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The 25 Best Keychain Multi-Tools of 2022

best key chain multi tool

Keychain multi-tools serve a specific function – they fill in any missing gaps in your everyday carry. You can only carry so much on your person and each item must do its job properly or else you’re just carrying around junk.

What makes keychain multi-tools so special is they are jam packed with useful tools that you use every day – no fluff. There’s no room for unnecessary tools dangling from your keychain. These beneficial whether you work outdoors or confined to an office for most of your day. There’s always something that needs to be cut, screwed or clipped.

The best thing about keychain multi-tools is they are incredibly small and still carry a good deal of goods. Much like the larger, full-sized multi-tools – they help you stay prepared for the day.

Here are a Few Reasons to Own a Keychain Multitool:

  1. You can carry a ton of essential tools on your keychain or in your pocket.
  2. Keychain multitools are compact and easy to carry.
  3. They complete your everyday carry by providing your most-used tools.
  4. Keychain multitools ensure you always have tools within reach.

Here are the best Keychain Multitools on the market: 

Gerber Dime Mini Multi-Tool

Easily one of the best keychain multi-tools you can find for the price – the Gerber Dime has 12 highly used tools to help round out your everyday carry. Butterfly design to house more tools; Gerber took the regular keychain multi-tool and improved on the design. You want to find a keychain multi-tool that has the tools you use on a regular basis and nothing more. You have limited space in your pocket and no room for fluff or tools you will never use. The Gerber Dime Keychain Multi-Tool has stainless steel pliers, knife blade, wire cutters, flathead screwdriver, crosshead driver, spring-loaded scissors, tweezers, file and bottle opener. Did we miss anything? The Gerber Dime is packed! An overall length of 4.25 inches and a closed length of 2.75 inches – it easily fits on your keychain or front pocket for easy access. You can get the Gerber Dime in multiple colors and they even have a bladeless version, but we’re not sure why you wouldn’t want the knife blade.

The “Dime” is a great keychain multi tool to take hiking, camping and RVing due to it’s many functions and easy carry design. It’s widely known as one of the best survival keychains on the market. 

If you’ve done a few Google searches for the Gerber dime, you’ve probably noticed a matchup between the Dime and the Leatherman Squirt. In fact, there are probably hundreds of articles titled, Gerber Dime versus Leatherman Squirt.” That’s why we reviewed the Squirt next. Which one is best entirely depends on your taste in keychain multi tools. 

Leatherman Squirt PS4 Keychain Multitool

You’ve father probably owned a Leatherman Multi-tool at some point in his life – did you know they made one of the best keychain multi-tools on the market? Durable aluminum handles house 9 tools in 1 and only weighs 2 ounces. Slap this bad boy on your key ring and always be ready to work. The Leatherman Squirt PS4 Keychain Multitool comes locked and loaded with a knife blade, screwdrivers, scissors, pliers, wire cutters and a bottle opener. Leatherman offers a 25-year warranty which is a really long time for a keychain tool! Honestly, you’ll probably lose it on the river before the warranty runs out. There have been many comparisons between the Leatherman Squirt PS4 and the Gerber Dime Keychain Multitool. Both have been field tested numerous times and have passed various tests to prove their durability and usefulness in the field.

The Leatherman Squirt made the list as one of the keychain multi tool best performers out of dozens of entries. You can do a lot with a Leatherman keychain multitool.

Leatherman PS Keychain Multitool

You know the Leatherman name and quality – they make a darn good keychain multi-tool. This particular tool is great for camping, hiking, everyday carry and office carry. Designed and built from stainless steel and glass-filled nylon – you would have a hard time finding a tougher keychain multi-tool. You need to know 2 things right now: The Leatherman PS Keychain Multitool is TSA compliant and it only requires one hand to open and use the tools. That’s a big deal for a lot of users. Most keychain multi-tools require two hand use to open, but users prefer quick, one-handed access same as their pocket knives. You don’t want to fumble around with a tool when you need it most. You get spring-action pliers, mini-screwdriver, bottle opener, tweezers, combination carabiner and more. You can stuff it in your pocket, bag or keychain. It does not have a knife blade, so you can fly with it.

