Any love at all out there for Gerber multi-tools?

I have a Gerber 400, from about 1998; it's a fairly good quality tool, and does most jobs adequately. It was given to me by my father, so I'll keep it no matter what. I also have a 600 I bought on the exchange forum a couple years ago, and it's functional as well, but seems to be a step down in quality from the 400 from ten years ago. I heard that both were made in the USA here, but I'm not sure.

I have a Leatherman Surge that puts both Gerbers to shame when it comes to QC, tolerances of the tools, and overall toughess.

~Chris
 
by far the worst choice you can make. When I was deployed to Iraq, we were issued those MTs. And I personally broke three of them, none of us liked them. We all had leathermans anyways.
 
They are decent for the price, I had a MP600 and have owned a 400 in the past.
The 400 and 600s are made in the USA.
The are nice and the deployment is fun and easy to use, but the tools are where it lacks compared to the competition.
The tools feel cheap and the drivers are short and thin, a little flimsy compared to a leatherman or victorinox. The file is not very sharp and the blade is crap.
They are compact and refreshing after carrying bulkier tools.
I have a wave, powerplier, blast, 600, and several victorinox.
I like the wave best for a serious multi tool, but the others have their merits and see use occasionally. I don't carry a multitool daily and prefer a SAK most of the time as I really only ever use the flat head screwdriver and the blade.

I say get one and see for yourself, I like mine and it will do if you aren't a heavy user.
If quality and fit are your priorities then get a victorinox, if you like options and rugged durability than get a leatherman, if you like to be unique and want powerful pliers but don't mind the weight, then SOG fits the bill.

If you get a gerber, get a black one, the silver bead blasted ones rust very easily.
 
I have an original Leatherman and I had an early Gerber model. Both work okay but the LM seems more solid and it is more compact. So I gave the Gerber to my son (he likes it) and the leatherman rides in my B.O.B.
 
I would put the Victorinox and SOG in the same class at the apex of build quality and fit and finish for plier based tools. SOG trumps Vic overall IMO for one hand opening of both pliers and tools as well as a more open, customizable toolset.

Next comes Leatherman with which can be inconsistent but they have some well thought out designs with great one hand opening blades and sometimes other tools such as scissors.

Next comes Gerber but they are far from being junk. They do rattle which puts some off but it's just due to that turtle head design needing loose tolerances to function properly. I am surprised the Navy SEALs use Gerbers, it seems like that rattly, noisy design would be a hindrance for them when trying to be stealthy. Maybe it's just what is at hand in government inventory, they don't use it much and its just along for the ride just in case most of the time. It is nice to open a Gerber with but a single shake. I don't like the inside opening tools but the tools feel good in the hand once deployed. For example you can have your index finger on the spine of the blade for precision cutting such as leather or fabric or cardboard on a flat surface and it feels more natural and less awkward than any other make. I like the Gerber blunt nose pliers and the really long nosed fisherman MP600 and FLIK fish, both discontinued. I mention these designs as they are unique to the Gerber line. I used my blunt MP600 on a leaky water faucet last weekend. Surprisingly its jaws open wider than all other multitools including the mongo SOG BlackTip putting it in a whole other category.

Lots of people mod Gerbers on the multitool.org forum. But the company discourages it and doesn't sell individual parts so you have to cannibalize other tools to get just what you want. Gerber's policy is similar to Leatherman in this regard. Victorinox is the worst about modding their tools and SOG is the best. SOG will actually sell you individual parts or even (with some polite coaxing) customize tool orders through their extremely helpful warranty department.

I like them all for what they are and the distinctions each maker offers.
 
kcub said:
Next comes Gerber but they are far from being junk. They do rattle which puts some off but it's just due to that turtle head design needing loose tolerances to function properly. I am surprised the Navy SEALs use Gerbers, it seems like that rattly, noisy design would be a hindrance for them when trying to be stealthy. Maybe it's just what is at hand in government inventory, they don't use it much and its just along for the ride just in case most of the time. It is nice to open a Gerber with but a single shake.
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Some years ago, our local police bomb squad adopted the Gerber for that very reason. Of all multi-tools on the market at that time, the division determined that the Gerber pliers function was the easiest, fastest and most reliable to access one handed. Those days I was carrying a PST, but even though I preferred the balisong method of opening as equally fast, it was no doubt a bit less reliable under high stress conditions.
 
