Style CS review

[Gareth]

Here I'm going to look at one of Leatherman's latest keyring tool options.  This is their third scissors based tool having been preceded by the Micra and the Squirt S4.  The S4 has now been retired but the Mirca is still alive and kicking.  The styling is very much taken from the Skeletool, Freestyle and MUT and is certainly eye catching and very modern looking.





The primary tool on the Style CS has to be the scissors.  Leatherman hasn't played about with the scissor design being only very slightly cosmetically different from the Micra.  This is a good thing in my opinion as they work very well and it's always best to leave good design alone.  Also the slightly longer and ergonomic shape of the Style CS makes it a touch more comfortable to use then the Micra, full marks here I think.



Next up is the blade.  This is very similar in size and shape to the blades found on the Micra and Juice tools and, like them, is chisel ground.  I find that it is perfectly capable of most day-to-day little cutting tasks and is comfortable enough in use.  Also the fact it is accessible from the outside means that it is convenient to get as well.  My only gripe, and it is a big one, is in the positioning of the nail-nick.  It's just too near the pivot to make it easy to open.  Also there is no real reason to have it there as far as I can tell, there is plenty of room nearer the tip of the blade where the vast majority of knife makers put it.



Moving on to the next tool and we have the carabiner.  This works as an excellent attachment point for the tool making it very quick and easy to clip to your keyring or whatever.  You can also see the the gate has a side bulge built in so as to make it very easy to open again.  The other use for this is as a bottle opener which I can attest to as working very well.  In the same picture we can see the tweezers and the little rectangular slot it slides into on the black plastic scale.  Now I have had no issue with getting the tweezers in and out of the slide, in fact it has a nice positive feel to it, but we've had more than a few people saying that they've found it to be hard to get too.  Something I do rather like is the angled tips witch can make grabbing a splinter just a touch easier.  Now I don't hate the tweezers found on the Micra but I have to concede that the ones on the Style are far better.





Last up we have the nail file/screwdriver.  Now as a nail file I don't have much issue with this tool, the long length I find nice, though because it's such a narrow strip of texture is can be a little to easy to slip off to the side.  As a screwdriver I'm less convinced I'm sorry to say.  Obviously it's not meant to be used as a high torque device but this thing really flexes in a most worrying way.  Frankly I've hardly undone any screws with this as I keep feeling that I'm going to twist or break the driver long before the screw has moved, perhaps I'm being to gentle but I don't think so.  And here is the huge advantage the Micra still holds over the Style CS, the number and quality of the screwdrivers.  The ones on the Micra are far more robust feeling and you get one flat Phillips and two sizes of flat drivers, altogether a much better package.





So in conclusion I do like the Style SC very much and think it lives up to it's name very well, though I'm less than convinced with the black plastic scale and perhaps something in aluminium would have been nicer.  However I'm not yet certain that Leatherman have come up with a viable replacement for the good old Micra.  Perhaps they know that themselves though, after-all they are still selling the Micra and long may it continue.

Pros:
Excellent and comfortable to use scissors
Convenient clip and excellent bottle opener
Outside opening blade.

Cons:
Poorly located nail-nick on blade
Lack of good screwdrivers
Plastic scale feels a little cheap

[dks]

Good review, makes me appreciate the Micra more.. discreet (nice and boxy, no fancy skeleton showing), robust, scratchproof (the s.steel ones), with the blade and everything else safely cocooned internally, easily and cheaply available second hand.
It is not the strongest multitool but, just like all key chain tools, it’s always there.
I wish they would change the tweezers though.

[rlocock]

Good review,thanks Gareth. I don't think I will be getting one of these.

[Smitty44]

Great review Gareth,I do like the quick release from a key ring,and the outside opening blade,a good match with the skeletool.

[Gareth]

Thanks chaps.  I don't want to give the impression I don't like the Style CS, I really do.  It's just that if I was only going to pocket one MT it would be the Micra not the CS.*  As a companion to a larger MT that lacks scissors then there is absolutely nothing wrong with the CS whatsoever.



*Actually it would be the Squirt PS4 but that's a whole other review.

[J-sews]

Nice write-up and pics Gareth. Despite what the nay-sayers say, I'm quite pleased with the Style CS I only wish they would have left the hole in the blade for one-hand opening.

[Gareth]

Nice write-up and pics Gareth. Despite what the nay-sayers say, I'm quite pleased with the Style CS I only wish they would have left the hole in the blade for one-hand opening.

You must be one of the few people here that got to play with the prototype blade, could it really be opened one-handed?

[nuphoria]

Good review, and I agree with it.

The Micra is fantastic so it's a hard nut to crack design-wise. However, the Style just has something else to offer aesthetically which is appealing to a lot of other folks.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Nice write-up and pics Gareth. Despite what the nay-sayers say, I'm quite pleased with the Style CS I only wish they would have left the hole in the blade for one-hand opening.

You must be one of the few people here that got to play with the prototype blade, could it really be opened one-handed?

Yes, but it took a lot of effort!

