Sheffield 12707 'keychain' Mini Multi Tool

Lynn LeFey · **on:** January 17, 2013, 09:31:13 PM

Here's my review of the Sheffield model 12707 Mini Multi Tool.

It came in a 2-piece set with a little lock-blade knife. I got it at a Sears Hardware on sale for $11.99, regularly $12.99. Yes, I will jump on a $1 savings.

So, to start off... it's a small tool. There's a picture below of it with a Leatherman Juice and Victorinox 58mm for scale. However, while it's not very big, it's thick, and very heavy for a keychain tool, at 3.6oz (102g).

Pliers are surprisingly precise at the tip. The head is as thick as the pliers on the Leatherman Juice series. The anvil style wire cutters easily cut 12-gauge solid copper wire, and the ergonomics of the handles while using the pliers was fantastic. They are spring-loaded, of the kind with the spring visible at the back of the plier head, meaning the spring could be intentionally removed or potentially accidentally lost.

The tool comes with Scissors, phillips, flathead driver/caplifter, and fold-out lanyard ring on one side, blade, awl, small flathead, and file on the other.

I gave a review of the scissors here...
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,36798.msg676517.html#msg676517

For a right-handed user, they're actually very good. Less so for lefties.

The phillips driver is terrible. It is too small for #2 phillips screws, and too large for the small screws found in most electronics. It's overly rounded and just... just really terrible.

The flathead is fine. The cap lifter is untested at this point.

The blade is dull out of the package. This doesn't ever surprise me anymore with bargain MTs. I'm sure it'd sharpen up to paper-cutting sharpness easily, if I cared.

The awl is short but sharp.

The small flathead is probably okay, but is untested.

The file is not great, but on a tool this size, they usually are only for filing nails, and this one will suffice at the task, not much else.

I thought I was going to just hate this thing when I got it, but I'm kind of shocked to say I didn't. While it weighs about twice as much as a keychain size leatherman with pliers, the tool is, in my opinion, a good deal more stout than the pliers you get on a keychain Leatherman. I'd call them half way between the keychain leatherman and Juice line. The scissors were shockingly good. Of couse I'd be a lot happier with them if I were right handed, but most users ARE. Knife blade doesn't bother me, and it took all of 5 minutes to sharpen to a reasonable edge. The bad phillips doesn't surprise or really bother me. I think this would be a fine tool to stick in a tackle box, good pliers, good scissors, okay file. It's a little more than I'd normally care to pay for such a tool, but not unreasonable.

enki_ck · **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2013, 09:53:28 PM

Interesting looking tool, I'd like it more without those rubber inserts though. How's the bottle opener on it? Many small multitools, Squirt included

fail in that regard.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2013, 10:05:59 PM

I kind of like the rubber inserts, assuming they are inserts and not just stuck on the side. Without them many of these tools just seem too slick to actually use.

Def

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2013, 10:14:40 PM

Yep. They're inserts. And yes, it has a pretty good grippiness to it.

EDIT: in regard to the cap lifter... I didn't have a bottle to test it on. I have empty beer bottles (since I home brew), and caps, and a cap crimper, but it doesn't get the good tight cap edges seen on most commercial bottles. The caps I put on are always pretty easy to pop with a cap lifter, so not a good test. Sorry.