As far as decoration goes, this is a nice looking tool. Gerber does a good job making their MT’s look a little more exciting than some competitor’s. I love a Leatherman SuperTool 300 but even I’ll admit it’s a drastically bland looking thing, and the fractal triangle pattern on the handle here is very neat, along with “GERBER- made is USA” etched on both sides of the handles. The MUT multitool features 16 different tools: needle nose pliers, regular pliers, premium replaceable wire cutters, premium replaceable hard-wire cutters, stranded-wire cutters, electrical crimper, 420HC combo knife, saw, replaceable cutting hook, hammer, bolt override tool, replaceable bronze carbon scraper, #8-32 cleaning rod/brush adapter, replaceable firearm disassembly punch, carabiner/bottle opener, and a large bit driver, and it weighs in at 11.2 ounces. There are several different very useful add ons available for this multi tool. No Gerber Center Drive Review would be complete without at least a basic summary of them. After trying out the driver we found it to work just about as well as a regular bit driver. You really notice the extra length when getting into those hard to reach places and the central bit orientation is a very nice feature. The only real downside we noticed was that holding the multi tool handles was still less comfortable than a round screwdriver handle. Bottle Opener, Pry Bar, Nail Puller, Awl, File, Lanyard Ring and Ruler Arguably the most important piece of the Center Drive, the outside access bit driver on this tool is much longer and larger than on similar multi tools. It extends fully 3.2 in from the body of the Center Drive and has a curving shape to it that allows the bit to sit right on the axis of the tools body.

As the name might already suggest the special Center-Drive screwdriver is the highlight of the Gerber multi-tool. Until the Center-Drive was introduced using a bit holder was always a little awkward. The holder is namely not located in the middle of the axis of the tool, like with the Wave. Gerber came up with a solution: a long bit holder with a kink in it to make sure it will sit exactly on the axis of the multi-tool. As such tightening screws is a lot easier. The bit holder is also long and narrow to make sure you can also reach hard-to-reach places. This bit holder is made from standard 6 mm bits as you might have seen before on regular screwdrivers. After 6 years of real-world experience (and a bunch of used test wood for screwing in screws) I put together a list ofwhat I feel are the 7best multitools for everyday carry. These products take into account build quality, price, form factor, reliability but most importantly, my personal opinions and experience with each of them.

There are advantages and disadvantages to having a long bit driver. Being long means you won’t be able to get it into small spaces. But my experience is that there are more occasions when a short bit driver fails you than does a long one so this is probably a good feature. Some multi-tools come with a short driver and the option of attaching an extension. Seems like the best of both worlds but you have to carry the extension with you. Talk about being impressed with something, the Gerber Center-Drive multitool is hands down my favorite multitool on the market. For its intended audience the Center Drive beats out the Wave+. It simply provides more specialized value than the Wave+ would for builders. Here we would like to emphasize that in this case we used the basic version of the Center-Drive. There are also other models on the market with an additional bit set, or with other tools. One-handed opening pliers The tools it has though are well designed, sturdily built, and do exactly what they’re supposed to. The centerline screwdriver in particular is an excellent innovation on Gerber’s part. The sole exception to this is the carbide wire cutters. Gerber doesn’t seem to have figured out exactly how to get these to work without being overly brittle.

Out of all of the multitools on this list, none of them come close to this one in terms of getting the feel of having actual tools in your hands. The fact that the knife blade and bit driver are so long and sturdy makes this feel amazing when you go to use it. The build quality of the rest of the product is no slouch either. The Gerber Center Drive is a made in the USA multi tool built with a purpose. Unlike most of its competitors that advertise their ability to do just about anything, the Center Drive is focused on building tasks. It’s a heavy duty tool, coming in at 4.7 in long closed and weighing a hefty 9.6 oz. This isn’t a generalist tool that you’d bring with you on a camping trip. The awl on the Center Drive has a more triangular shape than many you’ll see on most multi tools. It’s better for puncturing and scoring building materials than leather or other materials. The ruler only runs along one side of the handle so it’s a bit too small to be really useful.So if pliers, knife, and bit driver are the sort of tools you see yourself using most in your multi-tool, then this is probably the right multi-tool for you. In keeping with the rest of the tools on the Center Drive Gerber decided to go big with the knife blade. Made of 420HC stainless steel, the main blade on the Center Drive is a 3.25 in long straight blade that opens externally. This is a serious blade. It comes sharp from the factory and is large enough to replace your current folding knife without issue. All in all the Center Drive was a tool built for a specific audience that definitely meets the needs of that audience. Most of the features on it provide daily value and time savings for contractors and others in the building trades.