Disappointed in Micro Multitools

chevyrulez1

chevyrulez1

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2007
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515
I own a bunch of multitools, and have several of the really small variety. The smallest I own are a Leatherman Squirt PS4, and a Gerber Dime,
The Leatherman works OK, but I am not a fan of the Chisel ground knife blade, and some of the other tools just seem a little too small to be useful.
I have been carrying the Gerber dime which at first glance seemed like a better option, but have really been disappointed in it as well. Tonight while trying to use the wire cutter section of the pliers to try to snip some zip ties off, they wouldn't even cut through the plastic zip ties. They just kind of pinched them, and left them intact. The Leatherman Squirt snipped right through them without any trouble.
I also do not really like the knife blade on the Dime either, it seems too thick behind the edge to be as small of a blade as it is, and it really doesn't cut well (in my opinion)
I really wanted to like the Dime, but I just don't and have thrown it in a junk drawer.

I really wish someone would make a micro multitool with pliers and wire cutters (that work), but maybe just slightly larger (Something in size between the Squirt and the Juice) that would be comfortable to drop in a pocket and have a decent knife blade on it
I have been eyeing the SOG Powerpint, but it seems like it would be close in size to my Juice, which still seems just a little too heavy to carry loose in your pocket.
Does anyone know of anything available like this that may fit the bill?
 
I’ve used and abused a Leatherman Micra for about a decade. Cut a multitude of zip ties and even metal banding (abuse) with the scissors. Screw drivers small enough for my eyeglasses. The tweezers work. The knife blade holds an edge. Bottle opener and more screw drivers. It punches way above it’s weight. Doesn’t exactly meet your requirements but I must recommend it for your EDC.
 
Sounds like a good case of YMMV.

I've been carrying a leatherman squirt since 2014, and I love it. I never had a chisel ground blade before and I very quickly learned how easy and fast they are to sharpen, and how well they cut. That chisel ground blade cuts like the dickens. The tiny flat screw driver works good on those tiny Phillips head screws on electronics, and eye glasses. The bottle open works with about two tries because of the small size of it, but in the end it gets it done. The pliers and wire cutters work well, with the pliers fine enough to function as large tweezers/forceps.

Die hard fan of the squirt, here. But to compare a squirt with a Gerber dime is like comparing a Ford pinto to a Toyota.
 
chevyrulez1 said:
...Gerber dime which at first glance seemed like a better option, but have really been disappointed in it as well. Tonight while trying to use the wire cutter section of the pliers to try to snip some zip ties off, they wouldn't even cut through the plastic zip ties. They just kind of pinched them, and left them intact.
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chevyrulez1 said:
I really wanted to like the Dime, but I just don't and have thrown it in a junk drawer.
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The Dime is hot garbage. The package opener tool is the only compelling thing about it, bur it doesn't make the Gerber Dime worth buying.

chevyrulez1 said:
I have been eyeing the SOG Powerpint, but it seems like it would be close in size to my Juice, which still seems just a little too heavy to carry loose in your pocket.
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Wait for a sale.

chevyrulez1 said:
Does anyone know of anything available like this that may fit the bill?
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No.

I like the Leatherman Style PS... after modification. The Style PS uses the same pliers and scissors as the Squirt PS4, but the Style PS has torx screw pivots. It's overall thinner than a PS4 because it has fewer tools and it comes on and off keys or a belt loop quickly with its inbuilt carabiner.

What I suggest doing is to remove the scissors from the Style PS and replace them with the knife from a Style CS to make a mini Skeletool. Alternatively, you can take apart your old Squirt PS4 and put its metal file in the Style PS. It makes the Style PS into a more TSA friendly tool.

chevyrulez1 said:
I am not a fan of the Chisel ground knife blade
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Why not re-profile it?

chevyrulez1 said:
some of the other tools just seem a little too small to be useful.
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I feel like the real issue actually comes down to the fact that Leatherman cheaps out a little too much on their steel, and I think they put too much carbon in it. This makes their tools less corrosion resistant and more brittle. When you compare this to a Victorinox, it's like night and day. If Leatherman used better steel then I think the small size of the tools on the Squirt would be less of an issue.

...but a lot of it also comes down to the fault of the users pushing their tools beyond a reasonable expectation.
 
I may reprofile the blade, I actually had thought about that. I guess I just feel that there is a gap in that many multitools with pliers are too bulky or heavy for pocket carry, and the micro size ones that are great for pocket carry are just too small.
Seems like there should be something in between, maybe something like that has been tried before and didn't sell?
 
jackknife said:
Die hard fan of the squirt, here. But to compare a squirt with a Gerber dime is like comparing a Ford pinto to a Toyota.
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Unclear. Which one wins in that matchup? My personal selection is for the Squirt, but I am unfamiliar with the Gerber Dime. BTW, I am also not familiar with the Ford Pinto, so both tools start off even 😄.
 
znapschatz said:
Unclear. Which one wins in that matchup? My personal selection is for the Squirt, but I am unfamiliar with the Gerber Dime. BTW, I am also not familiar with the Ford Pinto, so both tools start off even 😄.
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The pinto was a 1970's pile of crap that was a shoddy mess right out of the dealer, while the Toyota was one of the most highly rated cars for reliability. The Gerber name on anything these days is NOT anything that stands of any kind quality. Shoddy Chinese crap on an old once good American name. Leatherman on the other hand, is a recognized standard of a tool that can be counted on to get the job done. And Leatherman's customer service is second to none, except for Victorinox.
 
