Reviewing Leatherman-style multi-tools is always a tricky proposition. They are essentially pliers with extra tools tacked on as an afterthought and in the case of the Gerber MP600, I found myself struggling with the performance of the pliers (wire cutters, specifically) and indifferent to the extra tools provided, which basically guarantees a less than positive review.
Personal taste and comfort will of course impact your own view of these tools, but pragmatically, performance relative to bulk is all that really matters in multi-tools, and that is why I am possibly a smidgen more critical/dismissive than I would be with a knife review.
Gerber MP600 Multi-Plier Multi-Tool – Amazon / Blade HQ
The first thing to mention before talking about the performance is how sexy this multi tool is. I am a sucker for black oxide, and if you had to rank a multitool on sheer badass’ness, the MP600 would win hands down. I also love the deployment system of the pliers: 2 lil’ buttons, and you can pop the pliers out like a switchblade (minus the spring). Very cool, and admittedly very useful, as it’s trivial to whip out the pliers, use them and finally put the tool away in a handful of smooth motions.
The nature of the design means that the rest of the tools are relatively accessible (quickly), so the real advantage is being able to use the pliers on the go without spending too much time faffing around.
In terms of torque and using them to loosen bolts, I had zero issues, but the carbide wire cutters, despite looking badass and being removable were useless for cutting sheathed wires.
They didn’t cut, but rather – just bit into the rubber. Didn’t matter how much torque I cranked out, the result was the same – never a clean cut.
Even using both hands and cranking down with the alignment “perfect”: still a no go. I reckon it would be fine with thicker gauge wire, but for electrical wire, I found the Gerber MP600 disappointing. Maybe I got a lemon and all others work fine? Who knows, but as this is the primary purpose of the tool (for me), I don’t have much interest in finding reasons to defend the performance.
The frustrating thing is that the cutters look high performance. Believe it or not, they are carbide. The tool generally speaking is very well machined.
I did experiment: removed the cutters, rotated them on a fresh face (the nature of the triangular design means you can rotate it in case one side dulls – great design… in theory). Still no change. Refused to cut rubber housing, and in this day and age, that’s a big problem as I very rarely deal with naked wires.
I have the blade-less model of the MP600 that comes with a Remgrit carbide saw. Works decently, and whilst I can’t think of a situation where I would need one and not have a dedicated tool, the reality is that if I ever did need it, I know it’s reasonably dependable.
Another positive is that it’s replaceable, so I imagine with some searching you could find and/or make alternative blades like a fine-toothed wood saw, perhaps?
In any case, options are always good and coupled with the lifetime warranty, I do feel like the only tools that would get chewed up are replaceable. So all in all, the design makes sense.
The needlenose pliers have perfect mating at the nose (literally perfect). Super nice construction that is on par and perhaps, even a touch better than the Leathermans I own. Sadly let down by the wirecutters though.
All of the secondary tools lock using a pull tab. It’s very large and easy to actuate – with or without gloves. I can definitely see people who work in hostile environments being a fan of this Gerber. Very smooth and the design looks (to me) resilient to dust and debris.
I tested out the secondary tools just to see what was up, and as expected, everything worked out just fine. The ergonomics and performance will always be a let down with multi-tools because at the heart of it, the design is a compromise. The best screwdriver is a screwdriver and the best pair of pliers is a pair of pliers.
When you take 2 or more tools and mash them into one, obviously some performance is going to be lost as well as comfort. This is not a criticism, just me being pragmatic.
I do wish the screwdrivers had more variety or were removable, like in the Leatherman Wave, but what you get is what you get. They work, but wouldn’t be my first choice.
So what do I use this type of multi-tool for, you ask? Honestly, usually just for the pliers themselves. I don’t want to deal with getting wrenches out and if the pliers have nice sharp ridges, I find that unless the bolt or screw is rusted tight, I can usually go vertically and unscrew them with minimal risk of damage. I like them for working in tight spaces, like under the kitchen sink, as I have been doing over the past two weeks.
