Stock photo released to General public:
We all know what it looks like, but reviews are always better with pics. I've carried my Micra as an EDC item for about a year and a half, maybe a bit longer. This is my 2nd Micra. Ironically, I bought it just before becoming horribly addicted to flashlights. The scissors have opened more hard plastic blister packs than I care to recall. These compact scissors are plenty strong enough to cut through the types of blister packs that are popular with flashlight companies. (Wish I could say the same for the scissors on my Victorinox SAK Classic pen-knife). No chipping at all of the Micra's scissors. But there are very slight deformations along the edges. These can probably be removed once the edges are sharpened. That's how slight they are.
I've used the ruler along the handle. Not the sort of thing you want to use if an accurate measurement is critical. But for the average job that doesn't require a longer ruler, the Micra's ruler is just fine.
I've used the non-locking folding tools on the Micra for a variety of purposes. The tweezers are not very useful for most chores. But if you have a hot date, and you notice you also have a slightly long nose-hair.... That's when you'll be glad that your Micra comes with tweezers. Even if they are very small and thin.
I've used the flat Phillips head screwdriver blade as.... well; a screwdriver. Not the sort of thing you want for heavy-duty work, obviously. But for many jobs that require tightening or loosening screws, this will get the job done. Recently, I used this tool for an unintended purpose.... I work as a Security Guard. Part of my job involves patrolling. I have to hit certain, electronic checkpoints with a wand, along my patrol route. The checkpoints are small metal discs. And if they get wet, they don't register on the wand. A couple of weeks ago, the rain turned to ice. The checkpoints were frozen solid! I used my Micra's Phillips head blade to carefully chip away the ice around a few of the checkpoints. It did a great job! Ice chipped away, but checkpoints left undamaged.
The combination small screwdriver / bottle opener is the tool I've used most. (No, I don't drink that much). The bottle opener is barely decent, at best. You have to take a bit of time to make sure that it hooks onto the bottle cap properly. And even then, if you don't go slow; the bottle opener has an annoying tendency to slip off. Found that out while using my Micra to open everyone's bottle of beer at my best friend's fiancee's Birthday party in 2006. Everyone thought I was the Man! ..... Good thing they didn't notice how much I was struggling.
The small screwdriver blade works better than the bottle opener it's attached to. Got a loose sunglass screw? Just reach for your Micra. But I mostly use it as an awl, for making extra holes in my leather belts. Because of a condition I'd rather not discuss, I've been losing weight without really trying. So, my belts often become too wide. The improvised awl on the Micra requires a bit of pushing and twisting. But it makes short work of even quality leather belts. That's why it is the one I use most. Best part is, since it's not a real awl with a sharp point; you can use it while still wearing your pants.
The small knife blade is sharp enough for any reasonable chore that you would expect a pen-blade to perform. I've even used it to sometimes cut down the side of the above-mentioned blister packs. (But mostly, the scissors are enough for that job). The knife blade does seem to dull just a bit too quickly.
The small file seems useful for a bit of grooming.... as in, smoothing out the rough spots after cutting a fingernail down to size. That's about it. The hook portion of the tool (cuticle cleaner?) is tough enough to get the job done. Also comes in handy if your fingernails are too short to create an opening so that you can peel an orange.
The large screwdriver works well. I once used it to pop open a broken locker. Didn't use it to pry open the locker, though. I inserted the Micra's large screwdriver blade into the broken handle, then pulled up until the mechanism inside rode up and caused the locker to open.... Sadly, I can no longer use the tool. I locked myself out of the guard house shed at my current job assignment. The door is not thick or tough at all. Tried to use my Micra to pry the door open. Big mistake, The flimsy door actually bent the large screwdriver blade, just a bit. I stopped, and tried to bend it back the other way. (To make it straight). I thought it was straight, I was wrong. Although it folded back into the tool, it now is hopelessly stuck next to the file blade. No way to seperate the two.
Despite being a useful EDC tool, there are disadvantages. As I said, this is my 2nd Micra. I have encountered the same problems I did with the 1st one. The scissors bind together after awhile. Even one drop of oil seems to be too much. Ironically, if you do nothing, the scissors stop binding up on their own after several more uses. But the scissors don't open or close as quickly as they used to. The tool picks up pocket link and dust to an annoying degree. But even more annoying is the rust that it picks up. I normally wear dress pants, and carry my Micra in my left-front pocket. I don't sweat a lot at all. I also don't pour water down my pants. Yet, both of my Micras had traces of rust (spotting) in several places. While it's mostly surface rust, it does make the tool look cheap and ugly. A mild steel wool should take care of some of the rust spots.... others are a bit more difficult to reach; especially where the handles pivot. A stainless steel tool should not attract rust this easily. If the Micra was a carbon steel folding knife, it would be more understandable.
Rust was also an issue with my Original Leatherman Multi-tool, despite rarely being used or carried.
Conclusion:
~~~~~~~~~
A worthwhile tool that attracts dust & rust too easily. Despite that, I can definitely recommend the Micra to anyone needing a tough pair of compact folding scissors, with other handy tools thrown in. I recently purchased a new Micra, along with a Leatherman Micra black sleeve from Lighthound. (Leatherman should include the sleeve with every Micra). It should do an excellent job of reducing the amount of dust & rust that normally gets onto this tool.
