What is this?

[Cyclone82]

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-OEM-Gerber-Mini-Key-Ring-Carried-Multifunctional-Tool-Clutch-Survial-Outdoor-Folding-Blade-Knife/616779886.html

I have seen a few of these. Are they genuine Gerber? they look like a Leatherman micra?

Are they fakes? would they still put Gerber Clutch on them?

Some even show a orange grey Gerber box in photos too that says Gerber on it.

Maybe they are Genuine gerber clutch variants?

[AimlessWanderer]

Fake! They're also selling the fake Gerber 600 DET that keeps appearing

[Grant Lamontagne]

Hardcore fakes. Many fakes actually do have brand names on them to make them seem like the real thing at an incredible value so more people will buy them.

Manufacturers have real issues with this and spend lots of money trying to track these companies down, but most just shut one door and open another one and continue on selling them.  At that point the manufacturer has to start the legal mess all over again, costing even more money that has to be made up for by people like us paying higher prices for the real ones.

Gerber, Leatherman, CRKT and Victorinox seem to be among the most common ones I see faked, but I'm sure every major brand has had their share.

Def

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

[AimlessWanderer]

I have just taken a gamble on two of the X-Tract Essentials being real though 

I love the way the call the lanyard attachment point a "Rope hole + survival glass crash point" 

[Cyclone82]

Ok thats good my gut feeling was right then. I will not support this and will not buy them. Products purposly made to decieve buyers

[Hotrod9750]

You really have to watch especially on eBay right now. Their are a ton of fakes floating around. I just picked up a gerber obsidian, it was a fake. I was pissed. The only way I have found to narrow my chances on getting stuck with another fake is tailor my search parameters. First search us sellers only. A lot of fakes are coming out of china. Second try to by from a private seller. Not that is a guarantee but it helps. Third scrutinize the pics. The fakes seem to have really crappy fasteners (screws) holding them together. The dead give away is rough castings, the torx fasteners usually look sloppy and out of round. Like I said if you are buying a brand new knife or tool and it looks way to good to be true it probably is.

[Gareth]

The frustrating thing is that, if it were not for the fake Gerber name, I might of actually been tempted to try one of these.

[Cyclone82]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130792195683&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

this seller got really defensive when i suggested it was a fake

is not a fake and is A GERBER CLUTCH. We do not sale stock or carry knock offs of anything. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Maybe the seller is unaware they are selling fakes?

I too was keen to get one, but why should if its a total fake and claiming to be something its not?. Like i said before i dont think its something people should support. Its a bit different when its a different no name brand that is not trying to trick the buyer into thinking they are buying a real genuine branded tool. I am only going buy what the experts say here and if they say its a fake and this has never been on the Gerber site then i wont buy it.

[Gareth]

A Gerber Clutch?  I think not.


the real deal.

[Cyclone82]

Yeah i know that, i got one but mine has Gerber on the pivot. There was another one called a Mini suspension too that just has different handles but the rest is the same as the Clutch. I just thought that that SS ebay one may have been a different version worth picking up.

Would you say these are fakes though?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Freeshipping-OEM-Gerber-Clutch-Mini-Tool-mini-pliers-Gerber-keyring-EDC-folding-pocket-knife-20pcs-lot/674895233.html

I believe the clutch was made in China anyway, so i wonder if some sellers are getting them direct from the factory and selling them locally in China on that alliexpress site? then again they could be fakes too

[Grant Lamontagne]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130792195683&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

this seller got really defensive when i suggested it was a fake

is not a fake and is A GERBER CLUTCH. We do not sale stock or carry knock offs of anything. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Maybe the seller is unaware they are selling fakes?

I too was keen to get one, but why should if its a total fake and claiming to be something its not?. Like i said before i dont think its something people should support. Its a bit different when its a different no name brand that is not trying to trick the buyer into thinking they are buying a real genuine branded tool. I am only going buy what the experts say here and if they say its a fake and this has never been on the Gerber site then i wont buy it.

