Gerber MP400 review

S

SpookStrickland

Joined
Sep 27, 2012
Messages
282
Well to hold me over until I get the mp600 military model I'm looking for. I picked up a mp400 at the local Fredy's for 34.99. It's my first gerber but not my first multitool. I own a Swiss and a swiss spirit and a leatherman skeletool and a few SAKs. first thing I noticed, the plier heads were full of some kind of grit it was almost like a grinding compound. I could hear it grinding away in there ever time I open and closed the pliers. Wd40 was not enough to blast it out. I had to use hot water under quite a bit of pressure followed by more wd40, it's still not totally out but it's much, much better.

The combo blade was dull it had a bur that looked like it needed a stropping but it was tougher than that so, I took it to the oil stone and honed it. it's much better now. The scissors were great, cut very nice and every other tool works and functions as it should. I'm not sure why but I've really fallen in love with this thing even though it was dirty and did not come as sharp as my other multitools not sure it's in the same class as a leatherman or swiss but I really like the damn little thing.

Oh ya what I do love about it and most people seem to hate is the sheath! it is super comfortable, the contoured end does not get hung up like my swiss tool. I really like that.

It's on my belt and awaiting it's trial run.
 
I know exactly how you feel about loving the MP400 for a unknown reason. I am the same way, but have a better understanding now after owning countless Gerber MT's. I just felt like, Its not what you would traditionally think of when you think of a quality MT, but I am strangely drawn to it. Even though there are things you traditionally think would and do normally shy you away from any other brand MT seem to not matter on the MP400 and MP600. Again, for me it is very hard to explain, but i'm sure you know what I mean.
 
Capt. Spaulding said:
I know exactly how you feel about loving the MP400 for a unknown reason. I am the same way, but have a better understanding now after owning countless Gerber MT's. I just felt like, Its not what you would traditionally think of when you think of a quality MT, but I am strangely drawn to it. Even though there are things you traditionally think would and do normally shy you away from any other brand MT seem to not matter on the MP400 and MP600. Again, for me it is very hard to explain, but i'm sure you know what I mean.
Click to expand...

That's exactly it. I just always got kind of a "meh" feeling from my swiss tools and leathermen...SAK' now that is a different story but the Gerber MT has just won me over.
 
Update:

The bottle opener is quite good on this thing. I've been used to the victorinox and the skeletool bottle openers, the skeletool was my fave but the gerber is working great, so far better than the victorinox.
 
I am exactly the same! I love the machine like look of the gerber sliding pliers MT series. I enjoy the tools because they are so great to fiddle with. And I guess I spend about 90% of my time just playing with my gear and 10% actually using it. And thats a generous estimate! Makes sense I gravitate to things that are interesting to the hands, regardless of how useful they are versus their competitors.
 
How odd it is to come upon this thread one day after coming across the first Gerber MP400 I ever laid eyes on. It was hanging on a pegboard in a hardware store where I was waiting for a lawnmower blade to be resharpened. I hadn't handled a Gerber multi-tool in maybe 20 years, and even then not a lot. At that time I was not much impressed with the Gerber offerings except for the rapid deployment pliers, which was fun. But I thought the implements were inferior to its competitors, and I absolutely hated the palm pinch feature. The implements on the MP400 were still same as in olden days, and even though I was not moved to reconsider the whole Gerber thing, I must admit hearing a faint little voice calling "Yoo hoo, big boy."
 
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