The Leatherman keychain multi tool pliers are the big selling point on this model as they’re prominent and tough enough for most jobs. 

Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman Multi-Tool

If we were to name THE BEST SURVIVAL KEYCHAIN MULTI-TOOL ON THE MARKET – the Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman Multi-Tool would be at the top of the list due to the numerous essential tools you get. Compact, durable, dependable; the Victorinox Huntsman Multi-Tool is top of the line in quality and construction. It features 15 functions, which is much more than most keychain multitools. Worth its weight in gold – this survival multi-tool has the perfect number of tools. Any more and it would almost defeat the purpose of a small multi-tool. There are more expensive models, but you get plenty for the price with the Huntsman. It includes a 2.45” knife blade, small blade, corkscrew, reamer, tweezers, small screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, wire stripper, multipurpose hook, wood saw, bottle opener and scissors. Any more tools and you would need a tool box.

Gerber Curve Multi-Tool

Perfect for daily use – this multi-tool is much more than just a knife. You get a ton of utility in a small package. You get a knife blade, screw drivers, file and bottle opener. Attach to your keychain with the carabiner clip. This keychain multi-tool is only 3.5 inches in total length and 2.25 inches closed. Weighing in at only .8 ounces and made from stainless steel. These are tough keychain multi-tools. Designed with more of a knife blade functionality – the Gerber Curve is great for slicing boxes, plastic seals and containers. While it may not be designed for heavy duty work; it’s still a great little mini tool for small jobs and everyday carry. You can buy two of them for around $20.

You should always carry a pocket knife and this keychain pocket knife multi tool gives you an extra blade just in case. 

Leatherman Micra Keychain Multitool

Leatherman has another hit with this keychain multi-tool! Functional, quick access and ready for anything perfectly describes this tool. This is one of the most popular and highest rated multitools on the market. Perfect for hiking, backpacking, fishing, office work, manual labor and home use. It only weighs 1.8 ounces and easily attaches to your keychain. You get scissors, medium screwdriver, flat/Phillips screwdriver, bottle opener, tweezers, nail cleaner, small screwdriver, ruler and nail file. Much more than the average keychain multi-tool. You also get to pick the color. Comes in black, gray, green red and blue. Leatherman provides a 25-year limited warranty for this keychain multi-tool. Closed length is 2.5” and blade length is 1.6”. You will be happy with this purchase.

SOG MacV Tool

Don’t let the cool skull design fool you – this is a serious piece of equipment. 12 tools in 1 and cut from 3Cr13 stainless steel in hardcased black construction; this is a handy tool to have in your pocket. TSA compliant – so you can fly with this multi-tool. You get small and large flathead drivers, small Philips driver, blade sharpener, ¼ inch wrench, 5/16 inch wrench, 3/8 inch wrench and a ¼ inch hex bit driver. It also comes with a bottle opener, because, why not? The entire tool is only 2.5” long and weighs .6 ounces; you won’t even feel it in your pocket. Works great and is cheap enough to buy multiples for gifts. One look at this beast on your keychain and people will automatically know you like adventure.

The keychain multi tool bottle opener on the MacV Tool should get plenty of use on your next camping trip. 

Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SC Pocket Knife Multi-Tool

Add this to your keychain and instantly gain access to 7 useful tools. Designed with everyday carry in mind; you get 7 functions including: knife blade, scissors, tweezers, nail file, screwdriver, toothpick and keyring. It’s always good to have a second or third knife on hand and the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife gives you exactly that – plus a lot more. The knife is 2.25” total length with a 1.25” blade. Perfect for every day cutting tasks.

Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Multi-Tool

This is another great multi-tool that is often compared to the Leatherman Squirt PS4 and Gerber Dime. It has a great build and is sturdy enough for what you need. This is probably the only mini multi-tool that has two full size blades. Most keychain multi-tools have one good blade, but the Gerber Bear Grylls Compact multi-tool took things a step further. You get 10 tools with this tool: fine edge knife, serrated knife, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, small flat screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, bottle opener, tweezers and lanyard ring. That’s a lot of tools for a small multi-tool! That’s why a lot of users are BIG fans of this tool. You get a lot for the price. It’s compact and easily fits on your keychain or pocket. Perfect for a survival multi-tool. Tool is 4.3 inches while open and 2.25 inches closed.

Gerber Vise Pocket Tool Mini Multi-Tool

Gerber is known for quality products at a reasonable price. The Gerber Vise Pocket Tool is no exception. You get a great value compared to other tools that claim to be the best on the market. Gerber also believes that mini multi-tools should have two blades for multiple functions. We agree! You can always use another blade and any multi-tools that has 2 blades is a winner to us. Tools included are: pliers, file, regular knife blade, serrated blade, bottle opener, keyring, driver and more.

Victorinox Swiss Army Handyman Multi-Tool

This is the big keychain multi-tool by Victorinox. More tools than the Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman; the Handyman boasts 24 functions! That’s about 9 more functions than the Huntsman, but you’re going to pay roughly 2x more money for this one. It’s worth the extra cash if you use these tools regularly. This survival keychain multi-tool comes equipped with 2 blades, can opener with small screwdriver, wire stripper, bottle opener with large screwdriver, reamer with sewing eye, toothpick, scissors, corkscrew, hook, fine screwdriver, wood saw, wood chisel, pliers with wire cutter and wire crimper, metal saw with metal file, nail file, nail cleaner and all of this fits nicely on your keyring! You get roughly 2x the tools of most keychain multi-tools with this tool. Like we said, it costs more, but could easily be worth it to have a toolbox on your keychain.

Gerber Splice Pocket Tool

Not to be confused with the Gerber Vise, the Splice looks similar, but has a few differences. You get 10 functions and 2 blades. The main difference is the scissors versus pliers. This tool is great for those who have to use scissors often. You get a fine knife blade, serrated blade, bottle opener, scissors and pliers, cross driver, file, lanyard and medium flat driver.

A keychain cutting tool is worth it’s weight in gold and gets daily use. You probably find yourself searching for a pair of scissors or something to cut open packages and rope all day long. This tool makes it easier. 

It’s hard to find a keychain scissors multi tool that’s tough enough for daily cutting, but the Gerber Splice is designed for function. 

You can find this keychain multi tool on Amazon and they’re usually on sale. 

SOG Cross Cut Mini Multi-Tool

This mini multi-tool is designed for cutting, grabbing and comes with 9 essential tools that you will likely use just about every single day of your life. Made from 420 stainless steel with a satin finish – this tool will last an incredibly long time. Spring loaded scissors makes cutting easier. Small and medium flat screwdrivers get the job done without having to dash back to your tool box. SOG provides a lifetime warranty, which says a lot about their confidence in their product. You can easily pick up one of these for cheap.

Kershaw PT-2 Keychain Pry Tool

We’re going simple and minimal with this Kershaw Pry Tool. It may not look like much at first glance, but it offers 8 tools at your fingertips. You get a flathead and Phillips screwdriver, bottle opener, wire scraper, three hex drives and pry bar. We were sold on the pry bar. If you’ve ever tried to pry things with a pocket knife; you know what we mean. These pry tools are extremely cheap and don’t take up much space on your keychain at all. Made from high-performance steel, these tiny multi-tools are budget friendly and can take a beating.

This is a handy keychain multi tool key holder for those who enjoy simplicity with their EDC.

