Pliers Reviews

This new tool is extemely useful for handling bolts and nuts of different sizes, including stubborn nuts with deformed heads. Very high quality, as usual with VISE-GRIP products. If you w'ont lose it-you can use it for life! highly recomanded.

I have and used many multi-tools and never thought I would call these 4 inch vise grips one. If you use tools they are perfect to have in your pocket while doing work or out on a job. They're great for: pulling out nails and staples, using on any size nut or bolt (they even grip well on rusted or rounded out ones), holding or starting screws in hard to reach areas and the list goes on. Out of all the tools I have and use I reach for these the most. Probably becuase it helps that they're so small and light I always have them in my pocket. I'm writing this review because I'm just purchasing another one at Amazon to have as a back up. You can't get this small size easily, not even at Home Depot.

Buy it. There is no substitute. While you are at it, buy the smaller size one as well. You'll be glad you did.

These are without doubt the greatest line of tools made. They save you from having to buy little vises for those little projects that don't need a really big vise. On the other hand they also serve a pliers which everyone finds they could use at least once a week. They are a real money/time saver.

I'm an IT Support Engineer and I frequently work on Laptops, Desktops and servers. This little tool has been my best friend for the past 7 years now. That's right.. SEVEN years and it's still going strong. It's in my pocket every day!

The Leatherman Micra is a very nifty and powerful little keychain tool that has an ingenious compact design that holds many important parts inside. The main tool you see after opening it up is the scissors, which are very strong. These aren't any old pushover scissors, either. You can cut through thick staples and tough cardboard with these scissors.

There are 3 types of screw drivers which you can use for a variety of screws, ranging from small to regular sized. There's the tweezers, which are better than the ones in the Swiss Army Knives and are attached to the tool so you can't lose them. There is a knife which is pretty sharp. There's a can opener, which you might not use much here but when you go to various countries outside the U.S. they have more bottled soft drinks so you can try them out. There's also a nail file (comes with a cleaner) and a ruler.

The knife closes nicely, and it's all stainless steel. Overall, this knife would make a great addition to your keychain so that you can have it with you at all times, and when it comes in handy you'll be delighted you bought it.

I was given this product used as a gift by a customer at a store. My initial response was that it would be useless, but I now carry it in my pocket quite frequently. A scissors is one of the most useful portable tools to have. Unlike other pocket knifes (e.g. swiss), the scissors on the Leatherman Micra is useable, even for cutting annoying plastic packaging on electronics. I will note that the tweezer side sometimes allows pocket lint onto some of the tools.

This is a pretty nice knife except for a couple of issues I'd have rated it higher.

Bad points-

Only one standard screw driver blade - small size with a nice bottle opener built in the same blade. My son dropped this once when he barrowed it from me and the screwdriver blade chipped. Must be some pretty good hardened steel.

No saw - The black Finegrif (tm) saw blade is a joke. It would take half an hour (at least) to cut through a small nail and the blade is too thin to not break right off. For wood this blade is even less effective. This is a none usable...

The file has no teeth on the sides like a proper file should. One side is a double cut and the other single cut (metal). No chance for an emergency manicure here.

Can opener blade has no fingernail slot and it's sharp so it's hard to safely deploy without cutting yourself in the dark.

Best things about this knife-

Nice set of needle nose pliers great for small precision type jobs. One handed operation (pliers only) and also has a comfortable grip.

Scissors- a necessity in my opinion.

locking blades- excellent system for locking the blades

All and all a good quality tool but with some design flaws.

Quality -- The first observation I must make concerning the Multi-Plier 600 Pro Scout with Needlenose pliers (and all the other modern Gerber products with which I'm familiar) is the outstanding quality of the fit and finish. This particular product proudly wears a Made In USA label, and it features satin-finished stainless steel throughout with Zytel plastic buttons to unlock the fold out tools. It opens fairly smoothly, feels solid in your hand, and the knife blade and other tools lock in the open position for safe and secure use.

Selection -- Choosing an ideal multi-tool is perhaps the hardest task facing the user. Multi-tool marketing favors manufacturers and retailers because there are so many different configurations (too many, in fact, and you could find yourself with a collection.) I don't like that for reasons too numerous to mention, but suffice to say there's no single multi-tool that includes all the tools I might want or need. An ideal scenario would be a build-your-own concept, but that's out of the question since Gerber doesn't sell direct to the consumer.

