Tips for the best small EDC multitool?

[anditsgone]

I always edc'd a Swisstool X (which i still love) and a blue card holder. both in the left pocket.
But now i have bought a Bellroy slim sleeve wallet because i would like to carry more cards and some cash.
The Bellroy wallet is amazing. But the downside is that the Swisstool will ruin my wallet, and it doesn't fit comfortable with the Swisstool in the pocket.

This are my needs: Scissors, good screwdrivers, blade of course, file if possible, wood saw if possible and pliers if possible.

I am looking towards the leatherman juice xe6. (but i am afraid i will keep breaking the pliers just as i did with the skellettool.
Or a Sak.
It has to be as light and small as possible.

I am a great Vic fan, but unfourtantly they dont make a Juice style Sak. That would be my winner.

What tool do you use, the pros and the cons?

[Zed]

How about a spirit  the xe6 is a wide mt,

[SteveC]

PST II has all your wants except the saw.

[ToolJoe]

Bladeless MP600 plus a small knife of your choice? You could probably fit a Gerber EAB in there too.

[SteveC]

Bladeless MP600 plus a small knife of your choice? You could probably fit a Gerber EAB in there too.

I think you missed the small and light bit   

[hiraethus]

Craftsman/Handyman.

Or a Ranger/Master Craftsman if you can do without SAK pliers.

[comis]

I always edc'd a Swisstool X (which i still love) and a blue card holder. both in the left pocket.
But now i have bought a Bellroy slim sleeve wallet because i would like to carry more cards and some cash.
The Bellroy wallet is amazing. But the downside is that the Swisstool will ruin my wallet, and it doesn't fit comfortable with the Swisstool in the pocket.

This are my needs: Scissors, good screwdrivers, blade of course, file if possible, wood saw if possible and pliers if possible.

I am looking towards the leatherman juice xe6. (but i am afraid i will keep breaking the pliers just as i did with the skellettool.
Or a Sak.
It has to be as light and small as possible.

I am a great Vic fan, but unfourtantly they dont make a Juice style Sak. That would be my winner.

What tool do you use, the pros and the cons?

Juice XE6 is not going to be a 'light' tool, weight as 195g, it's only 15g lighter than Vic Spirit.  But it is no comparison to Spirit function as a mid size MT with great precision and quality, which has everything you have asked for.

If you can forgone the pliers, the Vic Master Craftsman will offer most of what you want in the tightest possible package, and the weight is only 119g.

[Wilfried]

Victorinox Cadet Alox combined with Leatherman Style CS works fine for me.

[anditsgone]

I've watched a review about the juice xe6 and it is very wide indeed. Too wide for me to be honest.
I do like the Swiss spirit X. But i do think it is to heavy or bulky. I am also considering the juice cs2 cs4.
The Sak does appeal me but i dont like the idea of having no pliers. The Sak pliers are not very useable with bolts and nuts, more with nuts and small clips etc.
I will look up the Vic site.

[lister]

Combine leatherman mini and victorinox minichamp... 

Edit: Never mind, I didn't see you need wood saw...

[Zed]

I carry a craftsman regularly, its a good package ,if you think the spirit is bulky i would rule the xe6 out,

[AimlessWanderer]

Spirit X springs to mind here too. Hard to find such a pocketable tool so densely populated with function and capability. I pocket carry everything too, and have found that a LM Sideclip (NOT SideKICK) paired with the right SAK is a winning combo too.

[anditsgone]

Combine leatherman mini and victorinox minichamp... 

Edit: Never mind, I didn't see you need wood saw...

I dont need a wood saw, but it would be nice if i could get one

[anditsgone]

I carry a craftsman regularly, its a good package ,if you think the spirit is bulky i would rule the xe6 out,

i've looked up the craftsman and i really like the tool package, it has all the tools the swisschamp has, but it does not have the excessive tools that i would never use on the swisschamp.
Only thing i dislike is that is has the philips head on the back of the tool.

I am also really liking the victorinox explorer, all the tools that i really need every day (except for the magnifying glass and the small blade) in a small package. (and it is also cheap )

Only thing i would like is Alox handles, i use my mt a lot in my garage, and my mt drops on the pavement every now and then. I also lay it on the pavement when i am working and i think the plastic will crack.

[Toolslinger]

If you like the Craftsman's loadout but want a corkscrew, get a Handyman.

