Whether to EDC a multitool or not

E

Elefantener

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Jul 1, 2014
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I have been looking at purchasing a Leatherman Squirt PS4, something small I can put on a key chain. What are the pros and cons of EDC'n a multitool.
 
It all really depends on your life style. How often do you need pliers? Screw driver? A knife blade?

I tried a multitool, but it didn't take with me, I like knives too much. And so far in this life, I've needed pliers maybe two or three times total. One of those times, I was on my motorcycle, and there is a tool kit there. The other two times I did without and lived to tell the tale, so it must not have been that important. The better half found a Leatherman wave on the side of the road, and tried to carry it for while inner purse. Gave up as it was almost as heavy as her Smith and Wesson .22 revolver. Plus she never found use for the pliers. Didn't make sense to carry it in the cars glove box, there's a complete tool kit in the trunk with real tools. Gave to away to our son-in-law.

There's a tool kit in my truck, in the give box of my Vespa, and in the house. I've never found use for the plier based multitool, but I like SAK's because a screw driver comes in to handy sometimes. The pliers on the small Leathermans are too small for real use on something, and the knife part of it isn't too great either. I'd rather carry a mini vise grips or mini Channel locks. They have a wider range of size opening jaws, and they can be picked up pretty inexpensively to be teamed up with a few felt wallet tools.

But then it all depends on your lifestyle. How often do you need pliers?

YMMV.
 
I work in an office and I never need pliers. But I do need scissors on a pretty consistent basis. So I carry a Leatherman Micra every day.
 
I used to carry a 5" Vise-Grip and an offset screwdriver. When the first Leatherman tool came out, I was delighted. All I needed and more. I've kept some kind of multitool around ever since. Now it's a Skeletool, and sometimes that's my only knife.

As a post office supervisor, I was constantly finding something needed snugging up, and I liked to do it myself instead of putting in a work order. :)
 
I would say a PS4 is a great tool to carry on a keychain or just loose in your pocket. Depending on your particular needs I would also look at the Micra, Style PS (TSA Approved), Style CS. All Leathermans. Again, depending on what your needs are or general want's in a tool I would definitely look into some Victorinox products like the Classic, Jetsetter (TSA approved), Rambler, and Minichamp. I personally never leave home without some sort of multitool. Scissors are a must for me. I love the smaller and keychain sized tools as they can just be thrown into your pocket every single day and you don't even notice it's their until you need it. I go about my day much more comfortably knowing I have my basis covered. I personally use my Keychain sized multitools almost every day, but if I used them one a week or even once a month it would still be worth it as having it in that time of need is most definitely worth it. If you let me know your general want's or needs that you wan't to be covered by the tool I could help you select a model that would fit you the best. :thumbup:
 
When I was still in the CG, I wore a SOG Pocket Power Plier daily. We had Gerbers & Leatherman available to us for free thru the stock system, but there was a reason I liked the SOG. It was the only multitool I found (at this time in the late 70's & early 80's) that the pliers head was very needle nose shaped, as well as being angled on one side. I was an electronics tech, and these allowed me to hold very small components next to a circuit board while I did my repair, and the single gave me room to grip and keep my fingers off the board. It did everything I needed at the time in a small package. Strip wire, cut zip ties, etc. I still have it.

I know you're waiting for me to get to the point of this long ramble. It's hard for someone else to quantify what's going to serve your needs, not knowing you. I had to try about everything that was available till I landed on what was right for me. Figure out what you'll need a tool to accomplish most of the time. This may be just one task that comes up often, or a few now and then. Then identify which tool will serve you best to deal with them. No one tool can handle every eventuality you may encounter.

I no longer wear a multitool as my daily needs have changed. A knife is mostly what I need now. And now I'm not too far from proper tools, and not 5 decks away from the shop during a storm. However, to CYA when I go out and about away from home, I do toss a Vic Spirit in the vehicle, bag, coat pocket, whatever. Just cause something may come up it can help me with. And it's small and unobtrusive. I'm not too sure any model of those tiny keychain tools can accomplish anything very well that I cant do with my Minichamp. But that just me and my needs.

Sorry that was such a long post with not really saying much. Lol.
 
Joe58 said:
When I was still in the CG, I wore a SOG Pocket Power Plier daily. We had Gerbers & Leatherman available to us for free thru the stock system, but there was a reason I liked the SOG. It was the only multitool I found (at this time in the late 70's & early 80's) that the pliers head was very needle nose shaped, as well as being angled on one side. I was an electronics tech, and these allowed me to hold very small components next to a circuit board while I did my repair, and the single gave me room to grip and keep my fingers off the board. It did everything I needed at the time in a small package. Strip wire, cut zip ties, etc. I still have it.

