Hello everyone. I don’t think I’ve seen this particular tool posted here before, so I figured I’d give you a quick rundown.
The HouHou/Xiaomi K30 is another Leatherman Wave clone post patent lapse, and actually a rather nice one. If you are outside of the USA and cannot get an Ozark Trail easily, I think this is a great alternative. Firstly the price was excellent. I believe it cost me about £23 or about $30 including shipping. Significantly less than 1/4 of the price of a Leatherman Wave+ in the UK.
The toolset is largely the same as the Wave+ with a few notable exceptions. The pliers do not have replaceable carbide cutters. That isn’t a particular issue to me. Both blades seem well made with markings for the serrated blade. I don’t remember that on my early Wave+, though it may be a standard feature. The steel itself is not specified, but looks and feels reasonable. I haven’t tried to either stress it or sharpen it yet, so I can’t be 100% on how it holds an edge. The saw feels much the same as the Leatherman so I think it would be very competent for any wood cutting. For a Chinese tool, the file actually does feel very competent and does appears to be diamond impregnated. I’m actually impressed by it and think it would actually be functional for everyday use. The locking mechanism for the tools is much the same as the Wave+ but perhaps a bit chunkier if anything. The scissors seem near identical to the Wave+ – Fragile but workable. It also has a large flathead blade and a small jewellery driver (though not a reversable/replaceable one like the Wave+). It has much the same bottle/can opener. I’ve only tried it for bottles and it works much the same as the Wave+. The tool also has the usual wire stripper. The major difference tool wise is the HouHou has a standard hex bit adapter so can take any standard bit. It comes with a reversable Philips No.2 and flat blade. The holder itself doesn’t seem to be magnetised, so other bits may be loose or fall out during use in some circumstances. Overall though I do prefer it to the Leatherman proprietary narrow bits.
Unfortunately I no longer have either my Wave or Wave+ to do a side by side comparison. I can probably dig out my Charge Ti at a push though if anyone is interested. It does feel a bit heavier and overall chunkier than the Waves I’ve owned in the past. I think the weight at 263g is more than acceptable though for the utility it brings. The steel quality and fit and finish is surprisingly impressive and I’d say is actually a lot better than the Xiaomi Flagship Pro. I don’t believe there are any official sheaths on the market and it comes with a rather useless clotht bag and no pocket clip. I do not know if there are any 3rd party sheaths that would fit. If anybody does know, I’d be glad of the info. The overall quality is actually quite impressive for a Chinese tool and I would definitely say it does feel a lot more premium than any tools I own from SOG or Gerber.
I’m in no way affiliated with anyone making or selling this tool. I’m just a multitool collector who though this might be interesting to someone. If you have any questions at all, then feel free to ask.
by ExcubitorUK
3 Comments
These clones are just going to keep getting better and better. Gerber needs to get realistic with their QC and pricing and leatherman needs to start stepping up their features like putting a real 1/4 driver and innovation beyond the same toolset and redundant useless features.
I’m glad you brought this to my attention. I’m almost all in on getting a multiforce, especially because I prefer the full-size bit driver. My only reason for not getting one yet is that from what I have heard, the file is not good, and I want a good file on my next multitool. I currently carry a skeletool, so my next multitool will focus on giving me the functionality that it doesn’t provide.
No pocket clip, aye?