[Smaug]

I think you should re-focus on what you actually USE on a day-to-day basis, since you'll be pocket-carrying this.

Pliers were not part of your original requirement.

For me too, I like having a file, but in practice, I rarely use one for anything besides fingernails. (after clipping them with a scissors)

Explorer is a wonderful SAK; it is my favorite and is consistently one of the most popular models.

Another option: how about a Cybertool 34 or 41?

The 41's about as big as a Swisschamp, but has all your wants. It also has a better driver than any pliers-based MT. Yeah, you'd give up the full size pliers, but you'd have some smaller ones.

The 34 loses the file and saw, but has everything else. Including the precision pliers. I love mine. One day, I'll pony up for the extra metric bits that are so hard to find outside of Europe...

Another one to maybe consider is the Wenger/Victorinox S557. That one is much more compact than a Swisschamp/CT41, but has an auto-locking inline Phillips, auto-locking medium flat head driver, a proper wrench, a slip-joint pliers that uses the back spring instead of a fragile leaf spring, scissors (backspring again), and instead of the small blade, which you don't like, it has the nail file, which doubles as a #0 or #1 Phillips. Locking main blade too. Corkscrew to hold the eyeglass screwdriver is the icing on the cake. I'm a wine drinker, so I like the corkscrew anyhow. The Evo scales are nice also; they just feel GREAT in the hand.

Wenger S557:









Workchamp:







CT34:



So here are the good options, as I see them:

Spirit X:
+ Full size pliers
+ All the other tools you want
+ Best workmanship of any MT
+ Much lighter and thinner than a full size Swisstool

CT34:
+ Best bit driver
+ Not too thick
+ Wonderful scissors and precision pliers
+ Plus scales/tools
- Lacks file and saw

CT41:
+ only lacks a full size pliers from your wish list
- As thick as a Swisschamp

Workchamp:
+ Big locking blade, saw, and file are GREAT
+ TWO inline Phillips'
- Pretty big for pocket carry

S557:
+ Not too big
+ Locking blade
+ No small blade wasting space, adds nail file/small light-duty Phillips
+ Dedicated wrench is unique
+ "springless" slip-joint pliers and scissors
- No file or saw

I can't wait to see what you decide on and why. 

[Obi1shinobee]

ps4 

[SAKnight]

I'd say leatherman mini/skeletool and Vic fieldmaster/ranger 

[ironraven]

What your right pocket? Can it be joined by the Swisstool? Can you reorganize?

[Zephon]

I'll cast my vote for the Spirit / Spirit X.  Has your requirements plus it's lighter than a Swisstool.  I think it can do most of the stuff a Juice can do. 


....where's that thread that said a caveat of the Juice was that it's a good concept but wasn't executed perfectly?

[Kampfer]

Just carry a Classic SD you will get by ok.

[anditsgone]

I think you should re-focus on what you actually USE on a day-to-day basis, since you'll be pocket-carrying this.

Pliers were not part of your original requirement.

For me too, I like having a file, but in practice, I rarely use one for anything besides fingernails. (after clipping them with a scissors)

Explorer is a wonderful SAK; it is my favorite and is consistently one of the most popular models.

Another option: how about a Cybertool 34 or 41?

The 41's about as big as a Swisschamp, but has all your wants. It also has a better driver than any pliers-based MT. Yeah, you'd give up the full size pliers, but you'd have some smaller ones.

The 34 loses the file and saw, but has everything else. Including the precision pliers. I love mine. One day, I'll pony up for the extra metric bits that are so hard to find outside of Europe...

Another one to maybe consider is the Wenger/Victorinox S557. That one is much more compact than a Swisschamp/CT41, but has an auto-locking inline Phillips, auto-locking medium flat head driver, a proper wrench, a slip-joint pliers that uses the back spring instead of a fragile leaf spring, scissors (backspring again), and instead of the small blade, which you don't like, it has the nail file, which doubles as a #0 or #1 Phillips. Locking main blade too. Corkscrew to hold the eyeglass screwdriver is the icing on the cake. I'm a wine drinker, so I like the corkscrew anyhow. The Evo scales are nice also; they just feel GREAT in the hand.

