SHOT 2010- Gerber Booth

[Grant Lamontagne]

At Gerber's booth we got to spend some time talking to marketing folks, designers and engineers.  We look at some tools, some knives and some flashlights, and I have to say that if you have had misgivings about Gerber before, now is the time to check them out!

The Grappler is a great looking piece, and I can't wait to try it in the field.



It's quite a big tool, and I can see it standing up to some serious pounding.  There are a few tradeoffs though- because the sliding plier head is on the inside, all the tools have to be on the outside, and space is limited there, so it doesn't have an impressive number of functions, but then, neither does the Crunch, the Schrade ST6 or the Kershaw a-100, so it's a drawback of the concept, not the Grappler specifically.



It does have a healthy tool compliment though- phillips screwdriver, can opener, bottle opener, file w/integrated screwdriver tip, partially serrated blade, and a ruler that also acts as a pry bar.



All the tools are easily accessible form the outside and lock open.



Each tool snaps open smoothly and locks with a liner locking mechanism which felt solid, but I thought seemed a little thin.



I can't say for sure, but they seemed like they would be flimsy, but they did lock up solidly.  I'd like to see how that stands up to heavy use over a long period of time.  It certainly didn't feel like there was anything wrong with it, and it was locked securely.



The locking head mechanism was effective, although I think that the adjustment screw was a little awkward to get at and adjust.  Again, I'm looking forward to actually using it, and I'm trying to identify potential problem areas to look out for when I do field test these tools.  The screw seemed a little unresponsive at first, but this is also a pre-production version and might need to be broken in a bit.



It's also a really complex mechanism that you can tell caused the Gerber designers a lot of sleep as they worked it out every which way!



The Octane on the other hand was a somewhat known quantity- Dave Bowen had seen/handled it at BLADE over the summer and we've seen some pictures of it before now.  Today we saw the production unit and we couldn't help by be happy to see that it really does look good.



Gerber has shifted gears and wants to continue to compete in the same price points as the Suspension/EVO/Ripstop etc, however rather than cut corners on quality to offer full featured tools, they have scaled back into the minimalist tools and created a quality inexpensive tool.



Oh yeah, and a 3D phillips too! 



The odd looking little blade there is something I am glad to see on a multitool- it's a clam pack opener!  Finally, a tool designed specifically to open the packaging that most tools come in nowadays!



I have to say I'm honestly not sure what to think about the Strata.  It seems like a nice enough tool, but for some reason I couldn't quite get on with it.  It's is, in essence, a higher quality version of some of the older, cheaper tools, like the Suspension and it's clones, although pedigree is about all there is to compare this to them- it's obvious that the Strata is a much higher quality and better tool.  Maybe it's just paranoia, and I hope that I can test it out and see what it's really capable of. 



Bob on the other hand had a better feeling about it than I did, so I think it's somewhat likely that I have some kind of bias based on some loose similarities.  Still, at the price point it's at, there is no doubt in my mind that it's superior to the Suspension, and you can feel the better construction when you hold it or pull out a tool.

Gerber also said that the Shard is going into production in no small part thanks to the interest we showed in it, which I thought was great to hear, whether they really meant it or were just trying to make us feel good!  They also assured us that they have switched gears and are more interested in bringing back quality tool lines than in competing in the discount tool market, which I think is great news, both for them and us!

There's more to Gerber, but I'll add it later!

Def

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm still not sold on them, but I hope they prove me wrong

[cliosguy]

i want a Grappler my crunch is feeling lonely being the only locking plier based MT that i own

[J-sews]

i want a Grappler my crunch is feeling lonely being the only locking plier based MT that i own

Crunch -versus- Grappler is indeed shaping up to be an interesting match. The Crunch is more compact in the carry mode, but it takes FAR longer to go into plier mode than the near-instant deployment of the Grappler.

Another Grappler advantage is longer blades, all four of which are outside opening (and liner locking)

[cliosguy]

how is the pry bar? light, medium or kinda HD?

[Grant Lamontagne]

how is the pry bar? light, medium or kinda HD?

I would say light duty, but it's hard to tell since they don't like folks like us destroying their show tools! 

Def

[cliosguy]

i figured, well ill have to found out myself then, no problems with that

[WhichDawg]

Nice tools

I gotta give Gerber credit, they are trying, they have some good creative people working for them.

If they can maintain a "QUALITY" product over a reasonable time and keep the price "fair" they can take
a good share of the market, the name always helps but we need to be convinced

[cliosguy]

Nice tools

I gotta give Gerber credit, they are trying, they have some good creative people working for them.

If they can maintain a "QUALITY" product over a reasonable time and keep the price "fair" they can take
a good share of the market, the name always helps but we need to be convinced

very true

[Freudian Frog]

Looks like they're trying to do better. I hope it works out for 'em, I'm certainly interesting interested.

[J-sews]

Looks like they're trying to do better. I hope it works out for 'em, I'm certainly interesting.

You are that OLF.

[Freudian Frog]

Looks like they're trying to do better. I hope it works out for 'em, I'm certainly interesting.

You are that OLF.

