Leatherman supertool !! (Leatherman Wave)

Member Name: mister_t_2

Product:	Leatherman Wave
Date:	05/02/01 (968 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: many blades

Disadvantages: stiff and hard to use

First off, let me say that there is no question that this tool is a thousand times better than the piece-of-junk "supertool" I had before (which I bought for ten quid at the hardware store.) The Supertool is solidly constructed, and the blades are good quality. Many useful gadgets are included, and it even has a groovy leather case.

But I am starting to become convinced that I am going to lop off a finger with this thing. The tool is designed so that you have to "unlock" one blade at a time. Usually you can't get directly at the one you want (it's in the middle or is small and hard to grasp) so you have to unlock some other blade first. I find the process of fishing one blade halfway out to get at another one to be cumbersome, awkward, and a bit scary. The blades do not operate predictably--sometimes you have to pry at them, other times they snap out fast. Not only that, you then have to repeat this process to put the blade back in. Annoying, and possibly dangerous as well--the possibility of your hand slipping onto a blade while you're fiddling is very real.

The other issue I have with the design is that the pliers are really not very comfortable to hold--you have to grasp the inner edges of the tool's handles, which are not kind to the hand. Ouch!

One more thing: lord, this tool is heavy! Take a word of advice from me and don't get more Leatherman than you need.If it's too heavy to carry with you, then all those handy features are certainly going to go to waste. Consider one of the more spartan models instead.

Summary: