Gerber 08239 MP800 Legend Multitool
by Gerber
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Gerber 08239 MP800 Legend Multitool
Customer Review: Not all it's cracked up to be
Summary: 2 Stars
As a building superintendent, I wear a multi-tool every day on my belt, and use it often. I was really looking foward to getting the Gerber because it offered two main features that I wanted - a one-handed opening blade, and tools that all lock open. With all the multi-tools being manufactured today, it's amazing how few offer these two crucial (for me) features in a single tool. The Gerber Legend is the only tool I'm aware of that has both a one handed opening blade and tools that all lock open. If anyone reading this knows of another tool that has both these features, please let me know.Let me first say that Gerber has made many great innovations with this tool. The rotateable/replaceable inserts for the wire cutters is a great idea, along with the replaceable jigsaw blade and the spring-loaded pliars. Having said that, I'll organize my review into two categories - Major Mistakes and Niggles.
Major Mistakes - The pliars don't open wide enough. The very tips of the needle-nose pliars don't even make it an inch apart---15/16ths to be exact. To get into the teeth of the pliars, you need to be 5/8ths inch or smaller! Compare these numbers with the Leatherman Super Tool's 1 3/4" opening at the tips and a full inch-plus at the teeth. I feel that the small opening of the Gerber pliars will disappoint many people - you simply won't be able to grab a lot of stuff you'd expect to be able to. Personally, if I can't take off a shower-head or fawcet aerator with it, that's much of the usefulness of the pliars gone right there. Major, major mistake on Gerber's part, especially when (seemingly) this could have easily been engineered differently.
Some tools are difficult to open. The phillips screwdriver recesses too far in the tool when you close it fully, making the nail catch impossible to get at. Luckily, the tip of my pinky finger is small enough to get in there and pull it out by the tip. But I know plenty of guys for whom this would be impossible to open. Ditto for the file/large flatblade...it has a thumb-nail catch...but when you close it fully it gets completely recessed behind the other flat-blade screwdrivers! And I mean totally! If your hands are greasy or sweaty (which is a lot on the job) you're not getting it out without taking all the other stuff out first. Major, major mistake on Gerber's part, especially when this is so easily fixed - there's loads of room there for a nice accessable nail catch.
Niggles - The rubber grips are stickers and one came out on the second day of use. Why put them at all? Why not just cast the knurled surface into the handles? The finish of the tool is nowhere near the finish of a leatherman. Casting marks are evident on the handles, the thumb-studs are inserted and then impacted from the other side to hold them in place (which may be a very strong and lasting (time will tell) and cost-effective way to assemble but is ugly and cheap-looking. The jigsaw blade is held in place by a small metal clip that doesn't look like it will withstand much abuse (time will tell with this too).
It's a shame I couldn't give this tool a better review. It's got a lot of stuff going for it...light weight, innovation, and a great locking system that's easy to use. I really wanted to like it but the pliars thing is so major...I'm going to need to replace it eventually just for that 'cause it doesn't pay to carry the thing around if I can't grab stuff with it. Make me one with the fit and finish of a Leatherman and fix the other simple stuff and you've got it.
Customer Review: Not all it's cracked up to be
Summary: 2 Stars
As a building superintendent, I wear a multi-tool every day on my belt, and use it often. I was really looking foward to getting the Gerber because it offered two main features that I wanted - a one-handed opening blade, and tools that all lock open. With all the multi-tools being manufactured today, it's amazing how few offer these two crucial (for me) features in a single tool. The Gerber Legend is the only tool I'm aware of that has both a one handed opening blade and tools that all lock open. If anyone reading this knows of another tool that has both these features, please let me know.Let me first say that Gerber has made many great innovations with this tool. The rotateable/replaceable inserts for the wire cutters is a great idea, along with the replaceable jigsaw blade and the spring-loaded pliars. Having said that, I'll organize my review into two categories - Major Mistakes and Niggles.
Major Mistakes - The pliars don't open wide enough. The very tips of the needle-nose pliars don't even make it an inch apart---15/16ths to be exact. To get into the teeth of the pliars, you need to be 5/8ths inch or smaller! Compare these numbers with the Leatherman Super Tool's 1 3/4" opening at the tips and a full inch-plus at the teeth. I feel that the small opening of the Gerber pliars will disappoint many people - you simply won't be able to grab a lot of stuff you'd expect to be able to. Personally, if I can't take off a shower-head or fawcet aerator with it, that's much of the usefulness of the pliars gone right there. Major, major mistake on Gerber's part, especially when (seemingly) this could have easily been engineered differently.
