As much as we love those 20-function multi-tools, the reality is, they tend to get too big for most people’s pockets. Not to mention the fact that you’ve never used 18 of those 20 functions at any time during the last 12 months. If that’s the case, it might be time to consider a more compact multi-tool and that’s exactly what the Gerber Armbar Drive wants to bring to your EDC stash.
Instead of trying to cram as much function in your pocket, the multi-tool keeps it simple by focusing on eight common functions. You know, the kind of things most people end up actually using their multi-tools on, ensuring you can still get common tasks done in a pinch without bogging you down with a large and heavy bundle of tools in your pocket.
The Gerber Armbar Drive has two primary functions: as a pocket knife and as a screwdriver. As such, it’s built with elevated function on those two fronts. As a knife, it gets a 2.5-inch fine edge blade, with an extended design that gives you full access to the entire edge, complete with a frame lock, so the blade never accidentally closes during use. For driving screws, it gets a two-sided bit, so you can work on both flat head and Phillips fasteners, with a 2.5-inch long driver that can be placed at a variety of angles to let you access screws even in awkward spots. Sadly, there’s no frame lock for the driver, so you can’t comfortably apply maximum force (since it can fold at any time), although the spring mechanism should keep it plenty usable all the same.
It gets a pair of scissors for conveniently cutting up paper, plastic bags, and similar materials, while a pry bar in the back lets you spare the knife blade from erstwhile pedestrian tasks of opening paint cans, scraping gum, and prying off a stuck nail. There’s also a hammer head for pounding stuff into place, along with an awl for poking holes on canvas, leather, and whatever other materials you encounter in your daily life. Naturally, they threw in a bottle opener, since we all need to crack a cold one open after a long day of trying to get things done with a tiny multi-tool.
The Gerber Armbar Drive measures just 3.5 inches long and 0.6 inches thick, making it dead easy to slip in your pants pocket, so you’re ready to take on plenty of common tasks that come up during the day. Construction is stainless steel for the tools, with the handle cut in textured aluminum to enable maximum grip, whether you’re ripping through packages, loosening screws on a broken appliance, or sharpening pegs for use in the backyard garden. On the downside, there’s no clip and no lanyard hole on the handle, so you’re stuck having to drop this in a pocket if you want to bring it along, all while having a function that’s generally oriented for right-handed individuals.
The Gerber Armbar Drive is available now.
- 8-IN-1 MULTITOOL: Features a 2.5" plain edge pocket knife blade with frame lock, hammer, scissors,...