Feel free to send him/her a link to this thread.  That is a complete and utter fake.  If the seller doesn't know that it is fake then I would like to take this opportunity as the owner of this site to say that there is no doubt in my mind that this is indeed a fake and that I would encourage the seller to forward any proof of it's legitimacy to me for review.  If, after reviewing said information I am convinced that this is some rare Gerber model I have never seen or heard of, I will openly admit my error and retract my earlier statements as to this product's fraudulent nature.

Until then I would like to leave you with the following conclusion based on my knowledge of Gerber's product line.  This item is fake and should not under any circumstances be considered having anything to do with Gerber Legendary Blades.  Or for the less formal out there: Fakity fake fake.  Fake.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah i know that, i got one but mine has Gerber on the pivot. There was another one called a Mini suspension too that just has different handles but the rest is the same as the Clutch. I just thought that that SS ebay one may have been a different version worth picking up.

Would you say these are fakes though?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Freeshipping-OEM-Gerber-Clutch-Mini-Tool-mini-pliers-Gerber-keyring-EDC-folding-pocket-knife-20pcs-lot/674895233.html

I believe the clutch was made in China anyway, so i wonder if some sellers are getting them direct from the factory and selling them locally in China on that alliexpress site? then again they could be fakes too

For $200 these better be real.... 

I wouldn't consider spending anywhere near that much of them though.  You can buy them for about 1/10th of that brand new.

They do look legitimate but that doesn't really mean much- some fakes are pretty good, at least in pictures.  For example:

Fake Vic Rescue Tool

As for the stuff being purchased out of the factory, that is most likely contrary to Gerber's agreement with the factory.  They likely are not permitted to produce identical tools (or any tool that infringes on any patent or copyright agreement) OR sell anything with the Gerber trademark or name on it to a third party.  While many Chinese companies may not worry too much about copyright or trademark infringement, if they are caught doing that then they would likely lose the Gerber business, which is BIG money, and therefore not likely something they would take a chance on.

Def

[Lynn LeFey]

Not only is the tool in the top pic a fake, I can tell you what it IS.

This look familiar?


Here in the U.S., it's sold as the 'Berkley Mini Fishing Tool' at Walmart.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Berkley-Mini-Fishing-Tool/16637412

Here's what it looks like opened...


And here is my mini-review of it.
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,36424.msg598801.html#msg598801

EDIT: I bought a friend a set of the Mini Suspensions (one plier version, one Scissor version) for her birthday, and after fiddling with them for a bit, thought they were pretty decent (not as good as Leatherman and SOG, but good for the price). The Berkley is NOT of the same quality. Not even close.

[Cyclone82]

I bought a couple mini suspensions the otherday. I like the feel of them. I have found its a bit of a hit an miss with the quality of these and the clutches, i have a really good one and a not so good one so i hope to just swap some handles around onto good pliers so i have one of each colour. Gotta get the Bear Grylls one too.

With the fake, another thing i picked up on was that often they strategically place the box front down too, which seems odd for a legitimate item, but for a fake its understandable if they are trying to hide something.

[Cyclone82]

Ok heres a  new thing. I bought 2 Gerber Solstices from here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140867742692?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

And they were supplied in Gerber shortcut boxes where were about 12mm high and 70mm long and had part number 22-01466 and barcode 013658014664 which all matches up to gerber shortcut model. I tried a clutch in the box and yes it does fit just. So the question is would they just be using these boxes for the solstice? The box also says made in China.

Or have i ended up with fakes?

I will say that the quality certianly feels and looks very good and i am happy in that regard, they appear to be Genuine although i have never seen on in person. If its a fake they have done a very good job. I have asked the seller why they have been supplied in Shortcut boxes.

Why is it that a tool such as the Solstice which i believe has been discontinued for a while now and is no longer on the Gerber USA site, can be so readily available on sites in China or HK such as

http://www.dhgate.com/gerber-solstice-multi-tool-knives-multi-plier/p-ff8080812bff27e6012c0c481f513bf0.html

Acording to that you can buy 100's of the things. How can this be if they are discontinued? Or has Gerber USA said the the China factory (i think most Gerber stuff is made in China?) that they can continue making tools such as the solstice mainly for their market?