Def

[Dunc]

Great review Gareth    I wish mine would hurry up and arrive 

Dunc

[MultiMat]

Top review mate 

Me I am a confirmed Micra tweezers HATER 


It is a cool update on the Micra I reckon , will it replace the Micra though 

[sawman]

I think Gareth was pretty accurate on his review but it's important to point out that the Style CS nail file is only as thin as it is to accomodate tweezers.  I think it suits a specific market, while the Micra will probably continue to be produced many more years.

[Gareth]

I think Gareth was pretty accurate on his review but it's important to point out that the Style CS nail file is only as thin as it is to accomodate tweezers.  I think it suits a specific market, while the Micra will probably continue to be produced many more years.

Fair point, well made.  Plus I agree that there is a good chance the CS isn't really intended to replace the Micra, as I hinted at they'd tried that with the S4 and the Micra came out on top.  The main reason I made the comparison between the two tools is that they represent two options that a new buyer would very likely be looking at.

[AHB]

Good write-up Gareth. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Cracking review there mate

[Gareth]

Cheers chaps.

[_AJ]

Really nice review and pics! I was looking at that one before I bought a squirt PS4. If this thing had pliers instead of scissors, it would be mine now .

[Gareth]

Glad you liked it AJ.   I've got a PS4 as well and I have to say I think it's a far better 'all-round' tool than the CS, in fact it does the vast majority of what I want in a multitool, though not totally fault free IMO.  My full thoughts are here in fact:  http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,24113.0.html

[_AJ]

Glad you liked it AJ.   I've got a PS4 as well and I have to say I think it's a far better 'all-round' tool than the CS, in fact it does the vast majority of what I want in a multitool, though not totally fault free IMO.  My full thoughts are here in fact:  http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,24113.0.html

Cool, didn't catch that one. Pretty much my thoughts.
One weird thing about the pliers is the force with which they slam open. If your fingers are in the wrong place, it get's you. Incredible tension.

[Dunc]

Gareth I'm really liking my new Style CS and the outside opening blade is very welcome from the fiddly micra one .
  The only thing I don't like so far is the spring clip on the carabiner is not as good as i would have liked . Theres lots of sideways play in it and i don't think it would take much to break .


Dunc

[Neil]

Missed this earlier, sorry Gareth 

As usual an informed review 

I'm glad you brought the carabiner up Dunc.  I really like that feature on the Skeletool but found it too fiddly on the CS.  Purely a reduction in size thing but it did disappoint me.

[Gareth]

Fair play chaps, I know where you are coming from.  I think, given the size, I'm not too worried about it and I don't think it'll break to easily.  Of course exactly how good it is could be different from unit to unit but I'm going to go and have another play with mine, just to see.

[Dunc]

It has replaced my Micra in the little watch pocket in my jeans .

[Craig]

Nice review, Gareth I'm now seriously thinking of getting one of these.

[Desmodromic]

Got my Style CS last week. Ordered it in the US (about 50% cheaper then here in Holland) On the different reviews it looked a little bigger, but I wasn't dissapointed about the size, the quality and feel makes up a lot. That said I have a MUT on the way too for the bigger jobs. After owning a few Gerbers I'm pleased with the quality of Leatherman.

I just found this forum last week, great place with lots of info and advice!

[AHB]

Good to have you here Desmodromic.. 

[Mr. Whippy]

Hey Desmodromic,

Do you ride a Ducati by any chance?   

Pictures always welcome. 

[scrappy]

Got my Style CS last week. Ordered it in the US (about 50% cheaper then here in Holland) On the different reviews it looked a little bigger, but I wasn't disappointed about the size, the quality and feel makes up a lot. That said I have a MUT on the way too for the bigger jobs. After owning a few Gerbers I'm pleased with the quality of Leatherman.

I just found this forum last week, great place with lots of info and advice!

Welcome to the forum. May I recommend the surge? I like the feel and length of the handles on it much more than the mut

Gareth
Great review. I think this is an amazing tool

[Desmodromic]

Hey Desmodromic,

Do you ride a Ducati by any chance?   

Pictures always welcome. 

No more guessing mr. Whippy  I own and race a Ducati 999s in a Ducati dealer cup in holland. We go to some amazing tracks her in Europe, incl. Spa, Monza, Mugello and Brno and Assen of course, our home circuit.

Could post some pics, but dunno how, will look into the FAQ section

[Desmodromic]

Got my Style CS last week. Ordered it in the US (about 50% cheaper then here in Holland) On the different reviews it looked a little bigger, but I wasn't disappointed about the size, the quality and feel makes up a lot. That said I have a MUT on the way too for the bigger jobs. After owning a few Gerbers I'm pleased with the quality of Leatherman.

I just found this forum last week, great place with lots of info and advice!

Welcome to the forum. May I recommend the surge? I like the feel and length of the handles on it much more than the mut

Gareth
Great review. I think this is an amazing tool

Thx for thinking along Scrappy, but I have a MUT in the post from the USA, hope to have it before the weekend (if customs don't delay it) I'm looking for something for EDC though.....was thinking of a skeletool CX, but will look into the Surge too!