Wanted: Pliers and screwdrivers.

L

LukeC

Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
163
I'm looking for a multi-tool to carry with a regular folder. I only really need a pliers and screwdrivers. :confused: I saw something called a Sebertool the other day, and wondered if anyone has had any experiences with these, good or bad? The pliers look like they should be stronger than other keychain sized tools. I was also wondering if there could be anyway to fit a philips in the old Leatherman Mini-Tool in place of the tiny blade. I know I must be crazy, but it seems like such a simple thing to want :eek: Should I just give up my idea and go with a Juice?
 
Which Serbertool were you looking at? There are several models. I would stay away from the M2 and M3 as they are not very sturdy - the handles can break if a lot of pressure is applied. The M4 is stronger, but I break my nails every time I go to get a tool out. If you want true keychain plier tool I would would go with a Swiss+Tech - but only if you don't need needle nose pliers. Else there is the Leatherman P4, slighly bigger but still able to be considered keychain size.

But it you want decent pliers and screwdrivers then yes I would opt for Juice (S2 is my preference of the smaller Juices).

Then there is the Victorinox SwissTool Spirit which I think is an excellent complement to a folder as it does not have a pointed blade at all, but a blunt nosed sereated blade. Yes it is bigger than what you have been looking at, but a finer quality mulitool you will not find.
 
LukeC said:
I was also wondering if there could be anyway to fit a philips in the old Leatherman Mini-Tool in place of the tiny blade.
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The reason that they didn't put in a phillips screwdriver is because the closed handle is very short, so the plier head takes up most of the space inside the handles. There is only room for two flat tools, so they chose knife and flat head screwdriver/file. I wish that they had made a version of the Mini Tool with a larger, more robust version of the phillips screwdriver that's in the Micra. That would have fit and been perfect for those of us who carry one (or more) dedicated knives. The reality though is that more people would likely prefer the knife blade.

minitool_diagram_450.jpg
 
Years ago, when Leatherman was a smaller company, I called them up and expressed a desire to put a flat Phillips driver in my Mini. I ended up speaking to the man himself and after a brief discussion, he sent me the parts to do just that. It's not just swapping the knife blade for another file/screwdriver blade, you have to change out the pin and spacer assembly in the handle as well. A bunch of fiddley little parts. I reground the flat file/screwdriver blade he sent to fit a #2 Phillips, and it works just fine. Prior to 9/11 it was my "plane trip multitool". If I had to do it again, I might just grind the edge off the knife and re-work the tip. You can still find the mini-tool in knife shops, even though it has been discontinued by Leatherman.
 
If you're looking for a keychain size, I strongly recommend the Squirt P4. The pliers work surprisingly well. I had a Swiss-Tech Micro-Plus as well and as far as I'm concerned the Squirt pliers are superior. The Swiss-Tech pliers are very wide and thus difficult to get into tight spots. It has extra small slotted, medium slotted, and small flat phillips screwdrivers. The screwdrivers on the Swss-Tech didn't lock or snap into place it all which makes them far from odeal. It also has a nice double-sided file with single-cut on one side and double-cut on the other. Not just a nail file. On top of all of that you get a blade that can be a backup for your folder and an awl. I don't have much use for the awl but I know for some it's desirable. I like the Squirt P4 so much that it could even work (and has in the past) as my sole EDC multi-tool. It has what I consider to be the four essentials: a knife, screwdrivers, pliers, and file. Still, the Swiss-Tech screwdrivers (especially the phillips) are made much more like conventional screwdrivers. They're just not easy to use. You may want to pick up a Swiss-Tech to try it out; they are cheap. If you're not happy with it and like the extra tools that the Squirt P4 has, get one of those.

Edit: forgot to mention that the Squirt has a bottle opener as part of the medium slotted screwdriver. This does take away from the strength of the screwdriver, though.
 
Wow, thanks for the info guys. I wondered how much work it would involve to put a phillips in the mini tool, and it sounds like quite a bit of work! Sure would be cool though... Maybe if I get a ambitious someday. I kinda doubt I would get to talk to the man at leatherman anymore but maybe I could work something out? The P4 sounds like its better than I would have expected, maybe I'll pick up one of those and be happy with that!
 
LukeC said:
Wow, thanks for the info guys. I wondered how much work it would involve to put a phillips in the mini tool, and it sounds like quite a bit of work! Sure would be cool though... Maybe if I get a ambitious someday. I kinda doubt I would get to talk to the man at leatherman anymore but maybe I could work something out? The P4 sounds like its better than I would have expected, maybe I'll pick up one of those and be happy with that!
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If you do, let me know what you think!
 
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