Carrying the Center Drive

[Etherealicer]

I got my Center Drive yesterday and decided to carry it for a couple of days (plan is about 30 days or until I feel I have a good understanding of the tool). Personally, I'm not a fan of the tool, hate their marketing, but I try to keep an open mind (worked with the Signal). As I'm quite busy at the present there won't be a daily update, but I try my best.

First Impressions
The very first thing I noticed was that both outside tools (blade and driver) looked used. By that I mean the coloring was scratched and has come off at many edges, the blade was dirty. The tool was in a blister pack, so it came like this from the factory.
Other than that the finish was a lot better than expected (and better than on both of my Surges and both Waves). You do not get that unfinished impression I had particularly with my first Surge and there are no sharp edges with the exception of the backside of the blade. I had none of the problems described by other CD users, there is nothing loose and the pliers are well aligned.
The tool is a lot less rattly than the MP-600 family and has probably the smoothest flicking action I have ever experienced.
I do like the blade shape, but I would prefer if it were 2cm shorter.
The CD is oddly shaped with uneven handles and a massive spoiler for better aerodynamics (the spoiler also prevents slipping when flicking). It feels good in the hands though, how it fairs in my pockets remains to be seen.

First Impression on the Driver
Trying to open the driver, I noticed, that it is fairly hard to open one-handed. Structuring of the driver gives not enough traction and it lacks a stud/hole/flipper. That I would call a missed opportunity.
Of course I inspected the alignment of the driver, after all, that is what this tool is about. I already knew that the driver would not be on the center axis, as advertised, but believed it to be on the center plane between the two handles. However, I'm sad to report, its not even that (pics will follow, but this needs a good setup to counter image distortions). How much that matters remains to be seen, I wish I had a MP1 for direct comparison of outside driver. On the up side, it is very long and feels strong.

First public reaction to the CD (my boss, when I offered to use the CD to pull a tooth): You got a big tool

[Etherealicer]

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Nah, not the CD... but the poor cap on my Jarritos I opened during lunch break. Is that a can-opener and not a cap-lifter? Seriously, must be the worst cap opener, because it destroyed the cap instead of removing it... although I'm sure that will have good application in other areas.

[Don Pablo]

 

If you ask me, it's shaped more like a can opener, even though it's not a can opener (unless I'm mistaken). 

[AimlessWanderer]

Have you tried doing a can yet? It might lift the top off cleanly 

[Etherealicer]

Have you tried doing a can yet? It might lift the top off cleanly 

I will try that, although I'm not sure if it can get a hold on the rim...

[Etherealicer]

If you ask me, it's shaped more like a can opener, even though it's not a can opener (unless I'm mistaken). 

According to their website it is a can opener... then I found this gold:

Serrated saw blade
Never seen a non-serrated saw-blade... also, did not realize that was supposed to be a saw or are there hidden features I have not discovered yet

From their British site (I have no idea how I got there)

[Don Pablo]

Maybe they meant the serrated blade? Or file?

A stretch I know. 

[Etherealicer]

Maybe they meant the serrated blade? Or file?

A stretch I know. 

I probably have no right to mock them, seeing as my Master thesis has a typo in its title

But its so little text... proofreading was probably done by the guy who missed that small detail on the US site

[Etherealicer]

Alignment of the driver, this is just an observation and I have no idea how it reflects on performance, if that is even noticeable. Also I kinda feel it looks now worse in the picture than in reality, but what you can see is that the driver is not in the right place and its orientation is not quite right.

[AimlessWanderer]

Don't worry Beat, I'm sure we've all had this issue from time to time. Nothing a dose of Smurfpills won't fix. 

[Etherealicer]

Second task, cutting a cucumber. Sounds easy right... sadly the knife blade is so blunt it made me work for a cucumber
Sure, that is nothing a couple of minutes with the sharpening stone can't fix. But honestly I believe it should not be necessary on a new tool.

And what if Gerber made honest advertisement

[ThePeacent]

nteresting thoughts, I liked reading your impressions.
I have two comments,

1. My Gerbers, new and old, used or boxed, all came with those wear marks, grind lines, scratches and paint blemishes. I guess their factory processing and construction plant is a bit rough on their tools...None of them affected functionality or performance, though
2. As much as a bottlecap opener should be really easy to do and do it properly it seems far too common to be a problematic implement on many multitools from different brands today. Gerbers are specially offending, what I've found it I either use the plier jaws to grab and twist the cap, or pry it upwards if the jaws width is not enough, or I pinch the cap in between the handles and twist or pry off the thing.
You can always use the awl to stab the cap at an angle (without your hand on the awl's way) and move the tool in a downward motion to pop it off

[Etherealicer]

nteresting thoughts, I liked reading your impressions.
I have two comments,

1. My Gerbers, new and old, used or boxed, all came with those wear marks, grind lines, scratches and paint blemishes. I guess their factory processing and construction plant is a bit rough on their tools...None of them affected functionality or performance, though
2. As much as a bottlecap opener should be really easy to do and do it properly it seems far too common to be a problematic implement on many multitools from different brands today. Gerbers are specially offending, what I've found it I either use the plier jaws to grab and twist the cap, or pry it upwards if the jaws width is not enough, or I pinch the cap in between the handles and twist or pry off the thing.
You can always use the awl to stab the cap at an angle (without your hand on the awl's way) and move the tool in a downward motion to pop it off

If it is slightly dirty or bruised and the knife comes un-sharpened that does not affect the performance at all, we are in agreement on that. It is just something that I noticed. We should not forget that around here, the CD costs the same as a Spirit and that is what it has to live up to .
But I don't think its a problem of the factory process, this is cutting corners to save money and is seen in a lot of tools.

