Gerber ID ??

[Burkc]

Can someone help me Id this Gerber Multi-Plier?

Thanks

BurkC

[I'm Still Bison]

Wow....you really got me there on that one. That may have been part of a special run done for a retailer.I have a variant of the 600 that was done for WalMart a  couple years back,loaded with straight driver blades,but minus saw and/or scissors.

[Burkc]

I have had it for a while, don't remember where I got it but it was at least 10 years ago. I really like it and it looks like a predessesor to the modern 600.

You may be right about the "one-off" or special run. I just saw this on another post. It is exactly like mine except this one says Fiskars.

BC

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

It looks like one of the older blunt nosed MP600 to me, here's a new one and it's pretty similar...

http://www.gerber-tools.com/Gerber-Multi-Plier-600-blunt-nose-7500.htm

Hope this helps mate

[Grant Lamontagne]

Don't forget that Gerber is owned by Fiskars.

I believe that at one point Fiskars actually re-badged some Gerber tools with their own name and tried selling them, but I'm not 100% on that.

Def

[Viper]

That has the same tool set-up as mine, but mine has yellow handles, and a black needlenose pliarhead.

[Roadie]

Looks identical to mine bar the fiskars logo, mine being needle nose and a slightly different sheath. Mine has a patent pending number on it, should really look that up at some stage!

[cryptrick]

That has the same tool set-up as mine, but mine has yellow handles, and a black needlenose pliarhead.

That sounds cool Viper, you got any pics?

[J-sews]

Gerber kept making small changes to their Multi-Plier throughout the 1990's, so we tend to see a lot of subtle variations. Here's a brief summary of the main steps along the way:

1) The very first models had a high-polish finish, instead of the bead blast we've seen on Gerber tools since. It also had button-head screws in all four blade pivot points, and button head screws on the plier slides. Also note the pivot bushing between the plier jaws. A crude pair of scissors was included.

[J-sews]

2) The second version from Gerber went to the now-familiar bead blast finish. The scissors were replaced by a big triangular shaped awl. This version still has button head pivots, button head sliders, and the pivot bushing between the plier jaws.

[J-sews]

3) Third version wasn't much of a change really. They simply did away with the pivot bushing

[J-sews]

4) Change on the fourth version was minor also. On one side of each handle, the button head screw was replaced with a round nut. 

Some of these #4's as well as #5's were stamped and sold with the Fiskars logo.

[J-sews]

5) Version number five introduced a new beefier shape to the plier jaws. (Needlenose jaws were offered for the first time as well) Also gone were the button head slider screws, replaced by two different sizes of round-headed rivets.

 

[J-sews]

6) At this point Gerber stopped with the minor evolutions and came out with a major overhaul. Called the Multi-Lock when it first hit the market, the new tool had all-locking blades, plastic sliding lock releases, unique blade-pivot screws, the now familiar little circlip spring steel slider clips, etc.

After awhile this tool became the 600-series Multi-Plier, with all its many blade and plier type configurations.

[J-sews]

7) Most recently, Gerber updated their basic 600 blunt nose tool with carbide insert wire cutters, and a new Wharncliffe knife blade.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Bloody hell Bob is there anything you don't know about multi's

[J-sews]

Bloody hell Bob is there anything you don't know about multi's

My wife doesn't think so. According to her, I'm a veritable font of useless knowledge. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Bloody hell Bob is there anything you don't know about multi's

My wife doesn't think so. According to her, I'm a veritable font of useless knowledge. 

Women never appreciate the more important things in life do they

[RenHoek]

J-sews:
Figured I'd resurrect this old dusty thread with a related question:

From your great "Pictorial History of Gerber MPs" documented here, it looks like you've confirmed that my old original Gerber is one of their first gen models. (see the pix here: http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,83.msg120533.html#msg120533 Bottom MT in the Top photo) - high polish, button-head fasteners, visible plier bearing, and goofy-shaped plier jaws.

Do you know the production dates for that generation? My father-in-law gave it to me sometime in the mid 90's for Christmas. I've used the knife and serrated knife a lot, but never really wanted to crank too hard with the pliers - they seem kinda breakable. But MAN! do they slide out fast!

Thx-
RenHoek

[J-sews]

Hey Ren,
Yes that does indeed appear to be one of the old original Gerbers!

(Image removed from quote.)

Smooth and slick isn't it? One gets the impression that these originals received a lot more individual attention by hand than the millions of production-line Gerbers that came along later. I especially love the high-polish finish.

By the way, do the nail nicks on yours line up with the cutouts in the handles? Mine don't. A little oops perhaps that needed to be fixed on later runs.

As regards dates, the Multitool Encyclopedia timeline says that the first Gerber Multi-Plier came out in 1991:

https://wiki.multitool.org/tiki-index.php?page=Multitool+Timeline

[glorn]

Say there, mr. Sews...

Can we see some more shots of #2 and 3, please?

And.. Did 2 have a file? Or more to the point, did the big triangular awl ever show up on a Gerber with a file?

I ask because my first multi had the giant awl. I loved the foolish thing. Lost it into the Caribbean after carrying it for many years (that damned sea has claimed a number of my prized possessions). I believe it also had a file, but it was so long ago..