For 9 years I worked for a major airline as an Aircraft Mechanic and Avionics Technician. Many of my co-workers had Leatherman multi-tools I saw them use them and often wished I had one. Several years later, while working for a company that did entertainment system service for an airline, a co-worker gave me a wonderful gift. A Leatherman Wave, he had received while serving in the military. He had two and didn't need the one he gave me. Still, a very generous gift. I will be forever thankful for his generosity.

I began using it and found it the most useful tool I had ever owned. I used it for gripping nuts and worn screw heads, cutting and stripping wire leads, fastener removal and installation, cutting and filing wood, metal and plastic (saw blade), carving and cutting, and I'm sure many other uses I can't remember at this time. After giving the pliers jaws a good cleaning I even used it to pull my little children's loose baby tooth. Quite an amazing tool.

Then one day it happened, I lost my Leatherman. As a mechanic I felt I had lost my best friend. Countless times I would reach for my hip when I needed to do a certain job I knew my Leatherman would be perfect for, only to find it no longer there. That year, I asked for only one gift from my family for Christmas. I'll bet you can guess what it was. Yep, a new Leatherman Wave. I will always remember how relieved I was when Christmas came and I had my new friend at my side. At work, I was back in the saddle again. Me and my new pal were fixin' everything as my old friend and I used to do. In most every way this one is even better than the old one. It has brass bushings that make it easier to open the blades and tools, it has a better blade locking mechanism to assure the blades and tools won't close on you when you least expect it, and it has more screwdriver blade options.

I did however, run into a little problem with my new tool. On the aircraft there was a cam-lock fastener I would have to access in order to remove the covers from the electronic equipment I serviced. My new Wave had an attachment called the "large bit holder" which held a #2 Phillips/#2 slot reversible screwdriver bit. A great idea, but the design made the Phillips screwdriver assembly too bulky to fit into those recessed holes I had get into to loosen the cover fasteners. I ended up needing to carry an extra screwdriver to get the job done, where my classic Wave was able to do the job on it's own. It was rather inconvenient having to pull the screwdriver out of my pocket after lying down on the cabin floor if I forgot to do it before. All a bit of an annoyance.

One day I was thinking about how much I missed my old Leatherman Wave while lying down, doing my work and having to pull that screwdriver once again from my pocket. I suddenly realized I could customize one of my 2 inch #2 Phillips hex bits to fit into that "large bit holder". On my next weekend, I was digging around the house looking for that cheap bit kit I had bought several months before to use with my drill motor. I found it, then realized when I had the bit adapter from the kit in my hand, that I should just customize the adapter instead. If I did that I could use my Leatherman with any inexpensive hex bit.

I set to work on it. This first adapter took hours to modify because the only tools I had at the time to do the job were hand files. I sat in front of the TV in the living room and while watching "The Incredibles" with my children I filed away at that adapter until it fit perfectly into the bit holder of my Wave. I put it together with a 2 inch #2 Phillips hex bit and took a good look at it and instantly knew it was going to work perfectly. As I played around with how I was going to keep the adapter and the hex bit with the multi-tool, I discovered they would fit perfectly in the side pockets of my Leatherman holster. The next day at work, I couldn't wait to give it a try on one of those illusive fasteners. It worked like a dream and I put that old screwdriver I had been carrying in my pocket back in my toolbox and left it there.

I have been so happy with this little tool. My Leatherman Wave is my best friend again. I love the one-handed blade opening, the diamond tip file, the stainless steel saw, scissors, can opener, small bit holder, and now my large bit holder and hex bit adapter. I am definitely sold on Leatherman, they make the finest and most versatile tools in existence.

Craig Leftwich, the Leatherman Guy

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