Tool reviews: Leatherman Brewzer

Key Features:
 +   Lightweight keychain tool
 +   Good contoured grip
 +   Works well as a slotted screwdriver
 -   Not as many uses as it could have
 -   More expensive than comparable tools


The Leatherman Brewzer is a neat little multifunction bottle opener.  It is technically a multi tool, but according to its user guide it only has two stated uses: as a mini pry bar and as a bottle opener.

There are more things you can do with the Brewzer than just pry at things and open bottles, though.  The end of the pry bar works well as a slotted screwdriver -- surprisingly well for such a small tool.  The pry bar is also notched, so you can use it as a box cutter.  As a box cutter, the Brewzer works better than a key but not as good as a knife.  There is a rectangular keychain hole that could probably function as a very small box wrench, should the need arise.  As a bottle opener, the Brewzer is about average.  It has notches that provide good grip, and it's easy to lever.

The Brewzer is a handy little tool to stick on your keychain and forget about until you need it.  It is well-constructed and very well-machined, and made of sturdy steel.  However, being a Leatherman product, you would think it would have more possible uses than just the few mentioned above.

The big miss that this tool has is that the opening for the bottle opener is just a tiny bit too big to be used as a hex bit holder.  It is the right shape, but just big enough that standard-sized hex bits fall through.  If it had been made a little more snug, you could stick a bit in there and use the Brewzer as an offset screwdriver.

As it stands, the Leatherman Brewzer is a neat tool that has some uses.  It could certainly be an every-day carry tool, because it is very lightweight and compact.  However, for $10.00 (its price on Amazon) it seems to be aimed more toward those who want a Leatherman keychain tool than those who want a multifunction keychain tool.  For about half the price of the Brewzer, you could get the Gerber Shard ($5.56) or the Nite-Ize DoohicKey ($4.05), both of which offer bottle opener and pry bar capabilities, along with other functions as well.  (The Shard has a cross driver on one end, and the DoohicKey has a built-in carabineer.)