The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (2024)

Table of Contents
How We Tested Best Overall Mini Multi-Tool Leatherman Free T4 Best Keychain Mini Multi-Tool Gerber Dime Best Swiss Army Knife Victorinox Swiss Army Mini Champ Alox Best Multi-Tool with Scissors Leatherman Micra Best Driver-Focused Multi-Tool Gerber Armbar Drive Best Single-Piece Keychain Tool The James Brand Halifax Best Mini Multi-Tool on a Budget Gerber Shard Best Mini Multi-Tool for Travel Victorinox Jetsetter SAK Related Topics References

Home / Outdoors /

When big, clunky multi-tools don’t make sense, reach for one of these compact versions from Leatherman, Gerber and more.

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (1)Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (2)The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (3)The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (4)

By Tanner Bowden, Sean Tirman, and Hayley Helms

Published

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Updated

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission.Learn more

Carrying a full-sized multi-tool every day might work if you’re a forest ranger, a tradesman or a full-time fly fisherman. But for the rest of us, doing so only adds unnecessary weight to your EDC loadout with features and widgets you’ll rarely use.

That’s where mini multi-tools come in. These small, handy gadgets still provide excellent utility with significantly minimized size and weight. Skip ahead to see which ones excelled in our testing.

How We Tested

To help you figure out which of these tiny tools is best for your EDC, we tested over two dozen different multi-tools of varying sizes and functionality. Beyond the number of tools, we paid special attention to weight, cost and how easy each one was to fit in a pocket or on a keychain.

Learn more about our testing process and methodology.

Best Overall Mini Multi-Tool

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (5)Leatherman

Leatherman Free T4

Specs

Number of Tools12
Weight4.3 ounces
Closed Length3.6 inches

Pros

  • Multi-tool functionality in a pocket-knife silhouette

Cons

  • May be a little too wide for minimalists

  • $70 at Leatherman

Leatherman’s Free series comes with a major upgrade: internal magnets that allow for easy one-handed use.

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (6)Sean Tirman

The T4 has spring-loaded scissors and tweezers in addition to a knife, pry tool, awl, bottle opener, screwdrivers and more. They all fit into a pocketable package that weighs just 4.3 ounces.

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Best Keychain Mini Multi-Tool

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (7)Gerber

Gerber Dime

Specs

Number of Tools12
Weight2.2 ounces
Closed Length 2.75 inches

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Bottle opener is always at the ready

Cons

  • Tools don't open as smoothly as other options

  • $23 at Gerber

    $29(21% off)

The Dime measures in at a mere 2.75 inches fully closed, which means you can attach it to your keychain or throw it in your pocket without worry.

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (8)Photo by Hayley Helms for Gear Patrol

Even so, it boasts an impressive array of tools, including real pliers, spring-loaded scissors, screwdrivers and a nifty blade that’s designed to slice open plastic clamshell packaging as smoothly as a chef’s knife through tuna. Best of all is the bottle opener that’s at the ready without opening the tool at all.

In this price range, there are bound to be a few drawbacks. The Dime’s tools don’t open as smoothly as other multi-tools, meaning you really have to dig your fingernails to access them. But the positives easily outweigh the negatives.

Best Swiss Army Knife

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (9)Amazon

Victorinox Swiss Army Mini Champ Alox

Specs

Number of Tools15
Weight1.4 ounces
Closed Length2.28 inches

Pros

  • Super lightweight
  • Large number of tools despite the size

Cons

  • Knife is very small

You’ve seen the classic red Swiss Army knives but the Alox collection is where Victorinox really shines.

The Mini Champ is made of embossed aluminum, finished with a special corrosion-resistant treatment. It’s ridiculously lightweight, and the shiny silver color is an attention-grabbing feature not seen in most multi-tools.

Best Multi-Tool with Scissors

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (10)Leatherman

Leatherman Micra

Specs

Number of Tools10
Weight1.8 ounces
Closed Length 2.5 inches

Pros

  • Action is smooth and easy to open

Cons

  • Can't take it in your carry-on

  • $50 at Leatherman

In the same way that Kleenex is associated with tissues, the name Leatherman is inextricably linked with excellent multi-tools — no one makes ’em better.