Usability -- The 600 ProScout lets you carry a lot of useful tools in a compact package that weighs about twelve ounces. The tools are as follows:

1. The needlenose pliers are one of the best in a multi-tool. They are precision made and allow a lot of leverage and pressure to be applied to a part. They retract into the handles for storage. On this model, they must be deployed to use the fold out tools; this is one thing that makes this tool unique from some of the other Gerber tools.

2. The tool steel file, made by Simonds, is coarse on one side and fine on the other; it suffers from being too small for most of what you'd want a file for, but it still has some use.

3. There's one Phillips (crosshead) screwdriver that is about a #1 head size. It's just too small to inspire confidence when I am prone to overtighten EVERYTHING.

4. Two slotted blade screwdrivers (small and medium) are actually ground to size as opposed to just being stampings. Screwdrivers are usually the weakest link in a multi-tool because of their small size and the twisting pressures that are applied to them so you definitely don't want to pretend they are prybars, too.

5. One of the screwdrivers is also a bottle opener (opens bottle caps I guess, but I have NEVER used this).

6. There's a can opener that's well made; while it does work, it's not my choice to use in the kitchen but when camping or while parked along a roadside waiting for triple A after grocery shopping it's another story.

7. The drop point knife is a combination fine edge and serrated edge. While it's a good blade, in the Gerber tradition, you don't get enough of either edge style and it's VERY difficult to sharpen the serrated part.

8. There's a RemGrit (tungsten carbide grit on alloy steel) jig saw blade in a universal coupler. It cuts on the forward and reverse strokes and is self sharpening. I just had to have this multi-tool because it has this saw that cuts a lot of different materials. The blade can be replaced when it wears out or you could swap it with a regular wood or metal jig saw blade.

9. The Fiskars scissors are small but sharp. I'm not disappointed by their usefulness and quality, but then real men and women won't do their tailoring with this thing either.

Maybe it's just me, but cutting stuff is what this particular tool configuration is about (knife, saw, scissors) and that's why it's nice to have the file to touch up rough edges which is invariably what I get when I cut stuff. The tool would be more useful still if it had a lanyard ring on it so then I wouldn't need another model multi-tool for another hobby.

I could give this a five star rating if it wasn't for the fact that every multi-tool combo is a compromise of convenience (miniaturization) versus function. Plus you pay dearly for having many tools in the package while you have the expectation that you'll have use for the chosen tool configuration often. The Gerber Multi-Plier is a handy way to keep your life together without carrying a toolbox.

I've had this tool for about 14 months now, and it's OK. It has come in handy a few times, but that's what a multi-tool is supposed to do. After 14 months of relatively consistent use, here's what I have to say...

KNIFE: Absolutely incredible. This knife is still unbelievably sharp. I love it.

PLIERS: They do their job as pliers should do.

WIRE CUTTER: I cut some copper wire a few months ago, and now the wire cutter is notched. The wire wasn't even that thick. 10-12 gauge max. They should be made of a stronger metal.

FILE: never used it

SAW: never used it

CAN OPENER: It's a little tricky, but it does the job.

BOTTLE OPENER: Opens all drinks

SCREWDRIVERS: They're too short and stubby. You can only use them on flush surfaces. I know the Leathermans have longer screwdriver attachments.

SCISSORS: They tackle small jobs well enough.

It's an average tool. It's better than the junky ones, but it's not worth raving over. After 14 months, all the attachments jiggle a little, and it makes it tough to close the pliers. The knife is the best part, the rest is so-so. If you asked me if I would buy this again, I would say no, and I would buy the Leatherman Wave.

This product lived up to my expectations, but you should be warned that the maglite offer is not true. I ordered 5 of these for groomsmen at our wedding (about $150 purchase) and did not even receive a single maglite even though the minimum purchase was $25 and every knife we received repeated this offer. I wrote in about the error and never even received a reply email. Just a fair warning if you are buying this brand over another for the free gift.

Other people who have reviewed this tool have already described its high quality, small size, and infinite coolness. I'd like to emphasize those points first and add my own comments on some of the minor "user interface" problems with the design.

As you can probably tell from the pictures, when the tool is closed the pliers are basically tucked neatly inside a rectangular box. The first pair of pivots allows the hollow handles to swing out to reveal the pliers--they lock in place and the pliers can be used in this way for light work. At this point each handle forms a U-shape with the open end facing out (obviously) which doesn't offer a very comfortable grip when squeezing tightly. The screwdriver and knife can be accessed at this point by folding them out; the tool can be closed with either tool exposed for a better grip. The interior of the U-shaped handle can also be folded out and they lock into position as full-sized needle-nozed pliers. The closed side of the U-shape faces out for a stronger grip.

