Supertools an opinion

[damota]

Saw this and wondered how it would go down on here. 

http://www.expotv.com/index.php?option=com_video&VideoId=2214&Itemid=41

Dave

[CacherX4]

Well, I think her problem is obvious myself.  She has never used the Gerber.....luckily everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.  I will agree though about the tools not being easy to get out on the Supertool.  My new supertool 200 seems to be terrible at getting the tools out, without taking them all out and then putting the ones I don't want back in.

[Grant Lamontagne]

To each their own.... that's why they have numerous tools on the market!

I wonder what she would think of a SwissTool?

Def

[Travis Autry]

I dislike any multitool that requires me to open the pliers to access the other tools and blades.  That was one of the factors that directed me to the SwissTool and away from the LM SuperTool.

While neither the LM or Gerber would be my first choice, I certainly wouldn't consider either trash.

[damota]

I think the Gerber she has is one of the hand pinching first series because it does not appear to have the plastic release mech for the lock mechanism and she also does not appear to have to use one to release the various blades she demonstrates. I do not know enough about LM to recognize the model she has but from what she says about the Gerber being dropped in water, left in the car I would guess it is her favorite so therefore gets more use and the LM has just been left to rust.
I think her Super Tool revue is very dubious especial the remark on the wire cutting ability.

Dave

[CacherX4]

My LM Charge wirecutters are pretty much useless.  When trying to cut the wire on the back of a picture frame all the cutters do is bend the wire.  However, since I rarely need to cut wire this is not an issue for me.  I haven't tried the Supertool 200 yet but I'll assume for the timebeing that they won't work the best either.  I say that only because a friend has the original supertool and also a Charge and he has the same issue with both. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Other than the cable, I haven't had a problem with any of the wire cutters...

Def

[CacherX4]

gotta be my technique then.  I will get some wire and practice  

[Grant Lamontagne]

What I do is place the wire on a sturdy work table and pound it with the tool until it seperates.  How do you do it?

 

Def

[CacherX4]

I've been using that little thing that opens up...looks just like a cheerio.  I put the wire in there and pull...doesn't cut worth crap  O0  LOL

[parnass]

CatcherX4,

Are those rust spots on the Phillips driver on the red tool in the top of your photo?

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's actually my photo, taken for the Juice Review I did before we opened the site:

http://multitool.org/content/view/26/53/

And yeah, that is rust spots....

Def

[CacherX4]

Thanks Def, I was just about to explain where I got the photo.

[Grant Lamontagne]

No problem.  Actually I am kinda proud of that photo- I hadn't noticed the rust spots until I looked at the pic.  They are almost invisible in regular light with a casual glance.

Def

[J-sews]

...............I will agree though about the tools not being easy to get out on the Supertool.  My new supertool 200 seems to be terrible at getting the tools out, without taking them all out and then putting the ones I don't want back in.

Have you guys ever looked closely at a Gerber tool, where the blades pivot? I mean, really really closely? It's a pretty clever method they use, with absolutely no possibility of blade clumping.

(Vic multi tool blades don't clump either, of course, but for an entirely different reason.)

[Grant Lamontagne]

I would look at mine right now but it's in a nicer place than I am right now!

To be honest, I never did look all that closely at it.

Def

[J-sews]

I gotta give Gerber credit. It's simple, and it works.

Look at the first picture. See the little spacers between the blades? No big deal, every maker uses them. But Gerber took it one step better, by adding a little square tab to each spacer.

In the second picture, you can see the cut-out that each little spacer tab engages. This way, the spacers themselves are not allowed to rotate. The rotary motion of unfolding the knife blade therefore, is not transferred to the blade next to it. Simple.
No blade clumping. Ever.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Simple yet effective.  Pretty sweet!

Def

[CacherX4]

Well, it ain't no wonder why I couldn't figure it out.  My Gerber is so old it doesn't even have locking blades!!! And ALL the tools clump when opening. 

[J-sews]

Ahh, yes. Those early ones are as clumpy as a Leatherman.

[damota]

I gotta give Gerber credit. It's simple, and it works.

Look at the first picture. See the little spacers between the blades? No big deal, every maker uses them. But Gerber took it one step better, by adding a little square tab to each spacer.

In the second picture, you can see the cut-out that each little spacer tab engages. This way, the spacers themselves are not allowed to rotate. The rotary motion of unfolding the knife blade therefore, is not transferred to the blade next to it. Simple.
No blade clumping. Ever.

I have a Gerber Cable Cutter that should be here sometime tomorrow, so I started to take my MP600 to bits to get the blade exchanger out to put into the cable cutter. I was surprised to see just how much engineering is in those axles, they can not turn there are four projections that fit into grooves in the axles so when tightened up they stop the axle from turning.

Dave

[Grant Lamontagne]

So you had to "squeeze" the tool together until the heads cleared the handles to turn them?  That's pretty cool!

Def

[J-sews]

Is that how you got the screws to turn out? By squeezing the handle channel together? I've never tried taking mine apart, but I wondered how to do it.

[damota]

So you had to "squeeze" the tool together until the heads cleared the handles to turn them?  That's pretty cool!

Def

No nothing as dramatic as that, release the small grub screw (on its end in the pic) when half out give it a belt with a piece of wood to shove the other side out of the handle then just remove the screw and the axle is free to remove. Tomorrow when I reassemble the tool I will have to line everything up, slide the axle in, make sure the projections are in the right place and the washers are in place then tighten the grub screw up then when it tighten it will pull the axle into the right place so it can not turn. After a bit of thinking I have decided not to put any Loc-tight on to see how the grub screw holds with just friction. I will have a couple spare.

Dave

[J-sews]

Okay, I understand now.

Moving on:
Please post a picture of your new Cable Cutter when it arrives. I have a 650 with cable cutter jaw attachments, but I can't tell from the Gerber website if these are the same jaws.

[damota]

I do not know if this will help but here goes. It seems to be the same with the adition of the pins for the circlip and a hole for the lock spring.

[J-sews]

Yes, I agree. They appear to be the same jaws as the interchangable 650.

And now that I look closely on mine, I can see where the circlip pins were removed with a snag grinder.