hi,

what are the opinions of the gerber 800 legend?
any extra con's or pro's on the tool beside the review on ETS? michael_nauts@hotmail.com

greetings,
mike

no experians with the gerber 800. But at the price of € 200 in holland compaired to the swisstools € 100 ( know a place where i can get one for less than € 70 ). i would get a swisstool (i have). Since you proberbly won't get twice the tool for twice the price with the gerber. I see you are a student, since student are usually low budget folks i would recommend european made stuff, since they give you much more bang for the buck, sort to speak.

btw are you from the dutch speaking side of belgium or the frensh speaking side ?

PC2K, I took the liberty of pasting in a post I put up on 12/10 about the gerber legend. Most people on this forum think it is not quite as good as the leatherman wave. I get the feeling that a lot of that is due to it's larger size. It is bulky but the bulk can be a real advantage in some circumstances.

"I am new to this forum and I'm not trying to start any trouble but I would like to freely disagree with the reviewer’s negative appraisal of the Gerber 800 Legend multitool as compared to the Leatherman wave review. I hope I don’t get kicked off this forum for this but I don’t intend this to be mean spirited. Please don’t kick me off. Just delete the post if you think it is too negative.

If you are a Leatherman-o-phile you may not agree with this but I am just trying to point out the positives a little. This review is a few years old but it is still posted so I wanted to comment on it. (Disclaimer: I do own a Legend but have spent a lot of time with a Wave in my hand)

***Almost every flaw mentioned with the Legend exists to one degree or another in the Wave also. My specific objections were:

1-The light treatment of the fact that only the blades lock on the Wave while everything locks on the Legend.

2- The Wave (and Leatherman in general) was used as the ‘standard’ by which the Legend was judged meaning that any differences between the two such as thicker tipped pliers, etc, had to either add nothing to the legend or be sub-par compared to the Wave. Differences make a difference, and sometimes the devil is in the differences as well as the details. Ford invented the car, but there was a time there when Toyota and Honda made them better.

3- The reviewer pointed out that the Legend is larger and heavier than the Wave but only weighs 11% more. 223g verses 250g. Definitely a negative if you want something to go in your pocket but a plus if you want a beefy tool. Part of the extra weight is that each tool on the Legend is significantly thicker and beefier than the Wave. A point the reviewer neglected to point out. True that it is a little bulky for a pocket tool but it isn’t a pocket tool. Because of it’s size and construction, it is kind of in it’s own class.

4-It’s true that the Phillips head driver is tricky to get out with your thumb nail. Try some of the tools on the Wave and you will have the same difficulty--they are buried deep in the tool and just as taxing on the thumb nail. The thin fingered will not find this a problem since the pinky slips in to grab the Phillips head. The file comes out nicely just by grabbing it by the side if you loosen the axles slightly.

5- I used the Fiskar scissors to cut through 3/16” rawhide and had no problems with the scissors jamming.

6- The beauty of the replaceable Tungsten carbide cutters isn’t that they can cut so much better than the Wave. Gerber never makes that claim, and so what if the Wave can cut through the same materials? I get the feeling the reviewer thought that they needed to prove the Wave was still equal here. The point is that you get three cutting surfaces, and more if you buy more. The Wave has one cutting surface and zero after it’s damaged or dull.

While I realize this was merely a multi-tool review and not a life raft review – fair is still fair. Every Wave owner I show the Legend to loves it and considers the Legend it’s equal or better. It may not live up to all the hype put out by Gerber but I believe it is still an alternative to seriously consider. Notice how I didn’t make a big deal about the replaceable jig saw blade or how I had no problem finding inserts at Home Depot. Neither did the reviewer, at least a big deal about how cool it is.

I too agree that the cordura belt holder is cheesy. A flaw with every Gerber tool. That’s why I made my own leather belt holder with a flashlight holder and a place for spare jig blades and how I got to test the scissors while I did. If someone has a website they will post a picture of it on so it can be placed in a post I will be happy to email it to them. If not, no biggy!

