Gerber Gear Shard Review

The Gerber Gear Shard Keychain Tool is a nifty little multi-tool that’s great to have while jet-setting around the world. We’ve been testing our Gerber Shard for two years now, and have used it on everything from tightening chairs at Airbnbs to popping off bottle caps.

This little fella is small enough to fit nicely on a keychain and take through airport security rather inconspicuously, which we love. Gerber says the multi-tool is “airline safe” but, of course, that can depend on where you are in the world (or who the security agent is). So far, we haven’t had any problems in airports.

The Gerber Shard consists of seven different tools in one: a pry bar, small flathead driver, wire stripper, larger flathead driver, bottle opener, lanyard hole, and Philips head (or cross driver, as the folks at Gerber refer to it as). And, despite its small size, it excels at doing all of these (although, is lanyard hole really a feature something can excel at?).

The body is stainless steel, with an additional titanium nitride coating for corrosion resistance. We’ve been testing the black, although it’s also available in silver and brown. And two years in, we’re still impressed with how well it’s held up.

Features & Usage

Alright, let’s get into what really matters—the tools.

First up, the pry bar, which is the perfect tool for de-grossing your environment. A used piece of gum on the kitchen table of your Airbnb? Pry it off. An unidentifiable sticky object on the airplane armrest? Pry it off. And if you want to be more traditional, it’s also strong enough to loosen a nail.

Up next, there’s the bottle opener. We’ve been testing this feature quite a bit—just for this review, of course (what other reason would we have?)—and are happy to report that it gets the job done.

Then you have your small and large flathead drivers, as well as your Philips head. The flathead drivers are the two “forks” of the pry bar, while the Philips head is on the opposite end. We’re happy to report that all three work much better than they look like they would. Of course, they’re not perfect—but you can’t expect perfection from multi-tool screwdrivers.

We’ve used them while crashing at long-term AirBnbs to tighten screws on tables and drawers as a nice gesture toward the host, but also for happiness’ sake.

Then there’s the wire stripper. We haven’t used it specifically for wire stripping (yet!), but it can be useful for cutting loose threads or pulls on clothing.

Lastly, there’s the lanyard hole. It’s definitely a nice feature, although we’re not sure we’d call it a “tool”—but to each their own. The hole is on the larger side, so it’ll definitely fit any keychain and various lengths of rope.

The lanyard hole is a great way to attach the Shard to your keychain. Or you could loop some paracord through it and attach it to your bag or belt. Or you could attach the Shard to a decorative, bright keychain before tossing it in an accessory bag so you don’t have to worry about hurting yourself when looking for it. Really, the world is your oyster here.

We also need to point out the little grooves along the sides of the Shard. They’re there to help you grip the Shard while using any of the drivers or the pry bar. We’ve definitely appreciated how you can get a nice firm hold while using the Shard—something we haven’t always found with other multi-tools.

However, even with those grooves, the one issue we’ve had with the Shard tool is its awkward shape. Some other multi-tools out there will fold into themselves, creating sleek edges, while this one just…is what it is. If you toss the Shard in your pocket, there’s a chance those sharp edges could do some damage to the fabric. Definitely not a deal breaker, but just something to keep in mind.

Overall, the Gerber Shard has become an important travel tool in our arsenal. After two years on the road, it’s still holding up nicely with only a few minor blemishes to speak of.

So here’s to another two years.

Gerber Shard Opens A Beer Bottle