- Joined
- Mar 26, 2004
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- 24,005
(Cross posted in Knife Reviews & Testing)
I've been carrying a Leatherman Micra on my keyring for years. I've gone through 3 of them in fact. Small, unnoticable in the pocket, and quite possibly the most useful thing I've ever bought. My current Micra was looking a bit tired, so I decided to replace it.
Instead of another Micra, I opted for the new Squirt S4. There are 2 Squirt models. The S4 has scissors, the P4 has pliars. I got the glacier blue S4.
Firstly, the S4 is gorgeous. I really dig the blue anodizing. I don't know how well it'll hold up to pocket damage (keys, change), but it seems pretty tough.
Size: The Squirt is about 1/4 shorter in length, but is thicker. The scissors are marginally shorter, but not enough to make any real difference. I don't have a scale, but it feels slightly heavier (the product literature lists the S4 at 57 grams, the Micra at 50 grams).
The fit and finish on the entire tool is far superior to the old Micra. The slipjoint springs are much more positive than the method used on the Micra. Everything snaps into place with the feel of a quality tool. The pivots aren't adjustable like on the Micra, but this shouldn't be any problem. In fact, they feel quite nice.
The tools:
Firstly, of course, are the scissors. Much nicer than the old Micra's. The springs are basically the same type, but they have a much more positive feel to them. They are advertized as having micro-serrations. Don't expect it to be like Wenger SAK scissors, the serrations aren't nearly that pronounced. In fact, the blades themselves feel rather smooth, but the bevels feel ribbed, so I guess that's the serrations. This should give it a bit more bite, but still allows for a very clean cut on paper.
Screwdrivers: Like the Micra, there are 3: A medium flat, jeweler's flat, and one for phillips, which is flat like on the Micra (but doesn't have that stupid "FOR PHILLIPS" engraved in it). The 2 flats have the same width as on the Micra, but the phillips one has a smaller tip than on the Micra. On the S4, the bottleopener is on the larger flat screwdriver, not the skinny-ass small one. The small one is wider at the base, meaning it's much less likely to break (which I've done on 2 of my old Micras). Improvements all around, I say.
Knife: Same length as on the Micra, but slightly wider. Same chisel bevel. Absurdly sharp out of the box.
File/Nail Cleaner: Very slightly different in shape, but pretty much the same. On the reverse it has 1.5 inches and 3.5cm worth of ruler eteched into it.
Tweezers: Different from the Micra, these are very SAK style. They pull completely out, making them (IMO) fary more useful than the Micra tweezers (it's a major PITA trying to use the Micra's tweezers with 4 keys and a microlight in the way). Unlike the SAK, the tweezing points are slanted at an angle like normal grooming tweezers. The edges are sharp enough to cut skin. Extremely useful if you happen to live in a cactus infested environment like I do. My only concern is replacability. They seem pretty secure, but sh*t happens sometimes. I'm certain Leatherman can replace them, but I doubt knife shops will carry replacements like they do for SAKs. In case you're wondering, Victorinox tweezers DO fit in the S4, but the plastic bit sticks out. IIRC, Wenger's are all metal witout the plastic bit, and might fit the S4. They wouldn't fit perfectly (the S4's are at an angle), but better than the VNox. My only complaint about the tweezers is that they're not zircon-encrusted.*
Ergonomics: This is the biggie. Since the blades open out while closed (ala blades on the Wave and Juices), the scissors are FAR more comfortable to use because of the rounded edges. There also isn't those goofy-ass tweezers compressing under your grip. Also, the dimensions are semetrical on the S4 so the scissors compress more easily without binding. UNLIKE the Wave (don't know about the Juices), the tool is also comfortable to use closed (the edges on my Wave really dig into my hands). Since they all open out, access is quicker and easier.
The biggest difference is when using the blade. I've always considered the blade on my Micra to be next-to-useless. It's a PITA to get to, the keys get in the way, as does the opposite handle. I only ever used it when I didn't want to risk bunging up my large EDC knife (like on foil jar seals at work). Even then, I usually opened it halfway so the opposite handle and keys weren't in the way.
Everything's different on the S4. The blade is easily accessable, the keyring is on the opposite side so there's no keys to get in the way, and there's no opposite handle in the way either. The blade on my S4 will actually see some use unlike on my old Micra.
Also of note, all the blades on the S4 are thicker than on the Micra. It's very slight (barely noticable), but they are definitely thicker. That means they're stronger
The new Leatherman Squirt S4 is an improvement over the Micra in every single way I can see. If you have a Micra, get yourself a Squirt. I imagine the P4 (pliars model) would be extremely useful as well if you don't need scissors (differences are a larger file for wood/metal, pliars with wirecutters, an awl, and no tweezers).
I got mine through amazon.com for $30 and free shipping (took 5 days including weekend).