I know you're waiting for me to get to the point of this long ramble. It's hard for someone else to quantify what's going to serve your needs, not knowing you. I had to try about everything that was available till I landed on what was right for me. Figure out what you'll need a tool to accomplish most of the time. This may be just one task that comes up often, or a few now and then. Then identify which tool will serve you best to deal with them. No one tool can handle every eventuality you may encounter.

I no longer wear a multitool as my daily needs have changed. A knife is mostly what I need now. And now I'm not too far from proper tools, and not 5 decks away from the shop during a storm. However, to CYA when I go out and about away from home, I do toss a Vic Spirit in the vehicle, bag, coat pocket, whatever. Just cause something may come up it can help me with. And it's small and unobtrusive. I'm not too sure any model of those tiny keychain tools can accomplish anything very well that I cant do with my Minichamp. But that just me and my needs.

Sorry that was such a long post with not really saying much. Lol.
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I think you have your years mixed up as Leatherman did not even create the (PST), his first multitool until 1983. Gerber and SOG multitools did not come until after that.
 
Capt. Spaulding said:
I think you have your years mixed up as Leatherman did not even create the (PST), his first multitool until 1983. Gerber and SOG multitools did not come until after that.
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Yeah, I think you're right Capt., years were more in the mid to late 80's actually now that I've given it more thought. I was on a different boat in the 70's. But that wasn't really the point I was after. But after all that meandering around I did, it likely got lost in there some where. Ha. Lol.
 
Joe58 said:
Yeah, I think you're right Capt., years were more in the mid to late 80's actually now that I've given it more thought. I was on a different boat in the 70's. But that wasn't really the point I was after. But after all that meandering around I did, it likely got lost in there some where. Ha. Lol.
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lol. No worries. :thumbup:
 
I carry this Juice C2 in a belt sheath every day. I do find pliers handy and use them frequently.



This'll give you some idea as to why it's handy, for me at least, to have tools, even small tools, handy every day. I use the tractor frequently.



I also carry a Benchmade one-hander and a traditional slip joint knife along with the C2 every day too.
 
The idea of microsized multitool look good on paper but at least I find them a bit lacking. I tried Gerber Dime and thr LM PS4 and I blew the backsprings of the Dime while cleaning it with compressed air, sounds unbelivable but it´s true. The PS4 blade is chisel ground and so short and awkward it´s hard to peal an apple with it. The pliers are of course very limited. You can possibly pull a stuck credit card out of a parking meter or cut a paper-clip.
I think the minimum usable size of multi tool for EDC is the smaller Juice series like S2, C2 but find a vistorinox of same size weight a lot more usable.
 
It really depends on your needs - as the others have almost stated.

Should the tool be used for classic EDC tasks or do you want to have stronger pliers? If real strong pliers are a must have - the LM Squirt PS4 seems to be a good choice. But if should be used for general EDC tasks and the pliers should be a tool amongst others - I would also give the Victorinox Deluxe Tinker a try. One of my favorites. and the pliers are not as overbuilt as on my others and still small enough to carry in your pocket or even your keychain. The tool setup should be checked first; the Deluxe Tinker doesn´t have a file ... but the Victorinox Craftsman is still out there ;)
... and the scissors on the Vics are the real dealmakers for me in such kind of tools....

The only bad tool you can have is the one that stays at home or just doesn´t get carried for many many cases.

The one that Ed showed off got me itched with another LM tool. :grumpy:
 
There is also a sense of peace that comes from being prepared, even if you rarely use your EDC MT. Like knowing that there is an airbag in your steering wheel, though it never deploys. So there is the practical side, where you ask yourself how many times you have actually used your MT in the last 30 days, vs. the preparedness side, which gives you that sense of peace. The latter may just be an excuse to carry an MT that never gets used, but I'm okay with that.
 
As others have noted, what you carry depends on your needs, and nobody elses.

My preferred approach is to carry an EDC single blade locker in my RFP and a Leatherman Micra in my LFP.

EDC Pair by Pinnah, on Flickr

Like others, I don't need pliers regularly. I do occasionally need pliers and so I keep a full sized MT in my day pack, which I usually have near me like in the car or in the office. Also occasionally I do work on my property and I may need a selection of tools so I put an MT on my belt. But that isn't EDC for me.

