Truss and Suspension Quick Comparison

[gerleatherberman]

*Note: This is a mostly subjective thread. If you have any technical questions, please feel free to ask in a reply.

I have had a chance to sit down and do a side-by-side comparison of the new Gerber Truss and the OG Suspension.

The Truss has some good stuff going on that hasn't been covered well. Now, with that said, the comfort level is mildly lower than the Suspension, since the steel handles are not as thick. This does save .7oz in weight, even though the overall tool is bigger in the closed position.

But, comfort of the handles aside, lets look at the good things going on.

The handles, when extended into ideal driver use position, are similar in comfort. See images of the drivers to see the ideal driver-use position.

The knife blades are a bit awkward to use on each tool, because of the thick handles. The Truss does have notably longer blades and the new blade shapes are a welcomed sight. IMO of course. So, we won't criticize the Truss about the thick handles and blade usage, since the suspension suffered a bit more from that issue. The screwdrivers on the Truss are excellent in sharpness, grind, and shape. No rounded edges on the flat-drivers and well-formed. The fully formed Phillips driver is excellent, as most full-formed Gerber Phillips drivers are.

Weights:
Truss is +/-8.3oz.
Suspension is +/-9.0oz

Measurements:
Truss:
106.6mm(4.2") long closed(end to end).
163.8mm(6.45") long opened(end of handle to pliers tip).
48.1mm(1.89") wide at the "big" end.
35mm(1.38") wide at the "small" end.
21.9mm(0.86") thick at the lock slides/screws.
17.1mm(0.67") thick at the handles.
Suspension:
98.7mm(3.88") long closed(end to end).
155.6mm(6.12") long opened(end of handle to pliers tip)
47.7mm(1.88") wide at the "big" end.
35mm(1.38") wide at the "small" end
21.6mm(0.85") thick at the lock slides/screws.
18.5mm(0.73") thick at the handles.

Truss on scale:


Suspension on scale:


Truss on ruler:


Suspension on ruler:


Truss and Suspension flat-head drivers - Big. The Truss is thicker/bigger, but shorter. However, the Truss adds a wire stripper notch that is very sharp.


Truss and Suspension flat-head drivers - Medium(Truss)/Small(Suspension). The Truss adds a cross-cut file(short) on one side and a depth gauge on the other side.


Truss and Suspension Can Opener/Bottle Opener(Suspension) and Can Opener/Bottle Opener/Small Flat-head driver(Truss). The Truss added a small flat-head driver to the tool. A much welcomed addition to the combo opener. The can opener on the Truss is also notably sharper as well.



Truss and Suspension Phillips driver. The Truss has a fully-formed Phillips driver. A much welcomed addition!


Truss and Suspension Scissors. The Truss adds a thumb-pad on the scissor handle. A much welcomed addition. Same scissor platform on both.


Truss and Suspension Wood Saw. The Suspension always had a pretty poorly formed wood-saw. The Truss has a notably longer, more aggressive, and much better-formed wood saw. A much welcomed addition.


Truss and Suspension serrated blades. The Truss changes the blade shape and adds a bit of length. A much welcomed change!


Truss and Suspension plain-edge blades. The Truss changes the blade shape and adds a bit of length. A much welcomed change!


Truss and Suspension "bonus tools". The Suspension had a thick lanyard loop that took up an entire tool-slot. The Truss replaces the loop with a new-style "awl". This is another much welcomed addition to the Truss.



Final subjective thoughts:

I find the Truss to be acceptable in ease of use and comfort to use. The good stuff definitely outweighs the bad stuff on the Truss. Is it worth $46? No. Is it worth $35? YES.
The Suspension and Truss have the exact same plier-head. But, the Truss's plier-head is more polished and seems to have better tolerances. At least, this is the case, on my example. I cannot make the claim for all Trusses.
Another thing to note is that the Truss fixes the biggest issue on the Suspension. The Suspension has suffered BADLY with broken plier-stops, whether the screws break or the stop breaks, the Suspension had that weakest link. The Truss fixes this by incorporating the plier-stops into the handle-frame themselves. Another much welcomed addition to the new Gerber Truss.

All-in-all I think the Truss is a decent tool and fixes a lot of problems with the original Suspension. The overall fit and finish isn't quite as good as the Suspension, but I understand Gerber trying to keep the Truss in a certain price-range. In my personal opinion, I feel the Truss is a better tool than the Suspension. Your subjective experiences may vary, but the fact is that Gerber fixed a lot of issues designing the Truss, that were issues people had with the Suspension for years. There are compromises, but it seems like a decent multi tool overall.

[Sam Lim]

Great write up and comparison GLBM! 