Gerber Shard Keychain Tool

It would be a stretch to call this a multi-tool, but it was so cool, we had to put it on the list. For around $5, the Gerber Shard gives you small and medium flat drivers, Philips head driver, pry bar, bottle opener, wire stripper and lanyard hole. It’s airline safe and is the perfect companion to the outdoorsman or woman. Measuring at only 2.75 inches and a lifetime warranty, this is a great little keychain tool.

Keyport MOCA 10-in-1 Keychain Multi-Tool

10 everyday carry tools in 1 – you can’t beat that! The Keyport MOCA supplies you with a screwdriver, cord cutter, bottle opener, box opener, hex bit driver, ¼” wrench, scoring tool, 5/16” wrench, 3/8” wrench and a 2” ruler. Quite a few handy tools for such a tiny tool. This pocket tool is compatible with the Keyport Pivot, as well as mot key rings. Made from 420 stainless steel and TSA friendly – you can carry it with you everywhere. Non-aggressive and perfect for everyday carry. It doesn’t have a blade, but you can easily carry a trusty pocket knife for cutting chores. You would be surprised at how much you can do with this tool that easily fits in your palm.

CRKT K.E.R.T. Keyring Micro Tool

Perfect for everyday carry (EDC) and those who want a few small tools to throw on their keychain. The CRKT K.E.R.T. is a Keychain Micro-Tool in the true sense of the word. It’s tiny, but has a seat belt strap cutter, bottle opener, flat screwdriver, two wrenches and a limited lifetime warranty. If you want a tiny tool without a knife, this is a great one to look at. It’s low cost and tough.

Leatherman Style CS Keychain Multitool with Scissors

You can’t have a list of the best keychain multi-tools without numerous entries from Leatherman. They make lifelong products that are top-of-the-line quality. The Leatherman Style CS is similar to the Style PS in that it is packed with tools and has one-handed open. This is the version you want if you use scissors often. These are well made, just like other Leatherman gear and it is compact. Snap it on your keys and go. The blade is a decent size for a keychain multi-tool and the scissors are a strong point for this tool. Great little multi-tool for everyday carry and outdoor use.

CRKT Micro Tool & Keychain Sharpener

CRKT makes great products and really cool keychain tools like this one. This is the type of tool you will use every day. Great for cutting boxes and slicing tape; great for unpackaging. You get a seat belt strap cutter for just in case, field sharpener to keep a razor-sharp blade on your knives and a bottle opener. The seat belt cutter isn’t just for seat belts, you can use it on just about anything. This keychain tool isn’t meant to replace your knife – it just adds a few tools to your keychain.

Boker Minibar Blade

The Boker Minibar Blade is a little different than other keychain tools. It has a cool post-apocalyptic look, fits in your hand nicely and has a handful of essential uses. The design gives the user much more leverage than other tools of similar size. You can crank out a lot more pressure with this tool. The Boker Minibar Blade can be used as a shackle opener, bottle opener, nail puller, carabineer, glass breaker and more. It has a good grip also. The ribbing down the sides allows a strong hold, so it won’t slip while using. It’s 4.5 inches long and has a pry bar head that’s 4 millimeters wide. This tool is heavy duty! Fits in your pocket and has no moving parts to break or get stuck. This is one of the best small prybars you will find. The beaked head design allows you to apply tons of leverage to handle large tasks. It has a steep price, but you get what you pay for when it comes to keychain tools.

Geekey Keychain Multi-Tool

Geekey is a highly useful and ground-breaking mini multi-tool that deserves a spot on your keychain. They fit a ton of tools on a tiny multi-tool that looks exactly like a key! 16+ functions on such a small tool is definitely something you should consider. It’s actually quite genius if you think about it and how they were able to fit that many uses on a key is innovation at its best. You can actually smoke with this thing! That’s right, it has a built-in smoking pipe. TSA compliant, so you can fly with this on your keychain without any issues unlike some keychain multi-tools. Made from incredibly tough 420 stainless steel – you will be able to use this tool for a lifetime, or until you lose your keys.  