One of the caveats of the tool is the position of the lanyard hole. I put a small keyring through the hole and found it takes a bit of finesse to get the keyring positioned correctly to allow the tool to close without binding on the keyring between the two handles. The hole is in the best possible location (I think) but it would have been nice if a ring was provided that was small enough not to bind (no ring is provided at all.)

The other thing that I found unnerving was getting the blade closed. It locks securely in place but there is no release button so it requires considerable force to close. This wouldn't be such a big deal except the blade is very sharp. In fact, not two minutes after having it out of the box did I cut myself doing just that.

There is an alternative, however. The second handle part for the pliers can be opened over the blade (as if you were using the pliers alone) and the sharp edge of the blade is now enclosed within the U-shaped handle. Closing the blade by opening the second handle first seems to be a good way to avoid cutting yourself.

First: Mine came with a split ring. But it was tucked inside the instructions and the registration card stuff. Not obvious. I do agree it has a tendency to get pinned in the hinge but its not difficult to avoid this. You just have to nick it in place as you close it. Which makes me think I may remove it as I'm not hanging it on my keychain.

Second, The instructions are somewhat confusing. It mentions opening the handle extension to get at the blades. That's so wrong as to cause me to write Leatherman directly. You want to open the handle extensions to _CLOSE_ the blade. Not open it.

Also it would have been better if the photo showed the handle extensions locked out in place. Then you could see that you really have a full size leatherman. I put it up next to my Pulse(tm) and its the same size! (Same pliers head) The Pulse has more tools and costs more but it doesn't fold down into as small a package. Which btw is about 2x wider that of the Micra, but the same length.

Field tests on the can opener, well it works but its not as easy as the military field can opener. You know the one, that incrediable easy to use, super simple two pieces of steel on a hinge or the next best the swiss army version. But the can of olives was successfully opened and dinner was saved.

Field tests on the bottle opener. Better than the dual purpose bottle opener/can opener as it doesn't puncture the bottle top. But its less easy to use than the best Leatherman opener which is on the locking pliers and the micra. Works though, you just have to remember to not try to use the can opener instead as they look almost identical. If you find yourself trying to left hand open a bottle, you've probably got the can opener out. (It won't work.)

I got this Mini-tool thinking that there are times I want a set of good pliers with me but I don't want to wear a belt sheath to carry them and the Pulse(tm) et.al. is too large a lump in my pocket. This set of pliers fits the bill. And they are so much better than the squirt pliers (P4) that it defies imagination why you would buy those.

Minus: No philps screw driver. (But my Micra has a 1/2 philips head) No sizzors, (micra has those) File is small for real work, blade is also really too short for real work. (about 1 inch long)

Plus: ok bottle and ok can opener. Great pliers, with the handles extended the surface is smooth against your palm. File nearly locks in place as does the blade.

In comparison if you are looking for "pocket" pliers, you might consider the Leatherman C2, its a little longer, about the same width, but has corkscrew, Or the S2 which has the sizzors. But definitely skip the squirt P4. But these are still a neat little package of pliers.

Not after 1/2 month i use this tool the philips bit become deteriorated. The are also misaligmnent on some of the blades. One of the lock are pretty hard to be unlock. It sometimes hurt my thumb to unlock it.

Others look great. But i think with current quality it not worth the money paid for this multi-tool. Although it's under warranty but u must spend more money to send it to be repaired/replaced. This also will waste our precious time.

My advice if you have other option, go for it.

This was a gift for my husband and he couldn't be happier with it. It is an extremely useful tool and with the nylon sheath and the set of 'bits' it can tackle any small job anywhere. Delivery was prompt. It took a while to find the right supplier for this tool as it seemed like it was out of stock for a while but this company delivered.

I bought this Charge about a year and a half ago, soon after when they were first introduced, so I wasn't too sure how it would work out.

It's held up well, everything is sharp and functional.
I chose this version over the XT because I didn't need the scissors, the hook is more useful (to me) and the XTI uses two large bit holders instead of one (a big plus for me, since I use the bits a lot!)

The tools all lock and stay locked. The lock releases seemed like they would accidentally unlock the tools when I used it, they are so easy to push. So far, that hasn't happened.

The carry versatility is one feature that stands out.

Really.

