I recently got a Victorinox Midnite Minichamp to use on my keychain, in place of the LM Micra I usually carry.
So here is a comparison between them to see who is
king of the mini multitools.
They are both used but not in any way abused.
From their respective sites the Victorinox Minichamp has:1.nailfile with
2.-nail cleaner
3.Key ring
4.ballpoint pen
5.cuticle pusher (Note: Can also be used as a spatula)
6.blade
7.scissors
8.LED, light white (Note: Red in my case)
9.orange peeler with
10.-scraper
11.letter opener (blade)
12.screwdriver with
13.-ruler
14.cap lifter with
15.-magnetic Phillips screwdriver (Note: No magnetism on mine)
16.-wire stripper
Color Red (Note: Mine is black)
Length 58 mm
Width 20 mm
Height 16.5 mm
Net Weight 46 g
And the LM Micra has:1. Spring-action Scissors
2. Nail File
3. Nail Cleaner
4. Tweezers
5. 420HC Knife
6. Extra-small Screwdriver
7. Medium Screwdriver
8. Flat/Phillips Screwdriver
9. Ruler
10. Bottle Opener
11. Key ring
Available Colours: Red, Blue, Green, Black, Gray, and Stainless Steel
2.5 in | 6.5 cm (Closed)
1.8 oz | 51 g (Weight)
1.6 in | 4.06 cm (Blade Length)
Comparison:On my scales the Micra is 3g heavier than the Minichamp. (Minor difference)
The Minichamp is thicker and shorter.
Note that you can feel the Minichamp in you pocket more than the Micra because of its thickness.
The Minichamp has more polished tools.
Scissors:Micra is a scissors based tool and it shows.
Apart from being easier to use because of their bigger size (note that I have large hands) they actually cut
twice as much per stroke, compared to the Minichamp scissors. They also feel more solid, and designed for heavier use.
Both tools can, however, cut well with their scissors, which have similar style grinds.
Screwdrivers:The Minichamp has two actual screwdrivers whereas the Micra has 3 and the Philips one can also be used as a flat driver.
The Micra flat screwdrivers are thicker and look more dedicated than the Minichamp ones.
The Minichamp small flat looks like it should only be used as a last resort and does not feel solid when used. Still, better than using the tip of the blade!
I used some
Philips type screws that I had nearby and did a comparison test between the
Philips screwdrivers offered by both tools. Note that the Minicham offers a proper screwdriver with four edges on the tip.
They both worked well and surprisingly the Micra screwdriver, despite not having four edges, like the Minichamp one, felt more secure in larger screws, having less “play”.
The Minichamp screwdriver was better with small screws, like the ones you find in toys; it has a slimmer and pointier tip making it more suitable for this purpose.
It also got less scratched when I applied a lot of torque on the large brass screw.
All in all, they both worked fine.
I would also like to add here that
if you buy one of the original Minichamps, of which there are plenty on eBay, you will
not get the Philips Screwdriver / Bottle opener /wire stripper tool. I consider this tool quite useful and have avoided getting that older version, so as to have it.
Bottle openers:They do look angry!!
No problems with either and they both make good use of the space adding a screwdriver too.
Blades:Though the Micra blade is by no means large it is noticably larger and thicker than the on the Minichamp. It is also chisel ground which should make it easier to sharpen (you only need to sharpen one side).
They both work fine.
The Micra wins because of its bigger blade, but bear in mind that the Minichamp has one more, smaller, blade too…
Nail files:The Micra filing area is a bit shorter but also a bit wider. They both have similar texture and both work. Their nail cleaners, though different in shape work well, though the Micra one, with it narrower hook, should allow you to dig deeper and get that pesky dirt out.
No problems with either.
Rulers:The Micra has a, significantly, larger ruler though the Minichamp one is, significantly, slimmer and can be inserted into narrower gaps.
Still, the Micra offers more ruler than the Minichamp.
What does each offer than the other does not then?The Micra has tweezers and the Midnite Minichamp does not.
If you buy the regular Minichamp you can have tweezers too, though you will lose the light and 1g in weight.
The Minichamp offers the:
1. LED light
2. Orange peeler with scraper (Originally used for opening bottles with pills)
3. Letter opener (blade)
4. Ballpoint pen
5. Cuticle pusher
Out of these I would say that the light and the pen are good additions, but I would question the usefulness of the rest, taking into consideration that you already have a blade capable of peeling oranges and opening letters (maybe pushing cuticles too?).
Looks wise
at least here, the Micra will be the most unusual tool, whereas the Victorinox shape is quite common.
The downside is that when someone looks at your keys they are not likely to be impressed
with the Micra, probably thinking it is a cheap folding ruler.
I like the push button on the shield for turning the light on. Very clever and gadgety.
I would now like to throw one more contender in, the Victorinox Midnite Manager.With the Midnite Manager instead the Midnite Minichamp you lose the:1. Cuticle pusher
2. Letter opener (blade)
3. Orange peeler with scraper
4. Ruler
5. Nail cleaner
but you keep the actually useful, for me, tools and you get a smaller tool that performs all the needed tasks but sits better in your pocket.
The Midnite manager is also noticeably lighter, 12g lighter than the Minichamp and 17g lighter than the Micra, or nearly a third lighter than the Micra.
Conclusion:If you use the scissors and the blade regularly get the Micra but if you want a lighter tool with a pen and a light get the Midnite Manager.
If you like strange, unusual, geeky tools get the Midnite Minichamp.