Leatherman Wave Plus, Wave and Charge TTI: Which Multi-Tool Makes Sense Now

Introduction

Leatherman has been refining the Wave platform for over two decades, and the result is what many consider the most dialed-in multi-tool the company makes. With the original Wave, the second-generation Wave, and the current Wave Plus all still in circulation, choosing between them comes down to how much of that refinement you want to pay for. Here is how the three generations differ and where each one still fits.

How the Line Evolved

The original Wave launched in 1998 and was an outstanding design from the start: a fairly low-profile, smooth “melted” multi-tool with lots of features. It did skew heavily toward screwdrivers, with four slotted drivers, a Phillips, and a can opener, and its scissors were unusually large for the tiny handle. The blade and saw were thin, which mattered: blades and saws in this generation were known to break off in hard use, and damaged knives were a common reason tools got returned.

The second generation beefed up the features that broke. The blade gained girth, the saw got stouter, and the pliers became a wider, more robust design. A ruler was added along the side of the handle, the tool count was trimmed back, and big fingernail catches were added so tools no longer had to be fought out of the frame. The locking mechanism in the newer generations is solid and separate from the main frame, with a simple release, which makes a real difference in safety when using a tool in the grip position.

Leatherman Wave Plus

The Wave Plus is the latest generation, and it is where the platform really lands. The big change is the knives: they are now made from 154CM, a super steel closely associated with Benchmade, and crucially they are replaceable. If you damage a knife, you no longer throw away the whole multi-tool just because one feature is gone. That addresses the return problem directly, since hard-use jobs like electrical work are exactly where thin knives tend to suffer.

The Wave Plus keeps the increased girth on the pliers, with a slightly wider profile at the tip level, and the mechanism was reworked so the new knives fit. It also carries over the outside-accessible design and the screwdriver bit holder that accepts a set of bits, all locking into place with the same solid visible lock. In the hand it has that smooth, melted feel with no edges to catch on, which matters most when you are using it as pliers. For most buyers, this is the version to get.

Leatherman Wave

The second-generation Wave is still a genuinely capable tool, and because the design has been in production for years, older units can still be covered under Leatherman’s 25-year warranty, which is close to no-questions-asked. Its scissors are actually larger in blade size than the other Waves, though realistically that much girth is more than a tiny handle needs.

The main trade-off is that its knives are not replaceable, and the steel is not as premium as what came later. If you find one at a good price and you are not planning to abuse the blades, it remains a very complete multi-tool with the locking mechanism and fingernail catches that make the later Waves pleasant to use.

Leatherman Charge TTI

The Charge TTI is a step up in materials rather than features. It uses a titanium handle over S30V steel, one of the super steels, and those steels perform excellently even in thin blade profiles. The result is a tool that feels slightly damper and more refined in the hand than the stainless Waves, and the thinner S30V blade is a favorite for people who prioritize edge quality.

It also includes a small extra: popping out the blade reveals a gut hook that doubles as a cord cutter, a few extras that help justify the higher price. One limitation to know before buying: the Charge TTI does not have replaceable jaws or replaceable wire cutters at the plier end, so hard damage there is not a swap-and-continue situation.

Overall Buying Advice

If you want the most evolved version of the platform, the Wave Plus is the answer: replaceable 154CM knives, beefed-up pliers, solid locking, and a smooth in-hand feel backed by two decades of iteration. The second-generation Wave is the value route if the price is right and you can live with fixed knives. The Charge TTI is the pick if premium steel and titanium handles matter to you more than replaceability at the pliers. And whichever you choose, the 25-year warranty quietly underwrites the whole decision.

Conclusion

Leatherman learned from two decades of Wave design, and it shows. The Wave Plus fixes the failure points of the original with replaceable super-steel knives and stouter pliers, the older Wave remains a strong buy at the right price, and the Charge TTI trades replaceable jaws for titanium and S30V. Any of the three is a capable tool; the Wave Plus is simply the most refined multi-tool of the bunch.