It has been interesting to watch his brand of stuff price wise.

Walmart is now selling the compact multi-tool Gerber labeled with his name for $10 if shipped to the store.

I wonder if this means they just cannot sell them and are trying to get rid of them. If so, I would expect it to be discontinued soon.

It seems like a decent small MT.

Other of the products Gerber put his name on seem to have dropped in price substantially the last few months as well.

Thanks for the heads up. If they follow the typical fashion cycle, then yes prices go down over time. $10 is a pretty good deal for a gerber mini-multitool

I got another email a few minutes ago. The compact BG scout knife is available for $9 shipped from meritline. I suspect another product about to go by the wayside.

fairly typical dumping of surplus product prior to discontinuance.

From the reviews and chatter I've seen on other forums, the consensus seemed to be that Leatherman makes some bulletproof multi-tools while the Gerber's have cheap metal and weak rivets and don't last nearly as long. The pliers strip out, the blades stop locking up, the rivets get weakened, everything gets loose, and blades break off.

I think the caveat there though is that the people who seem to be trashing Gerber are the ones who use their multi-tools everyday and really put them through some hard dailiy use. If you only use your multi-tool once in blue moon then the price savings might make Gerber the better buy for you.

I am not advocating them. I am not a fan of the BG TV show. I don't own any Gerber products other than a clutch MT. It went in my fanny pack and as best I can recall has not actually been used for anything.

I just found it interesting how the marketing of such things comes and goes.

I am tempted to get one of each just for the heck of it, although when I went to check at Walmart a while ago they were out of stock online on the MT. Probably a lot more popular at $10 then $20.

The knife by most accounts is a decent $20 knife, but I am not a huge fan of partial serrations. I don't think I have a knife made that way. I ordered one just for the heck of it. I noted that you do not get a choice of serrated or non-serrated. It is random.

Had a clutch,IMO its garbage even at 10 bucks,takes very little force to break the pliers at the rivet/pin or whatever it is.

Why would you carry a tool that you've never used and thus have not tested in even the most trivial way? Not trying to bust your ba... bubble but why?

I beat the snot out of my Leatherman multitools and I've gotten great performance out of them. Twice my Squirt PS4 has broken (once due to outrageous abuse) and both times Leatherman had a new one in my hands a week later.

I wanted a pair of pliers, phillips blade, and small straight blade for my fanny pack. I wanted something relatively small. It seemed like a reasonable choice.

I might have used the tweezers on a splinter that was in my wife's toe now that I think of it.

But I do not think I have actually had a need for it while on the trail when I had the fanny pack on.

It is clearly a light duty tool, but that is what I wanted. If I wanted something heavier duty I would have put my Leatherman in the fanny pack. Instead, it is in the day pack.

One has to make compromises on what will fit in a fanny pack. I have a cheap rain poncho in it because that is what will fit. I would rather have something a little more robust, but there is limited room.

Sounds like the quality of Gerber's MTs has gone down considerably. I've got a couple OLD ones (10+ years) and they are of decent construction.

I think sometimes people have an unrealistic view of how much beating tools can take. A lighter duty tool is smaller and lighter but cannot be as robust as something larger and heavier.

There is also just plain junk out there.

A lot of people think Mora knives are the greatest things in the world because they are very functional, reasonably sharp, and fairly durable. Others claim they are junk because if you baton wood with them they break, or complain about the sheaths that are admittedly often pretty bad. But what do you expect for < $15.

To me it is crazy to blame a tool for breaking if the operator misuses it.

Like the guys who shoot crossbow bolts into trees and they break.....DUH!

in addition to liking their products, it is nice when they support a sport you are involved in, and are major match sponsors... from the shooters bag from Ft Benning 3 Gun Challenge
Kershaw Leek and Leatherman Micra and Style

Hello, not been around for a while

I sometimes wonder if those who denigrate Gerbers BG line have actually used any of the items concerned?

I have and have been using the BG mini tool for several months now. It might be patterned on a clutch but it ain't a clutch. Its heavier, more robust and has two good blades on it. One serrated, one not. Both sharpened up decently. The pliers are robust. Screwdrivers do the job.
I've used this and Leatherman mini-tools. Absolutly no way would I pick the Leatherman. They break too easily and they are badly designed.
Large tools are a different story.

For your infomation: Gerber are upgrading the BG line. The original BG knife is actually well respected by most people who actually use it.


Oh and one other point: people should stop banging on about the problems with the first run. That's old news. They fixed it and continuing to throw that in their faces is frankly unethical.