$65 to $69 at Walmart."

thanks for the reply,
I owned a wave and indeed the tools are hard to get out, even my blades work not so smooth, and i find that the handles become loose after some time(they swobble to much when i use one of the screwdrivers) it doesn't feel sturdy anymore ,these are the reasons why i'm probably going to buy the gerber legend, cause with the jig saw adapter u can customize your sawblade(very nice),and everything opens from the outside,and for the costs--> a friend of mine is going to the US so he can buy me a legend there, cause here in europe they are to expensive.

greetings mike <img src="images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

but it seems that nobody owns the gerber legend, i hoped for some more opinions or experiences with the tool,

the reviews,opinions or experiences area always welcome

greetings mike

Check this out:
Gerber Info

A major deficiency in the Legend is the very limited opening of the jaws. They open only 1" versus 1 7/16" for the Wave. I frequently need larger capacity pliers. I find the Leatherman Supertool to be significantly more useful due to their even wider opening.

Incidentally, the issue of which multitool is best has been a fertile source for discussion in this forum. You may want to do a broad search for various multitools and over a period of several years. Also set the search to cover the maximum number of results. That category is "Show" is limited to 100.

Good luck.

John

Well, despite the fact that my EDC multi-tool is a Leatherman Wave, I do own a pair of Gerbers; the Recoil and the 600 series Pro Scout. I honestly can't say I have a preference, as both brands have their own peculiar strengths and weaknesses. I like the replaceable saw blade feature of the Pro Scout (a feature shared by the Legend) but dislike the Gerber's combination knife. I like the fact that all the tools lock on the Gerber, as opposed to just a few on the Wave. I love the one-handed opening feature of the Wave's two knife blades, but dearly wish the tool had a ruler like the Pro Scout. Neither tool has a proper fishhook sharpener, which is unfortunate.

No one makes the 'perfect' multi-tool just yet, and probably never will. I would feel perfectly comfortable carrying either the Legend or the Wave. I want to get a Legend sometime in the near future, just as soon as I get a few Christmas bills paid off. Christmas at least gave me the opportunity to briefly play with one of my intended gifts: a Leatherman Super Tool 200. The Super Tool seemed pretty nice, though I still prefer the SwissTool I carry in my flight bag.

Yes, I probably have too many multi-tools.

thanks for the reply,
what are your experiences with the gerber recoil?
is it a nice tool,pro's and con's?

greetings,

mike

The Gerber Recoil currently lives in my bug-out bag. The spring-loaded pliers are definitely cool, and potentially quite handy if you need the pliers in a hurry. I also like the plain edge knife blade, as opposed to the combination blade found on the Pro Scout. The multi-use tools in either handle seem to work well enough, though the screwdrivers won't be very useful if you have to get into a tight spot.

The only real complaint I have is the sheath, which seems to be an endemic problem with the entire Gerber line. In all fairness though, I don't care much for the sheath on the Wave either, as it doesn't allow for horizontal carry.

Tom

DO you find the one hand deploy mechanism on Recoil to weaken the entire structure of the tool?

Matt

...anytime I contemplate applying any serious torque/force to a multi-tool, I figure I'm probably using the wrong tool. I generally have access to more substantial hardware if need be, so I try to avoid 'stress testing' them too much (though I have broken one or two in my day). I look at multi-tools as more of a convenience, rather than a substitute for dedicated - and beefier - individual tools.

Having said that, yes, I can see where the spring-loaded pliers could potentially be weaker than the pliers on the Wave, though I've never pushed them hard enough to verify that. The pliers on both the Recoil and the Pro Scout seem a little 'looser' than the Wave's' but I guess it really all boils down to how you intend to use the tool. I use my multi-tools quite a bit, but in more of a lite-duty fashion. I'm usually far more concerned with how well the knife (or knives) will hold up. Pliers are nice, but the knife (or knives) will probably bear the brunt of the workload.

'Gun People' will appreciate this more than anyone else. I see Gerbers as the Ruger handguns of the multi-tool world. Somewhat bigger and chunkier than the competition, but perfectly serviceable. A Wave might look a little sexier, but a Legend will certainly get the job done.

But they still really need to do something about those God-awful sheaths!

I'm not saying that Wave, Gerber or Swiss Tool should be used as a total substitue for your tool box. Owning Swiss tool and Wave I can see where one will fail vs another and I understand why they fall short. But my point is that more automatic functions you put on the tool more likely it is to fail you.

