Tech Editor Fox Morgan gets to grips with the Gerber Dual Force multitool. Does it live up to the hype?
Gerber Dual Force multitool review
Best on test for powering through tough jobs
Gerber Dual Force
This multitool has four swivel out tools: a sharp smooth blade, a wood saw blade, a double sided file and a centre drive screwdriver with changeable standard sized bits.
On test I used most of the tools on genuine jobs, not just testing on a work bench. The smooth blade made short work of a large carbon sail that was cut up for recycling and is also very easy to sharpen when it becomes dull. It remained sharp enough to cut through the majority of the large carbon sail without becoming dull.
The big selling point of this multitool though is the hefty hex gripping, width adjustable pliers. These are the biggest and most powerful I’ve ever used in a multitool. They have two positions to fit a multitude of jobs, from hex nuts/bolts to gripping bits of rope and other boaty stuff with ease. These grip like nothing else in such a relatively small frame. The construction feels robust and despite putting them through some rigorous testing I was unable to compromise them with unwanted tool flex. All this force comes at a minor inconvenience in the weight of the tool being nearly 50g heavier than other similar multitools from Gerber and the pliers might feel cumbersome for more intricate jobs.
The centre drive screwdriver takes standard bits and with it’s central position, you can really get some force behind it. Obviously you wouldn’t want to be doing a massive job with this as your hand would become sore after a while but the balance and position of tools offered make this a really useful bit of kit to have in your inventory.
It comes with a decent belt holster too.
Specifications: Make: Gerber | Model: Dual Force | Weight: 310g | Blade length: 74mm | Closed length: 115mm | Locking blade: Yes | Features: 12 | Singlehanded use: Yes