Working for a cruise line, I got pulled out of line in Genoa, Italy and had my stuff searched for having a multi tool. Which they kept.

So it depends I guess.

I had the same experience but in the Netherlands. This was after flying through Miami and London with the same tool. Totally forgot it was on me.

I just don't carry a multi-tool any longer no matter how TSA safe it's supposed to be. It's not just the US though. I had one of those super cheap 2-part wine corkscrews (no foil cutter) confiscated in Spain.

You will never dodge the odd malicious gate agent.

We were late for a flight in the Philippines and the gate agent knew it. Told me all of my travel fishing gear was contraband - even the rod and reel. Straight up stole all my fishing gear figuring (correctly) it was worth less to me than making my flight.

One security agent at Frankfurt would not allow me to take my toothpaste through Schengen security. I had many hours until my flight so I took my luggage (and toothpaste) back to the non-Schengen area and waited until that security agent took a break and then went through security. From what I could tell she told other agents about me (she talked to them each in turn and pointed at me while talking). None of them fussed over my toothpaste when I went through. I and felt like I won the FU lottery.

I live in Germany since 2014 and yes, I had ample example of both super-strict and fairly relaxed attitude about these cases.