Small Multitool Recommendations

[Elwin]

I think I may have lost my beloved Leatherman Freestyle. I’m hoping it turns up in the house somewhere, but my fear is that it’s somehow outside underneath about 6” of fresh snow, in which case it’s a loss. Unfortunately, the model is discontinued. For those not familiar, it’s a great simple, compact tool with just pliers and a locking blade. It’s similar to the current Skeletool models but without the extra tools and, most important for me, without the carabiner clip that adds length.

I carried it in my jeans penny pocket. Anything longer skimpy won’t work there. Other pocket space is spoken for by things I deem more important, even though after my flashlight the Leatherman was the thing I used the most on a daily basis.

I’m looking for something the same size or smaller that has pliers and a locking blade. I’m aware of things like the Leatherman Squirt and the Gerber Dime, but as far as I know, nothing in that size range has a locking blade. I’m not finding anything else that isn’t at least a little bigger than the Freestyle (for example the Gerber Crucial, which looks great but just a tad too big).

Alternatively, I may have to switch to just carrying a good folding knife on me and having a multi tool in the backpack that’s with me 75% of the time (and that I could make more of an effort to have more often). In that case, I’m also open to recommendations for good compact folding knives that would fit in the same pocket. After a quick browse the CRKT Squid has my attention.

Edit - even if I find the thing, recommendations are still appreciated as backup options in case it gets truly lost someday.

Thanks!

[vaspence]

I carried a dime for a few years and still do when flying commercial. Last year I replaced it with an SOG Powerpint. It has two locking knife blades (one plain and one serrated) along with IMO a better set of pliers and good locking scissors. The screwdrivers aren’t the best although the tiny flathead is good for pistol sight adjustments. It does have a built in hex bit holder though.