# Leatherman Wave Alpha

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-wave-alpha
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/multitools
- Placement: #13 of 16 in Multitools, F tier
- Brand: Leatherman
- LP on this board: 185
- Last researched: 2026-09-23T15:44:54.817Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813 - every board at once, one dated snapshot per release, same licence, prices and photographs left out
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

Genuinely excellent out of the box per Popular Mechanics, but the newest tool on the board with only months of ownership history, so it cannot sit above the proven Wave+ yet.

## For

- Named Best Scissors in Popular Mechanics' roundup
- Genuinely excellent performance out of the box
- Successor to the Wave+ with an improved scissors function
- Newest evolution of the Wave platform
- Best-in-class scissors in its category

## Against

- Only months of ownership history behind it
- Only one improved function over the Wave+ it replaced
- Pushed hardest by Leatherman's marketing right now
- Narrower endorsement compared to other top picks
- Newer model lacking long-term ownership data

## Flagged as one to avoid

This product entered 4 of 11 runs as one buyers cross-shop but should not buy, rather than as a pick. It is published here rather than dropped.

## Evidence

Backed by one cited source so far

Limited coverage: fewer than two distinct outlets are cited for this placement. Read it as a weaker reading than a product with broad coverage.

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Popular Mechanics | - | - | https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/reviews/g2962/best-new-multitools/ | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Leatherman Wave+ | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-wave |
| 2 | Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit X | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/victorinox-swiss-tool-spirit-x |
| 8 | SOG Power Access Deluxe | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/sog-power-access-deluxe |
| 9 | Leatherman Micra | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-micra |
| 10 | WORKPRO 18-in-1 Multitool | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/workpro-18-in-1-multitool |
| 11 | Gerber Center-Drive | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/gerber-center-drive |
| 12 | Gerber Dime | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/gerber-dime |
| 14 | SOG Tellus MT | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/sog-tellus-mt |
| 15 | Leatherman Free P2 | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-free-p2 |
| 16 | RoverTac 12-in-1 Multitool | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/rovertac-12-in-1-multitool |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/multitools.

## What this tier means

- F: Avoid. The evidence points you elsewhere.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-wave-alpha.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.