Day 25According to the handle, this Diesel is a Multi-Plier. Came in the mail and carried today, it's pretty beat up, and will probably get taken apart for mods tomorrow.
Alright, now that it's not half an hour past my bed time, time for reflections!The elephant in the room is Gerber's slider pliers. If you're someone who thinks of their multitool as a pair of pliers with a collection of other little backup tools, you can't beat 'em. They open wider than LM, slide out with one hand, and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes (though not as many as they used to).If not, they really limit the tool options. Anything besides the "large" tools is severely limited in size, and nothing but the pliers can OHO. Compared to the Rebar I carried last month, I really would've preferred the longer drivers, etc. Still, the assorted MPs did handle everything I needed them to do, just with a little less finesse than I'd like.In terms of individual models, from least to most favorite with a little commentary:1. Diesel- The MP600 is already a pretty big tool. I did not want a bigger MP600 with slightly different tools. Only carried this for a couple days, but seems like a niche not many people needed filled.2. MP800- This one was a real shame. They were so close to an awesome tool! No one else was doing all exterior tools and OHO (and a real nice OHO compared to most) at the time these came out! But it's real bulky (Gerber, everyone else figured out how to make 4" tools, why are you weird?) and a few of the tool choices are odd (no can opener? spring loaded pliers?). I really wish we'd have gotten another revision or two (MP750?) and I think this could've been THE tool 20 odd years ago vs the OG Wave and Swisstool. And I guess whatever SOG was making at that point. Sorry, SOG, always the "other guy" with the big three. 3. MP600- Obviously, there's about a million of them, so we'll say this is the average. Least favorite: Pro Scout. At least with the modern blade. It's so tiny! I think I measured it against a 91mm SAK and it came in with less usable edge, and that's not even counting the half serrated half plain making it even harder. Fave: Bladeless. I will continue to give Gerber credit for making the only ACTUAL bladeless tool on the market. The knifeless Rebar is fine if you want to squeeze in scissors and carry a separate knife, but if you want to go "look Mr. Security, no saw!" Gerber has your only option without modding.4. MP400- Gerber, why did you discontinue this? Pre discontinuation, this was an easy recommendation for cheap and cheerful. It had decent tools, Gerber's quality and warranty, and was pocketable. This was the tool I told everyone to get instead of whatever weird no-name piece of smurf they were looking at on Amazon! Please bring this back, and make one with blunt nosed pliers.5. Mr. Pinchy- The original and surprise favorite! Mr. Pinchy gets a lot of points for being the only MP whose pliers fully retract into the handle. Combined with a bit smaller size than the MP600 (which has almost the same toolset on the base model) you get the best pocket friendly EDC tool in the lineup. If I'm doing a heavier job, I'll stick the MP600 in my sheath, but this is the one that rode with me at least half the days of the challenge, and handled everything it needed to. Plus points for the excellent pivot system for tool removal, but minus for clumping.Overall, having carried the MPs, a Rebar, and a Swisstool Spirit in challenges lately, I think each had their advantages and disadvantages.The Spirit wins top quality. Yeah, it costs twice as much as the other two, but it is smooth as silk, and those "bonus" secondary tools (like the hook on the awl) do come in handy from time to time.The Rebar is the best value. It's built like a tank, and has a solid loadout. Nothing really stands out (probably because it's just an old school PST with a couple extra tools crammed in), but you know exactly what you're getting, and it's gonna get the job done.The MPs are the best if you like pliers. They've got about as many plier variations on the MP600s alone than LM has on their whole line, they're big and grippy, and they can slide out one handed. I used to give these guys the budget award (and still would if you count the secondary market), but with the MP400 out of circulation the Rebar is looking real good at that price point.All in all, I think I probably enjoyed carrying the Gerbers the least, but that's kind of like picking a least favorite scotch. None of them are bad, there are just some that I'll save for mixing/leave in the camper as a backup instead of EDCing.
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