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 Manufacturer: Gerber
URL: www.heinnie.com
Multitool name: erber MP600 needle nose
Features :
• Needle nose pliers incorporating wire cutters
• 2 knife blades (plain and serrated)
• 4 screwdrivers (3 flat, 1 phillips)
• can opener
• metric and imperial ruler
• lanyard hole
Average weight: approximately 250g
RRP
£53.95
This Gerber, is a decent sized, solid multitool, made from stainless steel, with all the usual sort of appliances associated with such tools.
The needle nose pliers slide out and lock in position using an impressive design of numerous small parts like springs, washers, circlips etc and it is possible to open the pliers one handed using a flicking motion, whilst all the other tools require two handed operation. The pliers have slots or finger groves and are accessed from the inside of the handles to fold out.
One feature I found very positive, is that every tool locks in the open position – not just the knife blades. A small thing perhaps but not to be underestimated, especially when you’re trying to tighten up a screw and the driver keeps on collapsing on your knuckles!
As seems customary on a tool of this size, there are two knife blades: one plain edge and the other serrated. Out of the box, the plain edge blade had a burr two thirds of the way along the edge but 5 minutes on the strop soon had it shaving sharp. This edge seemed to hold well when trialled in the jungle, although it was not used extensively.
The cordora pouch has the Gerber logo on the front flap and a Velcro closure. Despite many trips and falls, both on dry land and in water, the pouch did a superb job of securing the multitool. At no time did I feel wary of carrying it like this.
The jungle is a harsh environment for such an item because the tool was wet or the majority of the time. However, it stood up very well with little sign of rusting or corrosion even after coming back and allowing it to stand for a while.
On anther note - I have concerns regarding the locking for the pliers – there appears to be a rattle. Due to the nature of the locking system of the pliers, there are quite a number of small bits (I didn’t dare take it to pieces to count them all). I appreciate that the pieces are required to be loose to allow the plier head to slide (hence the noise) but I have concerns that, if a circlip or washer were to be dislodged, the whole instrument would spring apart and the tool would be useless. It would be very unlikely that you would find all the tiny pieces in the debris of a woodland floor! However, I must point out that this did not occur whilst testing it in the jungle so perhaps I’m worrying over nothing?
Another point was the position of the cutting blades. To close safely within the handle the position of the cutting edge is around an inch higher than the other handle when open. If you wanted to cut on a flat surface you would have to hang the pliers over the edge so that the cutting edge could make contact. Not a big problem where this is possible but in confined spaces you would only be able to use the end of the blade, thus making cutting awkward at best.
Lastly, a small personal niggle perhaps but I really like the option of the opening of the main knife blade (at least) being a single handed operation. It really makes things so much easier if you have to hold onto something with the other hand.
Conclusion:
Apart from the items mentioned above, I liked this multitool from Gerber. Whilst it is s not as quick to use as a Leatherman, it does seem as strong and it beats is competitors on price. If I was to buy one, I would purchase one with a saw as, for me, I would find it one of the most useable tools.
Reviewed by Mark Aspell
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Such is the lure of these shiny objects on the male psyche that a
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The jungle is a harsh environment for such an item because the tool was
wet or the majority of the time. However, it stood up very well with
little sign of rusting or corrosion even after coming back and allowing
it to stand for a while.
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steve