I normally don’t like Gerber due to the design and (in my opinion) sub-Leatherman quality, but seeing the Gerber Curve on YouTube made me run off to ebay to get one.

Tiny multitools seem to be in these days. Victorinox has their Classic which really is a classic by now since it came out in 1935. Wenger of course ripped that one off with the Esquire which is basically identical. Recently Leatherman also made it’s move in this segment and released the Style, which in my opinion is a a waste of space compared to the Classic (and again, a more or less direct ripoff as far as tools go). The Gerber however flips off most of the tools on the Classic in order to go another route with its Curve, and has created a pocket knife that has neither scissors nor tweezers. What it does have is a blade, two different sized flathead screwdrivers, a combination Phillips head screwdriver and file and a combination bottle opener and carabiner hook. What really makes it stand out is that all of the tools lock by using a small spring based slide lock in the handle. Multitools that lock all the tools are few and very far between, and I don’t know of any multitool that’s even half close to the size of the Curve that has a full set of locking tools (with the exception of those that have only a blade).

Having tools that lock is a major advantage when you both cut something open and use screwdrivers, even if the tools are small and can’t take as much torque as a full sized tool. The screwdrivers on the Curve seem solid though, and compared to for example the Phillips head on the Leatherman Style CS it’s not a long-ass tool that will twist off in the middle if you apply too much torque. I have to say that even though I like scissors, I have great respect for Gerber’s choice of tools in this thing. A blade plus a set of screwdrivers – all of which lock – will get you a LONG way with many everyday tasks. The Curve also has the advantage that the skeletonized design (much like the LM Style CS, Freestyle and Skeletool) combined with the relatively few tools (compared to something like the Leatherman Squirt) makes it a very lightweight tool, which makes it much more practical to wear on a keychain. The carabiner also helps in that, since part of the tool wraps around the keyring instead of the solution that the Victorinox Classic or Leatherman Style uses where you have to have a smaller keyring act as a connecting piece to the main key ring. This results in at least half an inch less “dangling” on the Curve’s part, and it makes it appear so much smaller in comparison.

The blade also has an advantage over some of its competitors in that it’s a full double bevel edge instead of the chisel type edg that you often find on tools this small. It’s also thicker and wider than blades on similar tools, and these two points makes it feel more like a small knife and less like a sharp letter opener. I don’t really care much about the grind on knives these small, but the thickness is definitely a winner in my book, and a double bevel grind is more practical on a blade this thick if you ask me.

Overall I think the Gerber Curve is a very stylish knife, much more so than it’s competitors – but keep in mind I’m one of those who love the look of the Skeletool, so your mileage might vary on that point. On a more objective note, the Curve is well put together and I think the size, weight and carabiner makes it one of the most keychain friendly multitools out there. As for the tools the lack of scissors might be a dealbreaker for some, but considering the $10 price tag you can find it for many places it’s worth buying just to have a set of locking screwdrivers on your keychain.

Make sure to check out the video below the pictures to see the Curve in more detail.