The pliers themselves folks, are damn nice. I own the M.U.T., Rebar, Wave, Skeletool, etc. etc., and this is by far my favourite pair of pliers. They are tough, sharp (they hold onto to bolts like a damn vice), and actuate very, very smoothly.
The body is also well machined and I imagine can withstand considerable torque. I mention this because I own the much smaller Gerber multi-tool (the Dime) and I damaged the handles/body by adding too much pressure.
I am not saying this tool is literally bombproof, but you would have to actively try and break them to get catastrophic failure.
As for the other secondary tools, there are surprisingly few of them taking into account how large and bulky the Gerber MP600 is. We have:
- Heavy-duty scissors (not like the delicate Victorinox ones) that were extremely sharp (easily cut cleanly through toilet paper).
- A steel file that is basically useless beyond filing teensy tiny imperfections, which frankly I could just cut off. The issue is the teeth are always too shallow and get gummed up in zero seconds.
- 4 screwdrivers, that as mentioned, work but are nothing special.
- A basic can opener.
Nothing special here folks.
The tool itself is made in the USA. The black oxide finish is drop dead gorgeous and will wear really nicely. I have owned it for nearly a year, and in that year I have used the pliers a crap-tonne. The secondary tools I’ve used maybe 2 or 3 times.
At the end of the day – it’s 300 grams for a nice pair of pliers, wire cutters that don’t cut, and a handful of other tools that frankly are just not that impressive.
What I really want is these needle-nose pliers on the Leatherman Rebar (minus the crappy wire cutter), and that beautiful oxide finish.
As a stand alone multitool, I don’t think the Gerber MP600 is particularly high performance and consequently, I would recommend going with a Leatherman Wave instead. Much better wire cutters, and secondary tools that are actually high performance.
From the photos the wire cutter uses a carbide blade normally used in machine tools such as a lathe or milling machine.
They do not cut on the axis as they are mounted in the jaws.
They would work far better to strip wire actually, if you gripped the wire in the wire cutter and pulled them through they would be working as designed. I may be wrong, but I’ve used dozens of similar looking inserts over the years and they all cut in a “scraping” movement rather than shearing as in wire cutters.
They’re also rather brittle for bearing down on a point.
Aye, my issue is that the are advertised as wire cutters- not just strippers and do not compared to the equivalent inserts by Leatherman.
Thanks for this honest and thorough review, Thomas. I tried a couple Gerbers, and I think they are junk. Leatherman is the only way to go. I have a few, but the one always on my side is the Wave. I’ve broken a few by abusing them and trying to do too much with them, and Leatherman has repaired or replaced them at no charge and no questions asked. The only down-side with the Wave is, if you lose the bits or the tiny screwdriver bit, you have to buy a whole set of replacements, and they are quite pricey – you can’t get them individually. A distant second to the Leatherman is SOG
Power Assist. In my opinion, none of the other brands I’ve tried are worth a plug nickel. Thanks again for sharing!
Thanks mate, much appreciated. I have yet to play with a Power Assist but I will do so in the future.
Any recommendations for a UK edc multixtool i.e non locking blade?
Any Victorinox more or less, the Swisstool series and there is also the Gerber MP600 bladeless edition.
It seems to be human nature to always think that what ever you have, is the best of the best. So I’ll start by saying that I have tried very few Multi-tools and I’m sure there are many good ones on the market so I can only comment on the one I have. I bought a Leatherman supertool when they first came out around 25 years ago and I have carried it everyday since, I have used every tool on it and some many times and my super tool is just as tight as it was the first day I bought it. But I did find out that you need to know what tool to use and when to use it, as I did fairly well ruin my wire cutter by cutting the hardened wire inside of razor wire, not realizing that the super tool had a small notch just for cutting hardened wire. Whatever you like in a tool, I will say a good quality multi tool is a wise investment, so buy the best you can afford. Trekker Out
Definitely agree, buying solid gear as opposed to compromising just to save a few bucks makes a huge difference in the long run. Besides, Leatherman has a 25 year warranty as standard!
