Travelling light is vital when you are preparing for your motorhome holidays, so one item that performs many functions is a great idea when packing for your next tour.
This is why we at Practical Motorhome love multi-tools. There are always little jobs to do when we’re away on holiday in our ‘van, things that need fixing or tweaking, or maybe simply cans that require opening. Carrying and securing a load of tools – or even a toolbox – in your motorhome isn’t always practical, or desirable. But if you have a single, compact, lightweight tool that you can simply slip into your back pocket that can perform a myriad of functions, you’ll be able to do all you want to without lugging a load of equipment on tour with you. And, remember, heavy items will hurt your payload and might prevent you from taking other items away with you.
In Practical Motorhome’s multi-tool group test, we put the Gerber 600 Bluntnose through its paces. Gerber makes a range of multi-tools at many different price points. This product retails at £74.99.
To see if the Gerber 600 Bluntnose was up to the job, we gave it a collection of manly challenges to assess its capabilities. We tried trimming fingernails, tape and wrapping paper, driving screws into wood, trimming wire, sharpening pencils, opening bottles, tins and cans, removing twisted nails from pallets and also sawing metal, plastic and pallets.
The stainless steel Gerber 600 Bluntnose is 6.3in or 16cm long, 4.9in or 12.4cm when closed, and it weighs 257g. It features a grand total of 14 tools, which on paper makes it fit for many tasks. There are bluntnose pliers, replaceable Tungsten carbide cutters, a wire crimper, two knives (one serrated knife and one fine edge knife), a ruler (that measures in centimetres and inches), a file, a bottle opener, a can opener, a lanyard ring and four screwdrivers – a large, flat screwdriver, a medium, flat screwdriver, a small, flat screwdriver and a Phillips screwdriver. It comes with a handy nylon sheath, too.
Something which sets this multi-tool apart from others is that, with a flick of the wrist, the Gerber 600 Bluntnose’s pliers snap into position – there’s no need to open the tool first. Our tester found this to be very useful. It also allows you to use it one-handed.
Another innovation that the Gerber 600 Bluntnose boasts is the replaceable tungsten-carbide wire cutters. When they go dull, just rotate them through 120˚ and then you have got a good-as-new tool – clever, eh? After three rotations, it can be replaced.
At the end of the Practical Motorhome Gerber 600 Bluntnose review, our tester awarded this multi-tool three out of five. With its smart, stainless steel construction it looks good and feels substantial, plus its one-handed opening is very convenient. It is a strong contender and a capable product. However, at £74.99 it is not cheap and there are other more affordable options on the market, if you can’t justify the outlay this product requires. How about the Leatherman Wingman, our group test winner, that costs £39.95?
With a flick of the wrist, the Gerber 600 Bluntnose’s pliers snap into position