I've normally carried it in it's nylon sheath on my belt. It will go on the belt vertically or horizontally, and is unobtrusive, I can forget it's there. When I wear dress slacks or don't want things on my belt, I can use the pocket clip. It is snug and stays in place. When I've been hiking/rock-climbing or at work on a ladder, I loop it around my neck on a lanyard, using the quick-release lanyard ring (haven't used the internal lanyard ring, but I'm sure it's useful, as well). The quick-release snaps in and out nicely, and is secure.

The 154CM blade and the sheepsfoot are really sharp, be careful!

The tool bits, ahhh, the tool bits! Versatility yet again! I thought the tool bits wouldn't work out well since they are flattened to fit in the sheath. In use, they work as well as bits you'd find on any other multi-tool, but since they are flatter, you can carry more of them. I also purchased the extra tool bits carrier from Leatherman and now have more options again. I re-arranged the bits to carry the ones I use the most with the multitool in it's sheath, the less-used bits stay in their own sheath. Sometimes I carry that sheath too, mostly at work. All in all, I have 30 double-ended bits, making it 60 bits I can carry, easily and out of the way. Now THAT'S a mobile toolbox!

About the only downside is that there is no extender for the bits: if the fastener you are working on is recessed or in a hard to reach spot, the bits are short and won't reach. With the XTI folded up, trying to reach some fasteners is a challenge. Also, the bit holders only lock when fully folded out, there is no 90 degree position if you wanted to put some torque on a stuck fastener. These are minor gripes, so I'll still give it 5 stars because of so many other good design features.

A bit on the pricey side, but seems well worth it. The versatility alone is worth the price. I'll update the review in a few years on the tool's reliability.

Gadget Geek Recommended.

This reviewer Evan Jansen from Bend, OR USA said

I hope I'm not breaking any rules here but I just think everyone should know you can get this same tool much cheaper at www.YourBestDeals.net

This guy is dead wrong, its much much higher for wave tool that doesn't even come with a leather pouch and couple bucks higher for the tool adapter.

Personally, I wouldn't go the route of this tool as the wave does everything I need it to do in data networks and minor repair uses. My boss and I use our wave pretty much daily and I recommend it to all my cisco classmates.

This Tool Adapter for the Leatherman Wave comes with 6 hex tips and a black plastic case, 2 5/8x2 1/4x3/4 inches in size with a belt clip on the back, in which the adapter and tips fit snugly. The case is no bigger -and may indeed be smaller- than a screwdriver-type handle or ratchet wrench and tips. So if you already carry a Wave, the adapter might be the practical way to go if you use hex tips. It will accomodate all standard 1/4 inch hex tips.

The tool adapter fits onto the top of the Wave when it is closed. The tip has 3 positions to choose from: straight, a 45 degree angle to the Wave, and a 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the Wave. The adapter works fine for light work. I would hesitate to use it for a job that requires a lot of torque because the adapter is not super-secure in attaching to the Wave. On these occasions, I would use the adapter without attaching it to the Wave. In fact, the adapter can easily be used on its own, and that is actually preferable in many instances. If you need to get into a small space or have trouble reaching, attach it to the Wave.

Of course you need Leatherman Wave or smth. complaiant, but still great. I even used it as it is - like single tool :))

I guess this set must be marketed at the kind of person who's kind of clueless about tools. You know: "I don't know what a Mac or a SnapOn is, and I don't know Craftsman from Craftmaster but I know the best plastic containers in my kitchen are made by Rubbermaid!"

Alrighty then. Well, then you know to expect that the quality of this set will be decent. And it is. Just. Not great. Nope, if you go down to Sears and get any of the same tools with the Craftsman name on them, they'll be better than their counterparts in this set. Or go to any decent department store with a tool department, and you'll find Stanley tools, which are at least as good as these, and probably cheaper.

Now, these tools do come in a spiffy little case. You can find the same types of tools in an almost as spiffy case at those same, aforementioned, department stores. But this one may be a bit spiffier. So if that's of prime importance to you, then maybe this set has your name on it. But I don't really understand why you'd value the case over the tools.

Bottom line: Adequate tools in a spiffy case, at a price you can better at your local department store. Nothing much to get excited about here.

Mostly everything you need for small jobs. Could use a needle nose pliers and a small adjustable wrench but it keeps you from running to the large tool box in the garage for small jobs and last minute requests especially late at night.

Good, sturdy, essential tools, that come housed in an exceptionally sturdy, highly portable and attractive carrying case. The marketing in the product description unnecessarily inflates the value by touting its 56 pieces (the fluff being nothing more than picture hangers, brads and wood screws!); it's a great kit without that lameness. Outstanding buy.