Customer Rating:      Summary: One advantage over the Leatherman Comment: One advantage that the Gerber tool has over the Leatherman is that the Gerber tool can be pried open again.
The Leatherman folds the handle over the plier head. You can't pry the tool back open.
The Gerber retracts into the handle, and you *can* pry it open.
Which tool would you prefer to have if you were cutting wire and the cutters jammes?
Customer Rating:      Summary: Good tool, However.... Comment: I purchased this tool from Amazon not from any other seller and to my surprise and disappointment upon opening the box from Amazon the box the tool came in looked a little used. I opened the Gerber box it there were greasy fingerprints and smudge marks on the tool itself. It appeared to have been used at some point. The greasy marks wiped off with a cloth and there were no scratches in the actual tool. The tool has worked fine since I have received it. The tool is very good especially the locking mechanism.
Customer Rating:      Summary: better then most. Comment: This is a pretty nice knife except for a couple of issues I'd have rated it higher.
Bad points-
Only one standard screw driver blade - small size with a nice bottle opener built in the same blade. My son dropped this once when he barrowed it from me and the screwdriver blade chipped. Must be some pretty good hardened steel.
No saw - The black Finegrif (tm) saw blade is a joke. It would take half an hour (at least) to cut through a small nail and the blade is too thin to not break right off. For wood this blade is even less effective. This is a none usable...
The file has no teeth on the sides like a proper file should. One side is a double cut and the other single cut (metal). No chance for an emergency manicure here.
Can opener blade has no fingernail slot and it's sharp so it's hard to safely deploy without cutting yourself in the dark.
Best things about this knife-
Nice set of needle nose pliers great for small precision type jobs. One handed operation (pliers only) and also has a comfortable grip.
Scissors- a necessity in my opinion.
locking blades- excellent system for locking the blades
All and all a good quality tool but with some design flaws.
Customer Rating:      Summary: Designed for many uses and it works well Comment: Quality -- The first observation I must make concerning the Multi-Plier 600 Pro Scout with Needlenose pliers (and all the other modern Gerber products with which I'm familiar) is the outstanding quality of the fit and finish. This particular product proudly wears a Made In USA label, and it features satin-finished stainless steel throughout with Zytel plastic buttons to unlock the fold out tools. It opens fairly smoothly, feels solid in your hand, and the knife blade and other tools lock in the open position for safe and secure use.
Selection -- Choosing an ideal multi-tool is perhaps the hardest task facing the user. Multi-tool marketing favors manufacturers and retailers because there are so many different configurations (too many, in fact, and you could find yourself with a collection.) I don't like that for reasons too numerous to mention, but suffice to say there's no single multi-tool that includes all the tools I might want or need. An ideal scenario would be a build-your-own concept, but that's out of the question since Gerber doesn't sell direct to the consumer.
Usability -- The 600 ProScout lets you carry a lot of useful tools in a compact package that weighs about twelve ounces. The tools are as follows:
1. The needlenose pliers are one of the best in a multi-tool. They are precision made and allow a lot of leverage and pressure to be applied to a part. They retract into the handles for storage. On this model, they must be deployed to use the fold out tools; this is one thing that makes this tool unique from some of the other Gerber tools.
2. The tool steel file, made by Simonds, is coarse on one side and fine on the other; it suffers from being too small for most of what you'd want a file for, but it still has some use.
3. There's one Phillips (crosshead) screwdriver that is about a #1 head size. It's just too small to inspire confidence when I am prone to overtighten EVERYTHING.
4. Two slotted blade screwdrivers (small and medium) are actually ground to size as opposed to just being stampings. Screwdrivers are usually the weakest link in a multi-tool because of their small size and the twisting pressures that are applied to them so you definitely don't want to pretend they are prybars, too.
5. One of the screwdrivers is also a bottle opener (opens bottle caps I guess, but I have NEVER used this).
6. There's a can opener that's well made; while it does work, it's not my choice to use in the kitchen but when camping or while parked along a roadside waiting for triple A after grocery shopping it's another story.
7. The drop point knife is a combination fine edge and serrated edge. While it's a good blade, in the Gerber tradition, you don't get enough of either edge style and it's VERY difficult to sharpen the serrated part.
8. There's a RemGrit (tungsten carbide grit on alloy steel) jig saw blade in a universal coupler. It cuts on the forward and reverse strokes and is self sharpening. I just had to have this multi-tool because it has this saw that cuts a lot of different materials. The blade can be replaced when it wears out or you could swap it with a regular wood or metal jig saw blade.
9. The Fiskars scissors are small but sharp. I'm not disappointed by their usefulness and quality, but then real men and women won't do their tailoring with this thing either.
Maybe it's just me, but cutting stuff is what this particular tool configuration is about (knife, saw, scissors) and that's why it's nice to have the file to touch up rough edges which is invariably what I get when I cut stuff. The tool would be more useful still if it had a lanyard ring on it so then I wouldn't need another model multi-tool for another hobby.
I could give this a five star rating if it wasn't for the fact that every multi-tool combo is a compromise of convenience (miniaturization) versus function. Plus you pay dearly for having many tools in the package while you have the expectation that you'll have use for the chosen tool configuration often. The Gerber Multi-Plier is a handy way to keep your life together without carrying a toolbox.
Customer Rating:      Summary: It's OK Comment: I've had this tool for about 14 months now, and it's OK. It has come in handy a few times, but that's what a multi-tool is supposed to do. After 14 months of relatively consistent use, here's what I have to say...
KNIFE: Absolutely incredible. This knife is still unbelievably sharp. I love it.
PLIERS: They do their job as pliers should do.
WIRE CUTTER: I cut some copper wire a few months ago, and now the wire cutter is notched. The wire wasn't even that thick. 10-12 gauge max. They should be made of a stronger metal.
FILE: never used it
SAW: never used it
CAN OPENER: It's a little tricky, but it does the job.
BOTTLE OPENER: Opens all drinks
SCREWDRIVERS: They're too short and stubby. You can only use them on flush surfaces. I know the Leathermans have longer screwdriver attachments.
SCISSORS: They tackle small jobs well enough.
It's an average tool. It's better than the junky ones, but it's not worth raving over. After 14 months, all the attachments jiggle a little, and it makes it tough to close the pliers. The knife is the best part, the rest is so-so. If you asked me if I would buy this again, I would say no, and I would buy the Leatherman Wave.
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