Gerber 01471 Suspension Butterfly Opening Multi-Plier with Sheath
by Gerber
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List Price: Our Price: $23.65 You Save: $25.67 (52%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Gerber 01471 Suspension Butterfly Opening Multi-Plier with Sheath
Customer Review: Finally pulled the trigger!
Summary: 4 Stars
After having lost my G.S., I mulled-over whether or not I would buy another. Weeks went by. More research was done. Then, I decided to replace my G.S.....
...with a Leatherman Wave.
Mother's day 2010...
I cannot believe this. I used my Gerber Suspension to cut a straw in a restaurant and left the dang thing on the table. Called back to the restaurant to see if it was still there, and guess what... it wasn't.
I'm PISSED! It was an awesome field tool. Guess it's time to buy another ~ LOL.
(Several weeks before Mother's Day 2010...)
I've been researching like crazy to find the best multi-tool for ME, and I've chosen the Gerber Suspension. Here's why...
PRICE - Can't be beat unless you're buying it from Gweedo of the docks or off the back of a box-truck.
SAFETY - It seems that when safety is a primary concern for a product such as this, you must sacrifice a bit of utility and functionality. No problem. I'd rather have a shorter knife plus tools that lock in place than pinched palms and blood-blisters.
COMFORT - I've played around with Leatherman multi-tools, and they always leave this nagging feeling in my hand as if something's just not right. There simply is no comparison between handling the straight edges of Leatherman vs. the butterfly contour of the GS. The GS offers a far more ergonomic and "friendly" feel when being handled. Spring-loaded pliers on the GS also add to ease-of-use so I'm not using my middle finger as a "spring" as I would have with the Leatherman.
EXPANDABILITY - The $8 bit kit squelches complaints about the lackluster philips head screwdriver. This inexpensive kit also helps to extend one's reach father than the Leatherman's stubby drivers.
UTILITY - It's got everything a multi-tool needs. Though it would nice to have a file, I've found that the solution to this is to purchase a separate, small, flat file that fits in the case.
KNIFE - One of the more attractive features of the Leatherman (Wave, Surge, TTi) is the knife. Leatherman offers a beefy knife with THOSE models, but not-so with their other traditional models. Apples to apples between the GS and standard Leatherman multi-tools proves the GS blade to be comparable. If I need to perform hardcore cutting, I wouldn't use a multi-tool blade anyway. RULE NUMBER ONE with any tool is to use the RIGHT tool for the job...ESPECIALLY if it has a cutting edge. With this in mind, the GS's knife is spot-on for mundane tasks like cutting string, cardboard, rubber hoses, cloth, etc. If I'm sharpening a stick to make it into a spear, I'd rather use a bowie.
WEIGHT AND MECHANICAL - Nothing wrong here. Great weight. Rigid. Tool-draw stiffness wears off with use (as it should).
Now, the only reason I give it four stars instead of five is the fact nothing deserves five stars until I've used and abused it for more than six months. I would rather come back and post glowing highlights deserving of a five-star redux after I've applied the GS to some real-world situations.
So, would I ever recommend, say, a Leatherman Wave, over the Gerber Suspension? Maybe...as soon as Leatherman brings its price-point down to around $35, adds spring-loaded pliers, extends the reach of their bits, and does something about palm pinching. Otherwise, I think anyone who needs a medium-duty EDC multi-tool will be delighted with the GS.
Finally, there's that issue of the GS being made in China. It sucks that it's not American made, but I have nothing against Chinese people, nor do I care to apply politics to "toolism". At least being made in China allows American small business owners to afford the wholesale cost of this product and make some money to feed their American families when people buy it. The GS is still designed by American engineers who work at an American company.
Let's not complicate the issue, though. Does the GS do what it's supposed to do, offer better-than-expected performance, and do so at a great price-point? Yes. 'Nuff said.
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Customer Review: Quality tool at a good price, with caveats
Summary: 4 Stars
Having owned several Leatherman multitools in the past, I decided to take advantage of a deal on this Gerber. It's a nice tool, well-constructed and attractive. The gray finish on the "suspension" part is very nice. The metal is high quality, the machining is well done, and all the tools lock firmly in place. The release mechanism was a little tight at first but now works pretty smoothly.