This is very frustrating, i hate sneaky business like this. Hopefully there is some logical explaination.

[Gareth]

Sadly I tend to be very sceptical about anything that is shipping out of Hong Kong.

[Cyclone82]

I am too but i kinda feel like i should give some a chance. Surely they all cant be crooks?

The colour of mine are a  TI gray colour. Are the ones known to be genuine this colour too or were they a black oxide colour?

Ahh now look at this one here. Pliers? i did not think there was a pliers model?




This pliers one looks different. Look at the pivot rivet. my Solstice looks the same in this link though

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MOQ-5pcs-OEM-Gerber-Mini-Pliers-Multi-Tool-Gerber-Knife-Screwdriver-Keyring-Pocket-Folding-Tool-For/571773267.html

Wish someone has done an in depth study on any of this fake stuff, how to tell real from fake apart and where its originating from exactly. Some of this stuff is very very good. Nothing is jumping out at meand saying the Soltice in my hands is not real.

The box shown in link/photo above is what mine came in. There may be a logical explaination for all this and maybe there is not some big grand operation of fake Gerbers out there. If there is i dont know why Gerber does not shut it down them selves, or maybe they dont care?

[Steinar]

There may be a logical explaination for all this and maybe there is not some big grand operation of fake Gerbers out there. If there is i dont know why Gerber does not shut it down them selves, or maybe they dont care?

They probably pop up faster than Gerber can shut them down. It's really no effective way of stopping them as long as their home turf don't care about forging of foreign brands.

[Cyclone82]

Over night i had an email from someone saying that they had a real Gerber Solstice and its not 'one of the fakes out there' So apparantly there are fakes out there. I might have the chance to get  a real one to compare and then hopefully i will know for sure. I will be very annoyed if i got fakes though. i will leave neg feedback thats for sure. Its a shame if it ends up true though because this tool proves to me that they can make a decent quality tool if they want to so how about rather than coping something else, to use their brains and come up with a new legitimate design and for the ones that are making tools for USA companies, how about they up their quality a bit. If counterfiet compaines can produce a tool thats so good then they should be able to aswell.

[Grant Lamontagne]

The plier version is and isn't legitimate.  It's kind of an odd story really, and I'm not certain I have all the facts straight myself so feel free to correct me if I have it wrong somewhere.

The same company that made the Solstice for Gerber also made a plier version but Gerber never licensed them.  So, they were produced by the same company that made the Solstice for Gerber, but they aren't actually Gerber models.

At least that's my understanding anyway.

Def

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

[Cyclone82]

Interesting

response below from ebay seller when i questioned why the different box

[i]Hello! Thank you very much for your email and purchase.

I am very sorry for the confusion. The item is 100% original and you can bring to any Gerber dealer for checking. The shortcut box was supplied since the Gerber company does not print the Solstice box(All the Gerber boxes are now being printed in US to support local economy. Since the item is from the factory directly, they only have the shortcut box (they used to produce shortcut box for Gerber but not Solstice since it has already produced in US when launched).

I feel terribly sorry for the inconvenience it caused to you. I hope for your kind understanding. If it is something that concerns you, we can offer a 10% discount to you.

Have a good evening.

Warm regards,[/b][/i]

One has to ask though, why are there seemingly still 100's of these things suposedly availbel direct from the factory, yet they are not being imported and sold through Gerber USA still??? This tool seems pretty damn available to me for a discontinued tool.

[AimlessWanderer]

Possibile scenario ...

Gerber designs a tool
Gerber commissions a factory to make the tool
Gerber sells the tool
Gerber decides to stop selling the tool, and stops placing orders on the factory

...

Factory still has the tooling 

...

Factory decides it's going to carry on making them as they made money on them when Gerber were buying them, so now they can make the money before plus some of the margin Gerber were making. They continue to put Gerbers name on it to give the tool credibility and stop it looking like a cheaper knockoff even if materially it's the same item. That's why they end up in a box for a later model - they are not legitimately in production anymore. Gerber gets no money for these items even though it's their design and bears their name and logo etc. By the time Gerber discover and take action there's tens/hundreds of thousands of these that have been produced which will be sold off via various outlets.

