Gerber Dime vs Maxace Balance

“OK I'm a bit of a fabric nerd so I have some opinions on this (but I'd love to hear from anyone that has some specific brand they swear by!) - Unfortunately there's just a ceiling when it comes to durability in workwear. You can make something more durable by making the materials thicker and heavier, but you need to balance that with what you can actually work in without overheating or losing mobility. I'm not saying Carhartt / Dickies / Duluth are the *best* but I don't know that there are other brands that can offer significantly longer lasting garments if you're actually just wearing through these clothes from use (rather than some kind of build quality related failure like a seam unravelling prematurely). In my experience you have to "take care of" clothing that gets used like this by constantly mending and patching when needed. Barbour jackets have a lifetime guarantee but that doesn't mean they last forever, it means they have a dedicated workshop where people repair your coat over and over again as you wear it out in different ways. You can spend more money and get some nice Fjallraven or Filson pants and shirts, and they'll be incredibly well made but at some point 8oz canvas is just 8oz canvas and one company isn't going to be sourcing materials drastically different than another. That's not to say you shouldn't look around if you're not happy with what you have. It could come down to the types of materials used. Natural fiber workwear is great for a bunch of reasons, but in a lot of cases canvas won't be as durable as nylon, that might be something to consider? On this note, I mentioned them earlier but I really like Fjallraven. Looks nice, it's well made, and I think their fabric choices are good. A lot of their clothing is made using an 80/20 blend of canvas and nylon. The nylon adds to the durability, the canvas is breathable and can be waxed for waterproofing. Anian is another good company, (Canadian, so if you're in the states tariffs might be a deal breaker) reasonably priced overshirts and jackets, many of which are super sturdy wool blended with a bit of nylon. I have a few and they are super heavy and tough. They're just heavy and bulky enough that I imagine they'll last a long time but they might be best suited to colder weather.”

“My ranking so far: 1. Leatherman Squirt PS4 2. Nextool Mini Sailor 3. Gerber Gear Dime 4. Gerber Gear Vise All these were bought second hand from eBay except the Vise. Leatherman Squirt PS4 remains the best keychain multitool because it has the perfect combo of small size, light weight, perfect tool set, and proven Leatherman quality. I was very impressed by the Mini Sailor! Very tight and snappy, great tools. Build quality, fit and finish were better than expected, despite this one being used. However it’s the biggest/heaviest of the bunch. It almost doesn’t qualify as a “keychain multitool.” I was most surprised by the Gerber Dime. It’s far from perfect, but I now agree it’s a reasonable alternative to the Squirt PS4. I now think a Dime paired with a lightweight Morakniv fixed blade represent the prefect lightweight combo for hiking, backpacking, and basic bushcraft. The Dime’s feel in the hand isn’t as premium as the Leatherman or Nextool, but it feels solid enough. I like the shape of the blade and the fact that it has scissors. I’m not a fan of how the bottle opener sticks out the side. Gerber Vise is barely passable. Great concept, weak execution. The edges are rough. The tools are hard to open. And it lacks scissors. However, it does provide a pliers, straight blade, but also a small serrated blade which is pretty cool. Its bottle opener/flat head combo appears odd.”