I bought this to replace my first Gerber that was the one of the first models Gerber made that nipped your hand if you were not careful how you used it. I gave that one to one of my sons who still uses it in case he has adjustments to make on his bike while out riding.
I have owned this Tool for over 2 months now and apart from one item I can find no fault with it and it has become my EDC along with the 600 that is soon to be modified to make it more useful for my needs. First the criticism the tin opener is a joke, it is far too short for it’s job, in fact it can hardly look over the top of a can to use it for puncturing a can just to get a start at opening it. The Philips screw driver is made out of the same gauge steel as the one on the Recoil and the Diesel, Gerber have made a bit adapter to fit, so all three can use any ¼” bit including the Leatherman bits and those long double ended bits if you need get in to a deeply embedded screw. I am guessing it will hold the bit magnetically like the standard one now does so the long ones should hold fast, I will be getting the bit holder ASP so will let you all know.
When you first see this tool, all you can think of it “wow.” This is one of the most massive multitools you are likely to encounter in life and that’s something you will be glad for! Based on the 120mm Ranger Series Wengers, the SwissGrip is likely to be one of the most effective plier tools available.
Rather than add to the existing Juice Series Review already posted here I decided that the KF4 was a standout enough tool to warrant it’s own article. Besides, as a discontinued model (the only discontinued Juice model) it really is in a class of it’s own.
When you ask someone to describe what a multitool looks like, most individuals will say Leatherman. Rather than trying to put into words what one looks like, Leatherman has branded the name multitool as the brand; similar to what other companies have done to their products e.g.. Kleenex , Goodyear etc. So the look of most multitools are the same, a pair of pliers where the handles pivot and hide the various tools that the multitool contains. Things were not always like this, there are many brands and designs that predate those made by Leatherman. The original multitool was a traditional style slip-joint pocket knife (similar to what your grandfather carries) and they incorporated a pair of pliers, fixed to the body of the handle. Unlike the small pliers you find on Swiss Army knives, this gave the user a more pocket friendly tool with the power of real pliers.
What kind of people would write collect and review multitools? Quite simple really- we are designers and do-ers, outdoors types and indoor types, mechanics, doctors, problem solvers and problem makers. As such, we have, as a world spanning community, put every type, size and version of multitool, multifunction knife, pocket knife and all related products to every test we could manage in as many places and environments as there are.