Just letting you all know that Canadian Tire has a Gerber Solstice (http://www.gerberblades.com/products/view.php?model=8477) on sale for $10 Canadian as opposed to its usual $30.

By no means at all a replacement for a serious survial multi, its just a handy little thing suitable for urban use. My first day impressions are favorable for what it is. Small and handy, I like having a cross and flat head screw driver immediately accesable on my key chain and the scissors are very handy and seem to cut well. Really the scissors are the selling point for this thing cause the other features are all readily availible on any multi-tool and done better there. An extra can opener can't hurt and the obligitory bottle opener is, well, not very usefull to me, but I don't drink. The upside is it is tottaly accesable and takes up next to no room and can be used without raising eyebrows at work as opposed to a knife or some more aggresive multi-tool.

Joints are smooth and the metal is soild, seems like it will hold up for a long time but only long term use can bear that out. I wouldn't pay $30 CAD for it but $10 is reasonable. Would make a good gift for someone too timid to carry a lock back or decent multi-tool (like my dear old mom ^_^) or for a child your not quite ready to trust with a knife. Again, Im not saying this is in any way a great survival tool, just a nice supplement to a real multi-tool or as a gift.

Funny you mention that, I was looking at that exact tool as something to give to my younger brother. He is 9 and where I live knives arn't really P.C. and I know our parents wouldn't be real keen on the idea of giving him a knife, but I know he could get a lot of use out of that and I would feel a lot better knowing he had it. Thank you for your imput on it.

Glad I could help. It would be substanily safer than a knife and less likely to get him in trouble, probably a good introduction to the whole safety and perpardess idea.