For as long as I can remember, I’ve carried one of these tiny Swiss Army knives, and scarcely a day goes by without it being called upon for some humdrum but vital purpose. It’s been such a constant companion that, on several occasions, I’ve had to sacrifice it to airport security when travelling with only cabin baggage (though on my last flight I asked the Airport Security if it was still verboten and they said “no” — so it travelled with me).

Its one drawback is that the scissors is too small for some tasks. So recently I looked for an alternative, and came up with this tiny Leatherman tool.

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It’s slightly heavier and more bulky, but it has a terrific pair of scissors.

All that remains now is to find if I can take it with me when I fly. And — since you ask — it doesn’t have a tool for taking stones out of horses’ hooves. But then, I sold my horse ages ago and bought a Toyota.