At some point, poor finish goes beyond being an aesthetic problem and and starts to hurt performance. The scales of my stainless Surge (BO version is fine)  are an example of this, when gripping the tool hard, they bite in my hand because they are sharp. Even worse are the locks on the Surge (not just mine) that don't engage properly. The CD might just get away, but with the sharp back-edge of the blade we have a potential hot-spot.


2. We don't need more cap-lifter, so I really don't think that is a breaking point for the CD. I mean in the end, the cap came off, no surprise, you can take a cap of with almost anything.

[Etherealicer]

Not much of an update, I sharpened the main blade yesterday. I also opened some more bottles with various results. Thomas Henry Tonic water got pierced, but just barely and San Pellegrino did not get damaged beyond the expected at all. So, I will open another Jarritos, just to see if the cap is that much weaker on it.
I'm sad to report that the serrated blade is also not that sharp and I will have to sharpen it too.

[zoidberg]

 

[styx]

Wait serrated saw blade? I'd say it could have been an error in translation but that makes even less sense

[Etherealicer]

Wait serrated saw blade? I'd say it could have been an error in translation but that makes even less sense

Translation? From US English to British English , nah that is just an error, probably copied it in from another tool and adjusted to the CD.

[Spartan19]

All I can say is this, I've had my Center Drive for over a month now, and have used it on everything from the construction site to assisting at a car crash on the interstate, and it has yet to let me down. It has even replaced my favorite mt, the mighty mp600. I guess it all depends on what you need the tool to do.

[Etherealicer]

Yesterday I managed to test it on a can, and it did well enough. I used various methods, to the right (cleanest cut) was the traditional forward down stroke. Its not a fast process but it worked, which is a win in my book as it adds function.

So, during my train raid ( that should of course be ride, too good to be corrected) today my brain did run wild. The pry-tool might be the best implement on the CD, topping the driver. I was playing a bit with the tool and noticed that when using the pry tool you are bound to use the plastic lock as lever point... not good. Anyway, stay positive, right? This could be a great tool, think about a nail is too deep in, use the nail puller to lift it up a bit, then whatever larger tool (hammer) you have to pull it out.

And it chipped... this is a frickin brass nail

Also, its not my day... broke another tool minutes after I broke the CD

[Etherealicer]

All I can say is this, I've had my Center Drive for over a month now, and have used it on everything from the construction site to assisting at a car crash on the interstate, and it has yet to let me down. It has even replaced my favorite mt, the mighty mp600. I guess it all depends on what you need the tool to do.

Very good, I hope you will share a bit more details... pictures

[Spartan19]

All I can say is this, I've had my Center Drive for over a month now, and have used it on everything from the construction site to assisting at a car crash on the interstate, and it has yet to let me down. It has even replaced my favorite mt, the mighty mp600. I guess it all depends on what you need the tool to do.

Very good, I hope you will share a bit more details... pictures

Here are some jobsite shots, one is bending metal studs when I din't have any linesman pliers on hand, and the other was a quick pic while on break.

[Etherealicer]

All I can say is this, I've had my Center Drive for over a month now, and have used it on everything from the construction site to assisting at a car crash on the interstate, and it has yet to let me down. It has even replaced my favorite mt, the mighty mp600. I guess it all depends on what you need the tool to do.

Very good, I hope you will share a bit more details... pictures

Here are some jobsite shots, one is bending metal studs when I din't have any linesman pliers on hand, and the other was a quick pic while on break.

[Spartan19]

Thanks man!

[Etherealicer]

Here are some shots of what I mean that you will be using the plastic lock as a lever point.

[Etherealicer]

Would be a shame to send it back without using the awl or the driver. The awl can make a nice fine or an ugly large hole.
The driver feels quite good, not sure if the alignment matters that much (would be nice if I had an MP-1 to compare). Problem is that you (or at least I) use the palm to press down the driver and rotate it with my fingers. Sadly, that end of the CD is rather rough. You can see that the pliers are sticking out slightly and the frame is not nicely smoothed out. Please Gerber, for the next version mike the screws larger so we have a nice smooth end to use. Also, after putting a screw twice into soft wood the bit shows wear (you can feel it better than see it), more wear than the screw, so please use better bits.

[zoidberg]

You can't really complain about bit wear when you use a Phillips bit on a Pozidriv screw.      

[Mechanickal]

You can't really complain about bit wear when you use a Phillips bit on a Pozidriv screw.      

Gotta agree with the man here...

Pozidriv screws are Phillips killers.
Less troublesome the other way around IIRC.

[Don Pablo]

You can't really complain about bit wear when you use a Phillips bit on a Pozidriv screw.      

Gotta agree with the man here...

Pozidriv screws are Phillips killers.
Less troublesome the other way around IIRC.

The most common screw around here is pozidriv. I wish Vic made an inline pozidriv. 

[Etherealicer]

You can't really complain about bit wear when you use a Phillips bit on a Pozidriv screw.      

Gotta agree with the man here...

Pozidriv screws are Phillips killers.
Less troublesome the other way around IIRC.

I disagree for 2 reasons
First, its a multi-tool and that is always a compromise, you use what works (my version only came with 2 bits). The bit actually fits very well.
Second, its the screw that should show more wear than the bit. I mean that is just a regular screw and I put it into soft wood. If I do that with a pioneer you won't see any wear and that is even less of a fit.

Btw, I pulled the nail out with a Cadet without any problems...

[zoidberg]

So what will happen to it after all the testing, you sending it back for a refund?