Gerber Fan Club.

[Gareth]

Hey Bob, someone hasn't bothered to take that nasty sticker off the SHOT one.  

[David]

Hey Bob, someone hasn't bothered to take that nasty sticker off the SHOT one.  

It`s been 16 years already. What`s the hold up?          

[J-sews]

Hey Bob, someone hasn't bothered to take that nasty sticker off the SHOT one.  

It`s been 16 years already. What`s the hold up?          

It's on my to-do list

[David]

Hey Bob, someone hasn't bothered to take that nasty sticker off the SHOT one.  

It`s been 16 years already. What`s the hold up?          

It's on my to-do list

You know Bob some of those old stickers just don`t want to come off.         

[J-sews]

I hear you David Not sure what type of adhesive they used back then, but it was wicked!


Nice old blunt nose by the way. That was from the last series they did before switching to the Multi-Lock aka MP600

[Grant Lamontagne]

There's just something classic about the old sliding head plier tools.   

Def

[Gareth]

Well I finally got my hands on an Octane the other day and have been putting it through it's paces.  My thoughts are....mixed.  

First, the good:
#This is my first MT that I'm actually happy to carry pocket carry with a clip, it's slim enough not to feel bulky in there.
#One of the first combo edges that I like, the serrated section is small and quite aggressive but there is plenty of plain edge to work with.

Next, the not so good.
#This has to be the grittiest tool I've ever pulled out of a package, it feels like it was assembled on a beach.  A bit of work with some oil on all the moving parts and it's fine, but it's not something I feel I should have needed to do.
#The Phillips was just awful, the angle of the flanges on the head were so obtuse that it just didn't fit in any screws (i.e it just wasn't 'pointy' enough).  I'm confident that this was a factory error with my particular tool and not a design defect, I also managed to get it into working order with a diamond stone, but again there's no reason I should have had to do this myself.  The small screwdriver was also so heavily ground that it was an awl rather than a 'driver, and the large 'driver was too thick to fit in anything reasonable.  All sorted now, but problems with all three screwdrivers?

Hopefully this has been a Friday afternoon 'special' and isn't a good example, certainly most of the reading I've done about it has been more positive about the screwdrivers than I have been. 



Now that it's working I'm OK with it, but the work I had to do has possibly coloured my opinion into something more negative than it really deserves.

[50ft-trad]

Nice to know it's not just me that knows how to pick a duff 'un 

I should have one too in a few weeks so fingrs crossed mine will be a little more refined 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Odd, I haven't had any of those problems with mine.  The screwdrivers were all fine when I used them and there wasn't any "gritty" feel to it, although I have had that problem with other Gerber tools in the past.  Maybe Gerber needs to hire a new janitor?

Now that the problems have been solved I'm interested in hearing about your experiences with it.

Def

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[jerseydevil]

That sucks, Gareth! The Octane is one of my favorite tools, it's been nothing but a positive experience using it. Hope you have better luck now that you've straightened it out a bit!

[colinoutdoors]

I have 5 Gerbers in my collection and I do like them although I must admit they are never my first choice tools to use. In order of date of purchase; Black Oxide Flik, Vise and Splice (twin pack), Multiplier, Bear Grylls Ultimate MT.



The Flik has seen the most use as I do like the outside tools and especially the scissors, perhaps my favourite pair on any MT along with the SwissTool's. I don't get on too well with the BG. I find it excessively bulky for the size of the tools and it aint too comfy either.



The Vise lives in a survival tin as part of a survival kit. I always have my PS4 on me but when out the in hills or woods its nice to know I have another set of mini pliers in my survival kit.



The Splice lives in a first aid kit. Scissors are an important part of any FAK and having a pair with additional tools is a bonus. The Splice's scissors are very good and the spring is strong.

[Gareth]

that's a nice little collection Colin.

[Grant Lamontagne]

An interesting piece of info that we always suspected about the BG Suspension/Ultimate MT:

It seems that it was not one of Bear's choices, but one thrown in as it was the easiest one to modify to fit in the BG lineup in the short amount of time they had to get the series ready. 

Def

[Gareth]

Nice to have that confirmed.   I wonder if it'll get dropped now that he's got his name on the modified Strata?

[Grant Lamontagne]

No idea, but I imagine so.  Gerber is well aware of the flaws in the Suspension and its clones, but it was hard to drop them when big box customers kept throwing cash at them and demanding more.

Def

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