It is a great looking knife, the black effect is particularly well suited to a knife. It is however disappointing that the capability to cut into rubber coated wires is lacking.
A thing that seems to be lacking in your review is, ‘The Bite’. I have a Rebar, when I torque it down to turn a screw or something, the dang thing bites my hand. I hate it, for that factor. Just like the tool you reviewed, the Rebar is rounded on the outside, but on the inside, where the tools are at and your hand meets the metal when you squeeze while using the pliers, it’s not rounded, and it digs. KnowwhatI mean?
I don’t think I have – that – sensitive of hands, why can’t they build these things with rounded edges at, ‘The Grip’? That’s the multi-tool I’d want.
Also, now that you’re in, ‘no-knife-land, take-me-I’m-yours’ have you thought about reviewing pruning shears? I was just looking at some,… and thought of you.
E-gads, I can’t believe the madness that has enveloped the UK about knives and self-defense, what’s in the water there? …Or, the air, via geoengineering. Yeesh. next thing you’ll know they’ll outlaw BB guns and sling shots. [Or, have they already done that? ] They really DO want to make you All easy targets.
I can only shake my head. …Is just about everyone in the UK a panzy, or something? It seems that way.
I know exactly what you mean Helot, when it comes to ergonomics, I always find them to be a huge compromise by nature of their very design. As for pruning shears- I like the Fiskar’s ones. ;)
The UK like most countries, is populated by individuals- most of which are apathetics to issues that don’t concern them. This is a global reality sadly.
I’m guessing that the cable sheathing cushioned the blades enough to prevent cutting action in this case. Try scoring the cable cover first to the wires, then try cutting. You may get a better result. Or not. That performance certainly is not an incentive to purchase.
Its good they place the saw near the tool handles edge. It is awkward enough to cut against an object, more awkward if your tool or hand is against the material as well.
Waves are likely a better tool, but cost nearly twice as much. For the price point, they better perform better.
Thank you for the review.
Aye, what bugs me is that my Leatherman Rebar looks far less “hardcore” and cut that same wire without any issues. Definitely a huge fan of the saw placement, I don’t see myself using it but then again its always good to have. As for the cost, in the States its definitely a huge difference but here in the UK my Leatherman Rebar was cheaper and this Gerber was only £15 cheaper than a Leatherman Wave.
If I had access to U.S.A pricing, I would probably focus on the price difference far more. Thanks for dropping by mate!
You are welcome sir – I enjoy your knife reviews, covers more in depth information and is more objective.
I bought this tool for my GHB in the car. For the price it’s good quality and works well. I too like the black oxzide finish. Of course there are leathernan tools that cut wire better but at what cost? For the money it does all it says it will, and I have enough tools to work with if and when I need them.
True enough mate, here in the UK I paid shy of £70 for my Gerber so the price difference isn’t as significant.
Straight forward review – good – bad and ugly. Thanks
Have carried and used the Leatherman Wave for 10 plus years in conjunction with a SAK when completing weekend home projects, both indoors and out. Not the primary tools – but when I need a tool right then and there, they have come thru for me.
Find no need for changing what works, following the KISS method. Being familiar with what you have and how it can be used is what counts.
Even used the SAK scissors and tweezers to remove a missed suture post appendectomy, after sterilization of course.
Thanks for the feedback Joe! Definitely a fan of KISS- if it works, it works.
I am looking at this multi tool for”non-permissive” environments, it meets the TSA descriptive about being under 7 inches and NO cutting edge.
Does anyone have any experience taking this through a checkpoint?
I don’t want to donate one of these to the security “EBAY” pile!
Looking for the readers experience.
I am curious about this too, technically it doesn’t have a blade and if you remove the saw, it should pass any objective definitions of a bladeless multitool. Good question mate.