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Leatherman Wave – History Of Leatherman’s Best Seller
Leatherman Wave - History Of Leatherman's Best Seller
This is a brief insight into the history of Leatherman’s best selling tool of all time – the Leatherman Wave.
In 1970 Timothy S. Leatherman received a degree in mechanical engineering at Oregon State University. In 1975 Tim needed to fix problems with his car during a budget trip to Europe and became inspired to create his first pocket survival tool.
Leatherman obtained his first of many patents in 1980. His first prototype was very different to the best selling and internationally recognised Leatherman Wave used by many today. First up, he tried to sell to large companies, AT&T being one, who employed a high number of people that required access to tools whilst at work. Having failed to build interest from large clients, Tim decided to divert his attention to regular consumers. After revising his design and simplifying it, he started advertising through mail order catalogues and began selling. This business model quickly established itself as very successful one, prompting Tim to create Leatherman Tool Group which was founded in 1983.
The company grew at a rapid rate leading to early experimentation with new designs and product ideas. Scissors were added to the tool and they began manufacturing additional tools that were smaller and easier to carry around. By the early nineties, Leatherman Tool Group had doubled and then tripled its factory size. They were moving full steam ahead. The world had learnt how useful a multi tool was and the Leatherman brand was catching on, reaching people far and wide.
The Leatherman multi tool quickly became a cultural phenomenon and appeared in the hit television show “MacGyver” and blockbuster movie “Speed”
In 1995, Leatherman reported sales of over one million units of the Leatherman Super Tool – a tool that featured the first locking blades that promote user safety. One year later the company embarked upon an advertising campaign showing real life stories of Leatherman users’ using their Leatherman product in survival situations. The Leatherman Super Tool inspired Leatherman’s creation of the Leatherman Wave. It could be argued that the popularity of the Super Tool was pivotal in the company progressing development of the Wave.
In 1998, the Leatherman Wave was introduced by Leatherman at the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. The Wave became the first Leatherman tool that allowed users to access the blades without having to open the pliers. It also boasted ‘one hand’ opening, this enabled a user to open a blade with one hand only and without looking at the tool – something demonstrated by Jackie Chan in the film “Rush Hour” whilst fending off mobsters. The Wave’s appearance in this film was its first on the big screen.
The New and Improved Wave+
The Wave established itself as the most popular Leatherman in the company’s history and in 2018 was updated to the Wave+ model which includes replaceable wire cutters. It is used by people on a personal and professional basis from handymen to law enforcement personnel to outdoor survivalists. The Wave+ includes:
- Needlenose Pliers
- Regular Pliers
- Replaceable Wire Cutters
- Replaceable Hard-wire Cutters
- Electrical Crimper
- Wire Stripper
- 420HC Knife
- 420HC Serrated Knife
- Saw
- Spring-action Scissors
- Ruler (8in | 19cm)
- Can Opener
- Bottle Opener
- Wood/Metal File
- Diamond-coated File
- Large Bit Driver
- Small Bit Driver
- Medium Screwdriver
The Wave+ Multi Tool is possibly the most versatile and well-designed Leatherman introduced by the company to date. Leatherman continued its tradition of innovation and has launched a series of tools since the Wave, however the Wave continues to be Leatherman’s best selling product and is estimated to make up one third of sales.
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