Leatherman for electricians: which model, and the alternatives worth a look

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The Leatherman for electricians is the Leatherman Wave+ at around £100. All 18 tools open from the outside without unfolding the pliers, so you can flick out a driver one-handed at the top of a set of steps. The wire cutters are replaceable, which matters because you will blunt them on something hardened within a year. And at 241 g it is the heaviest thing a belt will carry without you noticing. The Surge is the bigger, dearer version for heavier work, the Wingman is the cheap way in, and the alternatives from Victorinox and Gerber are worth a look for two specific reasons. First, the thing every electrician already knows and we have to say anyway.

None of these are for live work

No multi-tool on this page is VDE rated. Nothing here is insulated to 1,000 V, and nothing here should touch a conductor you have not isolated, locked off and proved dead. Your insulated drivers and side cutters do that job. What a multi-tool does is the 200 small tasks a day that would otherwise mean a walk to the van: cutting cable ties in a ceiling void, opening the box the board came in, nipping a screw on a dead back box, trimming trunking lid, pulling a staple. Our wider guide to multi-tools for electricians covers those jobs. This piece is about which model.

What separates the Leatherman models

Outside access. On the Wave+ and the Surge, the blades, saw, file and drivers flip out from the outside with the pliers closed. On the Rebar, Rev and Wingman you unfold the handles to reach most tools, which is fine on a bench and awkward on a ladder with your other hand on a tray.

Replaceable cutters. The Wave+, Surge and Super Tool 300 have wire cutter jaws you can swap. The rest do not, and cutters are the first thing to go on a tool used for cable.

Weight. The Wave+ is 241 g, the Super Tool 300 is 298 g, the Surge is 340 g. That 100 g between the Wave+ and the Surge is the difference between forgetting it is on your belt and noticing it every time you climb.

The Leathermans

Leatherman Wave+

18 tools, outside access to every one, replaceable cutters, locking blades, 25-year warranty. Some tools overlap for trade use and it is not cheap. It is the one on most sparkies' belts because it gets the three things above right at once.

Leatherman Surge

21 heavy-duty tools, the largest pliers Leatherman make, and a blade exchanger that takes a saw or a file. All tools lock. At around £130 and 340 g it is a lot of tool for an electrician doing domestic rewires, and exactly the right tool for one working containment, tray and armoured cable all day.

Leatherman Super Tool 300

19 tools with replaceable cutters and a black oxide finish that resists corrosion, so it looks the same after a year in a damp plant room. The Super Tool 300 at around £110 needs the handles opened for most tools and wants a belt pouch at 298 g. A classic, and a good choice for a sparky who prefers the older layout.

Leatherman Rebar

17 tools, all locking, a nylon sheath in the box, and the needle-nose pliers many people prefer for pulling a cable through a tight grommet. The Rebar at around £70 gives up outside access and replaceable cutters for the price cut. Good value, and the sheath alone saves around £15.

Leatherman Wingman

14 tools, spring-action pliers that spare your hand on repetitive cutting, some outside-access tools, and the same 25-year warranty at around £50. No replaceable cutters. The right first Leatherman for an apprentice, and plenty of electricians never move on from it.

Leatherman Rev

The cheapest Leatherman at around £40. 14 tools, no outside access, no replaceable cutters. The Rev is a sound tool for the van door pocket rather than the belt.

Leatherman Free K4X

Not a plier tool at all. The Free K4X is a knife with nine magnetic-opening tools behind it, all one-handed, at around £80. If you already carry proper pliers and want a fast blade and driver, it makes sense. As a sole multi-tool for an electrician it does not, because there are no pliers.

The alternatives

Victorinox Swiss Tool X Plus

37 functions, a leather case, and a hex key set in the handle that is genuinely useful around DIN rail and enclosure fixings. The Swiss Tool X Plus at around £150 is the dearest tool here and the thickest, and some of those 37 functions are camping tools. The finishing is superb and the lifetime guarantee is real. Buy it if the hex set solves a problem you have every week.

Gerber MP600 Bladeless

Some sites, and some clients, ban knives. The MP600 at around £70 is a heavy-duty plier tool with drivers, file and awl and no blade at all, so it goes through the gate. Heavier than the Wave+ and less versatile off site. For anyone working in schools, hospitals or secure sites it is the one that does not get confiscated.

Gerber Dime

Keyring size, spring pliers, scissors, a package opener, around £25. The Dime is a backup, not a primary tool, and it is the backup that is always in your pocket when the Wave+ is in the van.

Side by side

Tool	Price (around)	Tools / weight	Outside access	Best for
Leatherman Wave+	around £100	18 / 241 g	All	Most electricians
Leatherman Surge	around £130	21 / 340 g	Yes	Containment and heavy cable
Leatherman Super Tool 300	around £110	19 / 298 g	No	Damp rooms, older layout
Leatherman Rebar	around £70	17	No	Value with a sheath
Leatherman Wingman	around £50	14	Some	Apprentices, first Leatherman
Gerber MP600 Bladeless	around £70	No knife	No	Sites that ban blades

What we'd buy

The Wave+ for a working electrician, the Wingman for an apprentice, the MP600 if the site rules say no blades, and the Dime on the keys. Prices for all of them are on the multi-tools for electricians list, and if you are wondering whether a multi-tool replaces anything in the bag, it does not, and multi-tools vs dedicated gear explains where the line sits.

Frequently asked questions

Which Leatherman is best for electricians?

The Leatherman Wave+. Every blade and driver opens from the outside with the pliers shut, the wire cutters are replaceable when you inevitably blunt them on hardened wire, and it is the size and weight a belt will carry all day. Around £100 with a 25-year warranty.

Is a Leatherman VDE rated or safe for live work?

No. No Leatherman, Victorinox or Gerber multi-tool is insulated to 1,000 V. They are for the hundred small jobs around a dead circuit, not for anything live. Your VDE screwdrivers and side cutters do the real work, and the multi-tool stays on the belt until the board is isolated and proved dead.

Leatherman Wave+ or Surge for an electrician?

Wave+ for most. The Surge's bigger pliers and extra 100 g suit someone working on containment, tray and heavy cable all day, and its blade exchanger takes saw and file blades. For domestic and commercial fit-out the Wave+ does the same jobs at a weight you stop noticing.

What is a good alternative to a Leatherman for electricians?

The Victorinox Swiss Tool X Plus if you want a hex key set built in and Swiss finishing. The Gerber MP600 if the site bans blades, because it is the same idea with no knife. The Gerber Dime as a keyring backup so you always have pliers on you.

Can I carry a Leatherman legally in the UK?

The blades on plier-based Leathermans lock, so in law they are not a folding pocket knife and you need a good reason to carry one in public. Carrying it for work is a good reason. Leave it in the van or the tool bag when you are off the clock rather than in your pocket at the pub.