I hate you... but I love you at the same time. =(

Are we married yet?

[jzmtl]

What's your impression on strata's carbide cutter? Does the cutting surface meet well? If it's not too late find a nail and thin wire to cut and tell us how does it compare with other MT's bypass cutter.

[J-sews]

What's your impression on strata's carbide cutter? Does the cutting surface meet well? If it's not too late find a nail and thin wire to cut and tell us how does it compare with other MT's bypass cutter.

We questioned them extensively on it J. Gerber claims that the carbide anvil cutters work well on everything from soft copper to semi-hard steel, like nails and fish hooks. The cutters almost - but not quite - touch in the closed position. The claim is that these replaceable anvils hold up better over a wider range of cutting than do the replaceable bypass inserts of the 600 series.


Will attempt some cutting tests of our own before the week is out.

[Gareth]

Nice report chaps.  It's good to hear that Gerber seem to be back on track.

[jzmtl]

We questioned them extensively on it J. Gerber claims that the carbide anvil cutters work well on everything from soft copper to semi-hard steel, like nails and fish hooks. The cutters almost - but not quite - touch in the closed position. The claim is that these replaceable anvils hold up better over a wider range of cutting than do the replaceable bypass inserts of the 600 series.


Will attempt some cutting tests of our own before the week is out.

Thanks! So far of all the new MT we heard about this interest me the most, if it indeed is able to cut as they claimed.

[Santos]

thank you so much for the info on the grappler, its nice to see real pics.. my first thought was... hmmm... gerber should make a vicegrip only version without the tools. it seems plausable just bolt of the blade layers
(also my plain to put a saw coupler in place of the blade looks more feasible!)

given the price point did they say where they where being made?

i also NOW  find the octane appealing... don't need one though. Was the 3d philips 1/4" driver capable?

[Mr. Whippy]

Excellent news and great (initial) report!.  I like that Grappler in concept.  I'll probably have to put my hands on one...

BTW, the Raker Ring tool works great on clampacks, too.

Being from Oregon, I'm proud to see Gerber back on the path to the Light.

[PyroJames]

Excellent news and great (initial) report!.  I like that Grappler in concept.  I'll probably have to put my hands on one...

Being from Oregon, I'm proud to see Gerber back on the path to the Light.

I agree. I've been a Gerber fan for the longest time now and it's good to see their new lineup.  They look great!

[nuphoria]

Hmm.. some interesting developments there. I agree that the clam package opener is a great idea. I supose the odd new tool in the line up will also help add interest to the new tools.

I'm still not entirely convinced about them, but I'm looking forward to some field tested reports 

[SlackOne]

I'd love to see how the Strata compares to a Skeletool size-wise.  I do *not* like the Skeletool in the slightest, but it is kind of the defacto minimalist knifeplier right now.  I do love how the Strata's bottle opener doesn't waste a tool slot!   

[MultiMat]

GRAPPLER

Great work guys keep it coming 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'd love to see how the Strata compares to a Skeletool size-wise.  I do *not* like the Skeletool in the slightest, but it is kind of the defacto minimalist knifeplier right now.  I do love how the Strata's bottle opener doesn't waste a tool slot!   

I think you mean the Octane?  The Strata is a larger tool, while the Octane is the minimalist one.

Compared to the Skeletool, I'd say the Octane is slightly smaller and wider.  The sliding head design means that it's a broader, flatter but shorter tool than the Skeletool's butterfly style.  The Octane is a great homage to the older Multiplier series and I think follows the MP600/400 design flawlessly, while still managing to update the design- similar to all the new Retro type cars everyone is producing these days, and yet done really, really well.

Def

[SlackOne]

Sorry yeah, the Octane.  How does the plier head compare to the Skeletool, or the MP400 Compact Sport for that matter?  And do those grip cut outs help with the traditional Gerber palm pinch when using the pliers?

My main gripe with the Skeletool/Freestyle is that both the knife and plier head were too puny (IMHO) for a tool dedicated to having a knife and plier head   I'm kind of hoping the Octane manages to get a better balance.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well, it really is a matter of "To Each His Own" but I do really think that the Octane balances things better.  When I get one to play with I'll be able to take more detailed photos and give a head to head review, but tragically they get a little upset when I ask if I can take their brand new tool to another booth! 

The plier head is similar in size to the MP400- it really does seem like an updated, minimalist version of the MP400, but I didn't get any pics side by side.  If we get another chance to visit Gerber I'll see if I can get pics of them together.

Still, the Octane is quite affordable, so I think there's lots of room to try one out if you see it and not have a huge investment to worry about.

Def

[Benner]

Could it be?!?....  YES!  Drivers that reach further than a quarter inch! 

VERY interested now 

[Gareth]

Actually of these three tools it's the Octane that most interests me.  It's a good looking tool that.

[ryan1835]

how does the grappler open?

sorry if its been asked

[Freudian Frog]

how does the grappler open?

sorry if its been asked

Same way most of their other tools do.

One hand out the front.

... I think.

[Poncho65]

Well I am glad Gerber is makin more solid looking tools again All the tools above look great can't wait to see 1 in the flesh and blood so to speak