Review: Gerber Armbar Scout
A good multi-tool for everyday carry can easily run you over 100 bucks. Same goes for an EDC knife: The best ones don’t come cheap, and the sky’s the limit if you really want a top-quality knife.
But let’s be honest here: As cool as those budget-breakers can be, they’re not exactly made for casual, everyday operators.
Gerber’s Armbar Scout is, though. The recently released combo folding-knife-and-multi-tool does an admirable job of getting through routine daily tasks, and it’s a far sight more affordable than outfitting yourself with the latest Leatherman and Spyderco.
I’ve been carrying around the Gerber Armbar Scout in my front pocket for a few weeks now, giving it a thorough usefulness test in my day-to-day life. Here’s where I think it succeeds, and where it has room for improvement.
What the Armbar Scout Does Best
The 2.5-inch plain edge blade on the Armbar Scout is well-made enough that if there were no other tools featured here, I would still enjoy using it as an everyday carry folding knife. A cleverly designed exterior frame lock puts it a step ahead of competing multi-tools in this price range, and makes it feel like a real, full-fledged folding knife.
Six other tools are included, though: A fold-out pry bar and bottle opener, a blunted hammer tip, can opener, saw, and spring-loaded scissors. That’s in addition to the aforementioned exterior frame lock, and a deep-carry pocket clip with a cool-looking design on it.
I’m really impressed with how much utility Gerber packed into this compact little tool. It’s wider than a standard folding knife, but doesn’t ride uncomfortably in your front pocket; you can forget that it’s even there, which is always a good sign. Overall, I found myself reaching for it instinctively on a regular basis, and I think I’ll be making it a part of my everyday carry rotation from here on out.
One Area for Improvement
There’s only one tool on the Armbar Scout that I wasn’t entirely thrilled with: The scissors.
In theory, they’re a nice addition to the tool. If you need to snip a thread here and there, they’ll do the job. And I like the slightly snub-nosed shape of them, a feature that many multi-tool scissors miss out on (and one that can lead to unfortunate finger pricks).
But the spring action here leaves something to be desired. I just don’t think it’s really possible to put a serviceable pair of scissors in a multi-tool that’s this slim, and that comes down to how much spring power you can really fit in. Most of the time, I found myself turning to the straight blade or saw to do whatever job the scissors might have done instead.
Final Verdict
Overall, the Gerber Armbar Scout is a great tool for the price. I like the overall design, the slim profile, the handsome detailing on the clip, and the selection of tools (though I could do just as well without the scissors). And for 50 bucks, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better everyday carry multi-tool with a full-length blade for that price.
Price: $50
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