Gerber KeyStyle First Impressions

RoboYeti · **on:** April 02, 2014, 04:06:18 AM

I picked up a new Gerber KeyStyle on eBay (my first Gerber tool). It arrived today and I thought I would share my first impressions, since this tool has not been discussed a lot here.

The idea of a keychain sized tool with a one-hand opening blade and drivers really appealed to me as something interesting. Comparing the KeyStyle with the Vic Rambler, it is clear this capability came at a cost, a lot of additional thickness. The drivers and blade are also very small. The Phillips is smaller than even the Rambler's, but it does still seem to fit the screws I tried. It worked on a door knob screw and one of my son's toy battery compartment screws. The blade came paper cutting sharp.

I was thinking that the square shape of the drivers, and the way they fit into the handle, would actually be stronger than a traditional backspring system, since more of the driver is in contact with the handle. The drivers and blade have a fair amount of play though, which doesn't give much confidence. The sliders that open and close the tools are also very fiddly. Maybe I will get better with practice, but they are hard to deploy reliably with one hand. The tools do seem to lock open and closed fairly securely at least. I don't think the blade will open accidentally in my pocket.

As far as the scissors go, they are far and away the best implement on the tool. They feel rock solid and cut very well in my tests.

The tweezers are also very good as tweezers. They also have a clever feature where one 'arm' rotates 90 degrees and is meant to be used as an eye-glass screwdriver. I tried it in my glasses, but it was too large to fit.

To wrap up:

KeyStyle Pros:
1. One-hand opening knife and drivers
2. Very solid scissors
3. All tools open away from the keychain side so keys don't get in the way

KeyStyle Cons:
1. Knife and drivers are very small
2. Play in knife and drivers
3. Eye glass screwdriver doesn't fit my glasses
4. Large for the number of tools it offers

bmot · **Reply #1 on:** April 02, 2014, 07:56:10 AM

I got one of these in CLMf's giveaway a few months ago. I think I agree with most of your points. One thing that annoyed me a bit was that the scissors don't lock, making them a bit flimsier...

Gareth · **Reply #2 on:** April 02, 2014, 04:40:05 PM

Good review mate.

RoboYeti · **Reply #3 on:** April 02, 2014, 04:58:08 PM

Thanks. It's my first review! I'm hoping to do a few more as I get more interesting tools (and when I get a macro lens for my camera).

I forgot to mention a few minor points about the KeyStyle. Most importantly, it is a discontinued tool. If anybody knows the dates it was produced, I'd love to know. Looking on Google hasn't produced any results.

The included warranty card says it only has one year of coverage, which I thought was odd, since I think everything Gerber makes now is covered for life. Perhaps Gerber decided that based on the tool's quality, they didn't want to take on the cost of offering a lifetime warranty on it.

The packaging I got does not list a country of origin, but I've seen different packaging for this tool that lists it as made in the USA.

I will be trying to carry this on and off at least, to see if my initial impressions of its quality are correct. It's a quirky tool, which I love, and I really hope it surprises me.