I fully agree with you on the tools are mostly an upgrade from the OG Suspension. But there's so many things I do not like on the Truss. For one, I really think the handles are really really uncomfortable. And the size of it is really unnecessarily bulky. I would even describe this as a very unwieldy medium duty brick..  But all these are my rant about the Truss. Just not my cup of tea. Glad it found some love with someone else. 

[ThePeacent]

so, we Trust the Truss to be a worthy attempt from Gerber to upgrade, strengthen and improve the Suspension 

I like the new additions and changes, maybe not worth the $ increase but definitely worth checking out if you like the Suspension platform 
Thanks GLBM for this detailed explanation 

[NetsNJ]

Nice writeup, great pictures.  Found the Truss for $38 shipped here, which for me was low enough to pull the trigger.  We'll see how it turns out.  (Seems these guys are not out of stock on the NXT, maybe I snagged the last one :O .)

[ReamerPunch]

Thanks for the write-up and pics! 
If I find it with low enough shipping, I'll consider it.

[ReamerPunch]

What are your thoughts on the Truss handle splay?

[gerleatherberman]

What are your thoughts on the Truss handle splay?

A itsy bit less than the Suspension, but I wouldn't say it was "less" in a practical sense.
On the plus side, the Truss would be fairly easy to reduce the splay on. A little grinding on the plier stops should work.

[gerleatherberman]

Great write up and comparison GLBM! 

I fully agree with you on the tools are mostly an upgrade from the OG Suspension. But there's so many things I do not like on the Truss. For one, I really think the handles are really really uncomfortable. And the size of it is really unnecessarily bulky. I would even describe this as a very unwieldy medium duty brick..  But all these are my rant about the Truss. Just not my cup of tea. Glad it found some love with someone else. 

Thank you for the reply, Sam! I understand your point and do not disagree. My point of the thread is that the Truss fixed a lot of things wrong with the Suspension. Not everything. 
However, having said that, I tried to make it a point to convey it was the same size/bulk as the Suspension. If I were Gerber, I would have called the Truss the "Suspension 2.0". And then called the Suspension NXT the "Truss".

so, we Trust the Truss to be a worthy attempt from Gerber to upgrade, strengthen and improve the Suspension 

I like the new additions and changes, maybe not worth the $ increase but definitely worth checking out if you like the Suspension platform 
Thanks GLBM for this detailed explanation 

Hehe. I don't know about "trussting" it. But, it does look like Gerber made a good effort.
You're welcome and thank you for the reply!
If you can find it for $35 or less, I think it is cool. But, at $46 on Amazon Prime, it is overpriced. 

Nice writeup, great pictures.  Found the Truss for $38 shipped here, which for me was low enough to pull the trigger.  We'll see how it turns out.  (Seems these guys are not out of stock on the NXT, maybe I snagged the last one :O .)

Thank you, NetsNJ!
$38 is better than I paid on Amazon and closer to what it should cost ($35 IMO).
I look forward to reading your thoughts on it when you receive it!

Thanks for the write-up and pics! 
If I find it with low enough shipping, I'll consider it.

(See my post right before this one for the reply to the splay).

[Sam Lim]

GLBM, did you order the NXT?

[gerleatherberman]

GLBM, did you order the NXT?

Not yet. But, will order it this weekend. 
I got a deal on something else(st5e), and could only order the Truss last weekend.

[Sam Lim]

GLBM, did you order the NXT?

Not yet. But, will order it this weekend. 
I got a deal on something else(st5e), and could only order the Truss last weekend.

Oh my.. That's another unusual one! 

[ThePeacent]

Oh my.. That's another unusual one! 

one of my all time favorites!! 

[Sam Lim]

Oh my.. That's another unusual one! 

one of my all time favorites!! 

(Image removed from quote.)

  I am using the Irvine's myself.. Not so much of a multitool but very well made.

[gerleatherberman]

I wish it were the locking Irwin plier tool. I could have bought several Gerbers for what I spent on the ST5E I did buy. And that is the Schrade ST5E(craftsman branded).

[Sam Lim]

I wish it were the locking Irwin plier tool. I could have bought several Gerbers for what I spent on the ST5E I did buy. And that is the Schrade ST5E(craftsman branded).

I believe that's quite some damage on the wallet.. 

[gerleatherberman]

I wish it were the locking Irwin plier tool. I could have bought several Gerbers for what I spent on the ST5E I did buy. And that is the Schrade ST5E(craftsman branded).

I believe that's quite some damage on the wallet.. 

It was a "bucket list" tool(I posted about it in the Tough Tool club), so worth every cent. At least, that is what I am telling myself.