Guest Review: Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Pro Scout Needlenose

My good friend Andy from Station Atomica has graciously written Review Bunker’s first ever guest review! After you read his post below I highly suggest you visit Station Atomica and read what else Andy has to offer - he has a hilarious writing style as well as outstanding original digital artwork. If you are interested in being a guest reviewer for Review Bunker, please read the contribute page. And now, on to Andy’s review…

I have been using a variety of Gerber brand multi-tools for several years now, and have most recently been putting the Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Pro Scout Needlenose to the test. Of course that name is way to long for normal use, so I refer to him mainly as Gerb-Dog. He has seen heavy daily use for about seven months now, so lets see how old Gerb-Dog has fared.

Vital stats first:

The Multi-Plier 600 Pro Scout Needlenose is made of stainless steel, and comes with a nifty black nylon sheath with a Velcro flap and a loop in the back to slide onto a belt. It uses the classic Gerber one handed opening technique that is as easy as a flick of the wrist. This makes it more convenient to operate when only one hand is available, something to consider when looking at multi-tools that use the butterfly style of opening. According to the Gerber website the following tools are present:

• Needle nose pliars - duh.
• Wire cutter - at the base of the plier’s mouth.
• Wire crimper - welp.
• Serrated knife - knife is only half serrated toward the base.
• RemGrit saw with universal coupler - pretty bad ass little saw.
• Fiskars scissors - they actually work.
• Cross point screwdriver - I guess it is technically different than a Phillips head, but no it is the same.
• Small and medium flat blade screwdrivers - yep.
• Can opener - what do you need with a can opener? get back to work.
• Bottle opener - you’re fired.
• File - double sided: course and fine.
• Ruler - most inconvenient ruler ever.

Time for the part of the review that you can’t get from a high-paid fancy pants Gerber shill. Overall I like the tool. It definitely has its good points, but is by no means perfect. For your convenience I have divided my opinions into easy to reference pro and con categories:

Pros

• Like most Gerber multi-tools you can open it in one quick flick of the wrist. This has the effect of making you look incredibly cool in addition to being convenient.
• The pliers, Phillips head screwdriver, saw, scissors, and file are flawless. Work perfectly.
• In case you missed it, the tiny little scissors actually work. This is nothing short of a miracle.



• It is very comfortable in the hand when really bearing down on the pliers.
• Saw is mounted on a coupler that allows for replacement of the blade. The included blade is quite good for small jobs.

Cons

• Flat headed screwdrivers are a joke. They will chip the first time you really crank on them, and may snap off entirely. Definitely for light work or girly-men.
• The knife dulls easily and suffers from the same propensity to chip at the tip. They say they are made of steel, but I guess it isn’t Hanzo steel.
• Screwdrivers good for limited use, don’t try to drive any huge deck screws into wood or anything. The handle may get in the way in tight spots when using the screwdrivers.

• Worthless bottle/can openers where real tools should go. You WORK for a living, and you don’t need the worst can opener in the world.
• You can get more accurate measurements by measuring in Ancient Egyptian cubits than you will get from the ruler, which is impossible to really use.

All in all, The Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Pro Scout Needlenose is a convenient multi-tool to use for light work. Many of the tools are excellent, but the material seems to chip, bend, and shatter more than competing products like Leatherman multi-tools. Excellent to carry around for the pliers alone, and due to the one-handed design it is ideal as a quick access backup. Gerb-Dog’s done well.

Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Pro Scout Needlenose: 3.5/5

Thank you once again Andy for writing the inaugural guest review here at Review Bunker. Don’t forget, everyone, to stop by Station Atomica to read more from Andy, and if you enjoy the guest review format, make sure to subscribe to my feed, and look for more guest reviews in the near future from a variety of authors.

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