The Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Multi-Tool, has 14 built-in tools, it’s made in the United States, and it’s now the #1 best-selling multi-tool platform to the US Armed Forces.
The MP600 has a slew of useful tools, including needlenose pliers, pinch-cut wire cutters, a wire crimper, both plain-edge and serrated knife blades, a cross-point screwdriver, small, medium, and large flat-blade screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a file, and a ruler.
The Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Multi-Tool, has 14 built-in tools, it’s made in the United States, and it’s now the #1 best-selling multi-tool platform to the US Armed Forces.
History Speedrun: Gerber Gear
The Gerber family started a small advertising company in Portland, Oregon, in 1910. It was while running this business that Joseph “Joe” Gerber hit upon a unique idea for a client gift – handmade kitchen knife sets, made in collaboration with local blacksmith David Murphy.
Gerber mailed 24 sets to his best clients as holiday presents, and they proved so popular that the catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch requested more to sell through their own catalogue. With that order, the company Gerber Legendary Blades was born.
After World War II, Joe’s sons Pete and Ham became increasingly involved in running and growing the company. Inspired by the word “Legendary” already in the company name, Ham began christening their kitchen knives after mythic blades from history – Balmung, Excalibur, and others – it was a clever marketing move that helped set the firm apart in what was a highly-competitive marketplace.
In 1966, Gerber relocated to a new purpose-built factory in Tigard, Oregon, just outside Portland, where the company remains based to this day. That same year marked a shift toward tactical products with the debut of the Mark II combat knife, which entered full production in 1967.
Designed by retired U.S. Army Captain Clarence A. “Bud” Holzmann, the Mark II had a distinctive double-edged, wasp-waisted blade inspired by the Roman Mainz Gladius and the British Fairbairn-Sykes commando knife.
It became a favorite among U.S. Special Forces during the Vietnam War, rivaled in fame only by the Ka-Bar. By the 1970s, Gerber had phased out kitchen knife production entirely, it was now solely a maker of outdoor, hunting, and tactical knives.
The MP600 has a slew of useful tools, including needlenose pliers, pinch-cut wire cutters, a wire crimper, both plain-edge and serrated knife blades, a cross-point screwdriver, small, medium, and large flat-blade screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a file, and a ruler.
In 1980, Pete Gerber partnered with knife designer Blackie Collins to create the LST (Light, Smooth, Tough), one of the first major folding knives built around an all-synthetic, injection-molded handle.
The design made the knife drastically lighter and cheaper to produce than anything else on the market. The LST is widely credited as the father of the modern everyday carry (EDC) knife movement, and it has since sold in the millions.
The company entered the multi-tool market in the early 1990s with the Multi-Plier, with Gerber’s signature sliding-jaw mechanism.
The Multi-Plier established Gerber as the second-largest multi-tool maker in the United States behind Leatherman – another Portland-area company. Gerber is today the largest supplier of knives and multi-tools to the United States Armed Forces.
The company continues to make many of its flagship knives, multi-tools, and other products, at its Portland-area factory, and in 2024 marked its 85th anniversary.
The Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Multi-Tool
As noted higher up, the Gerber Multi-Plier 600 is the number one selling multi-tool platform to the United States Military, and it’s now held that distinction for a number of years.
Built around a solid stainless steel body, the MP600 in its needlenose configuration packs 14 tools into a package that weighs just 9 ounces. It ships with a ballistic nylon belt sheath and a supplementary tool bit set, and it’s covered by Gerber’s limited lifetime warranty.
Built around a solid stainless steel body, the MP600 in its needlenose configuration packs 14 tools into a package that weighs just 9 ounces. It ships with a ballistic nylon belt sheath and a supplementary tool bit set, and it’s covered by Gerber’s limited lifetime warranty.
Perhaps the main defining feature of the MP600 is its patented one-hand opening plier mechanism, a flick of the wrist deploys the needlenose jaws without requiring a second hand. This was a deliberate design priority for military and first-responder use, where one hand may be occupied or injured.
The tools lock into position via Gerber’s Saf.T.Plus system, which secures each tool against a solid steel bar rather than relying on a spring, and they release via a manual safety button on the handle.
The 14-tool complement covers a range of field tasks – beyond the needlenose pliers, the MP600 includes pinch-cut wire cutters, a wire crimper, both plain-edge and serrated knife blades, a cross-point screwdriver, small, medium, and large flat-blade screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a file, a ruler, and a lanyard ring.
The tools are all accessible independently, meaning you can access the one you need without the others fanning out alongside it.
The tools are all accessible independently, meaning you can access the one you need without the others fanning out alongside it.
The Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Multi-Tool is now available to buy direct from the official Gerber Gear Amazon page here, with an MSRP below $90 USD.
Images courtesy of Gerber Gear
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
