Gerber Multi-Lite

[Spoonrobot]

The Gerber Multi-lite. Ala' Carte.

Released some time ago and subsequently also discontinued some time ago (getting kind of lazy with the research, say released in 1998, discontinued sometime thereafter) this tool is formatted in the seldom seen "Toolbox" or "Lunchbox" style. A plastic cover hides the tools and opens to allow access. The cover also contains the LED light, a dim orange 5mm LED, and a small set of tools. The small tools reside behind a clear plastic door and are sealed in a tiny ziploc baggie. A tweezers, eyeglass screwdriver and toothpick are included. The small tools are mediocre but functional. The 5mm LED is dim but useable for navigation in totally dark environments and is decent for close-up work. The plastic cover housing the light is also detachable to allow one to use the tool with one hand and illuminate with extreme prejudice with the other.

Get some!

The light cannot be switched on and is only activated by pushing on the button, no constant on is provided. A rubber band and a small pebble can be used to keep it on if you really need it though.






   
The implements resting in the main body of the tool are typical Gerber fare. They are locked open with the dish-n-teeth style sliding lock seen on the Gerber Legend. The lock is typically stiff and painful after the first few times but chance of accidental release is small. The tool carries well in the pocket but it's boxy profile takes some getting used to since it flies directly in the face of most other pocket tools. A leather belt sheath is included in the packaging (if you can find one w/the box) and it offers typical vertical carry and seals with a button fastener. Fit and finish are very good, lines are crisp and assembly is well done.



I did find it odd that the stock saw in the Saw Coupler is a Swiss-made metal saw.



The Ala' Carte; this tool is best pared with a set of pliers. When I carried it I found my small set of needlenose pliers met most of my pliering needs but I could have carried a different set had I felt I needed them. Eliminating the pliers found in the typical form factor opens a lot of options for the user while keeping the weight down. If you don't want to double up on tools with a full-size multi-tool and your designated pliers I recommend picking one of these up off eBay for @30$. I got mine NIB for that price after some careful searching.

Near as I can tell the tool was or was planned to have different variations. These included:

-Green LED in place or orange.
-Corkscrew in place of scissors.
-Serrated knife and awl in place of saw coupler.

Other reviews of this tool:

http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/gerber/multlite.html

http://www.streettech.com/archives_DIY/multiLite.html

[prime77]

I always liked the look of one of these, but haven't gotten around to picking one up yet.

[J-sews]

Thanks for the review Spoon! 


What's your opinion of the little accessories in the 'secret' compartment?

[Spoonrobot]

For some reason they remind me of bubblegum machine fodder. 0.25$ gets you part of a multi-tool, collect them all.

Anywho, The small items are a nice addition to this tool.

The toothpick is round, as opposed to the Victorinox flat, and is much softer plastic that the Vic model but it is much pointer so it will get in those hard to reach places.

The screwdriver is a simple flathead with a yellow plastic handle, I like this concept better than the Leatherman small bit driver. But then the downside is the tool is more easy to lose.

Tweezers are more of a miss, since I was expecting a sliver-puller. This pair is more akin to a small item picker-upper, which it works fine at.

Overall they are an interesting way to take up some space that otherwise would have been empty. Downside is, as with any serperate items, chance of loss is much greater since they are removeable from the tool.

[yellowhammer]

My Multilite is from about 1990 IIRC, and has a green cover with yellow LED. Tools inside are plain & serrated blades, corkscrew, scissors, can opener, Phillips & a flathead screwdriver/bottle opener. It didn't come with a pouch. I think there are more varieties than this too, even including those Spoonrobot has mentioned

My little screwdriver was all metal, and the toothpick was a flat, white plastic affair. This & the tweezers were very similar to Victorinox items. I say 'were' as I lost them immediately... I'll get some pics up when I can be bothered

One thing I have noticed is that the blades start to rust very easily if you don't keep on top of it.

[J-sews]

Mine looks just like Spoonrobot's, except that it has a fully serrated sheeps foot blade instead of the saw coupler.

[Spoonrobot]

Interesting. Seems like there could be quite a few varieties of this tool since it uses typical Gerber parts which could mean any combination could be possible.

I used some old reviews I found for the intro date, kind of hard to find intro/disco dates for tools that aren't Leatherman.

[J-sews]

What was the intro date then?

[Roadie]

From this page http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/gerber/revmullt.html Late 1997

Roadie