I couldn't decide between the Style and the Dime, so I bought them both. I couldn't find any direct comparisons, so I decided to make one to save other people the trouble. This comparison is for the bladed version: both tools have a TSA-compliant version which I did not buy.Let's start with the first impressions:General constructionThe Dime feels solid, which should be encouraging. That's all that really can be said for the Dime in this aspect. Opening and closing the tools feels gritty and stiff. On mine, some of the tools don't lock into place. It's leaking with oil. Made of mystery metal. Weighs 2.2 oz. The overall shape stays closed, but there is a chance of the bottle opener catching on pants while the keyring is pulled, causing the tool to open accidentally.The Leatherman feels just as solid but weighs almost half as much. The tools lock into place solidly and open smoothly despite being made of thinner metal. There's no oil leaking. Mostly made of 420HC stainless steel, glass handle. Weighs 1.4 oz. The tapered handle design prevents accidental opening of the tool when pulled from pockets. Gaps in the handle can collect pocket lint.Victor: STYLEKnifeArguably the most important tool you can have.On the Dime, the spey point tip and curved blade are stylish, but again, is a struggle to open. The blade locks into place reassuringly when open, and closes with a gritty feel. Arrives reasonably sharp with a compound grind: tapers slowly until a double grind has a sharper angle. The blade is absent a choil.On the Style, the traditional simple tip is classic and classy, opens and closes with a sharp lock, and has a choil near the hinge. The blade is razor sharp on arrival with a one sided chisel grind.Victor: STYLECenter toolOn the Dime, a pair of pliers presents itself with a strong spring, accurate tip and wirecutters near the bottom. The tool functions nicely for untying knots or turning bolts. The spring is an internal torsion spring.On the Style, a good pair of scissors folds out from the center. They're rather sharp, more suited to cutting paper than wires.This tool is harder to declare a winner on. Personally I like the functionality of pliers for everyday work compared to scissors. The Style has a plier version, the Style PS, but is a TSA compliant model and has no knife. If I'm ever made of money perhaps I can buy the PS and try to put the knife from the CS in place of the mini-scissors. Until then...Victor: TIEAccessory toolsThe Dime has a wide array of perhipheral tools, including a bottle opener, two screwdriver tips (wide flat/mini flat), two file coarseness levels, mini-scissors, a package opener, tweezers and key ring.Bottle Opener: Solid, does not catch on pants, separate from keychain attachment pointScrewdrivers: Poor opening and closing, solid when usedFiles: cross-hatch style, neither very effectiveScissors: unfortunately thick, less effective than scissors on the Swiss Army Knife Classic, leaf spring.Package Opener: works great when you use it, but how often do you use it when a knife would suffice?Tweezers: 45 degree bevel, locks in tightlyKeyring: attaches to your keys with a split-ring.The Leatherman has far less tools in the name of lighter carry.Bottle Opener: Integrated carabiner with finger tab on the wiregate. Keys can get in the way while opening bottles since they're a shared connection.Mini-screwdriver: Fine tip. Same steel as knife.File: emory style. Good for fingernails.Tweezers: 45 degree bevel, locks in tightlyVictor: DIMEOverallI went out on a quest for a keychain tool to replace my SAK; specifically with an external bottle opener as a requirement of my raging alcoholism. I was rooting for the Gerber since I usually find Leatherman to be out of my price range. After snagging the Dime for a cheap $15 (Academy price matches with a 5% discount), I happily attached it to my keyring.A keychain tool should be lightweight and slim to better fit in pockets. The Dime unfortunately is built and weighs like a brick in comparison to the Style. After a day of my keychain being way too clunky I went out and bought the Style CS at $20. I was immediately impressed with the better build quality, light weight, and slim form factor.While I'm sad to see the nice pliers get left behind, the Style is overall a much better and more comfortable tool, for only a few dollars more.Comparison pics http://ift.tt/2gaLSET
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