 Cable Dawg - Beware seth6984 · 18 · 6815« previous next » Pages: 1 Go Down  seth6984 Cable Dawg - Beware on: September 03, 2011, 11:33:28 PM I am an IT professional and I do several terminations of data and telecommunications a day. I recently found that Gerber launched their Cable Dawg to the public for ~$300. Being a fan of multitools and gadgets I decided to purchase one; seeing that it would replace most of my tool box.I got the tool two weeks ago, my initial reaction taking it out of the box was "wow, this feels cheap". The next day I took it to work to give it a try. I noticed after doing my first termination that the teeth on the RJ45 crimper were not all the same length. Pins 1,2,3 on the RJ45 connector were not being completely terminated due to the teeth not pushing the pins all the way through the wire(s). I tried several other terminations on different styles of connectors; all with the same results. I then noticed that the 10-24 gauge wire strippers did not line up to make a perfect circle. Upon stripping a small wire it would either nick the copper or shear it off. Also the 110 punch down is very hard to use, being that it's not an impact tool (which I knew going in) you have to push extremely hard to cut the wire(s) off. The overall build quality was poor.I decided to return for another unit, thinking that maybe the one I had was defective. I emailed Gerber directly twice and left two phone messages. I have yet to hear anything from them. I had to contact the retailer I purchased from and jump through their hoops. I received the replacement tool today. The replacement has the exact same problems. If it had been a $50 tool I could live with the problems but defects on a $300 tool is unacceptable!I am extremely disappointed with Gerber, what a terrible experience. I have used Leatherman products for years and have several of their high end tools, I will be using them for all my future purchases. This was my first and last purchase from Gerber garbage. « Last Edit: September 04, 2011, 12:08:26 AM by seth6984 »  Sazabi Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #1 on: September 03, 2011, 11:38:04 PM Gerber's service department is still recovering from some computer issues, I believe; and with it being Labor Day weekend, there may be a holiday delay, as well, but you should be hearing back from them shortly. Perhaps the two tools you received were from the same bad batch. When Gerber contacts you back, they will make things right, however. I'm sorry to hear your first two examples of their tools has put you off on them initially, though.  [Edit: Also, welcome to the forum.  ] « Last Edit: September 03, 2011, 11:40:28 PM by Sazabi »   kirk13 Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #2 on: September 03, 2011, 11:39:48 PM Welcome to the forum.Gerbers are always a controversal subject.I've not heard of the Cable Dawg,but I'm sure there'll be someone arround in a minute who has one... There is no beginning,or ending,and for this we are thankful,cos now is hard enough to understand! Merit Badges         J-sews Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #3 on: September 04, 2011, 03:52:44 AM This is extremely disappointing news. Please keep us up to date on how Gerber handles this situation. In order to be certain of having the right tool for every job.........one must first acquire a lot of tools   Chako Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #4 on: September 04, 2011, 03:59:57 AM I agree. A little Leatherman information.Leatherman series articles Merit Badges                 jzmtl Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #5 on: September 04, 2011, 04:17:30 AM I'm wondering if it's because it's a new model. One of the reasons I don't jump on first runs anymore, let them work out the kink first.   Grant Lamontagne Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #6 on: September 06, 2011, 07:57:23 PM With this many significant concerns I sent an email off to one of my contacts at Gerber, who has communicated with the appropriate people and the report from their end says they have tried to communicate with you on this matter.Perhaps there was a typo in your contact info? I would suggest calling them regarding this product.DefSent from my MB860 using Tapatalk Listen to the Official Podcast of Multitool.org: It's The Podcast You Never Knew You Needed brought to you by The Only Forum That Matters! Merit Badges       seth6984 Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #7 on: September 06, 2011, 11:35:56 PM Thank you.I have been communicating with Gerber through a reseller. They are taking care of my claim. It looks as though they are sending me a free tool for all my trouble (I need to verify this).I was contacted today by a rep at Gerber but was unable to take the call.GCS (www.gcswarrior.com) has been the reseller I've been dealing with and they have been great with their support. I highly recommend them after dealing with their VP of Deployment Readiness, Ken Ward.  « Last Edit: September 06, 2011, 11:38:11 PM by seth6984 » seth6984 Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #8 on: September 07, 2011, 12:57:17 AM I just got off the phone with Gerber's engineers. I explained all my issues with the tool. After having a nice conversation with them for about 10min they thanked me for taking the time to give them honest constructive feedback. They are sending me a free Cable Dawg for my trouble and taking the time to speak with them.They also explained that for some reason they didn't receive my email(s) until late Friday and were going to contact me directly today. They also apologized for the delay.After all this I'm still reluctant to trust their quality control. However, I do applaud them for taking it into their own hands to resolve the issue and send me a tool free of charge. I'm very impressed by that aspect of it. « Last Edit: September 07, 2011, 01:04:49 AM by seth6984 »  scrappy Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #9 on: September 07, 2011, 01:33:08 AM good for them. I would love one of these tools but not at $300 J-sews Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #10 on: September 07, 2011, 04:28:13 AM I'm anxious to see how this turns out. (hoping for the best) In order to be certain of having the right tool for every job.........one must first acquire a lot of tools Freudian Frog Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #11 on: September 08, 2011, 01:56:00 AM Let's hope that those two came from a bad batch because a functional free $300 tool would be wooonderful.  Got those frog legs. scrappy Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #12 on: September 08, 2011, 03:35:41 AM Grant, did you tell gerber about my bad experience with a cable dawg you can have them contact me here directly if they would like to send me a new one  J-sews Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #13 on: September 08, 2011, 03:52:28 AM In order to be certain of having the right tool for every job.........one must first acquire a lot of tools seth6984 Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #14 on: September 11, 2011, 05:27:45 PM I got the free Cable Dawg on Friday.This tool doesn't have any of the issues of the previous two. I tested several terminations along with stripping three gauges of wire and it all works fine.Since Gerber sent me the free Cable Dawg I decided to order the Diesel I had been looking at to go with it. The Diesel is decent, has a nice mixture of tools and the build quality is acceptable.I have to say though, after having a Gerber Multi-Plier multitool I prefer Leatherman products. The Leatherman tools are built far better in my opinion; nothing is loose, everything fits perfectly, and on the models I have they use a higher grade steel on the blades (154CM and 420HC).Also, I prefer the opening style of the Leatherman much more than the Gerber. I hate that you need to push the pliers out to get at the knife blade on Diesel. Both of my every-day-carry Leatherman's have the blade on the outside which is a huge plus. I can take the tool off my belt, open the blade, cut, fold, and have it back on my belt before I can even get the blade out of the Diesel. I guess the Diesel is meant to be pliers first and blade second, and Leatherman is the opposite.In any event I'm happy with the Gerbers, especially for getting the Cable Dawg for free. I ordered a Gerber Artifact as well which should be here tomorrow. I thought it was a neat design and a good pocket knife for when a multitool is too bulky to stick in your pocket.   Gareth Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #15 on: September 11, 2011, 05:41:55 PM In fairness both Leatherman and Gerber have MT designs with inside and outside opening blades, so I'd say it's a touch unfair to compare an inside opening Gerber to an outside opening Leatherman. I'm not going to knock you for liking your Leatherman's more though, that's entirely a personal choice. if you want to try an outside opening Gerber have a look at the Flick.http://www.multitool.org/Gerber/Medium-Tools/2008/02/20/flik.htmlAnyway, I'm glad that the guys from Gerber managed to sort you out with a tool that does work as it should.  Be excellent to each other and always know where your towel is. Merit Badges           J-sews Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #16 on: September 12, 2011, 03:20:39 AM Yeah, good to hear that the new one is fine. Hopefully they've worked all of the bugs out of their production.  In order to be certain of having the right tool for every job.........one must first acquire a lot of tools  airballrad Re: Cable Dawg - Beware Reply #17 on: September 12, 2011, 03:51:54 AM Glad to hear everything worked out. I am not in the market for such a tool now, but someday I might be; and reading the way this thread has turned out makes me feel a lot better about the tool than the beginning did. Which I'm sure is exactly why they did as they did. Merit Badges   Pages: 1 Go Up - Multitool.org Forum »
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