The emphasis in this tool is definitely on the pliers. They are sturdy, and the curve in the handle makes the grip comfortable. The spring-loading is very nice -- even my Leathermans didn't have that.
Be aware that the pliers wouldn't work well in a small hand -- even fully closed, the handles for the pliers span 2 3/4 inches. Holding a 1/2 inch diameter pen in the flat part of the pliers, the handles span 4 inches.
On the big Leatherman tools I've owned, the knife blades were nearly as long and wide as the tool itself; not so on this Gerber (or Gerbers in general, I think). The flat blade, serrated blade, and saw are each under 2 inches long. That's particularly bad news for the saw blade, of course, since you need to move it to and fro.
The scissors is the worst part of this tool. The blade has a tiny 5/8-inch bite. And the spring-loading for it is too strong; it's too hard to close given that it's pressing a fairly narrow piece of metal into your thumb. Maybe that will loosen up over time. If you don't use a scissors much, the scissors may not be an issue, but if you need something like the scissors on the Leatherman Micra then this tool is definitely not for you.
The two blades have little flanges to help you open them, but the leverage isn't good, so they're a little tough to open with one hand. But with some WD-40 it's doable. Some of the other tools are trickier to get out, but I've found that to be true on all multi-tools I've owned. What works for me is half-opening the butterfly and sticking my pinky in to pull the tools out. You'll see what I mean; it's not ideal, but it's not a big deal. If you have a fat pinky, though, you might be in trouble. :^)
Not much to say about the screwdrivers except that the Philips is not full-width. That is, they took a 1/4 x 3/32 inch piece of metal and cut as much of a 1/4-inch Philips head into it as they could. Obviously it's less than half as wide as a full head would be. I've seen other tools with heads like this; they're usable in a pinch but you probably wouldn't want to use it on a screw that's in pretty tight -- you might strip the head of the screw, and it would probably be hard on the tool as well.
The sheath is pretty basic: nylon, Velcro closure, loop for your belt. Not as durable as a good leather sheath.
It might sound like I don't like this tool, but actually I do, particularly for the price. It does have its faults, though.
Customer Review: nice, but. . .
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good product at a very attractive price, and for $26 the consumer is getting a capable tool. Gerber should be commended for producing a well-made product at such a good price.
Everyone wonders, though, how the Gerber stacks up against the Leatherman Wave. Not too well, in my opinion.
Any multi-tool is a compromise by definition. If you are in your workshop, tool box open in front of you, you would never reach for your multi-tool. A full, real screwdriver is much more pleasant and effective than the abbreviated screwdriver on the multi-tool, and a honest to God saw can cut through a board a thousand times better than the little saw on the multi-tool.
What the Leatherman Wave does, though, is get much closer to the feeling of using a real tool than the Gerber. The Wave feels almost like a real tool, like something you would reach for to do a project, while the Gerber feels like a compromise.
The Wave's blades are substantial and capable of doing some real cutting. The Gerber's blades are thin and rather short. The Leatherman's blades pop open with a minimum of effort, and close very easily. The Gerber's blades and tools are somewhat difficult to open, and very difficult to close. The locks are stiff and nowhere as easy as pushing on the button or flange on the Leatherman. I can put a tool away on my Leatherman without even thinking about it. With the Gerber I have to stop, fiddle with it, wiggle it back and forth--finally, there it goes.
Of course, it much be noted that the Gerber costs half to almost a third of the Wave, and such a savings can be a significant inducement to actually use the tool. I would never, ever take my Wave fishing as it would be too expensive to replace. At $26, though, I would take the Gerber out on the water without a second thought.
Also on the plus side for Gerber, this tool has a bottle opener--the Wave doesn't--and the pliers are spring-loaded. That is totally cool, and a feature the Leatherman doesn't have. If you're trying to get the hook out of a fish's mouth, and you have to stop and open up the pliers--oops it slipped--so stop and open up the pliers again, oops--it can turn into a massive pain. Spring-loading fixes all of that and is a wonderful feature.
