I ordered an original Leatherman bit extender. Sure enough, it was almost impossible to extract bits from it once they were inserted (requiring pliers). On checking closely, I discovered that the internal wire circlip had rusted - which was what was causing the issue (or at least was making it worse). I managed to extract the retaining wire from the extender using the Wave’s eyeglass tool to pry one end from the groove, and then using the Wave’s own pliers to yank it out. As I already had some 6mm x 2mm round magnets, I pretty much did what you did - I superglued two of them together and then used a random standard bit to feed the unit into the bottom of the extender socket (the dual magnet didn’t need to be epoxied or superglued in place as there was greater magnetic attraction from the base than from the bit I’d used as a ramrod; it’s not going anywhere - but if ever I did need to remove it, I could use a small-headed nail with a dot of superglue on the head to stick to the dual magnet, and then withdraw it after the glue had set). I agree that doing this mod gives a FAR better depth for standard 25mm bits (and I don’t understand why Leatherman hadn’t designed it that way originally). It still allows use of Leatherman’s proprietary bits. One of the problems with the Leatherman nylon sheath is that, by the time you’ve got two sets of their bitkits - and the Wave itself - loaded, it’s the size of a brick - getting in and out of the car becomes an issue; over time, the elastic also wears and frays. Because of that bit of poor design, I made a wet-moulded leather sheath for my Wave which also enables me to clip on an AAA cell pen torch (which I regard as an essential bit of EDC kit). I then found a small and cheap bit set on eBay (£3.50) that cleverly holds 25 pieces in a thin, flat, silicone rubber housing, and in a local charity shop (for £2) discovered a rather nice old camera light-meter case with a belt loop that securely holds both the slab of 25mm bits and the extender. Because I’m a fat bastard, I’ve plenty of real estate on my belt for both sheaths but, if I can be bothered, I’ll probably wet-mould a separate case/sheath for the bits and extender which I’ll dye to match the one I made for the Wave itself.
I ordered an original Leatherman bit extender. Sure enough, it was almost impossible to extract bits from it once they were inserted (requiring pliers). On checking closely, I discovered that the internal wire circlip had rusted - which was what was causing the issue (or at least was making it worse).
I managed to extract the retaining wire from the extender using the Wave’s eyeglass tool to pry one end from the groove, and then using the Wave’s own pliers to yank it out. As I already had some 6mm x 2mm round magnets, I pretty much did what you did - I superglued two of them together and then used a random standard bit to feed the unit into the bottom of the extender socket (the dual magnet didn’t need to be epoxied or superglued in place as there was greater magnetic attraction from the base than from the bit I’d used as a ramrod; it’s not going anywhere - but if ever I did need to remove it, I could use a small-headed nail with a dot of superglue on the head to stick to the dual magnet, and then withdraw it after the glue had set).
I agree that doing this mod gives a FAR better depth for standard 25mm bits (and I don’t understand why Leatherman hadn’t designed it that way originally). It still allows use of Leatherman’s proprietary bits.
One of the problems with the Leatherman nylon sheath is that, by the time you’ve got two sets of their bitkits - and the Wave itself - loaded, it’s the size of a brick - getting in and out of the car becomes an issue; over time, the elastic also wears and frays. Because of that bit of poor design, I made a wet-moulded leather sheath for my Wave which also enables me to clip on an AAA cell pen torch (which I regard as an essential bit of EDC kit). I then found a small and cheap bit set on eBay (£3.50) that cleverly holds 25 pieces in a thin, flat, silicone rubber housing, and in a local charity shop (for £2) discovered a rather nice old camera light-meter case with a belt loop that securely holds both the slab of 25mm bits and the extender.
Because I’m a fat bastard, I’ve plenty of real estate on my belt for both sheaths but, if I can be bothered, I’ll probably wet-mould a separate case/sheath for the bits and extender which I’ll dye to match the one I made for the Wave itself.
What size magnet?
10"