Some tools are difficult to open. The phillips screwdriver recesses too far in the tool when you close it fully, making the nail catch impossible to get at. Luckily, the tip of my pinky finger is small enough to get in there and pull it out. But I know plenty of guys for whom this would be impossible to open. Ditto for the file/large flatblade...it has a thumb-nail catch...but when you close it fully it gets completely recessed behind the other flat-blade screwdrivers! And I mean totally! If your hands are greasy or sweaty (which is a lot on the job) you're not getting it out without taking all the other stuff out first. Major, major mistake on Gerber's part, especially when this is so easily fixed - there's loads of room there for a nice accessable nail catch.
Niggles - The rubber grips are stickers and one came out on the second day of use. Why put them at all? Why not just cast the knurled surface into the handles? The finish of the tool is nowhere near the finish of a leatherman. Casting marks are evident on the handles, the thumb-studs are inserted and then impacted from the other side to hold them in place (which may be a very strong and lasting (time will tell) and cost-effective way to assemble but is ugly and cheap-looking. The jigsaw blade is held in place by a small metal clip that doesn't look like it will withstand much abuse (time will tell with this too).
It's a shame I couldn't give this tool a better review. It's got a lot of stuff going for it...light weight, innovation, and a great locking system that's easy to use. I really wanted to like it but the pliars thing is so major...I'm going to need to replace it eventually just for that 'cause it doesn't pay to carry the thing around if I can't grab stuff with it. Make me one with the fit and finish of a Leatherman and fix the other simple stuff and you've got it.
Customer Review: Compared to Gerber Pro Scout, Swiss Army Swiss Tool RS
Summary: 4 Stars
I have this tool, the Swiss Army Swiss Tool RS and the Gerber Pro Scout.In order, I like them as:
1. Swiss Army Tool (4.75 stars)
2. Gerber Legend 800 (3.9-4 stars)
3. Gerber Pro Scout (2.5 to 3 stars)
I find that I seem to be grabbing the Swiss Tools for general usage because the blades are better, it is sturdy and it is just such a nice, nice tool
The Legend 800 is my choice for around the house projects because of its replaceable blades on the wire cutter (the big failing of almost any tools and from what I understand, a problem with Leatherman). If you have to do alot of this then this is the tool.
The major pros to the Legend are:
1. One hand opening blade - I just love this and can't understand why Swiss Army Swiss Tool doesnt have it. This is just way cool when you have your other hand tied up and you need the blade.
2. The beefy pliers. These are serious pliers and very well done.
3. The replaceable wire cutter blades. This is so cool that you can really tackle serious projects and not worry about hurting the tool. You have three surfaces on the included blades and they can be replaced.
4. Excellent set of screwdrivers. Phillips (that can accept an adaptor to use an 1/4" bit) and 3 solid regular drivrs.
The cons:
1. The case. .. If this were made or optionable to have a clip on (my beef with many of these tools - leatherman has options here) and if the velcro where better. The real problem is that I have been looking for a better case and haven't really found one that fits. There also should be a case that accepts the bit driver set add on. These things are all bigger than you can carry in a pocket so the manufacturers ought to really solve this problem. Because this tool is slightly thicker, there are few case options that will work 3rd party. For [a few bucks] I think you could get a custom leather case.
2. The fit of some of the tools just isn't as nice as the Swiss Tool. The scissors is developing a little wear mark where it contact the scissors as it goes back into the tool.
3. The combo serrated/straight blade. I really don't like serrated blades unless you already have a straight blade. You can't easily sharpen a serrated blade. If you have a straight blade, then if you even care to have a serrated blade, you need it all serrated (ala the Swiss Tool RS). I would trade this in a heart beat for a straight blade and use a high quality sharpener regularily.
To get to 5 stars, the Legend 800 would need to be slightly better finished with a very secure molded ballistic belt clip case, a straight blade and a serrated blade.
This tool is meant to work. If you carry it, you won't have to baby it. Overall it is not as good as the swiss tool (which is truly great) but it should last and it is the best of the market IMHO behind the swiss tool and from what i looked at, ahead of the leatherman wave. Leatherman wave owners have reported that the wire cutters get nicked easy and they are prone to rust. Neither of these should be a problem with this tool.
The Gerber pro scout is an ok tool for one that is a number of years old. I am going to leave it in the boat for emergencies, i wouldn't reccommend that tool for much carry around use unless you need pliers and everything else is a distant second. The main reason is you have to take the pliers out to get at any other tool.
Customer Review: The best around...in 2002.