Wenger S557:









Workchamp:







CT34:



So here are the good options, as I see them:

Spirit X:
+ Full size pliers
+ All the other tools you want
+ Best workmanship of any MT
+ Much lighter and thinner than a full size Swisstool

CT34:
+ Best bit driver
+ Not too thick
+ Wonderful scissors and precision pliers
+ Plus scales/tools
- Lacks file and saw

CT41:
+ only lacks a full size pliers from your wish list
- As thick as a Swisschamp

Workchamp:
+ Big locking blade, saw, and file are GREAT
+ TWO inline Phillips'
- Pretty big for pocket carry

S557:
+ Not too big
+ Locking blade
+ No small blade wasting space, adds nail file/small light-duty Phillips
+ Dedicated wrench is unique
+ "springless" slip-joint pliers and scissors
- No file or saw

I can't wait to see what you decide on and why. 

When i get home i will watch some reviewers about the tools you mentioned.
I am still not sure if i will go for a SAK or an MT.
I always carried an MT but never had an SAK before. The only thing i am really giving up is a good set of pliers.

[Mextreme]

leatherman KF4. Discontinued unfortunately and I dont know if it's hard to find used.

http://leathermanlibrary.com/albums/userpics/10001/JKF4_open.jpg

Pair it with a Classic for small scissors

[leathermon]

This is my victorinox evolution s52. It has everything you want except the Phillips. The blade even locks.

[anditsgone]

I am really liking the s557 but i am afraid that the locking tab will ruin my leather wallet and other stuff in my pocket.

I have an 83 dak alox laying around which i really like, but it has no scissors. When will Vic add scissors to the alox line?

[sLaughterMed]

I am really liking the s557 but i am afraid that the locking tab will ruin my leather wallet and other stuff in my pocket.

I have an 83 dak alox laying around which i really like, but it has no scissors. When will Vic add scissors to the alox line?

Probably never. Victorinox has always done things in house, and (from my observations) likes to stick with their winning formula of "since it ain't broke, don't fix it". Victorinox's market is largely made up if the 91mm line, so that is where the money is, and where Vic puts its attention. The money in Alox is in different colors, rather than configuration IMHO.

 I could see Wenger doing alox scissors after seeing Syph007's Urban Pioneer mods (and the resulting popularity), but they didn't last long enough to really see that.

[anditsgone]

I am really liking the s557 but i am afraid that the locking tab will ruin my leather wallet and other stuff in my pocket.

I have an 83 dak alox laying around which i really like, but it has no scissors. When will Vic add scissors to the alox line?

Probably never. Victorinox has always done things in house, and (from my observations) likes to stick with their winning formula of "since it ain't broke, don't fix it". Victorinox's market is largely made up if the 91mm line, so that is where the money is, and where Vic puts its attention. The money in Alox is in different colors, rather than configuration IMHO.

 I could see Wenger doing alox scissors after seeing Syph007's Urban Pioneer mods (and the resulting popularity), but they didn't last long enough to really see that.

Too bad, who doesn't want an alox explorer? I use my MT a lot in the garage and i am afraid that when it drops on the pavement the plastic scales will pop of or break in to pieces.
Therefore i would like alox scales.

[hiraethus]

I am really liking the s557 but i am afraid that the locking tab will ruin my leather wallet and other stuff in my pocket.

I have an 83 dak alox laying around which i really like, but it has no scissors. When will Vic add scissors to the alox line?

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,59921.0.html
 

[anditsgone]

That would be awesome. I would buy one.
But for now i am still between the juice s2 or the Vic explorer. They both have about the same tools, but the juice is more than twice as expensive. But it does have pliers. But they are about the same as the skeletool i had, and i broke two of those.
I have a web shop were you can return the product for free if you for some reason not stratified. Maybe i will give the juice a try?
Still watching reviews now.

[sLaughterMed]

That would be awesome. I would buy one.
But for now i am still between the juice s2 or the Vic explorer. They both have about the same tools, but the juice is more than twice as expensive. But it does have pliers. But they are about the same as the skeletool i had, and i broke two of those.
I have a web shop were you can return the product for free if you for some reason not stratified. Maybe i will give the juice a try?
Still watching reviews now.

Never had a juice, buy ive heard the older style Juices were better/less lopsided. Leatherman has a 25 year warranty, so assuming shipping isnt outrageous, you could get a warranty replacement, and sell it if you hate it.

Whats the worst that could happen? Getting two tools that you really like?