Very rusty tools, suspected fakes

[fishrule]

I stumbled on this site when I was researching multitools because I had a sneaking suspicion that the Gerber multitool I bought was fake, since I have to spray it down with WD40 every week just to get the rust off it. I purchased it at Pricesmart, which is a large and reputable retailer in Jamaica, so I figured the multitool must be genuine, and the price was decent (about 70 USD for 2 tools and a Gerber penlight). The penlight seems real, its a Gerber Foreman, with 4 interchangable LED bulbs and a carrying case. The whole kit came in a nice looking metal display case.

Then the problems started. I am a photographer, and often use a multitool to work with tripods and adjusting lighting equipment and such. Nothing super intense, no hazardous chemicals involved in my job. About 3 days after I got the tool little speckles of rust appeared on both it and the small one. After my job was done I soaked it in WD40 and worked the rust off both with a brush and sheathed them for 2 weeks. To my horror next time I reached out to use them they were both rusted nearly solid, and were completely unusable.

I can't really fault Gerber for this because my friend has a Gerber multitool (he was the one that introduced me to them), and its years old with only light rust on it. Mine formed rust in a matter weeks seeing much lighter use than his. I found a sticky post here listing all the tools Gerber has made, and neither of mine seem to match any of the tools listed.

Here is a link to photos of the knives, as you can tell by the microfiber cloth and tissues I had just finished cleaning it up with WD40.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v136/fishrule/Gerber%20Multitool/

Any help would be appreciated, if they are fake I want to file a complain with Pricesmart and get my money back.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Welcome to the forum mate

Yeah that does look like the genuine article to me Sadly due to he beadblasted finish, it is going to be more prone to rust than a polished tool is

[fishrule]

Thanks for the welcome Mike, this is a nice forum. Well thats to bad, I'm pretty disappointed by these tools if they are genuine Gerber. Humidity is always near saturation point out here so rust is going to be a bigger problem for me. I guess I will toss them in my car or something for emergencies and go buy a Victorinox Swiss Tool or something. Is that less prone to rusting than a Gerber?

[Neil]

I think in a high humidity environment a Victorinox tool would be your best bet, they are highly polished and less susceptible to rusting.  That said they also will rust given time and the right conditions.

Whatever you go for I think giving your tools an oily wipe down on a regular basis would be a good idea

And welcome to the forum 

[Gareth]

Welcome to the forum fishrule.  Sorry to hear about the rusting issues you're having.  As Mike suggests it's almost certainly down to the finish on the steel that's the problem.  The Swiss Tool and Spirit have a great reputation for rust resistance so you'd likely be OK with them.  I don't have any issues with the Leatherman's I have but we live in very different climates so my experience might be very different to what you'd get.  Perhaps some of our members from more tropical countries might chime in with their thoughts.

[fishrule]

Hi Gareth,

I actually bought it to replace a Leatherman I lost, along with some Swiss Army Knives. I was immigrating back into Jamaica and think they got stolen in customs, because when I opened my toolbox they were all gone I had the original Leatherman from the 80s, my dad gave it to me when he bought a Wave. I also had the fat Victorinox Swiss Champ, and a locking blade Victorinox I got as a gift (it was quiet nice actually, I had never seen that design before in a Swiss Army Knife). The Leatherman did rust from time to time, but not as rapidly as the Gerber, and it was very easy to clean up. I've learned quite a bit from browsing these forums, and the SwissTool X seems like the best suited for me.

I am not highly familiar with steel, but what is it exactly that makes Victorinoxs so rust resistant? Sometimes I would forget to oil mine for months and I would never even see a hint of corrosion on the damn thing.

[Gareth]

I'm no expert but I believe it's partly to do with their choice in steel but mostly to do with the bright polished finish they use.  With a bead blasted finish there are tiny 'pits' on the surface of the steel that moisture can get stuck in and so cause rust, with a smoother finish that's much less likely to happen.  You still have to be careful and look out for any signs of rust in areas that won't have been polished, the nail nicks for example.

Sorry to hear about the Leatherman and Swiss Champ getting stolen, that really sucks.