Gerber: Ultimate Multi-tool (Bear Grylls Survival Series)

by Chuck

Gerber Ultimate Multi-tool, Sheath and printed Survival instructions

(issued for review purposes)

The Gerber Ultimate Multi-tool is part of Bear Grylls Survival Series tools (http://bear.gerbergear.com/). I think most of the television watching world knows who Bear Grylls is or at least has heard of his show Man vs. Wild. Gerber has teamed up with Bear to bring a line of knives and multi-tools that not only can be used in everyday situations but also in survival situations.

The biggest mistake that many people make is thinking that they will never be in a survival situation. Now that is another story in and of itself and that is not what this review is about. But it is always good to know how and what to do in a survival situation and multi-tools is one item that would be nice to have if you are ever faced with having to survive. I do urge each and every person to read up on this topic and familiarize yourself with this subject.

Okay…on to the review. Here is what Gerber has to say about the Ultimate Multi-tool:

Rugged construction, spring loaded pliers, external locking tools and an extra grippy handle earn this tool its moniker: the Ultimate Multi-tool.

Specifications and Features:

12 Stainless Steel, Weather-Resistant Components

• Needle Nose Pliers
• Fine Edge Knife
• Serrated Knife
• Saw
• Phillips Screwdriver
• Small Flat Driver
• Medium Flat Driver
• Lanyard Ring
• Bottle Opener
• Can Opener
• Scissors
• Wire Cutters
• Ergonomic Textured Rubber Grip – Maximizes comfort and reduces slippage
• Spring loaded jaw for simplified single-hand use
• External components for easy access
• Patented Safe.T.Plus System – Enhanced safety by locking components into usage position
• Nylon Sheath – Lightweight, military-grade, mildew resistant
• Includes Land to air rescue instructions
• Priorities of Survival – Pocket guide contains Bear’s survival essentials

Initial Impressions

The Ultimate Multi-tool arrived in a clam shell type packaging with the multi-tool itself, a nylon sheath and a pocket ‘survival skills’ instructions printed on water-proof paper. The sheath is very nice and seems to be constructed well. The sheath has two pockets, one for the tool and a small one behind the tool for the survival skills instructions. The survival skills instructions are a very nice added feature to this series. Most of it has been told before by many survivalist but the percentage of people that would actually remember this stuff in a survival situation, is very low. So it’s nice to have these tips handy and on waterproof paper as an added bonus. After removing the multi-tool from the packaging, my first thought was the weight of it. It felt a little heavy but it feels solid as in solid construction.

Gerber Ultimate size compared to a Leatherman Wave and a scale

The grip is a little ‘thicker’ than most multi-tools I’ve used, this one has a slight curve to the handles in the closed position that has a great feel to it. Many places on the handles have small strips and areas with a rubber face on it to prevent slippage. When pulled open and folded back the needle nose pliers are exposed and I immediately realized that the pliers were spring loaded. This is a great feature. It’s not that ‘not’ having spring loaded pliers is a problem but it really is nice when they spring open on their own.

It was at this point when I realized the ‘tools’ were on the inside face of the handles. So I folded the handles over the pliers and closed it. Now, the tools are to the outside face and they can be deployed when the tool is in the closed position. Most of the tools are easy to deploy either by a thumb tab or a notch at the end of the tool that can be grabbed with the edge of a fingernail. All of the tools open fairly easy. The only ones that lock into position are the straight blade, the serrated blade, the saw and the scissors. Now this is where I had trouble closing the locked tools. To release the lock, one has to slide a release mechanism down with the thumb on one side and the fore or middle finger on the other, by pressing together and sliding down, and with the palm of the other hand, close the blade. The problem I was having was the distance I had to slide the release mechanism down to get the blade to close. It was very difficult to grasp and slide it down far enough, easily. My first though was if I was in a survival situation and my hands were even remotely injured, this would almost be impossible. Even with cold and/or wet hands, I’m not sure that this would be an easy task. But I will continue to monitor this throughout the test to see if it improves.