Get one. Your pocket will love it.
I've been carrying a Leatherman Micra on my keyring for years. I've gone through 3 of them in fact. Small, unnoticable in the pocket, and quite possibly the most useful thing I've ever bought. My current Micra was looking a bit tired, so I decided to replace it.
Instead of another Micra, I opted for the new Squirt S4. There are 2 Squirt models. The S4 has scissors, the P4 has pliars. I got the glacier blue S4.
Firstly, the S4 is gorgeous. I really dig the blue anodizing. I don't know how well it'll hold up to pocket damage (keys, change), but it seems pretty tough.
Size: The Squirt is about 1/4 shorter in length, but is thicker. The scissors are marginally shorter, but not enough to make any real difference. I don't have a scale, but it feels slightly heavier (the product literature lists the S4 at 57 grams, the Micra at 50 grams).
The fit and finish on the entire tool is far superior to the old Micra. The slipjoint springs are much more positive than the method used on the Micra. Everything snaps into place with the feel of a quality tool. The pivots aren't adjustable like on the Micra, but this shouldn't be any problem. In fact, they feel quite nice.
The tools:
Firstly, of course, are the scissors. Much nicer than the old Micra's. The springs are basically the same type, but they have a much more positive feel to them. They are advertized as having micro-serrations. Don't expect it to be like Wenger SAK scissors, the serrations aren't nearly that pronounced. In fact, the blades themselves feel rather smooth, but the bevels feel ribbed, so I guess that's the serrations. This should give it a bit more bite, but still allows for a very clean cut on paper.
Screwdrivers: Like the Micra, there are 3: A medium flat, jeweler's flat, and one for phillips, which is flat like on the Micra (but doesn't have that stupid "FOR PHILLIPS" engraved in it). The 2 flats have the same width as on the Micra, but the phillips one has a smaller tip than on the Micra. On the S4, the bottleopener is on the larger flat screwdriver, not the skinny-ass small one. The small one is wider at the base, meaning it's much less likely to break (which I've done on 2 of my old Micras). Improvements all around, I say.
Knife: Same length as on the Micra, but slightly wider. Same chisel bevel. Absurdly sharp out of the box.
File/Nail Cleaner: Very slightly different in shape, but pretty much the same. On the reverse it has 1.5 inches and 3.5cm worth of ruler eteched into it.
Tweezers: Different from the Micra, these are very SAK style. They pull completely out, making them (IMO) fary more useful than the Micra tweezers (it's a major PITA trying to use the Micra's tweezers with 4 keys and a microlight in the way). Unlike the SAK, the tweezing points are slanted at an angle like normal grooming tweezers. The edges are sharp enough to cut skin. Extremely useful if you happen to live in a cactus infested environment like I do. My only concern is replacability. They seem pretty secure, but sh*t happens sometimes. I'm certain Leatherman can replace them, but I doubt knife shops will carry replacements like they do for SAKs. In case you're wondering, Victorinox tweezers DO fit in the S4, but the plastic bit sticks out. IIRC, Wenger's are all metal witout the plastic bit, and might fit the S4. They wouldn't fit perfectly (the S4's are at an angle), but better than the VNox. My only complaint about the tweezers is that they're not zircon-encrusted.*
Ergonomics: This is the biggie. Since the blades open out while closed (ala blades on the Wave and Juices), the scissors are FAR more comfortable to use because of the rounded edges. There also isn't those goofy-ass tweezers compressing under your grip. Also, the dimensions are semetrical on the S4 so the scissors compress more easily without binding. UNLIKE the Wave (don't know about the Juices), the tool is also comfortable to use closed (the edges on my Wave really dig into my hands). Since they all open out, access is quicker and easier.
The biggest difference is when using the blade. I've always considered the blade on my Micra to be next-to-useless. It's a PITA to get to, the keys get in the way, as does the opposite handle. I only ever used it when I didn't want to risk bunging up my large EDC knife (like on foil jar seals at work). Even then, I usually opened it halfway so the opposite handle and keys weren't in the way.
Everything's different on the S4. The blade is easily accessable, the keyring is on the opposite side so there's no keys to get in the way, and there's no opposite handle in the way either. The blade on my S4 will actually see some use unlike on my old Micra.
Also of note, all the blades on the S4 are thicker than on the Micra. It's very slight (barely noticable), but they are definitely thicker. That means they're stronger
The new Leatherman Squirt S4 is an improvement over the Micra in every single way I can see. If you have a Micra, get yourself a Squirt. I imagine the P4 (pliars model) would be extremely useful as well if you don't need scissors (differences are a larger file for wood/metal, pliars with wirecutters, an awl, and no tweezers).
I got mine through amazon.com for $30 and free shipping (took 5 days including weekend).
Get one. Your pocket will love it.