Please realize that I'm not bagging on the Gerber. It's a good tool at a great price, one that will be carried and actually used. It lacks the polish and sophistication of the Leatherman, but at $26 versus $63 that's not a surprise.
Customer Review: Excellent Multi Tool Outstanding price
Summary: 5 Stars
First off I would like to say the nay sayers are horribly mistaken about this multi-tool. I have own 5 multi-tool/pocket knife combos and I have used many of the competitors products. From 2 Swiss Army knives, a Winchester multi-tool, and a Leatherman multi-tool. The Swiss Army knives are always too compact and never have enough features to be useful (PLUS THEY ARE ALWAYS STIFF and HARD TO OPEN), the Winchester looks nice but weighs over 1.5 lbs! (Plus the materials used are cheap), and the Leatherman was nice but the price high ($65!) and it was always slightly awkward. I purchased this Gerber on a whim looking for a good lightweight multi-function tool, that was easy to carry in my pocket, had a good amount of features, and a good match of qaulity/price.
The Gerber suspension butter fly multi-tool (yes a mouth full to say) is a great mixture of all of my wants. Lightweight under 10oz, great styling very sharp to look at, compact, and under $30! This tool honestly sums up all of my wants and needs in a product plus it hits the right price point for me. A solid grand slam in my opinion.
Pros:
Needle nose pliers (most multi's only have bulking large pliers)
Spring loaded jaws for pliers (No more messing around with opening and closing the tool while tightening/loosening things etc)
Locking system (great for keeping a fixed blade to cut/use screw driver attatchements)
Can opener (that works surprisingly well)
Light weight (No more bulky heavy multi's that feel like bricks)
Comfortable to hold (some tools never feel right in the hand but this one certainly does)
Saws (work well from boxes, to twine, to rope, to lightweight metal cable)
Usable phillips/flat head tools (good size for mid to large applications)
Cons
Size (may be a problem for some with very large hands)
Scissors (not very useful as they are tiny)
Blades Size (If they were another half inch they would be perfect)
Phillips/flat head tools (Do not fit small applications well can bore out the screws)
Customer Review: Great general purpose light/medium duty multitool
Summary: 4 Stars
Weight:9.6oz not heavy enough to notice with it on your belt.
Length closed/open:3.875in/5.625
Metal:Don't know,it is brushed and titanium nitride coated(handles only),remains rust free and holds up to tasks.
Pliers/Handles:Very nice spring loaded,jaws taper at tip,very little play,comfortable rubber grips on end of handle,fits medium/large hands well not so for small(my hand size from thumb to pinky is little over 8in).
Wire cutter:Functional
Wharncliff fine edge:1.75in of cutting surface,came sharp but not razor sharp.
Wharncliff serrated edge:1.75in of cutting surface,cuts fibers/rope very cleanly.
Bottle/Can opener:Seems lengthier than it should be bottle opener works great.Can opener punches rather than cuts lid of can leaves a jagged pattern.
Phillips head:Useful for standard size screws,can be used as adapter for Gerber tool kit.
Larger Flathead:Standard size screws.
Small Flathead:Small size screws.
Scissors:Sharp .5in cutting surface useful for small tasks like snipping off a loose thread or general light precision cutting.
Saw:Dual rows of teeth about 1.75in in length can cut through small tree limbs in very short time.
Lanyard hole:useless(at least for me)
Sheath:fits the tool snugly,can be placed horizontally or vertically,rides well with no movement.
Gripes:A little bit of play in the tools when they are "locked" has developed on the handle with the serrated blade.S.A.F.T. lock is difficult to disengage and can wear into thumb if used often.Alternative is to open a tool on the same handle as the one that the current tool is locked until one visibly sees the lock disengage(go down) then close both.This however may lead to a tabbed washer to swing out if so simply push it back into original place.
Overall:A good handy piece of metal to have on you.You won't build a house with this but in a pinch you can expect it to accomplish almost any task at hand.