Harbor Freight Gordon 20-in-1 Multi-Tool vs Leatherman Wave: Is the Budget Challenger Worth It?

Introduction

The Harbor Freight Gordon 20-in-1 Multi-Tool has been getting a lot of attention, with many people online asking whether it can rival the Leatherman Wave. It is part of Harbor Freight’s Gordon brand line, which the company has previously used for knives and other gear, and it arrives at a price far below the Leatherman competition. This first-look comparison covers build quality, the tool selection, and how it stacks up against the Leatherman Super Tool 300 and the Wave.

Build Quality: Surprisingly Solid

Expectations for Harbor Freight gear can skew low, and this tool genuinely defies them. The belt clip is a sturdy, well-made piece of metal, and even the bolts on the hinges feel properly finished. The frame uses what Harbor Freight describes as a rugged seamless steel construction, and the overall feel sits comfortably alongside the Leatherman Super Tool 300 rather than feeling like a budget imitator. It does not have the cheap feel of generic multi-tools picked up at discount auto parts stores.

One of the best modern conveniences is here too: like current Leatherman designs, the blades can be accessed with one hand without opening the whole tool, a thumb groove is all it takes. The blades lock in place with a liner-lock style release, and the lock release is even engraved with a small indicator showing where to press.

What You Get in the Toolset

The pliers are the heart of any tool like this, and the Gordon delivers a usable portable plier set. The wire cutters are not replaceable, which places it closer to the standard Leatherman Wave than the Wave Plus, which added replaceable cutters. The cutters are perfectly serviceable for light duty use around a desk or workshop.

Other highlights include a serrated blade with a line hook, clearly designed for working with cordage and line, plus a very aggressive saw blade. There is a plain sleek drop-style blade with the same locking release, and the rolled edge of the body carries a built-in ruler or tape measure marked in both inches and centimeters, with graduations that line up across the edge. The edge finish feels machined rather than stamped, which adds a more substantial feel in the hand.

Inside, you also find a pair of small scissors that lock, a tiny flathead screwdriver useful for adjusting glasses, a magnetic bit driver with a flathead on one side and a Phillips on the other, a flathead screwdriver, and a bottle opener that sits deeply flush in the frame, enough that it genuinely takes some effort to extract.

Case, Belt Clip, and Everyday Carry

The Gordon comes with a ballistic nylon style case with a substantial pass-through snap button that works well. The one minor gripe: the removable belt clip can catch on the sheath when inserted facing forward, so it has to go in the other way, which makes it sit slightly more bulky. That may well break in over time, and it is a small quibble for a belt-carry tool.

By comparison, the Leatherman Super Tool 300 ships with a genuinely solid leather case that fits the tool well. The Gordon itself is significantly smaller in overall size than the Super Tool, though the two are roughly the same thickness, and it is often described online as a Wave Plus style clone, though it is closer to the standard Wave in hardware.

Leatherman Alternatives Worth Considering

The Leatherman Super Tool 300, used here as a long-term reference, opens with a noticeably smoother action. It has detent points to hold position, and after years of use it simply feels like quality. It also offers replaceable wire cutters, a practical advantage for anyone who works in the electrical trades or cuts wire frequently. Its leather sheath is a genuine highlight, and it remains a sentimental daily-desk tool for good reason.

The Leatherman Wave shares a remarkably similar tool layout with the Gordon: scissors, eyeglass screwdriver, bit holder, and folding pliers are all near-identical in arrangement. The key practical difference is the replaceable wire cutters on the Wave Plus variant, and the Wave is built in the United States, made in Oregon. The 25-year warranty that comes with Leatherman tools is also a real consideration against the Gordon’s 90-day warranty from the date of purchase, which is not a lifetime warranty product.

Price, Warranty, and Long-Term Value

Pricing is where the story gets dramatic. The Harbor Freight Gordon 20-in-1 Multi-Tool was listed at $39.99, and Harbor Freight runs sales frequently, so around $30 is a realistic sale price. The Leatherman Wave, at Walmart’s sale price of roughly $89.26, costs close to three times as much. You could buy three Gordons for the price of one Wave.

Specs from the listing include a closed length around 4.66 inches and a weight of about 9.1 ounces. Long-term durability remains the open question, but Harbor Freight’s recent track record suggests the quality trend is real. On fit and finish, the honest verdict is that the Gordon and the Leatherman Super Tool 300 land in about the same band, which is remarkable given the price gap. The trade-off is clear: three times the price buys you the Leatherman 25-year warranty and US manufacturing, while the Gordon offers similar feel for a third of the cost.

Buying Advice

If you want a capable plier-based multi-tool for desk, glovebox, or light workshop duty and you do not want to spend $90, the Gordon at $30 to $40 is easy to justify. If you cut wire daily, want replaceable cutters, a 25-year warranty, and US-built hardware, the Leatherman Wave or Wave Plus remains the safer long-term investment. The Super Tool 300 suits anyone who wants a larger, heavier-duty tool with a premium leather sheath.

Conclusion

The Gordon 20-in-1 Multi-Tool is not obviously better than the Leatherman, but it is genuinely close on build quality at roughly a third of the price. For budget-minded buyers, that alone makes it one of the more interesting multi-tools to appear recently. For buyers who value warranty and proven long-term durability, Leatherman still holds its ground.