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had my Legend 800 for five years now -- that in itself is a heck of a statement for most multi-tools. I recently did a major overhaul, and Gerber was nice enough to send me a "replacement" unit because mine had a couple of busted springs and the metal file was worn down. I have to say, quality has really dropped since 2002 -- either that, or the "replacement" unit that I pulled parts out of had failed Quality Control and was destined for the rebuild line anyway. That's fine with me, in any case, because the parts I needed off the "replacement" unit didn't have any defects.
So I've had mine for five years, and I've used it for a lot of things, so I feel I can write a pretty thorough review. Impressions follow:
1. The pliers don't open far enough. The self-opening spring is nice, and at times very convenient, but on the whole I'd rather have jaws that opens wider instead of jaws that have a built-in spring.
2. The replaceable saw blade is really handy, though the saw blade itself is fantastic so it may never be an issue anyway. The Remgrit saw blade is coated with industrial diamonds, and I've sawed through everything from drywall to carbon steel to bricks with it. I only changed the blade once, when I rebuilt my tool, just because I happened to have a spare blade on-hand.
3. The replaceable wire cutters are also a really great idea. I somehow managed to chip two sides of one of the cutters, but since I could just rotate to a fresh cutting surface, it was no big deal. This was another part that lasted me the whole five years without replacement.
4. The knife blade holds a keen edge a REALLY long time. I've only sharpened the smooth section twice in five years, and the serrated section has never needed sharpening at all.
5. The scissors spring sucks. It's broken about four times now, and Gerber doesn't distribute replacement parts anymore -- apparently too many people managed to hurt themselves after messing up when they repaired their tools. A leaf spring would be MUCH better than a wire spring, but then, the scissors are so small you'll rarely use them anyway.
6. The file isn't diamond-coated, but it should be. The file isn't replaceable without taking the tool apart, and the bare steel just isn't up to the task of grinding away at whatever needs smoothing out -- it WILL get dull in a couple of years.
7. The crosshead screwdriver is nice and big and strong, but the multitude of little flathead screwdrivers are a waste of space. There's nothing WRONG with them, per se, but few people need three extra flat pieces of metal in their tool, even if they ARE different sizes.
This gets four stars because it's as good as any multi-tool can get without being flat-out perfect, but I'm taking away one star because the tool is outdated. If Gerber wants to keep up with the times, they should replace the metal file with a diamond file, and replace the three flathead screwdrivers with a built-in 1/4" bit driver like all the other multi-tool companies have done. This is their top-of-the-line tool, it shouldn't be allowed to stagnate like this.
Customer Review: Too many Leatherman reps?
Summary: 5 Stars
I was just browsing around when I came upon this familiar offering. I received it as a Christmas present the second year this tool went into production. In all the years of real world use it has never failed: not a single locking mechanism, not a single blade, not even the cool Fiskar scissors went south.
First things first, in the tool trade, shiny = slippery, especially when wet. The Legend, you guessed it, is strictly matte finish throughout. Yes, the wire cutters are actually easily replaceable for a modest fee, and the saw blade is also "swappable", using a standard blade type available at any builder's supply depot.
This tool has spent a great deal of time in the water as well without suffering ANY corrosion even on the smallest parts where competitors often cut corners.
Gerber made no compromises on this one, EVERY tool, bit, blade locks, not just a select few again like many competitors, and they lock automatically, and release with a very gentle click, yet this mechanism, again unlike some others, is rock solid when engaged.
Actually, EVERY blade is replaceable, as the fasteners Gerber chose for their flagship model are completely serviceable, a HUGE improvement over their competitors, and a real pleasure for the tool user who isn't afraid to expose this tool to the harshest elements or toughest chore.
I added two grips to the opposing sides of the handles to just ever-so-slightly improve the grip. What can I say, a little OCD. Beyond that, perfection is almost there. YES, the jaw opening is relatively narrow, but this is only an issue on a rare occasion. After all, these aren't channel locks.
Finally, anyone who can't operate this tool with one hand should probably not be using this tool at all, especially the razor sharp blade that remains one of the very few blades in this tool that can open with a flick of a thumb WITHOUT opening or touching the rest of the tool, operating entirely independent of the rest of the tool.
I don't normally keep tools a very long time unless I have a very good reason and in this case, it is one of the few small hand tools I've somehow managed never to misplace! Let's just say, that is a rarity, lol. I just don't leave home without it! Best multi-use tool on the market [no, not the shiniest!], and the absolute BEST Christmas present I have ever received, bar none!
AX~