The Making of the Wave Alpha: An Interview with Jackson Wang
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As the ultimate expression of Leatherman’s best-selling multi-tool, Wave Alpha represents a bold step forward—built around real user feedback, premium materials, and refined ergonomics. We sat down with Sr. Product Manager Jackson Wang, who led the charge to bring the Wave Alpha to life. In this conversation, Jackson shares what inspired the design, how the team turned fan requests into reality, and how they made one of the best multi-tools ever even better.
Design & Development Philosophy
We’re calling the Wave Alpha “the ultimate Wave experience.” What did that mean to you and the team when you set out to design it?
Wave Alpha was always about our loyal customers and understanding their evolving needs. We launched the Original Wave back in 1998, overhauled in 2004 with a slight update in 2018. It has been our best-seller and we’ve tried throughout the years to improve upon the design. I’m a car guy, so I think of the Wave as our Toyota Land Cruiser. It is an iconic name plate, with a devoted fanbase. It is irreplaceable. I think of the Wave Alpha as a celebration of our fans, co-developed with our fans, and built at our factory in Portland, Oregon.
What were some of the most impactful pieces of user feedback that directly shaped the Wave Alpha? Where did you go to get this feedback?
Three main themes emerged from all the fan feedback and became the top priorities for this project:
- Give us the largest and most comfortable scissors possible.
- Give us more comfort, grip, and take away the pinch points and hot spots.
- Give us a stronger blade out of the best knife steel possible. We gathered input from consumers directly, and also through online reviews, observing trends in the aftermarket, through forums, Facebook groups, and subreddits. Fans were eager to engage with us and even though the product leaked ahead of the release, we can feel the excitement in the market.
Alongside ARC, Wave Alpha is the second Leatherman multi-tool to feature MagnaCut steel. What design decisions went into the blade shape specifically?
The ARC is our flagship product and we learned a lot about knife design and processing MagnaCut through its development. For the Wave Alpha, we wanted to hit three things: 1) Safety 2) Performance, and 3) Comfort. In the end, we chose a reverse-tanto with a flat-sabre grind profile to achieve our objectives. The blade shape is designed to minimize high-tipping, and is also comfortable to hold the tool while the blade is stowed, enabling the user to have better leverage and control when using the knife and any other tool.
Scissors might seem simple, but they’re a fan obsession. How did you approach designing the best scissors Leatherman has ever done?
It became obvious early in the project that none of our existing scissors could be readily fitted to the Wave Alpha. Since we had a blank slate, I challenged the team to fill the outside slot as much as possible, maximize the cutting edge, and also make the handle as comfortable as possible. We studied consumer usage, competitors’ offerings, as well as full-size scissors to understand the fundamentals of good scissor design. I’m delighted by the result and kudos to the team for their amazing work. As a bonus, we designed the fixed-half contour to be the same as the knife blade when they’re stowed, which enhances the product design as well.
Aesthetics & Material Choices
Wave Alpha is the first Leatherman to feature topo-textured G10 handles. What inspired that choice—and what will users notice when they hold it in hand?
Ergonomics was the priority, and we knew that the scale would be dimensionally contoured for control and comfort. In designing the scales, we also considered our target use cases, and one of them is Overlanding. One of the last designs we drew was a topography-inspired design and it really stuck. The final handle design is not only comfortable, but a modern and timeless take on the shape of the Wave.
Each of the Alpha colorways—Cascadia, Obsidian, Canyonland—feels distinct and intentional. What story or emotion was each one meant to evoke?
Selecting colors is always difficult but always fun. Obsidian is a follow-up to our hugely-popular Arc Obsidian Limited Edition (2024). The positive feedback was overwhelming and we couldn’t wait to bring another Obsidian colorway to our fans and this was the perfect occasion. Cascadia is a nod to the colors of the Pacific Northwest, meant to evoke a sense of journey and adventure. Canyonland is inspired by the sun hitting the sandstone formations of the American Southwest. It is also a higher visibility color, serving those who require a faster visual ID of their tool. Think of somebody who is out hunting and drops their multi-tool. We want it to stand out from the sticks, leaves, and natural surroundings.We’re already exploring future colorways for the Wave Alpha family and welcome fans’ feedback to help shape what comes next.
User-First Engineering
How did you decide which tools to keep, improve, or replace on the Alpha? Were there any trade-offs that were especially tough?
This is the direct result of interaction with fans. Through surveys, interviews, and observations, it was very clear which tools were most used by the masses. We keyed in on those for improvements. Some changes were big, like the outside scissors and new knife blade. Other changes were subtle, like adding thumb holes to the saw and file to enable one-hand opening. Other tools were fine as-is. The toughest decision was which tool to add in place of the inside scissors. At the end, more votes came in for an awl with an eyelet…even though I personally preferred something else. But this tool isn’t designed for one person—it’s for the fans
What was the biggest engineering challenge on Wave Alpha—and what solution are you most proud of?
As simple as they seem, the scissors presented the biggest challenge. We wanted a spring that stayed in-pace and popped open when fully deployed; the two scissor halves cannot overtravel and bypass each other when you squeeze the handles; they also must stow flush to the tool. Of course the cutting performance must be superb. All of these requirements were tough to execute and a closer look reveals the clever engineering that ensures every requirement is met.
What’s Next
For users torn between the Arc and Wave Alpha, how should they think about choosing the right premium EDC upgrade?
The ARC is our halo product. If you’re looking for an EDC show-piece that’s fidgety and clicky, where all the tools are one-hand operated and smooth to open, and accessible from the outside, with even more reduced pinch points, then you should experience the Arc. If you're a heavy multi-tool user, the Arc is hard to beat for the above reasons. If you are drawn to the Wave Alpha design and want something that can be thrown around, Wave Alpha is a great choice. It’s tough to choose between them, but you truly can’t go wrong with either.
Thanks for reading. We hope you’re as excited about the Wave Alpha as we are to finally bring it to you. From Magnacut steel to G10 topo handles, every detail was crafted with purpose and precision—because our fans deserve the best. We’d love to hear your feedback—welcome to the next evolution of the Wave.
