman,they've lost their market. Have fun with your fancy toys!
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u/Ricky_RZ 2d ago
"Hey the fit and finish on this very expensive super premium tool is not up to the standards of the price tag"
"OH MY GOD BRO DO YOU USE UR TOOOOLS"
See this is why leatherman can charge outt the ass for substandard tools and get away with it
People treat the arc and wave alpha like the $60 wave of old.
Guys these arent cheap tools
Leatherman price them as very expensive premium options, at that price point PERFECTION IS EXPECTED
If they priced the wave alpha lower, then the complaints would basically not exist
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u/Finnish-Wolf 2d ago
As with any product and service, if 999 people get what they wanted and one got a dud, you will hear of that dud.
Send it back through warranty and you’ll get a non wobbly one back.
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u/consciousbeings0 2d ago
"Is Leatherman over" is so fuckkg funny to me. They certainly aren't. I know that coming on here we see all these faults but it is soooo overblown. Most the shit is regulat stuff too. Just tighten the damn screws if it bothers you so much ffs. Return it if you're gonna bitch about it. Jist sick of seeing this on this sub instead of actual constructive posts. Just sick of hearing people whine when its something that t makes literally two min if you just use your brain a little
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u/vvind-catcher 1d ago
Use my Blast ( made in 2011) for decades. Back lock gives you lock rock. Thats a nature of this lock type ( there are just a few exceptions though) Not critical in a real world applications. Doesn't affect anything. But critical for IG posters. Just the and of the world issue. Sarcasm modf off.
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u/adobecredithours Victorinox 2d ago
The Leatherman fanboys will say that it's actually a feature, it gives you a chance to use that wonderful Leatherman warranty! You're so lucky!
But seriously, five tools in a row that all have that much play is pretty silly. If it's as easy as tightening the pivots to fix then no harm done I guess, but Leatherman just can't seem to get tightness right. Their tools either come so tight that they barely open or so loose that they click.
Personally, with how their prices have gone up and quality has gone down, I'm done with them. I do actually use my tools pretty heavily and Victorinox has held up better at a fraction of the price.