Look hard enough and you'll find several tools out there that appear to have had a similar story IMO. Cattlemans Ranchhand, Buck X-Tracts and others I can't recall offhand

[Cyclone82]

Interesting scenario which seems plausable. Its still suspicious how they strategically position the box so you cant see it says 'shortcut'

For what its worth after a day the swinging screw drivers have gotten loose and swing past the scissors, at least the flat bade anyway. I will admit though that i have contributed to this greatly, kinda a torture test. Theres no detent to hold them closed, its only relying on a tight rivet? I Wanted to know if there was a screw inside that i could tighten it up but i cant get the spring out to see if there is a screw in there or if its just a rivet. After a dozen or so times of opening the tool up i could feel the resistance getting weaker, it was really tight when new, so i thought i would see how much they would loosen up. Seems to only be relying on a thin wave washer really. Bit of a crappy design really if it loosens up this quick. I wonder if the Swiss + Tech tools loosen up this quick as they are done the same way i believe.

I will still aim to get a new in blister pack one that is old stock from someone who promises its not a fake and sells a lot of knives and was well aware of the fake stuff and filled me in on just the lengths these knock of companies will go to make fake copies of tools/knives and its usually the cheap stuff they knock off too. Then i will compare the 2 side by side. I recall reading somewhere that the knock off tools have a spun/machined finish on the riveting which is clear on fake leatherman super tools and micras that use those rivets. This Gerber has the same spun look on the rivet for the scissors and not a brushed or bead blasted type finish.

I also got black nylon sheaths with these Solstices too. All the old online shops that still have the Solstic listed but discontinued say they are 'Fiskars scissors'? made in Finland? Doubt it.

To be honest i doubt Gerber really cares much about fakes of their products, but like it was said earlier, probably not much they can do about it.They seem like a massive company with a lot of marketing power and are really cashing in on the Bear Grylls stuff. In some junk mail out doors fishing type catalogue i got in the mail box the other day, there was this big  double page spread entirely dedicated to the Bear Grylls range. They are really pushing that stuff to the consumer. Do you have a lot of Gerber TV comercials in USA?

I also emailed Leatherman weeks ago enquiring about possility of buying fakes and wanted them to confirm a plier head design for me but i never heard nothing back. Same again, probably dont care.

[Sazabi]

I am too but i kinda feel like i should give some a chance. Surely they all cant be crooks?

The colour of mine are a  TI gray colour. Are the ones known to be genuine this colour too or were they a black oxide colour?

Ahh now look at this one here. Pliers? i did not think there was a pliers model?


(Image removed from quote.)

This pliers one looks different. Look at the pivot rivet. my Solstice looks the same in this link though

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MOQ-5pcs-OEM-Gerber-Mini-Pliers-Multi-Tool-Gerber-Knife-Screwdriver-Keyring-Pocket-Folding-Tool-For/571773267.html

Wish someone has done an in depth study on any of this fake stuff, how to tell real from fake apart and where its originating from exactly. Some of this stuff is very very good. Nothing is jumping out at meand saying the Soltice in my hands is not real.

The box shown in link/photo above is what mine came in. There may be a logical explaination for all this and maybe there is not some big grand operation of fake Gerbers out there. If there is i dont know why Gerber does not shut it down them selves, or maybe they dont care?

That pliers model does look neat, actually.

[Grant Lamontagne]

They do look neat and I am tempted to get one myself, even though I know for a fact that they aren't Gerbers.  I remember Bob posted a pic of it a long time ago and I was drooling over it then.  Not much has changed.

I really like these small plier tools like this one, the old Sebertech/IDL tools and the Swiss*Tech offerings.  They are extremely solid and pack a lot of function into a small package.

Def

[Gareth]

Possibile scenario ...

