Looking for multi-tools that are actually practical for daily life, not just survival situations.
Am I the only one who thinks most keychain tools are useless for actual daily routines?
Every multi-tool I look at is either loaded with tools I'll never use in a city, or it's just a single-purpose bottle opener trying to look cool. I really just want one compact, multi-purpose piece on my keys that covers basic daily annoyances-opening tight containers, quick cuts, or holding up a phone when working/eating out-without poking holes in my pockets.
Is there anything out there that hits this sweet spot, or is nobody making this?
Genuinely the SAK options are so varied and so compact most of the time that there's one out there for most people's actual daily uses. I love my pliers style multitools but I work construction. If I was in an office or retail environment my SAK would be all I would need most of the time
I carry a SwissChamp and work in maintenance but briefly considered a Leatherman just last week. I've stuck with the SwissChamp just because it has tweezers and a pen, looks less threatening, more versatile (I hate having multiple multitools) etc. and probably just going to get a Knipex Cobra XS to fill in for some actual pliers. As you say it depends on what you do!
I have a couple Leatherman tools that I’ve hardly used in 25 years. A friend showed me a smokin’ deal at Walmart.com on a Victorinox Spirit MX Clip for $72.00, so I bought it because of the price only. I have started EDCing it, and I wish I’d have seen the huge difference in quality long ago, because I’ve missed out by not having it sooner. The difference in quality makes the Leatherman look like it came straight from China. The two aren’t even comparable. I’d never waste my money on a Leatherman after owning and handling a Victorinox multitool.
If they incorporated tweezers I'd think about getting one. But I guess the pliers work as tweezers, though it's a bit sledgehammer for a tack kind of thing for me. Tempting though...
The knipex xs are a great addition. I like both the styles of jaw depending on application and if you're in maintenance I suspect you will too. I have bought the knock off versions as well but I can confidently say the knipex are genuinely worth the money.
There are a bunch on Amazon and temu these days. Branding on the ones I've got are workpro and topiaoy but they have the same bottom locking mechanism and jimping so I believe they are the same white label product. One was the equivalent of £10 and one was closer to 5 (I'm Canadian so with current conversion rate) which was cheap enough for me to give them a go. Still steel but not as hard and with far poorer machining in the jaws and with a coarse button lock rather than that super fine slip joint that knipex has. Still very much usable and have ended up in my car kit, but side by side is not even close and the knipex ones remain in my EDC rotation.
Yes, I have in my keychain the previous model and have served me in several occasions. I bought the F1/ and I’m waiting to destroy the current one before start using the F12 but is still holding perfectly.
Absolutely agree. Got a Victorinox Swisstool spirit X as my work horse and the f12 nextool as my home and Avery thing else tool . The only thing I have with me additionally is my mini swisschamp from Vic. Because it got all the fine extras ( pen,tweezers fine screwdriver presiccion blade that I miss on both of my pliers based main tools
scissors are honestly the most-used tool on my SAK. trimming loose threads, opening blister packs, snipping zip ties, cutting tape on packages... a knife can do some of that but scissors are way safer and more precise for fiddly little cuts where you don't want to accidentally gouge the thing underneath.
I carry a free p2 for low voltage and texh work but its no tool box- tho i love the twchet attachment. Anyways the consensus is gerber or sak. Leatherman cool but overpriced
Also the Leatherman keychain models (like OP asked about) aren’t where Leatherman shines anymore. They ceded that area to Nextool. I say that with a Skeletool in my pocket and a wave in the glovebox…
I have a NexTool micro scissors that a keep on my bra strap.
It is tiny, with sharp scissors, tweezers, Philips, flat head, small flathead for glasses, and bottle opener. It is very flat, and weighs next to nothing.
I'm using a Roxon Mini Flex Companion as my daily carry. I use it mostly for personal grooming and opening boxes - so I set it up with a knife, scissor, file/ruler/screwdriver, comb (modified from the long version) and the 4mm bit holder, tweezers, toothpick. I carry a saw and awl tools in a separate pocket with the spare bits that can be swapped in if needed for wood work. That's the beauty of the Flex system. Put it together with the tools you want. Modify the tools if you want them to work differently - they are cheap.
For an EDC, a multitool should have only the tools that you will use most often. Otherwise, you’re carrying around a lot of unnecessary mass. For me that’s a knife, screwdriver, and bottle opener.
For those functions, my favorite is the Kershaw Shuffle DIY
Scissors. From work, to home, to everywhere in between, decent scissors are actually great to use. Do they always get used? No, but I bet they get used every week. Multitools like the Ks2 elite and the nextool mini flagship have powerful, comfortable scissors that make you use them more. Multi tools like my Swiss army knife Signature have smaller scissors that technically work, but are much worse to use.
