Displaying items by tag: Gerber

Form should follow function in a tool, and yet “pretty” tools seem to sell better. Gerber took that to heart when designing the Strata- it is certainly pretty enough to sit alongside Gerbers fashion models like the Suspension and Resolve, and yet it's tough enough to have a place on any handyman's belt. Even I dismissed this one initially, as it seems a bit fancy at first look, but given how many times I've been wrong before, I decided to give this one a closer look. The folks at www.RockyNational.com were only too happy to help me out.

With the modern trend towards minimalist tools and the success of Leatherman's Skeletool which dominates the category, Gerber initially released the Crucial, which met with lukewarm success. While it was a decent tool, it didn't give much in the way of competition. This year (2010) Gerber ups their ante with the introduction of the Octane, a tool that incorporates some of the things Gerber does best, along with some great new ideas.

For years the Leatherman Crunch has been the only player in the folding, locking plier head category- many other companies like Kershaw and Schrade have tried locking plier tools, but none seemed to be that successful, leaving the Crunch the only one available to anyone needing a locking tool. Gerber has now thrown their hat in the ring with a locking plier tool, which also incorporates Gerber's traditional sliding head to boot!

First, here’s the writeup on the back of the Gerber Splice package: “Don’t be fooled by the Gerber Splice mini tool’s compact size. Carried in your pocket or attached to your key chain, you’ll be prepared for any situation that arises. With Fiskar’s scissors, flat & cross-point drivers, file, bottle opener, fine edge & serrated blades, the Splice mini tool will cover you when reaching for something more convienient than your tool box in the garage.”

Gerber Legendary Blades has been making knives and tools now for 70 years; hard to believe they have been in the market since before Leatherman was founded. Since Gerber released their first multitool (1991) they have been churning them out in an effort to keep them selves ahead of the pack. Gerber continues to innovate and gives us tools that we both thought were cool looking and some that made us wonder what they were thinking. Gerber went back to the drawing board and decided to create a tool from scratch that was very different than the usual Gerber product line. There seems to be a trend involving a lightweight tool that features a minimal amount of basic functions. Gerber has come through and brought a design which I feel will do the Gerber product line some justice.

Dubbed the Crucial the new tool features several basic features that you would use on a daily basis and cuts out the tools you probably wouldn’t need. At 5 oz the Crucial is quite a light tool, perfect for EDC (Everyday Carry) and right at home in your pocket. Featuring sleek curved handles which are both ergonomic and have a sense of flair, they house a number of simple tools to get most jobs done.

Released last year, Gerber's Artifact got people's attention- probably more than Gerber was expecting initially at least. I first encountered it at the 2008 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, and was instantly taken with it.

Gerber's Shard model is the little brother to their Artifact, and despite being about half the weight of the Artifact , the Shard is only marginally less functional.

Gerber’s latest sliding head plier design is the Flik, which is an updated version of the MP400 design, and a more compact version of the larger, heavier duty Freehand . This tool is living proof that a multitool made in China isn’t necessarily a cheap hunk of junk!

Now discontinued, the Gerber 700 Urban Legend incorporates a number of Gerber’s more innovative features in a handy sized tool. Oddly enough it’s not a typical Gerber design so I absolutely ad to have one. A quick phone call to Dennis at Gerber Tools and I had one winging it's way to me in no time flat!

Gerber’s new series of multitools all seem to have a specific, high tech look to them and the Resolve is no different. Just looking at this tool one can’t help but think it would be right at home in the mission box of a Star Trek Away Team, or in the tool box of the on call Terminator repair man.