The Leatherman Micra was one of the earliest micro multi tools to hit the market, being released in 1996. It looks just like someone took Leatherman’s Super Tool and shrunk it down. The big difference between the Micra and the Dime is the substitution of scissors for pliers as the main tool. Other than that it has mostly the same tools in the same sizes.

EDC enthusiasts and people who already carry a full size multi tool will enjoy adding this to their daily carry. Blade - 440A high carbon stainless steel (offering superior blade retention and corrosion resistance) The Gerber Dime is for anyone who wants to make sure they always have at least some tools with them. It gives you a tool at hand to turn a small screw or get a better grip on something. It isn’t going to give you a tool boxes worth of value but it’s not priced at that level. That being said, it’s still a useful little tool to have. It feels cheap because it is cheap, coming in at a tiny fraction of the price of a full size multi tool. It’s not going to be the only tool you need, but it is going to be the only tool you always have on you.

Performance Comparison

It’s important to understand when reviewing these tools that we were grading on a curve. It’s a given that the tools on the Dime aren’t as capable as those on full sized multi tools. What we’re looking for is how they hold up and function for everyday tasks. Pliers and Wire Cutters The Style PS is Leatherman’s TSA compliant multi tool. It has no blade and a much more basic tool loadout than the Dime, consisting of just pliers, tweezers, a pair of scissors, and a combination file cross driver. It also shares many of the same fail points as the Dime. In our previous review of the Style PS we were very impressed with its overall construction. Thirdly and this is a little more important, the pliers, whilst nicely sprung, have a little play laterally - meaning that it's possible to close the jaws and the tips not line up perfectly each time! This is not overly concerning but it might mean that if there is play from new it might get worse over time! Because of its small size the Gerber Dime doesn’t really have the traditional accessories a larger multi tool would have available. The only real choices available for it are the color and finish options. The Vise is a redesigned version of Gerber’s older Clutch micro multi tool. It replaces the scissors on the Dime with a second serrated knife blade but otherwise has similar tools. To be honest though, the Vise feels generally cheaper than the Dime. The pliers especially don’t feel sturdy, with numerous user reports of fatal failure.

A tiny multi-tool for those who always like to be prepared but don’t want to compromise on weight. Gerber says: The Micra has been around for a while and is extremely popular. It has a good reputation for quality and maintains it by keeping things simple. The scissors in the Micra work better at this size than the pliers on the Dime do, but many people prefer pliers to scissors even so. Obviously, this isn`t designed for major DIY jobs or large cutting tasks, but I have other tools for those situations. There are Swiss Army knives (SAK) that come with small pliers, but pliers are only available on a few models with a large number of tools and layers. This makes them very bulky to carry and more cumbersome and inefficient to use. The Gerber Dime was built to be the tool you always have on you. It’s tiny, coming in at 2.8 inches when closed and weighing just 2.2 oz. The tools you’re able to put into something that small will necessarily be less capable and durable than those on full size multi tools.

The Style PS just feels slightly nicer than the Dime. The metal is smoother and the tools work just a bit better. If you travel frequently or pass into secured areas we recommend you go with the Style PS. This is true even compared to the Dime Travel. Dime Vs Bear Grylls Compact

Lastly, the split ring attachment point: even if you don't put a lanyard on it, it is on the end of the blade pivots, meaning as you pull either the straight or the serrated blades out, the ring dangles in the way, worsened with a lanyard attached!! Secondly, although not a huge one, the blades are not sharp! Not a big one as sharpening will take just a few minutes but still.....!

Compare to Similar Products

The scissors on the Dime are small but effective. They cut through paper reasonably well but aren’t quite as useful as those on some other multi tools of similar sizes. There have been reports of the scissor spring arm breaking frequently with regular and even light use but we can’t really hold this against the Dime. Most micro multi tools share this problem, with all manufacturers doing a pretty good job honoring warranty repairs. The Gerber Dime is no one’s choice for best multi tool. It’s too small to be really useful for most tasks and too fragile to be put through serious use. Despite that, we like this little tool. It was never meant to compete with full size tools in either durability or usefulness. It’s small enough to comfortably fit on your keychain and light enough to always be with you.

The Dime Travel, Gerber’s TSA compliant version of the Dime, replaces the knife blade with a blunt tip file. Scissors and Tweezers If you really feel like you need two knife blades on such a small multi tool the Vise provides them. For build quality and overall usefulness though, we say go with the Dime. Dime Vs Leatherman Squirt PS4 This isn’t intended to be your only multi tool. It’s meant to be the tool that you can bring with you no matter where you’re going. It’s small enough to fit on your keychain and light enough that you won’t even notice it’s there. Gerber offers the Dime in two versions and several different colors. Gerber Dime Tools The Dime uses torx bolts in it’s assembly while the PS4 is riveted. Being able to disassemble, clean, and repair your tools is always a good feature in our book. This one is very close, with the biggest determinant being which one you like the appearance of more. Dime Vs Leatherman MicraFor what it is, and especially for what you pay for it, it provides one of the better sets of tools on the market. If I were to take a deep dive into it there are a few points I have noted about it, first point being the finish! I have noted whilst handling it that all the exposed edges are quite sharp, there's been no finishing before the anodising process. Tools - Mini-pliers, Flat Screwdriver - medium, Flat Screwdriver - small ,Phillips Cross-point Screwdriver, File (coarse & fine), Bottle Opener, Fine blade Blade, Fully Serrated Blade, Keyring with retractable lanyard ring The lanyard ring is of much greater importance on micro multi tools than full sized ones. The one on the Dime unfortunately doesn’t seem to take this into account. It’s a tiny little ring with a small keyring on it. It makes it very easy to connect to your keychain but also breaks when just a little force is applied to it, leaving you with a keychain multi tool that won’t stay on your keychain anymore.