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I’ve tried both the micra and the dime. Both are small and not much mass to do anything but very light duty stuff. My dime collapsed trying to loosen a small fitting on 1/8 inch spaghetti tubing.

Now the smallest multi tool I use is the LM juice S2. It isn’t a lot bigger and fits nicely in my pocket but it has more robust metal to do some light duty stuff . When I’m at work or when I need a more substantial tool I use my LM Wave.
 
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Leatherman user/collector. I prefer USA-made to Chinese, but I like to give credit where credit is due. My old arthritic hands don't enjoy opening pop/water/pill bottles, so I'm apt to reach for a tool to assist me. I've learned, however, that neither my Surge nor my Core (two of Leatherman's largest tools) open wide enough to grab a bottle cap. My little SOG Powerpint, on the other hand, works great for that task!
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No, this will never replace my fully-accessorized edc Surge, but, if you're looking for a smallish but we'll endowed mt, consider the Powerpint. Thanks for watching! T-A
 
the-accumulator said:
View attachment 2033574
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Looks like you have the old version of the Powerpint from when the quality control was not very good and the file was a lot less aggressive. You must have been lucky to get one with no obvious problems.

Sog has fixed a few of the Powerpint's issues within the past year or two and they also updated the Powerpint's file so that it is actually useful now. If you are thinking about getting a new Powerpint, most of the stock of the old version should have been cycled out of all the various retailer's inventories by now. Maybe there's a chance you could still end up with another one of the old ones, but I don't think it's a very high probability at this point.

The scissors still suck though.
 
jackknife said:
The pinto was a 1970's pile of crap that was a shoddy mess right out of the dealer, while the Toyota was one of the most highly rated cars for reliability. The Gerber name on anything these days is NOT anything that stands of any kind quality. Shoddy Chinese crap on an old once good American name. Leatherman on the other hand, is a recognized standard of a tool that can be counted on to get the job done. And Leatherman's customer service is second to none, except for Victorinox.
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Pintos exploded. Worst example of a car made except the Yugo.
 
My wife has a PS 4. It has been awesome according to her. Especially for fixing eyeglasses and jewelry. She's not a knife person but likes the chisel ground blade. She can maintain it easily.
 
chevyrulez1 said:
I own a bunch of multitools, and have several of the really small variety. The smallest I own are a Leatherman Squirt PS4, and a Gerber Dime,
The Leatherman works OK, but I am not a fan of the Chisel ground knife blade, and some of the other tools just seem a little too small to be useful.
I have been carrying the Gerber dime which at first glance seemed like a better option, but have really been disappointed in it as well. Tonight while trying to use the wire cutter section of the pliers to try to snip some zip ties off, they wouldn't even cut through the plastic zip ties. They just kind of pinched them, and left them intact. The Leatherman Squirt snipped right through them without any trouble.
I also do not really like the knife blade on the Dime either, it seems too thick behind the edge to be as small of a blade as it is, and it really doesn't cut well (in my opinion)
I really wanted to like the Dime, but I just don't and have thrown it in a junk drawer.

I really wish someone would make a micro multitool with pliers and wire cutters (that work), but maybe just slightly larger (Something in size between the Squirt and the Juice) that would be comfortable to drop in a pocket and have a decent knife blade on it
I have been eyeing the SOG Powerpint, but it seems like it would be close in size to my Juice, which still seems just a little too heavy to carry loose in your pocket.
Does anyone know of anything available like this that may fit the bill?
Click to expand...
Look into the old Sebertool m4 from sebertech on Ebay.
The sebertech multitools are the best mini multitools ever made and in my opinion some of the best multitools ever made in general.
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I don't know ther you'll really find any small multitool with a knife blade that would really blow you away, but you can always pair one with a small pocket knife of your choosing.
 
I looked for the Sebertech M4 on eBay but didn’t see any available 😞 I decided to pocket my Leatherman Juice CS4 for now, but I am thinking I may go for a SOG Powerpint because it is lighter.
 
Guy McVer said:
What I suggest doing is to remove the scissors from the Style PS and replace them with the knife from a Style CS to make a mini Skeletool. Alternatively, you can take apart your old Squirt PS4 and put its metal file in the Style PS. It makes the Style PS into a more TSA friendly tool.
Click to expand...
style-a.jpg

The nail nick is on the wrong side but you can still open it easily by pinching the file between your fingers. You will also need to use the washers from the Squirt or the pivot on the Style will be loose.
style-b.jpg

Works great and should've always been an option from Leatherman IMO.
 
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