Overall I am impressed with the Ultimate Mulit-tool and I will be using the included tools extensively to see how well they perform. Stay tuned…

UPDATE: 8/16/11

As with all other multi-tools I’ve used in the past, I’ve used this one extensively. The Bear Grylls Ultimate Multi-Tool is at the top of my favorite multi-tools. I probably wouldn’t have said that at the beginning of this test because of the bulkiness and weight of it. But the more I used it, the more I got used to all of its functions.

I could probably write a three page report on all of the things I’ve used it for and the places I’ve taken it. But I’m not going to bore the reader with all of that. I will, however touch on a few of the ones I used the most and what I like using them for.

For one, the pliers is one of the most used tools I use, even over the knife. I wouldn’t normally think that until I carried it around with me as much as I have. There are so many times that the pliers came in handy. When I go camping either with my family or with my Scout troop, the multi-tool is always on my belt ready to be used. I’ve used the pliers portion on things like grabbing a hot handle from a stove, taking a lid off a dutch oven, untying a tight knot, turning on the water valve, removing wire ties, loads of fishing applications and so much more. The ergonomics of the handle and the automatic spring open makes these some of the best pliers I’ve ever used.

The scissors are probably the second most used item on the multi-tool for me. These are used more than the knife too. There are so many times that something needs to be cut and the scissors are much safer under most circumstances. Once the knife blade is out, and kids are around, the danger level ramps up., so the scissors are much safer in that aspect. I’ve used them from cutting rope, string, paper, cardboard, cloth. medical tape and other such like things. What has surprised me is how sharp they still are. Mainly after cutting paper. Usually paper or cardboard is torture on scissors. I can see now why the scissors are on this survival multi-tool. I could see it being very nice to have in a survival situation. Obviously a knife can do the things that scissors can do but here again, there is that saftey feature of scissors. In a survival situation, safety is paramount, and keeping yourself from getting injured or more injured than you may already be is the key to a possible rescue. So using scissors rather than a knife in most situations would be more beneficial to yourself. Such as skinning an animal for survival. A knife would certainly make the task easier but you risk cutting yourself in the process. These scissors or big enough and sharp enough to do that job. Maybe not as fast…but safer.

Another great thing about these scissors is where they are placed on the multi-tool. As you can see here they deploy from the outside of the frame, while the multi-tool is in the closed position. Notice the ergonomics of the handle, the size of the handle in the closed position, and the placement of my thumb. Even though the scissors are not extremely large, they feel large while using them this way and that makes me feel confident. I have plenty of leverage on my thumb to close and cut an object and they are equipped with a wire spring to spring it back open for the next cut.

As for the other tools, I’ve used those as well and they work great for the purpose they were designed for. I mentioned in the beginning of the report that the lock mechanism that keeps the blades or tools open and prevents them from accidently being closed on ones fingers, was a little hard to slide back to release the lock. Since that time I guess I’ve used them enough to loosen the mechanism up and now it’s much easier to slide back and release. I’m still not sure that it would be easy if a hand was injured and this task needed to be done to close a knife or a tool, but it is much easier now than when I received it. Well that’s it for now. Stay tuned for more…

UPDATE: 1/27/12

Wow…I have really learned to love this ultimate multi-tool. I have gotten used to the weight which really isn’t any heavier than any other multi-tool but it just feels so solid and durable. I’ve found more uses for each tool and use it more and more each week. Once I started carrying it every day and found more uses for it.

It seems to really be broken in now as far as deploying the tools and releasing the lock to retract them. I had forgotten about the “Priorities of Survival” pamphlet that comes with the multi-tool and sheath. It’s a waterproof pamphlet that describes different survival techniques and different ways to signal for help. It is a very helpful piece of literature for a survival situation since under those type of conditions, one might forget a lot of it.

There is not much more I can say about the Ultimate Multi-Tool except that it’s just a great tool to have and to use on a daily basis. It is also a great tool to have in a backpack and daypack or even a vehicle for emergency purposes. I would highly recommend this multi-tool to anyone. Thank you Gerber and 4AllOutdoors.org for giving me this opportunity to test this great item.

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