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2023 Comparing Gerber, Nextoool, and Leatherman Keychain Pliers-based Multitools (Squirt, Dime, Flagship Mini, Sailor Mini)

I took a look at keychain multitools a year ago and there have been a few changes to the market since then.  My previous post can be found here.  It seems like Leatherman has discontinued the Squirt and the NexTool Mini Sailor is the new kid on the block.  The Mini Sailor is also being sold by Olight as the Otacle P1 EDC multitool pliers.

From top to bottom.  NexTool Mini Sailor, NexTool Mini Flagship, Gerber Dime, Leatherman Squirt.  They are pretty close to each other in length.

In this post I'm showing and comparing four of these small, pliers-based tools to see how they stack up against each other.  They all have very similar feature sets, but there are some distinct differences in how the functions are implemented.

1. NexTool Mini Sailor 10 in 1 Multitool: 

Tools: Spring-action needle nose pliers with mini wire cutter, Standard pliers, Knife,  Spring-action scissors,  Bottle and Can opener, Retrieve SIM card pin, Flathead screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, Keychain ring
Folded Length: 67 mm
Weight: 84 grams
Features: Compact, lightweight design, sturdy stainless steel construction, butterfly opening, outside accessible tools. Constructed from 30Cr13 stainless steel, 50Cr15 (knife).  This is a well designed tool that does have the chunkiest, but robust feel to it.

2. NexTool Mini Flagship 10 in 1 Multitool: 

Tools:  Spring-action needle nose pliers with mini wire cutter, Standard pliers, Knife, BIG spring-action scissors,  Bottle and Can opener, Flathead screwdriver on tip of the file, Phillips screwdriver, Keychain ring
Folded Length: 67.5 mm
Weight: 85 grams (2.9 ounces)
Features: Compact, lightweight design, sturdy stainless steel construction, butterfly opening, outside accessible tools.  Made of 30Cr13 stainless steel (pliers), 50Cr15 (knife), 420J2 (scissors), powder coating surface treatment, compact and robust design. Red or Green scales.  This is the most unique of the tools as the scissor was a priority function of the tool.  See my other post for more details.  I actually took the keychain ring off mine as I pocket carry it and I found it annoying.

3. Gerber Dime 10 in 1 Multitool: 

Tools:  Spring-action needle nose pliers with mini wire cutter, Standard pliers, Knife, Spring-action scissors, Retail package opener, Flathead screwdriver, Bottle opener, Tweezers, Mini-file, Keychain ring
Folded Length:  70 mm
Weight: 65 grams
Features: Compact, lightweight design, sturdy stainless steel construction, butterfly opening, outside accessible tools.  The cheapest of the tools.

4. Leatherman Squirt 9 in 1 Multitool: 

Tools: Spring-action needle nose pliers with mini wire cutter, Standard pliers, 420HC knife, Spring-action scissors, Flathead screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, Bottle opener, Wood/metal file, Keychain ring
Folded Length 57 mm
Weight: 56.4 grams (2 oz)
Features: Compact, lightweight design, sturdy stainless steel construction, butterfly opening, outside accessible tools, 420HC stainless steel construction, 6061-T6 hard-anodized aluminum scales.  The most expensive of the tools and not available from Leatherman as this article is written.  There is availability from some sellers, but I wouldn't pay the crazy eBay prices it is now listed for.

The four tools by height.  You can see they are roughly the same in height, with the Nextools being the tallest.  In terms of width, again, the Nextools are slightly wider, but not by much.  The Squirt is the most compact in all dimensions of all the tools.

You pretty much can't go wrong with any of these tools.  The Leatherman Squirt is the best built tool, the smallest tool, and lightest tool.  It really does have the best quality in terms of materials and construction.  However, it is also discontinued, and some of the other multi-tools have better versions of various tools too, so it isn't the best at everything.  The NexTool Mini-Sailor also has a very good build quality and it has polished metal parts and very nice scales too, but it is also the largest.  The NexTool Flagship Mini is a big favourite of mine as it has the big scissors that are easily deployed.  In terms of build quality, it is probably on par with the Gerber in some respects, but it does seem to be the least finished tool of the bunch.  The NexTools also share the same bottle / can opener, knife blade, and plier head.  All of these tools have roughly the same number of ten built-in tools/functions, with the Leatherman trailing by one less tool.  I have not counted the keychain rings as tools!

The knife blades of the various tools.  The NexTools have upgraded their blade steel to be close to the Leatherman and they have the longest blades.  All the blades are quite sharp.

The scissors of the various tools.  All are spring loaded.  The Nextool Sailor Mini has the scissors that you must fold over to open, giving them an extra step to deploy versus the other tools. The biggest scissor is on the NexTool Flagship Mini

The plier heads of the various tools at maximum opening.

The other tools on the multitools.  The NexTools have the longest flatheads and phillips screwdrivers, and share the same can opener / bottle opener.

Let me summarize the Leatherman Squirt multitool's features to serve as an example.  We will come back to these features shortly for the other tools.

  1. Compact and Lightweight.
  2. Versatility, despite its small size.
  3. Accessible Tools that all open from the outside.
  4. EDC-Friendly: The Squirt is designed with everyday carry (EDC) in mind.
  5. User-Friendly: The spring-action features on the pliers and scissors make it easy to use the tool with one hand, further enhancing its practicality and user-friendliness.
  6. Leatherman is a well-known and respected brand in the multitool industry. They are known for producing high-quality tools with excellent craftsmanship, durability, and functionality.
  7. The Squirt is made from better materials (420HC stainless steel). The hard-anodized aluminum scales adds to the tool's durability and longevity.

The other tools have all of the same features for points 1 to 5 (remember their tool sets are similar).  NexTool and Gerber are also known brand names too, but not with the same reputation.  The Leatherman, if you can find one now, is the most expensive, while the Gerber is the least expensive.  In terms of materials and build, the NexTool Sailor Mini comes in a close second, but it is also larger than the Squirt.  Both feel like they have a very sturdy build.  Still, in the end, these are all pretty good tools for their size, and you will need to pick and choose the tool that suits your needs the most.  All of these are also attractive tools and some have unique features that may attract you more to them.

Conclusion

I carried a Gerber Dime for almost 10 years, but won't carry one any more as I want good scissors and a slightly longer knife.  I favour the NexTool Flagship Mini, but the NextTool Mini Sailor is also a good bet, but not for me because the scissors need to be folded out with an extra step.  The Squirt is a great tool, but I've never really carried it as I used the Gerber instead most of the time.  See my 2022 article for more details about each of these tools, excluding the Sailor.

I'll carry the Flagship Mini because the two primary features are the pliers and scissors that can be deployed by flipping them open.  None of the other tools mentioned can do that.  For a knife and multi-tool I carry a Swiss Army Knife (a 91 mm Victorinox Pioneer ALOX).  If I'm not carrying the Flagship Mini, I'll have my EDC pocket pouch that I've carried for the past year instead (it's handy as it is blade-less).

My Stasher EDC Pocket (going strong after a year now!).


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