The Geekey keychain multi-tool comes with a smoking pipe, bottle opener, multi-fit driver, bike spoke key, scoring tip, can opener, serrated edge, bit driver, wire stripper, wire bender, file, measurement tool, lanyard hole, multi-head fit and an open wrench. I’m still blown away by the fact that you can smoke with this multi-tool!

The Geekey is the best key shaped multi tool in our opinion due to the amount of functions it can handle.

Nite Ize DoohicKey QuicKey Keychain Multi-Tool

This 5-in-1 keychain multi-tool is a handy way to add a few cool functions to your keychain without taking up hardly any space. You can actually have a few of these and a larger keychain multi-tool all on the same keyring if you wanted. Made from nearly indestructible stainless steel – the Nite Ize DoohicKey Tool easily clips onto your keychain or pocket. It’s the size of a key and has a bottle opener, serrated edge, file, scoring point and screwdriver. You will get plenty of use from a tool like this and it is just over $5.

CRKT Viva EDC Keychain Multi-Tool

The CRKT Viva keyring multi-tool is a cool little tool that can handle quite a few everyday tasks. Less than 4 inches long – it will fit nicely on your keyring and gives you access to a flathead screwdriver, pry bar, bottle opener and a hex wrench in 5 different sizes. The hex wrench has measurements of ½”, 7/16”, 3/8”, 5/16” and ¼”. You can also slide this keychain multi-tool directly onto your belt with the loop if you want to maximize your space. Most multi-tools in the same category cost 2x as much as the CRKT Viva, so you know you’re getting a great value. Plus, the prybar comes in handy.

CRKT Pryma Keychain Multi-Tool

This is another useful mini multi-tool by CRKT. If you like CRKT products, you will definitely enjoy using the Pryma Multi-Tool. You get a pry bar that is useful for prying, popping open boxes and can be used as a scraper. You also get a bottle opener, multi-wrench featuring sizes ¼, 3/8, 5/16 and 7/16 inches. You will find a lot of uses for this mini tool. The Pryma is made of durable stainless steel and will last a long time. You can also use the prybar as a screwdriver and the end as a Phillip screwdriver with a little ingenuity.

Victorinox Swiss Army SwissChamp XLT Multi-Tool

This multi-tool pocket knife may seem a little “overkill,” but can you ever truly have enough tools? You will have access to every tool you need and then some with this compact, yet highly durable multi-tool pocket knife. This multi-tool gives you 50 functions – YES 50! That’s substantially more than any other multi-tool on this list. Heck, it’s more than any two on the list. You may not need this many tools, but for those who want to use this as a survival multi-tool or want to maximize their everyday carry (EDC), then this is a multi-tool to check out. This is one of the most comprehensive multi-tools on the market and is designed for camping, hiking, housework, office use, self defense and survival. Basically, anything that requires tools. This thing has too many tools to list, just know it has everything you need and then some. These come with a lifetime guarantee.

Ultimate Keychain Multi-Tool Buyer’s Guide

A multi-tool is simply a device that contains multiply tools that you use on a daily basis. A keychain multi-tool is a smaller version that can easily fit on your keychain or in your front pocket and not take up much space. Obviously, you get few tools on the keychain version, but that’s the point – their awesome little space savers and give you exactly the tool you need every day versus a toolbox. You want to spend time choosing the perfect fit for you because you don’t want to buy one and it be missing the tool you use 20x a day. Keychain multi-tools are less expensive than their full-size counterparts and are perfect for people that only need a few tools, but use those tools many times throughout the day.

This keychain multi-tool buyer’s guide was made to help you choose the right tool for YOU. Don’t get what’s popular or name brand – the goal is to find the tool you need to get the job done. There’s a big misconception that you have to pay more to get the best keychain multi-tool, but that’s simply not the case. As you can see, there are many mini multi-tools that cost less than $10 and still have a decent amount of tools on them.

