Gerber Groundbreaker

[Tsquare]

Both this and the cable dawg look great but the price tags will prevent me from getting either. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

The Cable Dawg, and to a lesser extent the Groundbreaker aren't typical multis the way we know them.  They are specialty tools, and the price of them reflects that.  Gerber won't be making as many as they did with the Diesel, Flik etc, and that lower production means a higher price per unit.

Additionally, the Cable Dawg has some very specific components on it that are (or at least appear to me as a general tool guy) to be very high quality.  Yes, it's not an attractive price to most folks, but by the same token it's also not meant for everyone.  It's meant for telecommunications workers, and it's a tank, so it can be counted on to last on a job site, being used a hundred times a day for years without a hitch.  If you are a telecommunications worker, you may just appreciate that enough to justify the money.

The Groundbreaker is a little less expensive but seems like it fits a different group.  It strikes me as a great tool for the kind of guy that takes odd jobs doing electrical work in the evenings and on weekends- a pro is probably not going to want this tool as pros tend to be pretty well stuck to their simpler tools as they are easily replaced if lost or broken, while the do it yourselfer probably doesn't have enough work in just his own house to justify buying $100 specialty tool.  But, for the neighborhood handyman that's always helping others it makes a convenient package that keeps all of you most used and basic tools close at hand for those times when someone calls and you grab your stuff and go.

Def

[NeitherExtreme]

... a pro is probably not going to want this tool as pros tend to be pretty well stuck to their simpler tools as they are easily replaced if lost or broken, while the do it yourselfer probably doesn't have enough work in just his own house to justify buying $100 specialty tool. 

Those seem like problems to me as well. That tool sure does look cool, and is obviously designed well for a specific job (and I'd love to get my hands on one ), but from my experience doing electric, you don't want to get too attached to whatever you cut wire with, because at some point, whether it's your own fault or someone else's, there's going to be a "BANG", and it's going to be trash. 

[Beerplumber]

... a pro is probably not going to want this tool as pros tend to be pretty well stuck to their simpler tools as they are easily replaced if lost or broken, while the do it yourselfer probably doesn't have enough work in just his own house to justify buying $100 specialty tool. 

Those seem like problems to me as well. That tool sure does look cool, and is obviously designed well for a specific job (and I'd love to get my hands on one ), but from my experience doing electric, you don't want to get too attached to whatever you cut wire with, because at some point, whether it's your own fault or someone else's, there's going to be a "BANG", and it's going to be trash. 

Whaaaaat...?

I like this one. At $100 it's more use to me than a MUT. I'll be eager to see a full review when it becomes available. Thanks for the sneak-peek Bob!


Stay multi my friends

[J-sews]

... a pro is probably not going to want this tool as pros tend to be pretty well stuck to their simpler tools as they are easily replaced if lost or broken, while the do it yourselfer probably doesn't have enough work in just his own house to justify buying $100 specialty tool. 

Those seem like problems to me as well. That tool sure does look cool, and is obviously designed well for a specific job (and I'd love to get my hands on one ), but from my experience doing electric, you don't want to get too attached to whatever you cut wire with, because at some point, whether it's your own fault or someone else's, there's going to be a "BANG", and it's going to be trash. 

Nope, that can never happen. See? It says right there on the side, "DO NOT USE ON LIVE CIRCUITS"


So there, problem solved!

[NeitherExtreme]

Nope, that can never happen. See? It says right there on the side, "DO NOT USE ON LIVE CIRCUITS"


So there, problem solved!

Actually... Now that I look at it again, I'm wondering if any of those metal pieces/screws in the handles have contact with the main cutter head? Because regardless of what that warning might say, wire strippers will occasionally be used on live circuits, and I would hope that the handles would be fully insulated, or you're going to have some hot electricians.

[scrappy]

Since Grant mentioned the cable dawg  is built like a tank, I decided to get 1. it is nothing like recent tools from gerber. it makes the strata feel like a suspension. I think the locks should be a little more sturdy, but other than that it really is built like a tank. and all of a sudden gerber must of thought let's build a tool someone could actually use on a screw. the driver takes standard bits and is the longest on any tool I know of. about identical to the multi tasker.
the cable dawg is second from left

[scrappy]

Pic

[scrappy]

Left to right, second from last

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, the Cable Dawg is a big honking piece of equipment all right.  At about $300 it's really only something a few people are really going to need.  Developed for linesmen working for communications companies it really seems to be worth it's weight, at least from what I've heard from the few people I know who have one.

It's a heck of a piece of equipment though! 

Def

[scrappy]

Surprisingly it came with a user manual, which Gerber never does these days. I got it on the bay for 240. Travis reached out to a.distributor for me and they are discontinued

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's because anyone who buys a Gerber is smart enough not to need a manual! 

I didn't realize it was discontinued- they never said anything about that at SHOT last month.  In fact, they even had a Cable Dawg there for us to look at, and they usually don't bring discontinued items to the show.

Def