Gerber MP800 Review: An Outdated Multi-tool With a Big Idea

Introduction

The Gerber MP800 is a relatively old design, but it does something not many other multi-tools do, and it raises questions about how multi-tools could be built going forward. On paper it looks bulky and unremarkable. In practice, it is surprisingly light, and that contradiction is where the real story sits.

At just 8.8 ounces, it weighs nearly the same as the Leatherman Wave, which is significantly smaller in every dimension. How does a bigger tool stay that light? The answer is the frame, and it is the single most interesting thing about this tool.

The Lightweight Aluminum Frame

The frame is not steel throughout. The only steel component is a small tab that creates a stopping point for the pliers, allowing the outboard-accessible tools to engage with them. That single insert is the only piece of steel holding the tool together.

The handles themselves are cast aluminum, which is not especially strong. That is why they are so thick. Cast aluminum is also why the frame cannot be hollowed out for further weight savings: the material simply is not strong enough in that form.

If the handles were instead milled from a solid billet of a high-grade aluminum such as 6061 or 7075, the frame would be much stronger, could be thinner and less dense, and could even be machined out internally with a scaffold pattern to cut weight while keeping the curved structure. Combined with anodizing, which prevents corrosion and deterioration of the handle, that approach could produce a significantly lighter multi-tool without sacrificing everyday durability. It is a genuinely underexploited idea, particularly for compact everyday-carry tools in the 3.5 to 4.5 inch range where less force is applied to the frame.

The Tool Set

The MP800 carries a decent spread of implements. On one side you get scissors that are surprisingly good, noticeably stronger and more capable than the ones found on the Leatherman Wave, along with three flathead drivers including one genuinely thick and chunky example, and a file with a nicely aggressive crosscut surface.

The file side is weaker overall. The straight-cut file, as is so often the case at this length, is not particularly useful; a 300 or 600 grit diamond file would be far more versatile, including for knife sharpening. The other side holds a one-handed, partially serrated blade with shallow serrations that avoid the binding problems of deep serrations, though the compound grind does make sharpening more involved. The grind is somewhat uneven, but that is within expectations for this class.

The remaining implements are a Phillips driver and a removable blade holder, and this is where the design shows its age. The removable saw blade itself makes excellent sense and deserves to be a standard feature on practically every multi-tool. But the holder accepts the old Rem Grit blade style, which is hard to find these days. A T-shank holder, like the easy-to-copy design used on the Leatherman Super Tool 300 EOD, would be strictly better.

The Pliers

The pliers themselves are surprisingly solid and comfortable in hand. There is one caveat: under heavy pressure, the small steel stop tab starts to flex, and there is a potential for it to snap. A better design would capture that tab on both sides so the plier head traps it and directs force into the metal rather than pushing the tab outward.

As built, this feels a bit more light-duty than the MP600 series or the Gerber Center Drive and Dual Force, landing in a medium-duty range. The frame is also quite thick and boxy, and the squared edges cut into the hand more than necessary when using the blade. Rounding the frame, as Gerber already did on the inner surfaces, would improve comfort and reduce weight at the same time.

Buying Advice

The MP800 is outdated, and it is priced like it is not. Street pricing runs around $115, against an MSRP of about $180, which feels expensive for a tool of this vintage, particularly one made partially in Taiwan and assembled elsewhere.

Buy it if you value the scissors, the comfortable pliers, and the removable blade concept, or if you are a tinkerer: the thick cast handles invite modification, from removing the rubber inserts to filing the frame into a more comfortable, lighter shape. Skip it if you want a refined, current-generation tool. What the MP800 is really good for is as a data point, proof that aluminum frames deserve a place in future everyday-carry multi-tools.

Conclusion

As a tool, the Gerber MP800 is decent but dated, held back by its price, its boxy frame, and its old-fashioned Rem Grit blade holder. As a concept, it is genuinely exciting. A bigger tool that weighs about the same as a Leatherman Wave proves that aluminum frame construction has real potential, and it would be great to see manufacturers act on it.