gerber vs leatherman

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ljw122333

Joined
Apr 3, 2006
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i dont know much about multitools, but can someone please help me out and tell me if i should get the gerber multiplier 700 urban legend or some kind of leatherman. thanks
 
There was a review of the Gerber Legend on the Equipped to Survive site a while back and it did not sound too favorable. This model is its little brother I believe. I have one and it is a little bulky but it does have spring loaded scissors. One of the guys at work got one and it broke on him twice I believe it was. I would stick with a Leatherman or you may want to check out the swisstool or swisstool spirit.
 
I bought my first Leatherman in '91, and have bought and used many others since then, but my favorite is the Leatherman Wave. I've used one since about '98. Of the all the others I've handled, traded, bought/sold, or given away I come back to the Wave.
 
After serious consideration, and repeated readings of most of the posts in this forum, I got myself a Leatherman too, the Surge. Sure, it's heavier than most, but I found it to be the most applicable tool for my job. I've used a gerber before and it broke too. Then again, I also got me A Vic just for good measure! I don't think you'll find anybody here who would really recommend a Gerber Multi-tool of any kind.
 
Back when I was in the Army in 1996 there were only 2 multitools that soldiers carried. It was either Leatherman or Gerber. The two camps were divided right down the middle and soldiers were fiercely loyal to their brand of choice. I remember hearing many Leatherman vs. Gerber debates in motorpools, chow halls, and out in the field. I was a Leatherman PST man myself. I lost the damn thing a few years after I got out of the Army. :mad:
 
I've always had better results from Leatherman, SOG, and Victorinox than I have with Gerber. (The first Gerber I owned ticked me off too many times while on deployment and ended up at the bottom of the ocean!) I have to admit though, that the latest and greatest Gerber Diesel does look fairly decent in the package. Too bad you can't "field test" a multi-tool for a week or two before you drop $60 or $70 and find out the hard way if it's a keeper or not!
 
I have a Gerber not sure the model but its the one that has the pliers that slide out and lock in place. I have three of them so I'm never without one. I end up getting into places where I have to hold something (without lettin go) with one hand and use a tool in the other. The Gerber is quick to open one handed and I use it all day long.
I do electrical work locksmithing, safe opening and security cameras. This is the best/most used tool I own excluding my Cold Steel Voyager. I did buy a Wave but the mother was so tight that I had to carry another tool just to open the thing and when I called Leatherman about buying their special bit (five point star) to loosen the blades they told me to stuff it. So the leatherman was cool and pretty but my Gerber is a horse that hasnt let me down for 3+ years of heavy use. Take it or leave it.
 
I like the Gerber 600 because of the one-handed opening and the replaceable jigsaw blade holder. I also have a Leatherman Wave and PST which I believe are of a better quality but you just have to weigh the options and pick the tool that will serve your purpose and you are comfortable carrying. I have a Gerber Legend 800 and while it's a quality tool, I feel its too large for your hand and the edges bite into mine while using the pliers.

Steve
 
I think that the Leathermans are far stronger and better built than the Gerbers, but the Gerber pliers are a big plus. I use a custom yellow Gerber 600 series for night fishing, and would never use anything else. I did try a weaker Gerber 400 series, but killed it the first time out fishing. My buddy got a small treble hook stuck in his hand, and used the 400 to pull it out. The tool was literally twisted by the time he got done with it.
 
I Own a leatherman blast & a gerber diesel, I must say they are both sturdy, but in my personal opinion I think the leatherman is slightly higher quality but not by much...
 
I own legend 800 for 4 years and not satisfied, but now I want to take Surge, bigger tool, longer blades. anyone have opposite altitude?
 
My 400 Compact has served me admirably and I am pretty rough on my tools although they normally don't get daily use. I have come up against situations where I was "under-tooled" but that will occasionally happen even if your drive around a Snap-On truck.

All that being said, Gerber's quality may equal that of Leatherman but certainly doesn't surpass it. For me, it boils down to which features I prefer.
 
I must claim ignorance about Gerbers, but Leathermans have never let me down.
 
I've had both. I carried a Gerber for years then a Leatherman and so far I like the Leatherman better. Even though you have to unfold it to get to the pliers it seems like its built better.
 
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