Gerber sprung pliers .... effects of wear

[AimlessWanderer]

I figured that it would be better to present this information separately than have it lost in the midst of the Centre Drive thread. This is what happens when you put the Centre Drive type plier heads to work...

The three pictures I've attached are of MP700s, one is heavily used, and one isn't ... please bear in mind that I'm actually a big fan of the MP700 ... it just wears out far too quickly

Pic one - not much difference
Pic two - shows the reduction in the opening on a worn plier head
Pic three - as the plier head wears, the tool doesn't close properly

What I've failed to capture in the pics, is the effect of side to side wobble, operated right handed, the cutters pass so far apart as to be useless, and operated left handed, those delicate carbide cutters actually clash - and they will disintegrate if forced, or if subject to impact such as the pliers slipping off whatever you are gripping.

The sciencey bit - the spring action resides inside a hollow pivot area. As force is applied to less area, it wears quicker - who says science needs to be complicated 

I also have a BG Strata which has developed play far too quickly. This play is innevitable with these hollow heads, and it WILL happen quicker than solid unsprung plier pivots - irrespective of manufacturer (LM OHT as an example of a different brand). The BG Strata, unlike the standard Strata, doesn't have indexable bypass cutters, and so is a little more forgiving. The Centre Drive however, is essentially the same design operation as the MP700 (albeit OTF and larger)

ALL pliers wear, but hollow section sprung pliers will wear quicker. How much quicker, depends on how aggressively you use your pliers. This does not mean the Centre Drive won't do what you need, but it's working life may be shorter than other multitools.... be prepared to send it off for warranty work.

<Experienced optimist mode on>

I expect this tool (Centre Drive) to be in circulation till 2018/2019 before warranty returns get this tool discoed

<Experienced optimist mode off>

[AimlessWanderer]

Quick afterthought - the side play may work differently with the Centre Drive due to the handles themselves being hinged. Operating them left or right handed will not apply lateral forces to the plier heads, so the pliers will effectively float freely on their worn pivot - I don't know if this would make it better, worse, or indifferent. 

[AimlessWanderer]

[ThePeacent]

Don't tell me that! I love the Spring pliers on my MP800 and MP700 the most!!!



And they are two of my most carried and used tools. Favorites no doubt



It cost me an eye to find a Legend, and the MP700 was a real luck strike and very very hard to find one today.



So sad   

I guess the philosophy is now to enjoy and beat the crap out of them until they finally give up. Little MP700 is very carried as of late



 No problems there! Fits like a glove on my favorite Winter jeans   

[AimlessWanderer]

I felt the same way about the MP700, and ended up buying three of them. One broke, and was warranty replaced by a MP400 (I already had one of those), one wore out, and I've kept that for spares - I don't need yet another MP400 - and the last one is still working fine. I do use it occasionally, but the first two got used very regularly.

[Old Boy]

Well, at least you can say your tools have character and brag a bit 
Being a cubicle mouse I have a lot of respect for our mechanics in our facility.  Lots of calluses and worn tools. My brain misses those days but my back and knees don't 

[parnass]

Consolation: It's better that the tool's condition degrades gradually than to experience a catastrophic failure when you most need the tool.

[AimlessWanderer]

Consolation: It's better that the tool's condition degrades gradually than to experience a catastrophic failure when you most need the tool.

Like when those carbide cutters disintegrate for example 

I have destroyed a set of those when not actually cutting anything. I was just using the pliers, and heard something crunch.....

[AimlessWanderer]

Well, at least you can say your tools have character and brag a bit 
Being a cubicle mouse I have a lot of respect for our mechanics in our facility.  Lots of calluses and worn tools. My brain misses those days but my back and knees don't 

Yes, I too am no longer using tools as heavily as I once was. Maybe that will change again in future

[clown]

I have yet to own any Gerber MT with sprung pliers but I am seriously considering a MP1 MRO.  Anyone know if the spring mechanism operates the same way?  Is the issue due to wear on the metal of the actual plier head?  If so, I'm wondering if the forged head of the MP1 will fair better over time.

[AimlessWanderer]

Without taking one apart, I don't know if the wear is on the plier casting or on the pivot pin. I've never owned a MP1 either, but I would still expect it to wear quicker than solid pliers, even if they did wear slower than cast hollow pliers.

[Poncho65]

That is sad news about them wearing out like that   May have been one of the reason for them being discontinued

[WoodsDuck]

This is very interesting. I always to see the effects of long term/hard use on a piece of gear.

Now the question is will a large enough number of users put enough wear on their Center Drive to make your discontinuation prediction come true? I hope you're wrong, because I really like the tool design overall. But, you're also making a lot of sense 

[AimlessWanderer]

That is sad news about them wearing out like that   May have been one of the reason for them being discontinued

If so, why would you repeat the design.....?

[AimlessWanderer]

This is very interesting. I always to see the effects of long term/hard use on a piece of gear.

Now the question is will a large enough number of users put enough wear on their Center Drive to make your discontinuation prediction come true? I hope you're wrong, because I really like the tool design overall. But, you're also making a lot of sense 

It all depends how hard the pliers are used. A contributing factor here is the replaceable cutters. It has been noted here in the past, that the geometry of the carbide inserts means that more force is required than with standard anvil or bypass cutters. Yes, the plier design that wears quicker, has been paired with the cutter design which increases load where the wear takes place.

BTW - I hope I am wrong too. Time will tell.

[firiki]

This is very interesting. I always to see the effects of long term/hard use on a piece of gear.

Now the question is will a large enough number of users put enough wear on their Center Drive to make your discontinuation prediction come true? I hope you're wrong, because I really like the tool design overall. But, you're also making a lot of sense 

It all depends how hard the pliers are used. A contributing factor here is the replaceable cutters. It has been noted here in the past, that the geometry of the carbide inserts means that more force is required than with standard anvil or bypass cutters. Yes, the plier design that wears quicker, has been paired with the cutter design which increases load where the wear takes place.

BTW - I hope I am wrong too. Time will tell.

This doesn't sound like a wise choice