Mini Bear Jaws Review

[AimlessWanderer]

I received a little prompt to do a review of the Mini Bear Jaws recently, and it only seemed natural to compare it to the tool which most people would pick up and carry instead ... a Leatherman Squirt. I have taken a real shine to the Mini Bear Jaws, and though they don’t make much of an appearance in the world of multi-tools these days, they are a nice little item to have around.



Pictured here with a Leatherman Squirt P4, Mini and Micra, the tool has the classic stainless look before pretty colours became the thing to do on key ring tools. Diving straight into the pliers, the main difference from the Squirt is Leatherman’s spring opening as opposed to the Bear’s standard manual pliers. The Mini Bear Jaws has a slightly more delicate needle nosed profile to the pliers head, and a slightly shorter wire cutter. The pivot is also a slightly smaller diameter suggesting the Squirt is a beefier tool, but they’re both light duty items and the Bear still feels fairly robust for its diminutive frame. If you were to score one against the other, the Squirt would come out on top, but not by too far. For me the King of the mini pliers though, is still  .... well ... the Mini pliers


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The onboard tool set shouldn’t really be compared to a Squirt though, as they have a striking resemblance to another well loved little tool. If you notice they’re also paired up the same way on the handles on the Leatherman Micra.



The tiny clip blade has a symmetrical grind unlike the Micra’s chisel grind, but the nail file is almost identical. The mini driver and cap lifter combo has again a more delicate looking profile than the Leatherman equivalent, but will fix your glasses and open a beer in celebration just as well.




The flat Phillips driver isn’t as refined on my Bear as my Micra, but will not lose anything in performance. Both these implements are limited in their design, yet both have turned Philips screws for me on door hinges and so on, until such time as I had access to a full 3D driver.

The Micra does also have two other tools not shown here in the form of tweezers and a 5mm flat driver bit. I know it’s 5mm as I used the ruler on the Mini Bear, which for the record is placed on the side of the tool with the cut out for withdrawing the tools, which renders it a bit of a token gesture for decorative purposes rather than a useful measuring implement.


Pro’s

• Unlike the Micra the tools are outboard which means you can access them immediately without opening the whole tool up
• Being of Torx screw construction, it can be stripped down for maintenance
• The simplicity of the tool and nature of it's construction and load out, also puts it as one of the lighter key ring pliers options – there's simply less metal than other options.

Con’s

• A tool this small does benefit from sprung pliers, and whilst the Mini Bear Jaws works perfectly fine, using the Squirt’s pliers is easier
• The absence of a larger flat driver as offered on other key ring options is odd, and could be very inconvenient for some
• The ruler! Putting scale markings along a tool’s edge is a good idea, but only when there’s a continuous edge there. The scale could have been a lot more functional if only placed elsewhere on the tool.
  

[Gareth]

Nice one mate.   I saw a coloured one of these up for sale as part of a package with a Vic Classic (IIRC) but the price tag felt way OTT, somewhere in excess of £45.

Good looking little multi, though I'm still not sure I need to get my hands on one for myself.

[nuphoria]

I have one and I really like it, however, I've been wanting to replace the blade with some scissors.

I love how slim the tool is and if it had scissors, I would probably carry it a lot. I thought maybe 58mm SAK ones might fit in at a push, or more likely the PS4 ones.

Anyone tried to tinker with such a mod before?

[dks]

 

Nice small Multitool collection!

[Zed]

Looks a handy little tool Al, i found the Mini to be heavy and a little bulky plus lacking in some tools so i didnt have mine long, but this bear seems a hand keychain or pocket MT, i like small plier based MT's. thanks for doing the review mate 

[AimlessWanderer]

Nice one mate.   I saw a coloured one of these up for sale as part of a package with a Vic Classic (IIRC) but the price tag felt way OTT, somewhere in excess of £45.

Good looking little multi, though I'm still not sure I need to get my hands on one for myself.

It's a nice little tool mate, but you're right - that wasn't a good deal at £45

I have one and I really like it, however, I've been wanting to replace the blade with some scissors.

I love how slim the tool is and if it had scissors, I would probably carry it a lot. I thought maybe 58mm SAK ones might fit in at a push, or more likely the PS4 ones.

Anyone tried to tinker with such a mod before?

Interesting  I've not compared the tools to be honest. Neat idea though

Nice small Multitool collection!

Cheers  The Mini and Micra live in my Micro Tool Tin, and the Bear has been living in my Maxped organiser but that's not been working out so I'm rebuilding it. I refrained (this time) from showing the defects on the two Squirts I've got, and I'm undecided what to do with them at the moment. I'm looking forward to receiving the Dime and seeing how that compares

Looks a handy little tool Al, i found the Mini to be heavy and a little bulky plus lacking in some tools so i didnt have mine long, but this bear seems a hand keychain or pocket MT, i like small plier based MT's. thanks for doing the review mate 

Cheers Paul  To be honest although I called them all keychain items above, I think they all lend themselves to small tins or pouches better than a key ring. I really like the Mini carried that way, and paired with a Micra and Pioneer Harvester, it's not short of tools at all 

[Neil]

Good review, especially the onboard comparison with the Micra. 

[AimlessWanderer]

Cheers Neil   

I've just noticed there's some piccies missing 
When I get back tonight I'll figure out where they went and ask if someone could add the relevant links in for me 

[jekostas]

Good to see the Mini Bear Jaws get out and about.  Nice tool though you are right - when pliers get that small they really do need a spring system.  I couldn't use it because the pliers were too difficult to manipulate for my fat little arthritic hands.

[AimlessWanderer]

Good to see the Mini Bear Jaws get out and about.  Nice tool though you are right - when pliers get that small they really do need a spring system.  I couldn't use it because the pliers were too difficult to manipulate for my fat little arthritic hands.

I do suffer a little that way myself, but I put that down to a failing of me not the tool 

Here's the missing pic comparing the plier heads with the Squirt P4