The U.S. Made versions (400/600) are absolutely on par with any Leatherman in quality dept these days. It's appears Gerber is on an upswing in this dept in the last few years, where Leatherman has been on a serious quality slide in recent years. As a professional tradesman, I use tools, and use them hard. The MP600 is a good quality tool, and you can get it at a good price point with a lifetime warranty. It's well worth a try.
 
I have an original gerber multi tool. Quality is excellent. I have used it hard off and on for 20 years
 
At least 15 years on mine. No bent tips, maybe a touch of rust once that cleaned off. One of the master links on the pliers wore out. Replaced it and kept going.

Handy when up a ladder etc. or have only one hand to pop open. Have a few Leathermans to compare too also and they don't open as nicely or lock with the same authority.
 
I use a Gerber Diesel and it's decent for my needs. I like the scissors better than the Leathermans. I am never so much in a hurry when accessing or using a tool that I notice it taking any longer than a second or two in comparison to other multi tools anyway. I don't like the knife style or steel on the Gerber but I generally have a pocket knife anyway. The knife does come in handy to use on things you don't want to dull or use your pocket knife for, bags of mulch, dirt, hard plastic packaging, cutting fish bait etc. I use mine primarily for fishing, camping or small chores around the house I don't want to go get from my toolbox. For the price and depending on your use I think Gerber is a good choice.
 
Locust said:
You can open a Leatherman one handed. I just tried with my ST300. Just shake one handle open and use your leg or stomach to get it the rest of the way.
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Thats what I thought too when reading this, I rarely use two hands when opening my ST300 if I just need pliers. I can even get the main blade out, and some other tools, one handed if need be, though not really ever necessary for me.
 
This Gerber is the first multi tool i bought, other than an SAK, since then i have bought several MTs mostly Leatherman from a ChargeTi through Wingman,Sidekick, Juice and a Kick and of course the little Squirt p4 and the Micra and probably a few more i have forgotten, all of them bar the three in the photo have gone, the Micra lives on a table beside my lounge chair and the blade in the photo is the only one i use, similarly the p4 is in a large ash tray on my desk and all i ever use are the pliers, the bigger pliers on the Gerber also come in handy.I use the scissors on my SAK because i do not like the ones on the MTs. I used to carry the Kick on my belt because it was the lightest but these days i have no real need of a Multi Tool and just carry whichever of my traditional knives comes to hand. Anyhoo back to the heading No i do not love my Gerber but as it was my first and despite nearly cutting of a finger when the very sharp blade came out and into play when i was using the pliers, i have a sentimental attachment to it.

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Ive had a 400 since the mid 90s. It's been rock solid. I don't carry it anymore, as I just like my Leathermans better, but I would have no issue pulling out the old Gerber. I don't care for their newer offerings.
 
I had the old-school multi-plier. It was neat. The sliding pliers were cool. Problem is, the thing was the worst palm pinching monster I ever experienced in my whole life. A distant second is my leather punch. that thing would INJURE you if you were not careful. Never could bring myself to use the pliers after a couple of very nasty pinches. Never again.
 
HoosierQ said:
I had the old-school multi-plier. It was neat. The sliding pliers were cool. Problem is, the thing was the worst palm pinching monster I ever experienced in my whole life. A distant second is my leather punch. that thing would INJURE you if you were not careful. Never could bring myself to use the pliers after a couple of very nasty pinches. Never again.
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I feel your pain...or rather, I felt that pain. After a Gerber made a big blood blister on my palm and later another, the rest didn't matter. I could have kicked myself as a dummkopf for allowing that second munch. Done with Gerber.
 
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