Leatherman or Gerber

Buy the Oregon built leatherman. Burn your Chinese POS Gerber meow!

 

I've got several old gerbers. Made in USA,are they made in China now?

 

I've got a Leatherman Blast myself... Also have a Gerber somethin or other that I got issued to me, but I keep it on the ship. The Leatherman stays in my truck. I definitely prefer my Leatherman

 

Gerber used to be better than Leatherman. I had one that had the slide out pliers with the two buttons on both sides and loved it! but they seem to be cheaply made lately. I have a leatherman wave that works nicely.

 

Wells said my good sir.

 

I don't have much experience with Leatherman, but my Gerber multi tool and knife both fell apart. They did replace them under warranty, but nothing looks different.

I have a Benchmade knife now that has been awesome and my brother swears by his Leatherman.

 

multitaskers are nice!!!

...i've been wanting the Leatherman MUT

http://www.leatherman.com/product/MUT

 

I have a Leatherman Wave (1st gen) and my dad has had a Gerber for a long time. They're fairly similar, but I think Leatherman edges out ahead in build quality. I don't believe this is the same case with the current Gerber quality, but as usual, you only hear about the ones that are junk. Nobody ever talks about how great XXXX is and is holding up like a tank, however, as soon as XXXX takes a fart they post about it on 12 forums.

YMMV!

 

Leatherman's wear like iron, Gerber's are great too if you are on a lower budget. I actually have a Gerber now but when I get some extra coin I eventually plan to get a good Leatherman. My old man's been using Leatherman's for as long as I can remember, some of those tools are older than me, although worn out we still keep them around in the junk drawers. They do come in handy for certain things.

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerber_Legendary_Blades

Hmm, wiki says Geber is a Portland, OR co. Basically born and raised. I definitely prefer Gerber. And the pieces can be changed out. The only thing is no wine or bottle opener and the phillips is stubby

Kalama, you so crazy!

 

I got a Gerber Dime the other day, the only reason I got it is because it is small and was $20 bucks. It was a waste of $20 in my opinion, I thought it would be though. It isn't good quality, half of the tools I can't open because they are too tight. It was just a reminder of why I don't buy Chinese garbage. It is cool how the pliers work, but it would be nice if it was made in a respectable nation known for quality items.


If I wanted to spend more than $20 on a multitool (which is anything bigger) I would go for the Victorinox and skip the garbage.

 

/thread

 

I also have the dime. I bought it for the price and size. I wanted something for my keychain, but I wanted something with "pliers" as opposed to the scissors on most tools of that size.

The dime is tiny, about the size of my key fob. I didn't buy it to frequently use the screw drivers or folding scissors, those tools are indeed a little sticky and hard to get out, but if I need them I can use them.

However, I use the knife blade, small angled blade (cord cutter/Letter opener), and pliers very frequently.

I've been very impressed by the tool.

The pliers are spring loaded, and have a very pointed tip, which can be used as pretty precise tweezers. I've used it to grab and loosen nuts/bolts here and there and it's worked just fine. The blades have stayed sharp enough to use for little/random tasks.

I've had it on my keychain for about a year, it's been dropped, stuck, wet, dirty and it's still working fine.

Of course, it's not my go-to tool for every task I have. I also carry a full size folder with me every day, and when I am working on something specific, I'll generally have the appropriate/standard sized tool for the task.

I didn't buy it to cut open 200 boxes a day, or to turn multiple screws/nuts/bolts every day... I bought it because I thought it might make a good "backup" tool, for random things that I run into. It's small enough to carry next to my keychain, every day, without being intrusive at all. It was only 20 dollars, and for me, it was very worth it.

Edit: It's also got a bottle opener, fixed to the outside when closed. That is probably the most important feature.

That being said, I am also a fan of leatherman products.

 

My Gerber has scissors, replaceable wire cutters AND interchangeable saw blades.

 

Gerber for the rapid, one-handed opening. Carry it on duty every day and use it more than any other tool on my belt/vest.

 

Leatherman Juice for the corkscrew .. and camping ... but mainly for the corkscrew while camping, otherwise the wine would be wasted. OK, I coulda just bought a corkscrew. But it wouldnt be as manly

 

The Gerber I have had for over 15 years is definitely not junk. Still sharp and clean as when brand new despite a lot of dust, mud, wire cutting, fish and deer cleaning, etc.

 

I have several Leathermans from the Micra up to the original Supertool. I even have my original from the 80's rolling around here somewhere. I keep the Super on hand for a quick grab around the house, and toss it in my pack if I'm heading into the wilderness.

I've also had a couple Gerbers over the years and they had their advantages too. The only issue I've had with those is that I kept breaking the pliers (one side of the jaw would snap off) and I had co-workers who had the same problem. I think I still have one somewhere, but can't swear to it. For a great carry knife I have a Gerber Gator and I absolutely love it. Awesome blade and you can't beat the grip when your hands are wet.

 

I've carried a Gerber MP600 on and off for the past 7 years. No complaints about that at all. I really like the slide lock feature on the tools.

Also, Fiskars (Gerber brand) makes some really nice axes!

 

I've used a leatherman for personal use for 12+ years and it's still going strong. I've been using a military issue gerber for about 4 years and it seems pretty decent, no issues.