We all know what it looks like, but reviews are always better with pics. I've carried my Micra as an EDC item for about a year and a half, maybe a bit longer. This is my 2nd Micra. Ironically, I bought it just before becoming horribly addicted to flashlights. The scissors have opened more hard plastic blister packs than I care to recall. These compact scissors are plenty strong enough to cut through the types of blister packs that are popular with flashlight companies. (Wish I could say the same for the scissors on my Victorinox SAK Classic pen-knife). No chipping at all of the Micra's scissors. But there are very slight deformations along the edges. These can probably be removed once the edges are sharpened. That's how slight they are.
I've used the ruler along the handle. Not the sort of thing you want to use if an accurate measurement is critical. But for the average job that doesn't require a longer ruler, the Micra's ruler is just fine.
I've used the non-locking folding tools on the Micra for a variety of purposes. The tweezers are not very useful for most chores. But if you have a hot date, and you notice you also have a slightly long nose-hair.... That's when you'll be glad that your Micra comes with tweezers. Even if they are very small and thin.
I've used the flat Phillips head screwdriver blade as.... well; a screwdriver. Not the sort of thing you want for heavy-duty work, obviously. But for many jobs that require tightening or loosening screws, this will get the job done. Recently, I used this tool for an unintended purpose.... I work as a Security Guard. Part of my job involves patrolling. I have to hit certain, electronic checkpoints with a wand, along my patrol route. The checkpoints are small metal discs. And if they get wet, they don't register on the wand. A couple of weeks ago, the rain turned to ice. The checkpoints were frozen solid! I used my Micra's Phillips head blade to carefully chip away the ice around a few of the checkpoints. It did a great job! Ice chipped away, but checkpoints left undamaged.
The combination small screwdriver / bottle opener is the tool I've used most. (No, I don't drink that much). The bottle opener is barely decent, at best. You have to take a bit of time to make sure that it hooks onto the bottle cap properly. And even then, if you don't go slow; the bottle opener has an annoying tendency to slip off. Found that out while using my Micra to open everyone's bottle of beer at my best friend's fiancee's Birthday party in 2006. Everyone thought I was the Man! ..... Good thing they didn't notice how much I was struggling.
The small screwdriver blade works better than the bottle opener it's attached to. Got a loose sunglass screw? Just reach for your Micra. But I mostly use it as an awl, for making extra holes in my leather belts. Because of a condition I'd rather not discuss, I've been losing weight without really trying. So, my belts often become too wide. The improvised awl on the Micra requires a bit of pushing and twisting. But it makes short work of even quality leather belts. That's why it is the one I use most. Best part is, since it's not a real awl with a sharp point; you can use it while still wearing your pants.
The small knife blade is sharp enough for any reasonable chore that you would expect a pen-blade to perform. I've even used it to sometimes cut down the side of the above-mentioned blister packs. (But mostly, the scissors are enough for that job). The knife blade does seem to dull just a bit too quickly.
The small file seems useful for a bit of grooming.... as in, smoothing out the rough spots after cutting a fingernail down to size. That's about it. The hook portion of the tool (cuticle cleaner?) is tough enough to get the job done. Also comes in handy if your fingernails are too short to create an opening so that you can peel an orange.
The large screwdriver works well. I once used it to pop open a broken locker. Didn't use it to pry open the locker, though. I inserted the Micra's large screwdriver blade into the broken handle, then pulled up until the mechanism inside rode up and caused the locker to open.... Sadly, I can no longer use the tool. I locked myself out of the guard house shed at my current job assignment. The door is not thick or tough at all. Tried to use my Micra to pry the door open. Big mistake, The flimsy door actually bent the large screwdriver blade, just a bit. I stopped, and tried to bend it back the other way. (To make it straight). I thought it was straight, I was wrong. Although it folded back into the tool, it now is hopelessly stuck next to the file blade. No way to seperate the two.
Despite being a useful EDC tool, there are disadvantages. As I said, this is my 2nd Micra. I have encountered the same problems I did with the 1st one. The scissors bind together after awhile. Even one drop of oil seems to be too much. Ironically, if you do nothing, the scissors stop binding up on their own after several more uses. But the scissors don't open or close as quickly as they used to. The tool picks up pocket link and dust to an annoying degree. But even more annoying is the rust that it picks up. I normally wear dress pants, and carry my Micra in my left-front pocket. I don't sweat a lot at all. I also don't pour water down my pants. Yet, both of my Micras had traces of rust (spotting) in several places. While it's mostly surface rust, it does make the tool look cheap and ugly. A mild steel wool should take care of some of the rust spots.... others are a bit more difficult to reach; especially where the handles pivot. A stainless steel tool should not attract rust this easily. If the Micra was a carbon steel folding knife, it would be more understandable.
Rust was also an issue with my Original Leatherman Multi-tool, despite rarely being used or carried.
Conclusion:
~~~~~~~~~
A worthwhile tool that attracts dust & rust too easily. Despite that, I can definitely recommend the Micra to anyone needing a tough pair of compact folding scissors, with other handy tools thrown in. I recently purchased a new Micra, along with a Leatherman Micra black sleeve from Lighthound. (Leatherman should include the sleeve with every Micra). It should do an excellent job of reducing the amount of dust & rust that normally gets onto this tool.