The Micra is arguably Leatherman’s greatest mini multi-tool. It’s no bigger than a disposable lighter, yet it functions (and looks) much like Leatherman’s larger multi-tools.

The opening action is clean and satisfying; the scissors are sharp and spring-loaded; and the nine other tools are useful for most people’s everyday needs.

If we were to pick one standout feature, though, it’s the Micra’s simple shape when closed. Perfect rectangles are meant for keychains … and they’ll never go out of style.

Best Driver-Focused Multi-Tool

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (11)Gerber

Gerber Armbar Drive

Specs

Number of Tools7
Weight3.1 ounces
Closed Length3.6 inches

Pros

  • One-handed opening makes using the knife easy

Cons

  • Can't attach to a keychain

  • $36 at Gerber

    $45(20% off)

One of Gerber’s latest multi-tools, the Armbar Drive, riffs on the typical butterfly format with a rectangular shape that, like some of the others on this list, calls to mind a Swiss Army Knife.

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (12)Hayley Helms

The tool comes with a 2.5-inch blade, Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, scissors, an awl, hammer and bottle opener. For many, that’s more tools than necessary, but they all fit neatly into a 3.6-inch package that only weighs 3.1 ounces.

Pro tip: if you know you’re never going to use an awl, opt for the similar Armbar Cork, which includes a wine key instead.

Best Single-Piece Keychain Tool

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (13)The James Brand

The James Brand Halifax

Specs

Number of Tools4
Weight0.38 ounces
Length2.875 inches

Pros

  • Extremely compact

Cons

  • Limited functionality

  • $49 at The James Brand

If you ever want proof that there’s beauty in simplicity, turn to The James Brand’s Halifax keychain multi-tool. This miniature one-piece implement is made from nigh-indestructible billet titanium, which makes it both remarkably tough and ultralight.

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (14)Sean Tirman

Yet, the Halifax still comes with four (or more) functions, including working as a driver, pry bar, bottle opener and more. Plus, you can have it in silver or black — two of the most universal colorways, especially when it comes to EDC gear.

Best Mini Multi-Tool on a Budget

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (15)Gerber

Gerber Shard

Specs

Number of Tools6
Weight0.6 ounces
Length2.75 inches

Pros

  • TSA-approved

Cons

  • No knife

The Gerber Shard has been around for more than a decade now and it still ranks among the best pieces of everyday carry ever conceived.

For starters, the Shard is dirt cheap, costing less than $10 (plus, it’s frequently on sale).

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (16)Photo by Hayley Helms for Gear Patrol

Despite that bargain-bin price, you still get your hands on six integrated tools that include a bottle opener, a trio of drivers, a pry bar and more. And that’s all in a package that’s so incredibly lightweight and space-saving that it can fit on any keychain or even a carry-on —yep, the Shard is even TSA-approved.

Our one complaint: the bottle opener can snag on things.

Best Mini Multi-Tool for Travel

The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (17)Victorinox

Victorinox Jetsetter SAK

Specs

Number of Tools7
Weight0.8 ounces
Closed Length2.3 inches

Pros

  • TSA-friendly
  • Classic SAK look

Cons

  • Limited functionality

As a general rule, most multi-tools are not TSA-friendly — a side-effect of many of them coming with knife blades. But Victorinox built the Jetsetter Swiss Army Knife specifically with the goal of making it TSA-compliant. That gives this particular keychain multi-tool a pretty big leg-up.

Along with coming in the brand’s signature red colorway, it also comes with seven integrated tools that range from scissors to a built-in bottle opener to crack open those pesky beverages. And like everything the brand makes, it has a lifetime guarantee against defects and workmanship, making this a tough one to beat.

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Related Topics

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The Best Mini Multi-Tools for Compact Carry, Tested and Reviewed (2024)

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