Gerber Vise Review

[Woz]

I was looking for a small tool for summer EDC. Thanks to MT.org I got a Leatherman Juice SC2 and love it. Still, I think an even smaller tool would do my EDC tasks most often. So I got 2 more small EDC tools, a CRKT Zilla Jr. and the Gerber Vise.

The Gerber Vise ist Gerbers newest keychain tool. It is lightweight, small and packed with nice little helpers.
First of all, there´s spring loaded pliers. They´re small and thin, but still pretty usefull.
 


The pliers do not open very wide, but I was surprised to find out that they open as wide as the pliers on the much larger CRKT Zilla Jr.


I will not try to do any heavy duty work with that pliers, but hey, it´s a keychain tool! To remove broken darts from a dartboard or something like that the pliers are great. Nice to have, and yes, they will see some work!

What I like best about the Vise is the fact that it has 2 knife blades - including a serrated one! I love straight blades, but sometimes serrations come in handy - and it is GREAT to have a serrated blade on any multitool. In fact, if a tool just has one blade I´d prefer it to be serrated and carry a plain edged folding knife in addition.

Both blades are short, but pretty sharp. The straight one is sharp enough to shave the hairs on your arm. Nice! I never liked the blade on my Leatherman Squirt S4 for it is chiselground - the one on the Gerber is not, so it will see some action!

More tools?


There´s a nailfile with a Phillips head screwdriver (flat), a small screwdriver and a bottle opener with a larger screwdriver.
I do not like the file. Poor texture, it does not remove much material - even filing nails takes ages compared to other files.
The screwdrivers are OK, nothing special. Very short, flat and not very sharp, but OK for a keychain tool.

I like the bottle opener. Gerber made it broad - it´s like using two bottle openers at once and makes opening bottles really easy.

Fit and finish is not perfect, in fact there are some tiny scratches off the box from manufacturing, the tools are hard to open (guess it will get better when it was in use some time). But for the price, it is a nice little tool, worth thinking of.

+

- good tool selection
- cheap
- lightweight
- nice blade and pliers


-

- no locking tools
- fit and finish could be better
- blade steel not marked (does anyone know?)

Yes, I recommend it.

[Chako]

Great review and photographs.

Looks like I may have to add the oddly sounding vice. When I first heard the name elsewhere, I just assumed it had a pair of locking pliers in a very small package....you know, something that would be perfect for the fly tying fisherman. I guess I was wrong. Still a nice looking MT though. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great review and piccies mate

[Benner]

It's a shame the tools are hard to open.  Some of the tools on my Clutch are so tight that you need another MT to open them (which obviously is pointless).  I was kinda hoping they would be better on the Vise.

[Woz]

It is, but still not perfect. I guess it will become easier with the time of use, but new out off the box it´s a little harder than I expected. You will not need a second tool to open the tools, but strong fingernails.

[Poncho65]

  Good review and great pics Woz

[PyroJames]

Excellent review and pictures!  I can't find a Vise in stores yet but I definitely plan to get one.  I love my Gerber Clutch but the Vise looks even better and will replace it.

Woz, Gerber steel is usually 420-440.  They make a few knives with 154cm but for a Vise, I'm willing to bet it's 420.

[prime77]

Great review and some really nice pictures.