Gerber Dime - Purple

[N_N_R]

Ok, no pictures yet, it's supposed to arrive today, though  It'll be my first Gerber and I've been looking at the Dime since 2012 (judging by my old posts here). So.... I'm finally gonna get one

[Corwyn]

As someone who was looking for a Dime for two years and finally got one in February, I can tell you... it will be pretty  A very pretty little tool...

[Dr Hunt]

Hope you like it. I have used the Dime for 6-7 years, it's served well. 

[N_N_R]

It's here 

At the very first sight, the quality isn't as high as Leatherman's key chain tools, but the price isn't so high either.
It's very stiff as a lot of people mentioned already.
It's also ... a bit, a tiiiiny bit worn out at a few spots, mostly where the scales rub off each other or around the screws. Must've happened in the packaging process or something.
I'm not a fan of the too small blade either. It's far shorter than the PS4's.

BUT.

That's a really cool looking tool  I love it's purple as I hadn't seen any purple ones so far.
I'm totally liking it, despite its deficiencies at first sight. I guess it'll get slightly looser with time or I could even loosen it myself, I think. I'll go sharpen the blade a tiny bit, too 

It's a bit more violet live, the camera makes it slightly bluer.

[Corwyn]

Congrats. Glad you like it. As I said... it is pretty. Regarding quality I let you make up your own mind... just note that I got mine in January and sold it in May ;-)

[N_N_R]

LOL.

Well, I'm not selling this one definitely as it's a gift from my sister

Ok, that's its real colour already, more or less.

[Aloha]

Its a terrific color.  I got one and carried it for a while.  I actually like the pliers as well as the blade, short and all.  The package opener tool thing is also a nice feature, my issue was with the scissors and the very stiffness in getting the tools out.  The scissors were not in the league of my 58mm SAKs so being a one small tool option was a bummer. 

[N_N_R]

Yeah, the stiffness is a bit annoying - I have the feeling I might break the tool, which, I hope, is not true, lol

[AimlessWanderer]

I have a Dime on my house keys, and a few spares tucked away. Of those, there's only really the BO coated one which is stiff (which I notice yours is too). All the others work just fine.

The file is laughable, the pliers aren't as strong as the Squirt, but the blade and package opener are very good, as is the bottle opener. The scissors are pretty much identical, and are prone to breaking just the same as the Squirt's. The screwdrivers are adequate for emergencies, but wouldn't be my first choice if I had a full sized tool available instead 

Good looking tool you got there Nikki  hope it works out for you 

[N_N_R]

@50ft-trad

So it might be the BO that makes these Dimes stiffer?

If you say the blade is okay, then I'm totally fine with the tool That's what I'll mostly use, anyway And probably the bottle opener

The coating is really prone to scratches and wearing out, though. My Dime will soon develop some character

[N_N_R]

Some more comparison pictures just for fun The old MT passion, that was replaced by SAKs a bit, has started growing in me again

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[WiseDuck]

I kinda miss my Dime. I do have a Squirt PS4 on my keychain now and a Minichamp on the other keychain. But in my opinion the Dime just had better tools than the PS4. I don't really need the file and I feel like the scissors on the PS4 engage later than the SAK scissors, so it's really about on par with the Dime scissors.

I'm thinking of ordering a new one for myself, I had a black Dime for about a year (it doesn't take long for this thing to get a nice worn in look) and then I had the brilliant idea that I should take it apart. Annnnnd I busted it in the process. Dangit!

[zoidberg]

Yeah, the stiffness is a bit annoying - I have the feeling I might break the tool, which, I hope, is not true, lol

 

[AimlessWanderer]

@50ft-trad

So it might be the BO that makes these Dimes stiffer?

If you say the blade is okay, then I'm totally fine with the tool That's what I'll mostly use, anyway And probably the bottle opener

The coating is really prone to scratches and wearing out, though. My Dime will soon develop some character

Yeah, I think that BO coating is a little rougher, and gives a little more friction on the pivots. Should free up in time, but possibly take a little longer to "get settled".

I like the blade not just for the shape, but because it's ground properly (both sides) unlike the chisel grind on the Squirt, which I'm not a fan of. It's got a nice bit of belly to the blade, and a stout tip for scoring cuts. Probably one of my favourite blade styles on all the keyring tools.

I'd say the cap lifter is probably my second favourite on a multitool, the first being the one on the Octane. Just used it right now actually 

Oh, and yes do expect scratches. It will develop some character pretty quickly, so you'll get that "faithful companion" look soon 

[N_N_R]

@Zoidie, yoouurrr mind's dirtier than mine even. ..

@50ft-trad, you're probably right. Now I remembered that my BO Wave was also very stiff in comparison to other Waves people had. yeah.

I haven't had a chance to try the cap-lifter yet , but soon hopefully, lol I also think it'll be better than the Squirts.

As for the blade, I get your point and agree to an extent - I haven't had the need to sharpen my Squirt's blade yet, but I guess sharpening the Gerber's will be way easier

[Dr Hunt]

The uncoated tools on my Dime has not loosened to normal acceptable standards after these years. A friend told me, "I THINK MY NAILS WILL BREAK EVERY TIME I OPEN THE DIME(DAMN) TOOL!" 

