Gerber Suspension Multi-Tool Review

When it comes to EDC and outdoor gear, the name Gerber stands out from the rest of the pack. The company was founded in 1939 in Portland, Oregon and over the years has established itself as a rugged outdoors product business that prides itself on quality, craftsmanship and innovation.

The reason why Gerber puts so much emphasis on the quality and durability of their products is because they realize that when people’s lives are on the line, the Gerber multitool is tasked with an important role.

For over 70 years Gerber has been producing outdoor and EDC gear. What once started off as a simple kitchen knife-making operation has turned into an American icon. Ask any hunter, soldier or tradesman what brand of multitool they carry and 10 times out of 10 they will respond: “Gerber”.

No matter if you’re at home, on the road, or at a jobsite, the Suspension MultiTool will get the job done the first time. It’s built like a tank and was made to last a literal lifetime. This is the MultiTool that you’ll pass down to your Grandson.

You could buy an el cheapo, no-name brand multitool knock-off from China, but you’d wind up having to replace it after only a few uses. If you want quality construction in a well thought out multitool, then Gerber is your only choice.

Overview of the Gerber Multitool

The Gerber Suspension MultiTool was created in order to disrupt the multitool market. Far too many manufacturers are selling $100+ multitools in an attempt to cash in on the craze. Gerber realized they could produce a quality product for a fraction of what other tools cost.

The Gerber Suspension was also designed to be strong, yet lightweight. Far too many multitools on the market have too much weight to them. Weighing in at just 9 ounces, it’s so lightweight that you’ll sometimes forget you’re wearing it.

It’s 3.5” x 1” x 6.5” in width, height, and length respectively when opened. When fully closed it’s 4” long. A lifetime warranty is also included, and this is a good sign of any quality product. You won’t find the Chinese knock-offs offering a lifetime warranty like Gerber does. However, there are a few things it won’t cover. Alteration, obvious abuse, and theft/loss won’t allow you to take advantage of the lifetime warranty.

Gerber designed the Suspension with flexibility in mind. What a tradesman might need in a multitool is very different than what an electrician or soldier would need. This is why Gerber offers an add-on tool kit, which increases the functionality of the tool. The add-on tool kit contains an adapter, three flathead bit sizes, hex head bits as well as cross-point bits which will enable you to adapt to any situation you might encounter.

A DF6 Compact Sharpener and DF8 Sharpener are also offered by Gerber to help keep your blade as sharp as the day you got it. The DF8 is unique in that it uses diamond shaped fingers to achieve a perfect 30 degree angle every time you sharpen it.

Quality of Construction

One of the most important things that will determine how long your multitool will last is the quality of construction. With most Chinese knock off’s, they’re using poor quality metal which will rust and chip in a matter of months if not weeks. With the Gerber multitool, it’s made out of high-quality stainless steel. It’s designed to tackle the toughest jobs out there and still keep working.

12 Fully locking components

• 

  Needle-nose Pliers
• Wire Cutter/Stripper
• Straight Blade
• Serrated Blade
• Phillips Screwdriver
• Large and Medium Flathead Screwdrivers
• Scissors
• Bottle Opener
• Can Opener
• Saw
• Awl
• Lanyard Ring

The Suspension MultiTool has something for everyone. Best of all, it comes with a durable, ballistic-cloth nylon sheath that will last a long time.

Gerber also included a safety mechanism to avoid a problem that plagues other multitools on the market. If you’ve ever had a folding tool or knife close on your hands, you’ll appreciate the Saf.T.Plus mechanism which fully locks components in place so that they won’t accidentally close on your hand. The lock system does not hinder the ability to quickly and efficiently grab the tool and put it to use. 

Things We Loved

The first thing we loved was the affordable price. Most multitools out there start at or around $100. The Gerber Suspension MultiTool is a fraction of the cost of other multitools. We also loved the rave reviews people gave it online. They say that there are only two ways to know if a product is good:

• Buy it yourself and experience it
• Read multiple reviews from hundreds of people.

While we chose to do both, the online reviews are nothing short of stellar. It gets high marks for quality and affordability. The amount of tools that it comes with for the price point is nothing short of spectacular. The Saf.T.Plus locking mechanism system prevents the #1 cause of multitool injuries (the device closing back on itself and cutting your fingers in the process).

We also like the compact style. It’s small and lightweight enough to be an EDC, yet it’s big enough to tackle any job or challenge set forth. The design was also sleek looking. It had cut out holes that looked like they were cut by a laser. This helps decrease the weight as well as adding strength to the overall two handles. We also liked the fact that none of the tools are useless. There is a need and/or use for every single tool on the device.

We took this multitool camping over the past long holiday weekend and it performed flawlessly. The blades were sharp enough to help whittle a stick for kindle to start our campfire. The beer can opener helped keep us hydrated until early in the morning and the pliers executed a perfect quick fix for the metal stakes of our tent (one got bent in the car on the way up to the campsite).

Things We Didn’t Quite Love

The multitool had a few minor drawbacks. For example, on our camping trip we had a mechanical issue with one of our cars and the multitool was a bit too short in length to reach fully inside the engine bay. Small pet peeve, and it was solved by the toolbox we carry around in our trunk of our car.

It can be a tiny bit challenging to open with one hand. I was working on my car and my left hand was holding up the exhaust and I grabbed the multitool with my right hand and it took me a few seconds to be able to open it. To be fair, I had just received the tool in the mail, so there is a good chance it just needed to be broken in. I put some WD40 on the internal moving parts and was easily able to open it with one hand.

I’m right handed and my girlfriend is left handed. She said she had somewhat of a hard time opening it with her left hand, but after she got it open it was a moot issue. The tool worked just fine in her southpaw hands.

Conclusion

The Gerber Suspension MultiTool is the perfect mix of form and function. It delivers high quality performance at a bargain price. It’s made by an American company with a long history of making knives and multitools. Gerber takes customer reviews and concerns very carefully and with each passing year, incorporates new features and designs into their products. This long history of innovation (Saf.T.Plus) makes for a multitool that cannot be beat, only copied by the competition.

One of the best features of this multitool is that it has a very sleek design to it. If you take a look at the high-end Glock 19 handguns, you’ll find that the slides have had metal machined out of them to make them more lightweight and sturdy. The same goes for the Suspension multitool. The cut-out areas make this multitool look very sleek and slick…a long ways away from the boxy, ugly, heavy multitools that flooded the market 10 years ago.

For the price, the Gerber Suspension MultiTool is a solid tool that should last you a literal lifetime if you take care of it (a little basic maintenance every few months will help it go a long way). Any flaws we listed above were literal mere inconveniences with regards to the value and quality of build.