Example.
Gerber "inveneted" locks on their tools to keep blades/screwdrivers/files in open position so you wont loose your fingers. Now my old man who only uses Gerbers was cursing those locks out for first 3-4 month since they were breaking (problem with the spring). He got the tool replaced over and over again but still it took forever and he knew it's a week point. Gerber finaly realize the problem and altered design a bit making it full proof. I was just affraid that adding an automatic feature to a tool that can take a beating will make it a bit weaker.

Matt

Mike77, own a legend and love it but I also agree with the negatives raised by everyone in this discussion. Yes the pliers don't open as far but they work fine for me short of being channel-locks which is what you need to get a really great grip on anything bigger that 3/4".

The versatility of the legend in what drew me to it. Get one! they are cheap through Wal-mart online and just a few bucks more in the store. Yes the sheaths suck so I modified it on my sewing machine to carry a small flashlight and extra saw blades and also made a custom one out of leather to do the same.

In my opinion, part of having a tool is messing with it- getting to know it and learning to fit it to your lifestyle.

I think the analogy of gerber being the Ruger of the multi-tool world is a good one. I have to state that I have owned a Ruger and some rather "knock-offish" chinese made guns and all have performed well, given their weaknesses. You just have to know what you have. The gerber isn't the Glock of the Multitool world, I really don't think there is a glock of the multitool world yet. Leatherman has been close and Gerber wants to be and Sog thinks it's all in the mechanical advantage.

Well, enough said! Merry Christmas!!

well I would like to thank you all for the replies,I'm going for the Gerber 800 legend,

I went to my knivestore and they had just 1 legend and asked if I could look at it,now I've seen and handled it. I really like the features on it,it is kind of an upgrade of the swisstool and the wave I think-->you can open all tools from the outside and locking(swisstool),one hand opening blade(wave), and some really great wire cutters and the handles have a spring,the only drawback that I can imagine is that indeed the pliers don't open too far(but it is not a disaster), i'll use the tools more than the pliers.I had no problem with getting all the tools out(even not the file or crosshead).And in the local hardwarestore they have enough jigsaws that fit(used them for my gerber pro scout) I also liked the feel and the looks of the tool,very robust and big(the tool was huge in my girlfriends hands <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />),something that is going to last for quite while.
It is a good substitute for my wave or gerber pro scout <img src="images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />.
I probably going to have the tool in a week since my friend is already in the US and coming back next sunday,just one phonecall and he gets it for me.


Merry Christmas and a Happy Newyear to all, ho ho ho
<img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I do have to retract one thing I said about my legend. The jigsaw blades I got from the home improvement store didn't work out of the box. I bought one in a single package and it was an expensive brand, can't recall the name. It fit well. I went back and bought a pack of 10 various cuts and sizes and they needed a little grinding with the Dremel tool to get them a little thinner. That Brand was Blu Mol I believe. The one that worked may have been Skill, sorry I can't remember and I don't have it with me now.

For the price, I don't mind a little grinding though. It came out to be $1 per blade.

Good Luck and enjoy your Gerber. I love mine still.

I went ice climbing for the first time this season and sharpened my ice tools before I went. The ice was thin and while out I blunted the tip of one of my tools on the rock. Later while one of my buddies was climbing I busted out the Gerber and sharpened the point again. The rubber grips were nice with gloves on.

hi!, i'm thenew guy. i don't know much about the newer p-tools, accept playing with them in the store... maybe i'm ol'fashioned but i've been using the same, old original, Leatherman, for about 20+ years. i use it on a daily basis at work and at home AND on the trail when i'm hiking or fishing... it has never failed me, it has performed wet,dry,iced over in all conditions.. i've cut clothes off my patients in the E.R. like butter. while the docs and nurses fumbled with their jamming scissors. iv'e pulled wires out of a guys broken jaw (to access his airway) in under a minute . i daily use it to crack O2 tanks for my patients then i fix their glasses... this lil' puppy has never let me down... it aint fancy, it's barebones but heck i'm not gonna try to build a Boeing with it...

stevebdby, SWEET! That's the spirit! Use it 'til it stops working. I hope I get the same time and amount of use out of my new Legend.