Leatherman  Wave Alpha Multi-Tool

The Leatherman Wave Alpha is an impressive update of a legendary multitool. The G10 handles are outstanding, and the redesigned main blade, reminiscent of the Benchmade Osborne, is a great addition. The tool's overall width has been reduced. The pocket clip and sheath should have been included, and there is no good reason for Leatherman to omit the ruler built into the handle of the regular Wave.

It’s a slick little tool. Did a lot of research before buying it. I would have gone with the ARC, but the full sized scissors an g10 were factors. The scales make it feel really good in hand. The reason it’s not 5 stars? No clip or sheath. Really dumb miss IMO. But I guess for another $50 you can get it with the ARC(or buy one online for $15).

Another great Leatherman product!! The customer service at the REI in Jackson Wyoming is horrible. I will be avoiding this store altogether. There are plenty of locally owned store to shop at in Jackson WYoming.

I bought this multitool as it was a return. I went to REI to purchase the ARC, but saw the ALPHA in a return section for $60 less than a new one that doesn’t come with a clip, case or tools. Nothing was wrong with it. Not a scratch. This added to my collection as 13 multitools. This ALPHA is a great little tool to have as an EDC or tool for a hike. I wanted the newest blade this tool had to try it out. I found it to be nicer then some of the other blade materials use in other multitools. I would have preferred it to be a little thicker. All the tools on it are all great quality. The feel in my hand is really comfortable when really torturing down with the pliers. All an all the ALPHA is a great tool. Leatherman messed up not adding at least a case for the over price they ask. This ALPHA multitool is a great addition for anyone's needs. REI makes it a great place to purchase it with their return policy and rebate. Would recommend you buy the multitool to meet your user needs. REI has them all on display so we can get a feel for them. My favorite is the CHARGE for EDC. The SURGE for outdoor camping and the MUT for other outdoor adventures. I was lucky to get the ALPHA at such a great price at REI and whether full price or not, this is a great tool to have for just about anyones needs.

I needed a multi tool I could depend on that had lots of features. Found it, even with comfortable G10 grips and an easy to find quick deployable knife.

TERRIBLE SERVICE! I NEVER RECEIVED THIS ITEM THAT I ORDERED WEEKS AGO

TL;DR Either I got a lemon or the new $200 tool is just...not as good as the old $120 tool. Wanted an upgrade to the Wave+ with a non-recurved blade and bigger scissors (I am literally the target market for this tool apparently), opening the box was underwhelming, you can tell they just repurposed the box that was supposed to come with the clip and the sheath but put a poorly fitting recyclable tray in it. The external scissors? Out of the box they have play in the pivot so instead of cutting close to the pivot they do that thing cheap scissors do where they can fold past each other/deflect if what they are cutting is flexible. Better than my Wave+ scissors, but not as good as my victorinox scissors (OR my wingman scissors.) The Ergonomics? With no more cutout say goodbye to opening the knife with your left hand (thumb stud not leftie compatible, can't pop the tool open with middle finger and then grab other side with thumb like on Wave+), not a big deal but this is definitely not a leftie friendly tool. Other than that, it is both a little longer and a little thicker than the Wave+, so if you have small hands it will be a more awkward fit and it will not fit in the Medium cases if you are upgrading from an older tool that fit in Medium cases. Magnacut blade? The profile of the blade is nice, except the thumb stud is way too far forward to the point where it impedes with using the full length of the blade, it's much farther forward relative to the pivot than any of the benchmade knives, as a reviewer noted they could have put it back where the alpha logo is and been fine. The argument could be made that would have interfered with the plier safety detent on the back but if you measure it, it could have been put equidistant behind that detent and been fine. The biggest issue with the knife, and the thing that has me thinking about returning it, is the knife and the file both rub on the G10 liners when closing/closed. Tried adjusting the pivot like you do on benchmades or CRKTs but for some reason it's just an interference fit on both sides. Again, not an issue on my Wave+ or my Wingman, but here, the finish is already worn off on the knife and the scales have black transfer on them, also it means the knife doesn't click into the closed detent so much as it kindof stops partway closed when it hits the outside scales and then you get this gritty/mushy push until it's fully seated. Worried about what this means for the longevity of the tool. I have no opinion on reverse tanto vs drop point but removing the recurve is nice from a home sharpening perspective, also gives a longer/more consistent feeling slicing edge. Other than this, I don't know why they changed the lanyard loop, it was neat and out of the way on the Wave+, it also didn't/couldn't rotate when you tried to open internal tools, and ran no risk of becoming locked/unlocked when using internal tools. It is a significantly larger loop so user can fit larger diameter of cord more easily I guess. Best guess for why it moved was because of the liner and blade alignment issue as the saw/scissors side of the tool still seems to have clearance for both tools to open and close smoothly and click into the detents. Ruler is gone, do I use the ruler on my Wave+? Not really, but it does make the tool look/feel cheaper, gives the same vibes as not including a case or pocket clip (or bits) on a $200 tool. File: They stopped the file noticeably higher on the blade, probably 10-15% less usable length on the file. Also, you can tell the file and saw are just modified Wave+ tools because they still have the old opening cutouts even though you can't use them anymore, except the file on the Alpha is clearly less sharp out of the box, I would assume it would be the same sharpness as a current production Wave+ though, which is a bummer, because my old Wave+ definitely cuts faster with the file than the brand new Alpha. People complain about the OEM pocket clip ($15 extra) being very loose and wobbly. I always used the case since I use the tool for work and hiking almost exclusively where it's either on my belt or floating around in the brain of a pack. The awl is nice, I like the awl on my Victorinox, and if I have scissors and a more durable knife blade I don't need a serrated blade, so this is overall a good swap for me, but if you like having a cheap serrated blade to hack at things with while preserving your knife blade for super sharp knife only tasks and don't want to sharpen it as often then this may not be an upgrade for you. And now I have an awl to poke holes in things with, which mean the knife no longer has to do that job either. If you have big hands, the pliers pinch is supposedly mitigated, I never held the pliers that way because I have more dexterity than a gorilla so kindof a non-issue for me. G10 scales/grips: I don't mind them in theory, the pattern is fine, G10 is less slippery than steel, I have small hands so the cutouts are "fine" compared to the larger cutouts on the Wave+, but the additional thickness makes the tool overall harder to use. The color is great. 10/10 favorite color for something I could potentially drop on the ground at a job site or set down on concrete and walk away. All the other tools are exactly the same. For better or worse. Mine did not have any excess lateral play in the pliers pivot which was is nice. Still trying to decide whether I am keeping it or returning it. Ideally I'd like to compare it to another one in hand and see if the blade has an interference fit with the scales on all of them or just the one I got, because if I could have the exact same tool but the blade and file closed smoothly I'd probably keep it and just drill/tap a new hole for the thumb stud and put some tape on the back side of the blade.