The Best Keychain Multi Tool

You’ve probably done a few Google searches for “What is the best mini multitool” and come up with hundreds of pages to read through. We’re here to help you choose the best keychain multi tool on the market based on your needs. 

There are numerous designs and types of keychain multi tools such as:

  • Titanium keychain tool
  • keychain knife
  • keychain scissors multi tool
  • keychain pocket knife multi tool
  • keychain multi tool pliers

The best multi-tool depends largely on your needs. You may use a pair of plyers all day long, whereas, someone else may never use it. Take into account the tools you use the most throughout the day and begin your search from there. Most quality keychain multi-tools will have the tools you need the most, so most of your work is done for you. We personally like the Gerber Dime due and the Leatherman Squirt PS4 due to them being incredibly reliable, sturdy and packed with tools we use all day long. They’re also affordable so that you can buy multiples and stash them in places you frequent like your bug-out bag, vehicle and office desk.

Keychain Multi Tools for Survival

These make great survival tools, or at least help to complete your survival gear due to the high number of tools they employ. The cool thing about keychain multi-tools is that you just clip it to your keyring and you’re good to go anywhere and won’t leave or forget it. You can only use tools you have when you find yourself in a survival situation. You won’t have everything every time – but purchasing one of these will ensure that you have a few essential tools with you at all times.

We suggest carrying a good pocket knife, neck knife and a multi-tool to make sure you are adequately covered with everything you need.

Pocket knife – main cutting tool

Neck knife – backup to pocket knife or fixed blade for quick grab

Multi-tool – everything else

Keychain Multi-Tool for Self-Defense

While a good multi-tool could be used to defend yourself against an attacker or animal – it may not be the best option. Here’s why: it takes a while to get to the blade and the blade isn’t necessarily the best for stabbing purposes. Sure, it’ll do the job, but you may be better off with a good pocket-knife to carry along with your multi-tool.

If you are looking for a keychain multi-tool that can be used in self-defense situations – you need one with a strong blade design and quick deploy that you can access with one hand and not fumble around with a butterfly design. The Leatherman PS Keychain Multi-tool offers one-handed access to the blade.

Keychain Multi Tools for Hiking and Camping

You use a lot of tools on the trail and at the campsite. You need a keychain multi-tool that has a lot of the tools you will need. Since you will likely be carrying a pack – you can afford to have a larger multi-tool with more options. We suggest getting the most robust keychain multi-tool you can find or investing in a full size multi-tool and stashing it in your backpack.

Can a Keychain Multi Tool Replace a Pocket Knife

They sure can. However, we suggest carrying both because a pocket knife will provide a larger and sturdier blade. Also, most keychain multi-tools don’t have locking knife blades. They can handle light to medium duty, but you want to have a locking blade for certain tasks. We suggest carrying a good sized pocket knife or fixed blade on your belt along with a multi-tool. A regular knife will cut better for many tasks, whereas a multi-tool’s main job is to provide you with a number of helpful tools.

Large Multi Tool vs Keychain Multi Tool

The main difference between the two comes down to size, number of tools and price. You will likely pay much more for a large multi-tool, but you will get more tools. The main selling point of having a smaller multi-tool is that it allows you to carry more items. You can easily pair it with a large knife and have all the tools you need on your keychain, versus having to attach two things to your belt. You won’t need a sheath for a keychain multi-tool.

How to Choose the Best Keychain Multi Tool for YOU

Think about all the tools you’ve had to use in the past month or so and take notes. You probably used a pair of plyers, screwdriver, knife blade and scissors. Most quality keychain multi-tools have all of those tools and more. There are plenty of keychain multi-tools that specialize in particular categories like bikes and certain types of workers. Take into account size of tools needed, types of tools, functions, your particular line of work and price. You can easily find what you need by doing a quick search through this post as this contains the best keychain multi-tools on the market.

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