Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool, Black, Medium

£9.9
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Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool, Black, Medium

Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool, Black, Medium

RRP: £99
Price: £9.9
£9.9 FREE Shipping

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Description

Gerber went with an aggressive curve on the Crucial’s center line. We found it really uncomfortable to squeeze the handles when trying to turn a stubborn nut or hold onto something with weight. One side would always dig into the meaty part of your palm while the other just didn’t sit well. Overall not a great handle design for applying real torque. The MP600 uses a slide out, one handed opening design for its pliers. All the other tools can only be opened once the pliers are deployed and the handles opened out. We’d go over the included tools, but it would take a while. Gerber currently offers more than 20 different versions of the MP600 customized for any type of work imaginable.

The pliers on the Crucial are only available in a needlenose configuration, though they also have a regular plier area as well. We found the teeth on the pliers to line up well and give you a good grip. The only issue we had was with the shape of the handles. Next we’ll look at the Leatherman Squirt PS4. The Squirt and the Dime have very similar tool loadouts. The Dime does beat out the Squirt with its inclusion of tweezers and a useful little box cutter. One thing we really like about the Dime when compared to the Squirt are the removable torx bolts instead of rivets used in its construction. It’s a small thing, but we like being able to take apart our tools for regular cleanings. The Leatherman Micra is just about the first keychain tool to hit the market. It has been continuously available since the mid 90’s and is one of the best tools of its kind. It has a pair of scissors rather than pliers for a main tool and includes things like a knife, attached tweezers, and screwdrivers. It has all metal construction similar to the the Gerber Dime but it just feels a bit better made. It allows you to apply more stable pressure as you’re working with screws. The Center Drive comes with many of the tools we like to see on top quality multi tools. One of our favorite features is the included awl, something a lot of manufacturers are pulling out of their tools.A multi-tool that optimizes ergonomics and portability by reducing the tool set to the most important ones for daily use and carry

The Crucial, like many of Gerber’s multi tools, is available in several different versions. Depending on which tool loadout you prefer there will be between eight and nine tools included on your Crucial. There’s also a special edition of the Crucial with an attached corkscrew but it’s difficult to find at the best of times. But the question arises that how many tools should one carry, or how can one handle all of them all the time? Gerber has solved this problem with its huge line of multi-tools. The best place to start when comparing two tool makers is with their flagship tools. For Leatherman that has to be the Wave+ and for Gerber the MP600. Both are full sized tools with lots of bells and whistles. Let’s start with Leatherman. Leatherman Wave PlusThere are two screwdrivers found on the Gerber Crucial. One is a small flathead driver and the other is a cross driver used for phillips head screws. The flathead driver worked fine for its size, though we definitely wouldn’t recommend you try even very light prying. Our real issue was with the cross driver. The Dime seems to give more than the Micra does. We found the Micra to have a sleeker appearance, better build quality, and generally more useful tools. This is especially true of the scissors. At keychain tool sizes scissors make more sense for a main tool. The Leatherman Micra product picture One thing that sets the Crater apart from the Obsidian is the carabiner/bottle opener that folds out from the handle. It can be used to clip the knife to your belt loop but we found it more useful at attaching the Crater to bags. The bottle opener works well enough but can be difficult to get open on the first try. If you’re looking for a reasonably good multi tool that’s lightweight and functional, the Gerber Crucial should be on your list. The Gerber Crucial uses a more classic design but does some weird things with its shape. There aren’t any straight lines to be found on the Crucial, something that makes getting a firm grip difficult. Gerber chose to put standard phillips and flathead screwdrivers on the Crucial, another mark against it. It’s half an inch shorter overall than the Skeletool but we honestly think Gerber really compromised its overall usefulness to achieve this.

Founded in 1939, Gerber is one of the oldest companies involved in the manufacture of everyday household products. The company has now come up with a new tool to make life easier, or should we say ‘a lot’ easier. Keeping in view the difficulty in handling and carrying individual tools, Gerber has come up with Crucial. As the name suggests, it is a combination of several tools that can be used for a variety of purposes. The Style PS is a great little tool designed for frequent travelers and those who often find themselves in secured buildings. It doesn’t have any blade on it at all, just a small pair of scissors, tweezers, and a nail file. Compared to the Gerber Dime it has a lot less functionality but is still an excellent specialized tool.A lot of people will say that Leatherman pays closer attention to detail, but Gerber still produces excellent tools. Many of their top products are still made right in Oregon by American manufacturing, something a lot of EDC enthusiasts prefer. The pliers themselves are reasonably good quality but the shape of the handles makes them very uncomfortable to use. The knife blade is a good length for the Crucial’s size but doesn’t hold an edge long enough for most people. The same issues apply to the included screwdrivers. The flathead is decent but the cross driver is far too narrow to fit well in most phillips head screws. The precise assortment of tools provides compactness to Crucial. It comes with a butterfly opening design making it possible to fit multiple components in just a 3.6-inch body. When you weigh the Crucial’s good and bad points you end up with a multi tool that’s adequate, nothing more and nothing less.

We’ve previously covered the Center Drive, you can get a more in depth look at it here. The Gerber Center Drive product picture However, our product tester, with his big hands, found this multi-tool – the smallest of all on test – rather uncomfortable to use. So if you don’t have small hands, this is something you should perhaps consider before parting with any money. Interestingly, the Gerber Steady was commended for being the most comfortable to use in this group test.Overall the Juice C2 wins out against the Crucial as well. The C2 was lighter, better made, included more tools, and just generally more comfortable to use. Did we mention it’s also less expensive? We rest our case. Conclusion – Final Thoughts On the Gerber Crucial Gerber clearly wanted to make the MP600 a tool anyone could use, but we feel they made some significant compromises to do so. The tools themselves have well, interesting, designs. There is also no version that comes standard with a removable bit driver. You have to buy aftermarket accessories for that. Don’t get us wrong though, the MP600 is a well made multi tool with a lot to like about it. The tools on each of these couldn’t be more different though. The Center Drive was made for contractors and people in the building trades. The OHT has a distinctly military bent, with things like a bore brush attachment and oxygen tank wrench included.



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