IT Guy - Micro Screwdriver on keyring EDC

UncleJesse said:
It's awesome to meet someone in the field who has firsthand experience. Ya, there are always two sides. The micra scissors excel at cutting cat5 - in fact that's their primary purpose for me and are usually too dull for paper after a month or two. I'm on my third micra. I think I may have got my first right around the turn of the century... so I guess they last 5 years or so.
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Interesting discussion.

Regarding sharpening the Micra scissors, I've found that a DMT "Credit Card" stone to be ideal for sharpening the Micra. The Credit Card stone is very thin, so you can place the angled cutting edge of the scissor blades on the stone nearly back to the pivot. Work the blade back and forth on the stone till you work up a burr. Then lay the flat side on the stone and polish off the burr.

I buy Micras in bulk from the auction sites and get them with the scissors in all sorts of sad states (repeening the pivot rivet fixes wobble) and haven't had a pair yet that I couldn't get sharp enough to push cut wrapping paper.

A small, long phillips would be a nice addition to the Micra and I'd be willing to trade out the tweezers for that.
 
One knife I haven't seen mentioned here is the 58mm Vic Rambler, although it has a closely similar tool set. Can anyone compare/contrast it for these purposes?

Its SAK Wiki page: http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Rambler

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pinnah said:
Interesting discussion.
Regarding sharpening the Micra scissors, I've found that a DMT "Credit Card" stone to be ideal for sharpening the Micra.
...snip...
A small, long phillips would be a nice addition to the Micra and I'd be willing to trade out the tweezers for that.
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OP here. Great tip on the sharpening, pinnah.

Since starting this thread, I purchased the wenger pocket tool chest and have been toting it for just over a week now.

Comparing the PTC to the Micra

a) Wenger scissors with their micro serrations are pretty decent, although it takes two cuts to get through a tim hortons "roll up the rim" rim when the micra did it easily in one snip. (sorry, that's just part of being Canadian). I have yet to try the wengers on wire. Almost afraid to... see below

b) The wenger micro screwdriver, as stock, is too fine and flimsy for laptop screws. My first job was an HP laptop where someone had crossthreaded one of the buggers already. The wenger driver was completely bent out of shape at the tip when the job was doen. To fix, I put it on the dmt stone and brought it back one or two millimeters. It is a better tool now, although still not even close to as strong as the 420 of the micra.

c) Without fail, the leatherman scissors would bite the chubby part of my second digit regularly and I would end up with blood blisters occasionally.

d) The PTC feels way better in the hand. The micra, with it's 90 degree corners felt like a tool. The PTC feels more like a bobble adornment on my keys.

e) The PTC cap lifter is not even close to deep enough but the driver is excellent for hdd and case screws. Haven't tried the finer CD drive screws yet, however.

I'm sure there's more I've forgotten - see my next post. Rambler on order.
 
AreBeeBee said:
One knife I haven't seen mentioned here is the 58mm Vic Rambler, although it has a closely similar tool set. Can anyone compare/contrast it for these purposes?

Its SAK Wiki page: http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Rambler

show_image.php
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AreBeeBee:

As noted in my last post, I have a rambler on order. I scooped it off the auction site with 5 classics for around 22 bucks shipped. The small phillips replacing the micro flat may alleviate the bent tip problem I had on the wenger micro.

If I'm correct, the midnight manager is the same as the rambler, except that it has the light and pen. Others have noted above that this is "the one." I could see myself using the pen regularly. And I have been using the light on the wenger PTC on occasion. I just can't seem to make myself fork out $60 bucks shipped to Canada for one right now. The US dollar is high right now vs the Canadian dollar (and every other currency).
 
UncleJesse said:
...As noted in my last post, I have a rambler on order. I scooped it off the auction site with 5 classics for around 22 bucks shipped. The small phillips replacing the micro flat may alleviate the bent tip problem I had on the wenger micro.

If I'm correct, the midnight manager is the same as the rambler, except that it has the light and pen. Others have noted above that this is "the one." I could see myself using the pen regularly. And I have been using the light on the wenger PTC on occasion. I just can't seem to make myself fork out $60 bucks shipped to Canada for one right now. The US dollar is high right now vs the Canadian dollar (and every other currency).
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I've been hauling around a Rambler for a week or two now, and at first I took it to be a fatter (= inferior) Classic SD. But it's grown on me, and I like the micro-Phillips. The rest of the tools are pretty much Classic-standard, and I never use the cap lifter for that purpose. In another pocket is a Wenger Highlander, which has the normal-size Vic/Wenger cap lifter/screwdriver and I use that for lifting caps.

Anyway, it appears you've got a Rambler* on the way — I hope it proves useful.

*
rambler-ranch%20%2811%29.JPG
 
AreBeeBee said:
I've been hauling around a Rambler for a week or two now, and at first I took it to be a fatter (= inferior) Classic SD. But it's grown on me, and I like the micro-Phillips. The rest of the tools are pretty much Classic-standard, and I never use the cap lifter for that purpose. In another pocket is a Wenger Highlander, which has the normal-size Vic/Wenger cap lifter/screwdriver and I use that for lifting caps.

Anyway, it appears you've got a Rambler* on the way — I hope it proves useful.
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Love the Rambler! Hate the Rambler!

First, the love: For a trivial increase in thickness and no noticeable weight v. Classic, you get a dandy small magnetized Phillips head screwdriver and a "good enough" bottle opener. I use both of these functions often enough to appreciate their presence, and as another bonus, the key ring attachment is on the butt end of the tool instead of in front of the blade pivot where it gets in the way.

*
rambler-ranch%20%2811%29.JPG
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Now the hate. I owned one of these once. Something always needed a fix or replacement on it, one thing after another. After another. After another. Drove me nuts. I did my own mechanical work in those days, but it wasn't a hobby and I got to resent the time I spent fixing the damn thing. Finally, while waiting for a traffic light to change, the car blew up...BAM! The front end jumped up, came down and smoke poured out from under the hood. There was a motorcycle cop parked nearby, so I asked his help in pushing my junker off the street, but he was in the process of arresting somebody and couldn't. This was in olden times before cell phones, so it was a hassle to get the thing to a quiet place where I could just abandon it, which I eventually did, with no regrets. I didn't even like the paint job; pink and black. Yuck. I had bought it cheap and it turned out to be one of the worst "bargains" ever.
 
So, you didn't even need to file the serial numbers off the block in those days? I think today, it would just turn back up at an impound lot with your name on it and a big nasty bill had you done that.

So, I tried one of those SwissTech Screwz-all 4in1 on my keys for about 10 days. I didn't like it because there wasn't anything to hold on to. It did do all the jobs I needed it to for IT work but I gave it to my dad and put the Wenger PTC on there until my rambler arrives.
 
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