Multi-tool scissors have a well-earned bad reputation. They are typically small, thin, and have a hard time reliably cutting through a Slim Jim, let alone a heavy-duty tarp or zip tie. However, for the Wave Alpha multi-tool, Leatherman has taken scissors much more seriously. The company says these scissors have the longest cutting surface of any tool in their pliers line, and after using the Wave Alpha as my daily tool, I believe it.

They are not the only update either. The Wave Alpha is Leatherman’s attempt to take its most popular multi-tool and rebuild it with better materials and a higher-end experience overall. Those upgrades come with a hefty price tag, but the 25-year warranty and lifetime knife sharpening soften the blow. If you don’t mind the investment, this is one of the best multitools you can keep in your pocket.

Technical specifications

The verdict: Buy it if you carry a multitool daily and can stomach the price, because the comfort, scissors, and MagnaCut blade give it an upgrade over a cheaper Wave. The Wave Alpha is the nicest full-size Leatherman I’ve ever carried, and the fact that I enjoy taking it out of my pocket is nothing for a tool I use every day. Just remember to add a clip to your order.

What you are really buying

The Wave Alpha is a full-size, pliers-based multi-tool with 16 tools and sits at the top of Leatherman’s Wave family at $199.95. That’s $80 more than the Wave+, which covers much of the same ground for $120. The money goes to two places: a knife blade made of CPM MagnaCut steel and those oversized scissors. Everything else is a refinement of the Wave formula that’s been around for almost 30 years, so if you’re already familiar with the line, it’s not a big change.

Only the main knife blade is MagnaCut. If you’re not a knife steel expert, MagnaCut is a powder-coated stainless steel that metallurgist Larrin Thomas introduced in 2021 to overcome a long-standing compromise: Most steels that have a sharp edge and resist rust tend to become brittle. MagnaCut solves this problem by building hard, wear-resistant particles with vanadium and niobium instead of chromium, leaving the chromium free to fight corrosion throughout the blade. In practice, you get a blade that maintains its edge, does not rust and does not chip easily. The pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, saw and the rest of the Wave Alpha are still regular 420HC stainless steel with protective coatings. That’s not a knock; It’s just worth knowing that you’re paying premium steel money for a premium steel blade, not for a tool machined entirely from good material.

in hand

I’ve scraped enough knuckles to know that ergonomics are important when it comes to tools. The G10 handle scales are shaped, not flat. They swell in the palm and dip into a valley right where the thumb lands to open the outer tools. The texture has enough bite that the tool won’t slip when your hands are dirty or wet, and it all fits into a grip in a way the old stamped steel Wave never did. When I was turning a stubborn screw, the handle distributed the load over my palm instead of digging a line into it.

While colors may not be important to more pragmatic users, I appreciate a tool that looks good. After all, I have to see him every day. The bright orange color makes it easy to see in most circumstances, even when I dropped it on taller grass during testing. A knife isn’t very useful if you lose it.

The G10 adds a bit of width and weight. The Wave Alpha weighs about 8.3 ounces, a bit heavier and wider than the previous Wave, although it never felt like a brick in my pocket. It also feels sturdy to the point of being rigid. It will loosen over time, as it does with everyone.

Putting it to work

The most important thing is that the scissors cut like real scissors. He handled cardboard, packaging and a loose thread on a jacket, the everyday cut where the old Wave’s tiny internal scissors always seemed like a compromise. In Wave Alpha they are a main feature, not a box to tick. I spend several hours a week at a clothing donation center and used the scissors for everything from breaking down boxes and cutting twine to cutting a nail I broke on a pair of jeans. They performed well in all areas.

The knife is the other star. The MagnaCut blade is a bit of a reverse that came super sharp and has stayed that way, and the true advantages of MagnaCut are edge retention and corrosion resistance rather than raw hardness. The standard caution of the knife community is that they can trade a little hardness for that edge, so I applied a bit of baton to start a fire and kept an eye out for problems. It held up well. I wouldn’t split seasoned logs with a folding multi-tool blade, but for camping tasks it worked and came out intact.

The blade also now has a proper thumb stud, and is a real improvement over the previous notch. The notch always asked you to stick a fingernail into a slot. The bolt allows me to open the blade with my thumb in one motion, which is how a knife I pick up a dozen times a day should work.

Access to tools is good, not great. The exterior tools open with one hand, but accessing everything requires two hands, and along with that immediate rigidity, deployment isn’t as quick as other Leathermans I’ve used. The rest of the kit does what you’d expect: The pliers are solid, the saw is thinner than previous versions and cuts with a little less effort, and Leatherman swapped out the old tool’s inner scissors for a beefier punch. If you’ve ever tried to create a pocket tool set that you actually use, this is a solid core.

I really like the bit driver with replaceable bit. A multi-tool seems incomplete without one right now, and I’m glad it made it here.

Missing?

For $200, the Wave Alpha ships with the tool and a quick reference card, and that’s the complete box. There is no holster or pocket clip, which is a real mistake. You’re handing over $200 and then they ask you to buy a $15 clip to carry it like most people want. Sure, you can choose the specific clip or holster you want, but it would be nice if it was ready to go right out of the box.

The other silent subtraction are the rulers. The old Wave had imperial and metric scales machined into the inside spine, and the Wave Alpha eliminates these. I didn’t miss them often, but I noticed when I picked one up and it was gone, and enough owners have pointed this out that it’s worth knowing before buying.

However, the advantages of proprietary mathematics are real. Leatherman backs the tool with a 25-year limited warranty, and since this blade is MagnaCut, it qualifies for the company’s free sharpening service. Read the fine print on this: sharpening covers the non-serrated MagnaCut edge and does not cover a chipped or broken blade. Still, it’s nice to have free professional sharpening on the table for the life of a knife you carry every day.

So who should wear the Leatherman Wave Alpha?

Buy the Wave Alpha if you carry a multitool every day and value how it feels in your hand and how well the knife and scissors cut. This is a convenient, one-size-fits-all tool, and the two upgrades you’re paying for are the two tools that most people actually use.

Skip it if you only need pliers and a screwdriver and balk at the price. Wave+ gives you the same basic tool set and warranty for $120, and you won’t miss out on MagnaCut if you’re cutting boxes and tightening cabinet hinges. If one-handed speed is your priority, Leatherman’s Free deck opens faster than the Wave Alpha.

This ends up being a good choice for anyone who wants versatility and durability without a very specific need.

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