It has several weakness as you guys have mentioned. As it develops a good character on the scales, the bottle opener chewed up a hole in one of my jeans coin pocket.

Nevertheless, I went on to give some Dime to a few friends. The low price, tools selection, fillet edges on scales are the reasons why I prefer it over the PS4. 

[WiseDuck]

I can definitely confirm that it's the black coating that does it. I bought 3 Dimes for Christmas last year. One red, one green and one black. The others were quite smooth, the black one was definitely more difficult to work with.

[dks]

I bought a regular one when they came out, and it is still stiff.

I have the impression that they over-tightened the screws during assembly, which let to the tool being stiff and the screws breaking on mine.

I just see it as a good bottle opener, with some tools added.. 

[N_N_R]

I also think I could loosen it a bit probably with a proper screwdriver, but I don't have that type around now.
But I'll use the knife mostly for the time being and it's more or less okay At least its nail-nick is more towards the end of the blade unlike the Squirt's.

[N_N_R]

Alright, some thin (forgot what size) paracord is a challenge for its scissors, so I decided not to force it, the knife did the job.

[N_N_R]

Okay, I'll be spamming with updates, lol.

Since the tool's rather stiff, of course, my nails got kinda hurt in the process of deploying them. So I tried to use the nail file to fix the problem. Well,the nail file is ridiculous indeed. It does the job with some effort, but it would've been a lot better if the nail file and the bottle opener weren't located on the same side. Now I keep the nail file at a 90 degree angle to make it more convenient for use and avoid the bottle opener.

[Zed]

Nice purple  ive a love hate relationship with the dime,mine ĺives on my key ring,a few times ive used it the alloy handles have been bent over at the ends so hard to open tools,i had to bend it back,other than this its a good little mt,possibly needs ss liners 

[Gareth]

The purple looks fantastic.   The Dime is a MT that I have an "on/off" relationship with.  There are lots I do like about it, but on balance the PS4 tends to be the one I pick up.

[N_N_R]

@Gareth,

Yeah, the PS4 is definitely better, just the ease with which you deploy the tools, the more durable coating, the better file..

On the other hand, I'll be carrying the Dime for a few months. I bet I'll like it a lot or it'll just take a little getting used to it. I like the looks, indeed.

The bottle opener worked well, too, tested

[TazzieRob]

I like the "stiffness" of the Dime, makes the Squirt tool feel rather limp. I bought 2 of the black ones and haven't had any issues deploying the tools. Scissors, file and tweezers are all hopeless. Pliers are able to deform very easily twisting in the anticlockwise direction but are pretty good twisting in the clockwise direction. Bit rougher than the squirt. All that being said it is a good tool and with some small improvements could be excellent. I can get the Dime for about $27 which is roughly half the cost of the Squirt

[Corwyn]

I like the "stiffness" of the Dime, makes the Squirt tool feel rather limp. I bought 2 of the black ones and haven't had any issues deploying the tools. Scissors, file and tweezers are all hopeless. Pliers are able to deform very easily twisting in the anticlockwise direction but are pretty good twisting in the clockwise direction. Bit rougher than the squirt. All that being said it is a good tool and with some small improvements could be excellent. I can get the Dime for about $27 which is roughly half the cost of the Squirt

Did you just say that the scissors, file amd tweezers are useless and the pliers are bendy? How does this make it a good tool? What's left?

[N_N_R]

In my opinion the scissors cut well, just you have to find the right "place". I'm used to scissors cutting best when the cutting material is nearest to their base, but with the Dime the cutting material has to be around the middle of the scissor blades.

[TazzieRob]

I like the "stiffness" of the Dime, makes the Squirt tool feel rather limp. I bought 2 of the black ones and haven't had any issues deploying the tools. Scissors, file and tweezers are all hopeless. Pliers are able to deform very easily twisting in the anticlockwise direction but are pretty good twisting in the clockwise direction. Bit rougher than the squirt. All that being said it is a good tool and with some small improvements could be excellent. I can get the Dime for about $27 which is roughly half the cost of the Squirt

Did you just say that the scissors, file amd tweezers are useless and the pliers are bendy? How does this make it a good tool? What's left?

I didn't say the pliers were bendy. But they don't feel as strong as the Squirt. All pliers will deflect more when twisting the jaws away from each other. It still has some very good and functional tools like the cap lifter, knife and package opener. For the price it is good, but it still isn't up to the same standard of Leatherman and the scissors aren't a scratch on the Victorinox 58mm.

[powernoodle]

and the scissors aren't a scratch on the Victorinox 58mm.

For me at least, and I agree, the 58mm scissors are awesome and totally blow away those of the the Dime and PS4.  When I carry a Dime or PS4, I will carry a 58mm just for the scissors.

Other thoughts:

- the purple Dime looks great.  I will have to get one.  I have 4x other colors, and there may be more?
- the Dime will loosen up with usage
- I prefer the PS4, but still love the Dime
- if you have a Dime, PS4 or 58mm in your pocket, you are better prepared than 99.9% of the earth's population

[N_N_R]

I just tortured the scissors on a package of coffee With lots of chewing and some help from the blade, they did it, hurray! lol