Gerber vs leatherman

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bmw4life1

Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
232
so i was at rei today and i saw this guy looking at multi tools and i suggested gerber and the guy said "yes i thought about them but until i found out they were made in china" i said i dont think they are made in china and i said i heard nothing but good things about them, and i like mine plus the us military trust them. he said isnt "leatherman made in US?" so when i got in my car i looked at my gerber multi tool and it says USA at two different places.

1)so my question is gerber made in USA in Portland OR and is leatherman made in the USA in OR.

2)and which would you pick GERBER or LEATHERMAN??

thanks

dylan
 
Ive used both in the field and theyre both great tools. Not as good as the real thing but better than no tool at all. Theyre both crafted in the US. Copies are made overseas, however. I think the SOG tool is made in the US too.

I prefer the Leatherman as I think it feels more solid and it is generally better crafted. Just my opinion, of course...YMMV.

Good luck to you.
 
I believe some of the lower end gerber multi tools are made in China. I'd go with a Leatherman any day.
 
Leatherman all day. The Gerber had gone down hill in recent years to include plastic on some models. Some Gerber models are made in China.
 
i carried a Gerber Compact Sport 400 for five years, then i got a skeletool :D Ive been turned, leatherman all teh way, unless your primarily used tool will be the pliers, then get a sliding plier gerber.

Cheers!

the Colonel
 
I live in Portland and know plenty of people that work (or worked) at both companies.
90%+ of what Gerber makes is made in China. Their factory is now basically just a parts and warranty center.
90%+ of what Leatherman makes is made in the US, not counting some parts and features that may be in a US tool that are outsourced. Pliers heads are mostly made in Mexico IIRC. Most of their non-conventional LM products like their flashlights and such are licensed or outsourced products from Chinese manufacturers.

Without hesitation I always pick a LM tool over a Gerber. To be fair that was also the case before Gerber shut down US operations, but it's even more so now.
 
LEATHERMAN, LEATHERMAN, LEATHERMAN... best multi tool in the world!!! IMO and as a fact.:thumbup:
 
Victorinox, Leatherman and SOG are the 3 most preferred multitool brands from those on BF. Stop by the Multitool subforum sometime and take a gander.

Gerber used to be a highly regarded multitool manufacturer but have since moved production over to China - quality has suffered tremendously. Gerber still has it's supporters, but I think you will find more times than not those who know their multitools would say your money may be better spent else where.
 
Leatherman beats gerbers multi tools like drums. And most of them are taiwan/china made. Leathermans are more ergonomic and overall better.
 
I'll choose leatherman over gerber anyday of the week. I haven't used a gerber multi-tool since I had one where the pliers broke, not at the hinge but one of the jaws. It didn't bend it just snapped when I was gripping and twisting a link on a light weight dog chain. I've carried a LM Wave every time I'm in the field for the past 5 years and it hasn't failed me yet.
 
I'd go with Vic Swiss Tool or Swiss Spirit first.

Leatherman second.

Gerber a very remote third - I have not had good luck with Gerber. I broke implements on the two I had - and I was not doing anything out of the ordinary with them.
 
I carry the Leatherman Wave everyday at work. I have owned Gerbers but they somehow just never make it to my belt and always end up in my car as a "just in case" knife.
 
Ive carried a multitool on me since ive been in the army and i much prefer leatherman to any other tool on the market, i alternate between the crunch and the wave i also have a gerber multitool that was issued to me and i use it whenever i have to do something extremely abusive or when i go to taining in swamps and the like where i ma lose one of my beloved leathermans.
 
Victorinox multitools have better fit and finish. Leatherman has arguably better phillips drivers because Victorinox's are slippy. I had a Victorinox Spirit and loved it but since I mostly use a knife and Phillips driver at work I got a Leatherman Core. I believe the LM Core and Victorinox Swisstool are the best multis made so far.
 
I got an original Leatherman in 7th grade, and I still have it (17 years)... GREAT tool.... In high school I got a Gerber multi, and even though the pliers were more comfy, it was not as good overall as the OG Leatherman... I gave it to a friend.

I recently replaced my Leatherman WAVE (lost it) with a Victorinox SwissTool Spirit, and this new Spirit is easily the nicest miltitool i've ever owned. I was all set to buy a Leatherman Charge TTI, but I saw the Spirit in a local store, and it was obvious that it wasa a better tool...
 
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