A word about the Micra's pen blade. Stock it has a mini clip point and is chisel ground and I hate both. So, I file the tip to a pen/wharncliff and reprofile the edge. In the full open position, it makes a passable whittler.


Micra whittling by Pinnah, on Flickr

IMO, the proper place for small tools like the Micra is in my pocket where I can use them and not on a key chain where I have to deal with flopping keys.

Another reasonable alternative is an SAK which effectively puts the Micra and knife in a single package. I find I like them separate better. YMMV.
 
Elefantener said:
I have been looking at purchasing a Leatherman Squirt PS4, something small I can put on a key chain. What are the pros and cons of EDC'n a multitool.
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The PS series will do about 80% +- of what the bigger boys are capable of. I have the ES4 because I find myself forever stripping wires on a whole host of tools that family like to destroy.
 
Gima Nord said:
The idea of microsized multitool look good on paper but at least I find them a bit lacking. I tried Gerber Dime and thr LM PS4 and I blew the backsprings of the Dime while cleaning it with compressed air, sounds unbelivable but it´s true. The PS4 blade is chisel ground and so short and awkward it´s hard to peal an apple with it. The pliers are of course very limited. You can possibly pull a stuck credit card out of a parking meter or cut a paper-clip.
I think the minimum usable size of multi tool for EDC is the smaller Juice series like S2, C2 but find a vistorinox of same size weight a lot more usable.
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I would agree the micro tools are definitely lacking as a sole EDC, but as a supplement, they can be quite useful. Sometimes they can punch above their class. Just last month I used the P4 always on me to install two window air conditioners, using the ph screwdriver, knife, awl and pliers (out of sheer laziness; I didn't feel like going to the basement to get my proper tools :o .) True, the pliers can't do a whole lot, but they are very okay for grabbing the collapsable spout in a gas can, pulling out tacks and small nails, twisting stubborn small petcocks, strong-arming reluctant pistachios and all sorts of other little stuff. The flat driver just happens to fit my front and back doorknob screws perfectly, and the file does okay on fingernails if you can't wait for a proper nail file. But I have used it to knock down a sharp edge on another Leatherman. The little Squirt takes up too little space and weight to leave at home.
 
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I've always found my leatherman (surge ti) extremely useful as an edc. It has saved the day on multiple occasions. One time I was removing spark plugs from an old Buick engine and the Outside diameter of the socket I was using was just slightly to big to fit in the plug recesses on the head; This is where the leatherman came to the rescue: I spun the socket in a drill and used the diamond file on the leatherman to file down the outside of the socket enough to fit in the head. If all I had was a folder I would've been stuck!

Like others have said it totally depends on your use/ day to day environment. A multi-tool knife generally won't offer as good a blade geometry as a dedicated folder would. On the other hand the multi tool can perform so many tasks that a dedicated knife can not.

-mike

If you're mostly cutting things like opening or cutting up boxes then a knife is probably the better choice. If you are someone who is often working on home improvement projects or other DIY projects you will love the versatility of the (right) multi-tool
 
Multitools are making me fat. Previously I would go down and up 2 flights of stairs to get a screwdriver. I'd walk down the hallway to get scissors. Get down the ladder for a pair of pliers. Now I can just stay where I am and do the task, albeit slower than if it were the proper dedicated tool.
 
I currently carry a knife and a multitool. I use the multitool more than the knife. Having both is a bit redundant, but I really like my pocket knives.
 
I don't need pliers, so if I carry a multi-tool, it's usually a Vic SAK. Either way: Pro's- extremely handy. Sometimes you just need a screw driver, or sharp piece of metal to scrape something, or to bore a small hole in dry wall and you don't want to or don't have immediate access to a full sized tool. They're incredibly handy in that they're usually small enough to have on you at all times (small compared to a full sized tool box), so you always have some kind of tool selection. Cons- They can be a little bulky. A multi-tool will usually be a bit more bulky or heavy than a traditional pocket knife. When I wore jeans and T-shirts to work (those were the days), I carried a Vic Explorer. Now that I'm in dress slacks and button up shirts every day, I've moved to a Tinker, Spartan, or Cadet. The Explorer was just too much bulk for dress pants.

All that being said, I can't think of a good reason not to get the PS-4, other than once folks know you have it on you, they'll come to you all the time to have you fix stuff for them. If your daily dress style can accommodate it, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it.
 
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