Hi,

I was just browsing in a knife shop here in New Zealand and I spotted the Leatherman micra and squirt (p4 & s4), and Gerber shortcut and clutch. Clearly Gerber's offerings are intended to be comparable to Leatherman's.

They are about twice the price here (compared to REI online), but the Gerbers are cheaper than the Leathermans. I might find them cheaper elsewhere in NZ, but really I'd like to know what to choose. My wife wants one with scissors (therefore Gerber shortcut). I EDC a Swiss Army Champ, but I quite like the small size of the clutch.

Are the Gerber tools ok? Are the Leathermans worth the higher cost? I am sure this will provoke a lively debate...

Thanks,

A

This is a "Ford - Chevy" kind of personal opinion. I personally really like Gerber, and really don't like Leatherman. It's not a qulaity issue, it's a fit and function one.

I prefer Leatherman. I EDC a Juice CS4. The Micra is a good little tool, fits right into a change purse.

I picked up both a Gerber Clutch and Leatherman Squirt recently. Form and function aside, I was disappointed with the quality of the Gerber product. The Squirt had a much more precise "feel".

I own several of both brands -- I use the gerbers.

TRO

It's your choice. If it was mine, Leatherman would win hands down.

I'm new here but I wanted to say a word or two about these tools. I own both but hardly use my Leatherman. I think it's a matter of getting used to one or the other. I used a Gerber for years before receiving the Leatherman as a gift and still prefer my Gerber. I carried the Leatherman for about 6 months to try it out but went back to my Gerber. No complaints about the Leatherman - I was just used to the Gerber.

Big thumbs up to LeatherMan!

I gave my Gerber to my son. The screwdrivers, saw, knife blade, can opener, etc. are so much better on my Leatherman! Gerber is the wannabe; LeatherMan is the real deal! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I am partial to leatherman's. I own several. The micra has siscers. I also own a SOG, which I hardly ever use. I do not own a Gerber, but have used several. I still prefer my leatherman and wear it every day, except in the office.

Hi. Thanks for all your comments. From what I can tell, it comes down to personal preference. I went to the Mall at lunchtime (with my wife, who is very tolerant of my propensity for spending money on gear, although in this case the pocket tool is for her).

We looked at the micra, squirt, shortcut and clutch. Here are my obervations, based on handling them and what the shop assistant said.

* The micra is old, and effectively superceded by the squirt p4/s4
* The squirt is smaller than the micra and the Gerbers (shortcut and clutch)
* To me, the squirt 'feels' nicer than the Gerbers. You know what I mean.

I can see why people would be *particularly* pleased with whichever one is their favourite- they are all well designed and look good. Our next task is to find a cheaper place to buy one than the Mall. The price we saw for the squirt p4/s4 was NZ$99.90 (inc. sales tax) which is about US$66.

Thanks for all your comments,

A