Thinking of replacing my Vic Classic with a small LM. Any Thoughts?

dttomcat

dttomcat

Joined
Apr 14, 2007
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I am contemplating replacing the Vic Classic that is on my keychain with a LM Squirt or Micra. I like the pliers on the Squirt P4 but it has no scissors. If I go with a scissors model I cannot have pliers. I have found the Classic to be a useful tool and I like how small it is. Anybody ever make this change? What about the added size and weight. And what about scissors vs. small pliers? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. -DT
 
Scissors v. pliers is very subjective. I tend to use scissors a good deal ("Daddy, can you cut this off?).

Best bet would be to just go ahead and try the Squirt and see how you like it. Maybe find a used on cheap on ebay. There are plenty of them out there.

I try to minimize what rides with my keys, and keep a SAK loose in the bottom of my pocket rather than on the keys.

I'm rambling.
 
dttomcat said:
I am contemplating replacing the Vic Classic that is on my keychain with a LM Squirt or Micra. I like the pliers on the Squirt P4 but it has no scissors. If I go with a scissors model I cannot have pliers. I have found the Classic to be a useful tool and I like how small it is. Anybody ever make this change? What about the added size and weight. And what about scissors vs. small pliers? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. -DT
Click to expand...

In something that small, I think scissors would be better. After trying both Squirts, I found P4 pliers not strong enough to be of much use, although that was possibly because I don't usually deal with small electronic or mechanical stuff. Scissors that size, however, are much more useful. My wife uses hers all the time. In fact, it was weeks after I gave her my S4 that she even knew it had any other tools :rolleyes: . I prefer a Micra, which is why I passed the Squirt on to her, but the S4 is still a good choice. Both little Leathermen scissors, on the whole, outperform those on the Classic for most uses. The added size and weight over the Classic are negligible, and the additional tools can really come in handy. Miss the toothpick, though :( .
 
Hi,

For the money, buy a Squirt p4 and a Squirt S4. Try each one for three weeks and then repeat the trial. Based on that, make your decision.

Happy New Year - Joe
 
For me, scissors are a redundancy. I keep the blade sharp enough to cut anything that I would need scissors for. However, I can see their usefulness:)

However, I too have been underwhelmed by the pliers based micro-tools. As it would happen, my wife seems to have solved the issue for me:) She picked me up a SOG Crossgrip for Christmas. No bigger than a LM Micra, it has plier jaws with additional wire cutters that use the SOG compound leverage. It'll nip through a coat hanger with no problem and gives enough purchase to turn most small nuts. It also sports a blade (chisel ground as it may be:barf:), tweezers, flat driver, funky philip driver, small driver with bottle opener, file with nail cleaner, and a lanyard hoop.

Like all SOG multies, the internal components are pretty rough around the edges, with the main tool body being well done and highly polished. They are also easily replaced with spares that can be gotten cheaply from SOG. IMHO, a tool of this size (Micra, Squirt, etc) is too much for my keychain. I keep mine either in my fifth pocket of my jeans or in my cargo vest. Once I got a good edge on the tool, I have been most happy with it and have used it several times this week.

Here's the kicker. It has recently been discontinued by SOG:(
 
I've had a Micra for a few years before the Squirts with pliers were released, and have had a Squirt P4 for several years now. Scissors have always been rather useless for me since I carry a sharp knife with me all the time, and I can use the knife for cutting at least 95% of what I'd use a scissors for. The small Squirt pliers aren't as useful as the medium sized LM pliers on multitools (like the Juice or Skeletool) because of their size, but I find even the small Squirt P4 pliers much more useful than I ever would a scissors. Others obviously prefer the scissors to a knife (or pliers).
 
I've had a good number of Classics over the years, and a LM Micra and a Squirt P4. My fav - by a mile - is the Micra.
 
I always liked the Micra. I think it would be worth picking up and seeing what it does for you. Having said that, mine resides in a knife roll, and I carry a Classic on my keychain in an On/Scene Tactical sheath from Normark, and my Skeletool CX.

The Classic is basically a pair of scissors, and to some extent a nailfile, especially in this weather with my fingernails cracking around the edges. No way I'm trimming a broken nail with any knife.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I think I will p/u a Micra and see how it works. For me the scissors on the Classic have always gotten some use. Most often for a loose thread on some clothing where a knife would not be as practical (Where you can use the scissors with one hand) or for a hang nail, etc. The only thing I'm unsure of is the size, weight, difference. I like to keep the keychain as small as possible while maximizing utility also.

-DT
 
dttomcat said:
The only thing I'm unsure of is the size, weight, difference. I like to keep the keychain as small as possible while maximizing utility also.
Click to expand...

I carry my keys on a 16" chain. The keys themselves are on a split ring at one end of the chain, and the utility ring is on the other end.

The utility ring hooks onto a toy carabiner that I slide on my belt on the right side. The keys then get dropped into my pocket, and are easy to fish out, even with gloves ... by jerking their chain. :)

survivalkit001.jpg


The utility ring gets reassessed from time to time, and I'm using a slightly different chain now. The one in the picture is a slim choker collar from the pet shop and the 20" were longer than I needed.

But this way I can carry a lot of tools or toys at my belt and the keys are handy and I can't drop them, either.
 
Hey Dttomcat,
I've used both the micra and classic - love both - but there's another SAK -Vic's "Executive" that's a bit bigger than the classic and adds a few features - My only problem with the micra is the "square" edges that catch up on pockets.. otherwise it's a great tool... the comment was made about pliars being too small on the sp4 - there is truth to that one - have you looked at that swisstool folding pliar with screwdrivers on the handles that clips to your key ring? - that might be an answer for a small pinching tool!
Peace
Revvie
 
I picked up a Micra as advised by Esav and a few others. It is smaller than I thought it would be. Only slightly larger and a bit heavier than the Classic. Still not sure if it will replace my keychain Classic, though. Never the less, it appears to be a useful little tool. Thanks for everyone's input. I will keep an eye out for the Executive, too. -DT
 
I used to carry a vic classic but now I have a LM squirt P4 that I take everywhere I go. I second whoever said earlier that the scissors are unnecessary because of the the knife. The pliers are very useful. I was also skeptical about the uses of the various screwdrivers. They work like a charm. Very pleased with it.
 
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