I've been looking for a decent multitool to pair with the Spyderco Jester on my keyring, i basically was looking for a good set of scissors, some jewelers screwdriver sized drivers, maybe a small set of pliers......
there's no way any keyring multitool can compete with the Jester for sharpness and cutting prowess, so the knives on the multitools will be regarded as a backup to the Jester, or maybe a novelty, they won't be intended for any serious use, the Jester will handle the knife needs....
i started off with a Wenger Esquire, once the newness factor wore off, i was rather underwhelmed with it's overall performance, the scissors were okay, the blade was nice and sharp once i had run it over the Sharpmaker, the nailfile thingy was useless, so it was time to replace it.....
i found a Leatherman Micra at the local K-Mart for $20, so that was a given, i've read good reports on it's scissors, so i gave it a chance....
the Micra's scissors were very solid, well built, and durable, i especially like the spring-loaded design, no fragile Victorinox-esque spring to break, the fine-point screwdriver on the caplifter was the perfect size to tighten the screws holding my belt buckle on my belt, as they back out over time, with the Micra i can snug them back down.
i like the integrated tweezers, no tiny part to fall out, the flat phillips looks somewhat gimmicky, and the blade, the blade is laughable, in it's stock form, i could open the blade to locked position by pushing down on the *"sharpened"* edge ferchrissakes.... and what's with the chisel grind?, it took me about a half hour on the brown Sharpmaker stones to even put a basic *usable* edge on the chisel side
looks like it's time to spend some quality time with my Lansky coarse hone to reprofile the edge to a more conventional edge
still, i purchased the Micra primarily for it's scissors, which *do* function as expected, and the screwdrivers will likely be useful
While i was playing around with the Micra, i also thought that a good set of mini-pliers might also come in handy, so i stopped off at the local sporting goods shop and picked up a LM Squirt P4, primarily for the folding pliers, nice spring-loaded action, just like the Micra, however, the screwdrivers are even *stubbier* than the already miniscule tools on the Micra, the blade does seem marginally better though, still has a chisel grind, but seems marginally sharper (still able to open the blade by pushing on the sharpened edge though), i'd give the accesory tool edge to the Micra, and the blade edge to the Squirt....
Overall ratings;
Leatherman Micra;
Pros; excellent scissors, best set of small scissors i've used yet, sharp, nonserrated edge on the scissors, positive spring action, cuts heavy material (upholstery leather) just as well as paper, smooth, clean cuts, nice set of small screwdrivers
Cons; knife blade is laughable, needs major reprofiling just to achieve a *servicable* edge, chisel grind on a knife blade makes no sense, it's a *knife*, not a chisel....
Scissors rating (out of 10); 8.5, loses points for not being able to open all the way when resharpening becomes neccecary
Knife rating (our of 10); 3, poor out-of-box sharpness, chisel grind on a knife blade makes no sense
overall rating; 8
Leatherman Squirt P4;
Pros; nice set of spring-loaded "needlenose-esque" pliers, great for those hard to reach spots inside computer cases, solid construction, less flex than the Micra, tools accesable from the outside, no need to open the pliers to access the blades or screwdrivers
Cons; as with the Micra, an absolutely pathetic knife blade, poor out-of box sharpness, stupid chisel grind
Pliers rating; 7.5, these are clearly light-duty pliers for small jobs
knife rating; 3.2; slightly sharper than the Micra out-of-box, but not by much, chisel grind makes no sense
overall rating; 7.5
the knife blades on these tools are a non-issue, if i want to cut something requiring a *blade*, i'll use the Jester
there's no way any keyring multitool can compete with the Jester for sharpness and cutting prowess, so the knives on the multitools will be regarded as a backup to the Jester, or maybe a novelty, they won't be intended for any serious use, the Jester will handle the knife needs....
i started off with a Wenger Esquire, once the newness factor wore off, i was rather underwhelmed with it's overall performance, the scissors were okay, the blade was nice and sharp once i had run it over the Sharpmaker, the nailfile thingy was useless, so it was time to replace it.....
i found a Leatherman Micra at the local K-Mart for $20, so that was a given, i've read good reports on it's scissors, so i gave it a chance....
the Micra's scissors were very solid, well built, and durable, i especially like the spring-loaded design, no fragile Victorinox-esque spring to break, the fine-point screwdriver on the caplifter was the perfect size to tighten the screws holding my belt buckle on my belt, as they back out over time, with the Micra i can snug them back down.
i like the integrated tweezers, no tiny part to fall out, the flat phillips looks somewhat gimmicky, and the blade, the blade is laughable, in it's stock form, i could open the blade to locked position by pushing down on the *"sharpened"* edge ferchrissakes.... and what's with the chisel grind?, it took me about a half hour on the brown Sharpmaker stones to even put a basic *usable* edge on the chisel side
looks like it's time to spend some quality time with my Lansky coarse hone to reprofile the edge to a more conventional edge
still, i purchased the Micra primarily for it's scissors, which *do* function as expected, and the screwdrivers will likely be useful
While i was playing around with the Micra, i also thought that a good set of mini-pliers might also come in handy, so i stopped off at the local sporting goods shop and picked up a LM Squirt P4, primarily for the folding pliers, nice spring-loaded action, just like the Micra, however, the screwdrivers are even *stubbier* than the already miniscule tools on the Micra, the blade does seem marginally better though, still has a chisel grind, but seems marginally sharper (still able to open the blade by pushing on the sharpened edge though), i'd give the accesory tool edge to the Micra, and the blade edge to the Squirt....
Overall ratings;
Leatherman Micra;
Pros; excellent scissors, best set of small scissors i've used yet, sharp, nonserrated edge on the scissors, positive spring action, cuts heavy material (upholstery leather) just as well as paper, smooth, clean cuts, nice set of small screwdrivers
Cons; knife blade is laughable, needs major reprofiling just to achieve a *servicable* edge, chisel grind on a knife blade makes no sense, it's a *knife*, not a chisel....
Scissors rating (out of 10); 8.5, loses points for not being able to open all the way when resharpening becomes neccecary
Knife rating (our of 10); 3, poor out-of-box sharpness, chisel grind on a knife blade makes no sense
overall rating; 8
Leatherman Squirt P4;
Pros; nice set of spring-loaded "needlenose-esque" pliers, great for those hard to reach spots inside computer cases, solid construction, less flex than the Micra, tools accesable from the outside, no need to open the pliers to access the blades or screwdrivers
Cons; as with the Micra, an absolutely pathetic knife blade, poor out-of box sharpness, stupid chisel grind
Pliers rating; 7.5, these are clearly light-duty pliers for small jobs
knife rating; 3.2; slightly sharper than the Micra out-of-box, but not by much, chisel grind makes no sense
overall rating; 7.5
the knife blades on these tools are a non-issue, if i want to cut something requiring a *blade*, i'll use the Jester
)
buy *another* multitool to replace it.....
.