by Gadgetgeek » Wed 26 Jan, 2022 8:31 pm
I've pulled thorns and splinters with pliers that tweezers wouldn't touch. I've also been able to set some tent pole repairs that otherwise would have been very difficult.
As for scissors vs, knife. (keep in mind that I'm first and foremost a knife guy, but I'm giving scissors all the pros they deserve) they are often sharp, as in, someone won't likely borrow your scissors for a ground spike, or use a rock as a cutting board. Dexterity, it can be tough to cut certain things delicately unless your tools are very good, along with your grip and eye-sight. Even a small set of good scissors can be used if your hands are numb, cold, full of adrenaline or otherwise not at their best. I'll also hand almost anyone a pair of scissors, my knives... not so much.
To me, tools are a substitute for time. I can fix anything if I have the time. Tools make that job shorter, possibly to the extent that they then matter (no point in a repair that would take longer than the trip)
Who I'm walking with and what my overall role is, plays a part as well. Sometimes I carry the extra gear because I know that everyone else has planned on me having it. Not generally that big of an issue. If I was solo, I might not take pliers, probably not even scissors, but that also comes down to me knowing what I could get away with, if all I had with me was a knife.
For a couple examples, I could carry my leatherman skeletool cx and Vic pioneer x for 230 g which is pliers, two knife blades and scissors, or the skeletool and style cs for 185g. Or knife alone the lightest one I'd be willing to carry is my benchmade bugout (54g) but knowing I'm pretty much not cutting any wood, or ESEE izula with scales for about 100g, with limits to what wood I could cut, but at least a small capability. This is where environment is going to play a huge role, and what sort of "worst case" tasks you might think of needing to perform. Even "oversized tweezer" pliers have a place.