I just received the Cable Dawg yesterday, and immediately I knew I would have to do a photo comparison between the Gerber DAWG and Gerber Groundbreaker. Both products come from the same family, and definitely shows a departure from the usual Gerber plier centric multi-tool. It also helps that both are geared for relatively the same group of users.
The Gerber Cable Dawg is aimed squarely at IT specialized US military troops. The Gerber Groundbreaker is aimed squarely at civilian electricians. Both tools have a lot in common, especially when you look at their functions. But before we get into the nitty gritty of details, I will have to say that both tools are massive in size and weight. The Groundbreaker especially is huge, bigger still than the Cable Dawg, which is a big tool to start off with.
The sheaths for both indicate their audience. The Cable Dawg comes in a coyote brown molle sheath. The Groundbreaker comes in a civilan style sheath. Both are designed for professional tradesman.
The Groundbreaker sheath has a few nice extras. There is a place to carry extra utility blades, and driver bits. There is also a detachable clip to carry keys, or anything you could think of clipping onto that ring. The sheath also comes with a nice folding belt shield which allows you to quickly wear and take off the sheath. Useful if your always bending down and the large sheath keeps getting in the way. Once one the belt, it is very secure and won't fall out unless your hanging upside down. On the other hand, the Molle sheath for the Cable Dawg is no frills and to the point. It was designed to be as compact as possible. Something I am sure is appreciated by troops who have to carry a lot of stuff out in the field.
Another thing to note, the sheath for the Cable Dawg has a locking flap to keep everything In, even while upside-down. Do Network speSmurfpillst jump out of perfectly good planes? Doing such with the Groundbreaker is not recommended. The sheath has no locking flap.
Here you can see how the Cable Dawg on the left is somewhat dwarfed by the Groundbreaker on the right. Now looking closely at this photograph, you can see where the tools are similar, and where they diverge in built in function. The Cable Dawg for instance has an RJ45 crimper. The crimper, a source of many complaints has been fixed as of 2012. The Groundbreaker does not feature a RJ45 crimper, but does feature a handy pair of pliers. Another source of complaints that I have seen online about the Cable Dawg was the lack of pliers. Most other functions are similar to each other. Interestingly enough, you get more wire stripper detents with the Cable Dawg than you get with the Groundbreaker. You do get the usual cable/wire strippers/cutter functions on both tools. The Groundbreaker includes two holes for looping/twisting wires. The Cable Dawg lacks this...but I am sure the enterprising user can jury rig something quick with it to do the same function.
Another observation here...the Cable Dawg only has writing on one side of the tool. The Groundbreaker has it on both sides.
Now, what makes these tools a bit interesting are the removable handles. Some of you may know that my first good MT was a Coleman Prolock. The neat thing about this was that the folding tools came in two locking tool pods that fit into the handles. The premise here was that you could use the pliers and have another tool in your hands. Sadly, Coleman never came out with different tool pods. However, the added flexibility of having two separate tools is huge...especially if you need to work on nuts and bolts, etc. Well, both of these Gerber tools feature removable handles. The Cable Dawg has one removable handle, the Groundbreaker has two.
Now both systems are very similar, but they are not interchangeable. I think it would have been neat if we could...but I guess that would be ultimately senseless. What I can say though, the Cable Dawg has the more positive locking system that one can use with gloves on. The Groundbreaker handles do have a small amount of movement when attached, and the recessed locking mechanism is harder to use with gloves one. On the plus side, if you like to shove your tools in your back pockets head first (I tend to do this...sorry), the more streamlined Groundbreaker will do the better job. In the following photo, note the differences in attachment point. Cable Dawg on left, Groundbreaker on right.
Now looking closely at the detachable handles, you will note that there are 3 tools on the Cable Dawg, exactly the same number as found on the two handles of the Groundbreaker. That gut hook makes it 4, which beats the Groundbreaker in utility. I am happy to say that both bit drivers are very very nice. Big and solid enough to do real work. The Cable Dawg features a nice partially serrated knife with included gut hook, a small flat driver, and that beautiful bit driver. The Groundbreaker features a drywall saw, utility knife, and that beautiful bit driver. The utility knife is a very nice addition to the Groundbreaker. I love utility knives, and this one is a beautiful version. It has a unique blade exchange system which is very positive in its blade locking, but super easy to remove one. I dare say this is my favorite system found on all of the utility knives I own.
Both tools feature a similar locking mechanism on the removable handles. Of course, the utility knife has its own mechanism more standard to utility knives in look and function. Note the fit and finish on the Cable Dawg is far superior to the Groundbreaker. The Groundbreaker is a sturdy tool...but you do see cracks where handle parts meet, and screws dimple the covers.
Looking at the two similar functioning removable handles, you can see that they are similar in thickness as well. The Cable Dawg does feel a bit more substantial. However, the nice rubber covering material of the Groundbreaker aids in giving the user a much better grip.
Here you see both the Cable Dawg on the left, and the Groundbreaker on the right side by side to illustrate how much longer the Groundbreaker is. This shot also shows you the thickness of each tool.
And as a bonus shot, a direct comparison of each tools main working area.
So there you have it. Two similar tools from Gerber. Both are designed for telecommunication/electrical work to varying degrees. The Cable Dawg is built to higher tolerances. It definitely doesn't feel cheap. The Groundbreaker on the other hand does feel somewhat cheap...especially if directly compared to the Cable Dawg. Many in the past have complained of the RJ45 crimper on the Cable Dawg. Gerber fixed the issue last year. The one glaring fault of the Cable Dawg is the lack of pliers. The Groundbreaker has them. The Cable Dawg retails for around 300 bucks US, and the Groundbreaker around 115 US online.
Myself, I prefer the Groundbreaker based on price, capabilities, and that sheath rocks in both style and function. The Cable Dawg is pricy but the quality does mimic its lofty price.
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