Gerber designs a tool
Gerber commissions a factory to make the tool
Gerber sells the tool
Gerber decides to stop selling the tool, and stops placing orders on the factory

...

Factory still has the tooling 

...

Factory decides it's going to carry on making them as they made money on them when Gerber were buying them, so now they can make the money before plus some of the margin Gerber were making. They continue to put Gerbers name on it to give the tool credibility and stop it looking like a cheaper knockoff even if materially it's the same item. That's why they end up in a box for a later model - they are not legitimately in production anymore. Gerber gets no money for these items even though it's their design and bears their name and logo etc. By the time Gerber discover and take action there's tens/hundreds of thousands of these that have been produced which will be sold off via various outlets.

Look hard enough and you'll find several tools out there that appear to have had a similar story IMO. Cattlemans Ranchhand, Buck X-Tracts and others I can't recall offhand

This sounds very plausible to me.  Long as short of it is that you'll likely get a decent enough tool, but it won't be backed by Gerber's warranty.

[gregozedobe]

The plier version is and isn't legitimate.  It's kind of an odd story really, and I'm not certain I have all the facts straight myself so feel free to correct me if I have it wrong somewhere.

The same company that made the Solstice for Gerber also made a plier version but Gerber never licensed them.  So, they were produced by the same company that made the Solstice for Gerber, but they aren't actually Gerber models.

At least that's my understanding anyway.

Def

Necrothread revival.

The (unauthorised) pliers version of the Gerber Solstice is still available on ebay (although the seller I bought from doesn't have any currently listed).  Not bad quality for the price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261699518520

[King_Gorilla]

The plier version is and isn't legitimate.  It's kind of an odd story really, and I'm not certain I have all the facts straight myself so feel free to correct me if I have it wrong somewhere.

The same company that made the Solstice for Gerber also made a plier version but Gerber never licensed them.  So, they were produced by the same company that made the Solstice for Gerber, but they aren't actually Gerber models.

At least that's my understanding anyway.

Def

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

OK, I know that this is super necro-thread stuff at this point, but I felt like I should share. 

Your explanation for this makes perfect sense.  I was SO in love with the small swiss tech micro tools back around 2002.  I used to carry the little black pliers everywhere since I couldn't take a blade to school. (without consequences)  The first 2 that I bought were incredible, very high-quality strong build.  Then after my brother lost my swiss tech I tried replacing the pliers 3 times from 3 different stores, all brand new.  It seems that over the years their products started getting a lot worse because I now own 3 garbage swiss tech pliers in various states of damage.  After the last one broke I gave up on these pliers and went to the Leatherman Style PS.   

Back in the early 2000's, my brother bought me a Gerber Solstice from a sporting goods store.  I could tell right away that it was made with excellent quality.  Although I loved it, I rarely ever carried the Solstice because I just don't use scissors that much.   

About a week ago I stumbled across the plier version of the Solstice on Ebay and my first thought was "Gerber's going to sue somebody!"  It didn't say Gerber on it and I immediately thought that it was a knock-off but the picture showed it using the same design as Gerber.  I bought it for $5 figuring that it cant be any worse than the current Swiss Tech stuff.  (And Who knows?  maybe it will be the perfect little keychain multitool)    Imagin my surprise, yesterday, when I open a package in the mail and a tiny Gerber box falls out.  Inside is my multi tool that has Gerber Solstice printed on it just like the OG Solstice!   

I spent about 30 minutes last night trying to find some sort of info about Gerber making a plier version of the Solstice with no luck.  Then today I stumbled onto this old thread.  If your info is correct, it would certainly explain how this multi tool came about and why there is so little info about it anywhere.  It also explains the excellent quality of the tool. 
The spring makes a creeky sound but other than that I would say that it feels almost as good as the real Solstice.  Certainly better than any garbage brand $3 ebay multitool pliers that you see being sold by the dozens.  I feel like I can put far more pressure on these pliers than the Leatherman Style PS.

[King_Gorilla]

I forgot this one   

[Gareth]

That's a great little find there.   I wish I'd gotten my hands on one now.