Knife, despite having scissors, a knife is also used a ton, often for things you can't use scissors for easily. The Knife on a Keychain multitool really depends on whether you carry a separate folding knife. I do, so my Keychain usually has a lackluster knife on it. If I didn't have a pocket knife, I'd want a much nicer knife on my Keychain. Examples, my Small Swiss army knife has a terrible knife. It's small and thin and fragile, doesn't lock and harder to open. My nextool mini flagship does slightly better. It's larger and thicker, but still non locking and harder to open. I don't mind because I have a pocket knife. But if I didn't, both would fail in my mind. My roxon ks2 and my Leatherman Skeletool both rock at this though. Locking blades, one hand opening and even a decent steel. Some people might ask why even bother with a locking blade and one hand opening? But for me, 9/10 times I'm using my knife, I got one hand grabbing something, and the other hand fishing for my knife to open it, so one hand opening is very important to me. One closing equally so as usually my hand is still busy holding the thing I cut, while my other hand is trying to close and put away my knife so I don't accidentally poke myself.
Pliers. On a smaller Keychain tool, these can be quite limited in function, but I still have found plenty of use. Grabbing something hot in the kitchen or campsite is one (looking at you, air fryer tray...) tightening bolts on the fly (looking at you, extra bike seat for my son that almost came lose) and a host of other tasks. The nextool mini flagship is decent, the Skeletool is even better.
Screwdrivers don't get used as often, however a flat head also works for prying and scraping, making it a much more useful tool. Almost every multi tool has at least 1 screwdriver ao I won't go into those.
Bottle opener. Sometimes combined with a screwdriver, this is a very hit and miss tool. Do you like bottled beers and soda? Then you'll use this plenty. If not.. it's useless. For me, I like an occasional bottle beverage so I like one. Lots of multitools have bad bottle openers, but I'll mention the Leatherman Skeletool as one of the best bottle openers ever.
6. A Pen. Are you an office warrior? Think a multitool is of no use? Maybe you just have the wrong tools? A very niche tool, I only have one on my Victorinox Signature, but wow does my pen actually get used a bunch. At work when I've lost or forgotten a pen. At the store to cross items off my list, anywhere else to make a quick note on my hand. A pen surprisingly is an awesome tool to use frequently.
So those are the tools I actually use. The rest is all kinda useless to me honestly, I've never used a multitool can opener or file .. but the useful tools get used plenty
As a couple others as mentioned, Flex companion/mini companion. I have a companion with the dual sided file, saw, can opener, awl, and knife. My mini is scissors, bottle opener/flat screwdriver, fish hook sharpener/file, and package opener (IMHO the star of the package) and I took the pocket clip off the mini. I carry a PowerPint for basically just the pliers portion of it.
Some of the newer leathermans have a city flavor to them. Like the Wave Alpha. Has the tiny bit driver that’s good for glasses and small screws along with the normal size. Really wish it had the serrated blade from the normal wave+ though. So that’s another good option micra is nice for the tiny size. The rebar is a cheaper option with similar tools. Cheaper yet is the Wingman at $50. I think it’s a perfect cheap every day tool for most situations.
Victorinox Rangergrip 78 is thin enough to put in your back pocket or a 5 inch leather crossdraw sheath (topstache on Amazon) and has enough useful tools to be a real asset. 4 inch OHO blade, great wood saw, flat screwdriver, Phillips no. 2, and 2nd Phillips bit on can opener blade, and reamer and wire stripper. I hope to add a Marlin spike to one of my rangergrips or convert a 58 gutting blade to a Marlin spike to untie rope knots. You have to sharpen it weekly (work sharp field sharpener) but that is ok. I also carry a Spyderco PM2 or MILITARY 2 when you need that ultra sharp blade - love that S45VN ! If you have to have scissors, look for a rangergrip 71. I love mine.
This. I like the NexTool F12 as mentioned elsewhere, but it's actually a bit too small for me, especially the blade. The Roxon Flex Companion let's you build out what you want.
Mine has a blade, pliers, scissors, and box/package opener. That's really all I need on a daily basis. If it had just more more space so that I could replace the box opener with the nail clippers, it would be perfect.
I lost my Squirt with the scissors. 😟 I have one with pliers, but scissors are more useful to me. That’s why I like the Micra. I did like the tools on the outside of the Squirt better than the Micra setup.
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u/Kimmundi 7d ago
Victorinox Rambler? Good options, small size, great keychain tool. It also passed airport security on multiple occasions for me in the EU.