Standard pocket knife not cutting it for you? Need a few more tools your pocket, but not more bulk? Only 2.5 in long, the Leatherman Squirt PS4 is a little gem that packs no less than 9 tools into a keychain-sized package. In fact, it’s one of a very few multi-tools that includes both pliers AND scissors. Anodized aluminum handles available in black, red or blue complete its sharp look. $25 from Amazon, and also available at several other online retailers.
Got a favorite mini-multi-tool?
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
I still love my little Gerber Curve. Two screwdrivers, a file, and a pseudo-Phillips blade, along with a decent knife and a bottle opener and a mini-carabiner.
I’m still using my leatherman micra that i purchased in the mid 90’s
its still sharp although the scissors don’t cut like they used to. it also didn’t come in any colors or have pliers in the original. but its definitely withstood the test of time as its been on many key chains over the years
Leatherman Juice XE6. Very versatile tool
I also have the Leatherman Micra I bought in ’99. And I still love it.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
@ Derek, kryptik – The Leatherman Micra seems to be a closely-related predecessor to the Squirt series. The Micra has a lot of useful tools in it own right, but I like that the Squirt PS4 has both the pliers and scissors.
@Ed – Funny you should mention the Juice XE6. I received one for Christmas and will probably do a review on it as some point, so stay tuned!
I love my Leatherman Squirt P4, but I’d sure love this one even more. I often find the small pliers very handy, but I know I’d use the scissors frequently too.
After owning several Leatherman tools, of various styles, I have found out that Leathermans, in general, have bad philips screwdrivers and bad tweezers. Just due to those 2 deficiencies, my old Leathermans are collecting dust somewhere.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
@thsu – “Leathermans, in general, have bad philips screwdrivers and bad tweezers.” Could you elaborate? And do you have an alternative that you prefer?
My EDC used to be a Micra. I actually lost it for a while on my 5 acres and after about 2 years found it sticking up in the middle of the grass . Some of the blades were a bit rusty and I actually sent it back to Leatherman to see what could be done and they actually replaced the worst effected blades under warranty.
The ones they did leave however started chipping and pitting.
On a recent trip to San Francisco I was determined to replace my Micra. Trouble is it was pretty hard to find a shop that sold Leathermen in the city centre, strange given they’re a US company.
Of course as a last resort I looked up their retailers on the web and there was one 5 minutes away from my hotel. Rushed down, the lady was just locking up but was good enough to let me in to look things over.
Ended up with…..a PS4
Another addition to my Skeletool and my Juice ( all sizes covered )
Oh advantages over the Micra
The pliers and scissors and the fact that you don’t have to open it up to access any of the tools 🙂
I’ve owned dozens of Leatherman and Swiss Army Knives over the years. That the PS4 has both pliers and scissors in this form-factor tempted me, but I decided not to get one because:
1) The pliers are too small
2) There is no locking blade
3) Leatherman tools get gunked up pretty quickly (without periodic cleaning, the small tools become hard to open, while this isn’t a problem with Victorinox tools).
Personally, I carry both a Leatherman Freestyle (ergonomic and minimalist pocket multi-tool with belt-clip, locking blade, and decent pliers) and a Victorinox Rambler (tiny keychain swiss army knife with tweezers, toothpick, phillips driver, straight edge driver, file, bottle opener).
@Andy
My everyday keychain tool is currently a Victorinox Rambler, although I’ve been tempted to go with the Manager (which replaces the toothpick with a pen).
If I need more than this, I have a small tool bag in my car, along with sport specific tools attached to my sports gear, like a 686 belt looped in my snowboard pants (the buckle of a 686 belt comes off to reveal a philips, flat head, and 3 hex wrenches).
As for the Leathermans, have you tried the tweezers on the Micra? They basically don’t work. You’d think this would be unimportant, until you actually have to remove a splinter or a tick. Not being able to remove a splinter while boating was what lead me to get rid of my Micra.
The “flat style” philips screwdriver on a larger Leatherman (cannot remember the model anymore) stripped heads of a couple screws I was trying to remove. After that fiasco, I only bought multi-tools with true philips drivers.