Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

Is it weird to call a knife sexy? Yes. Is Gerber's Octane Multi-tool a sexy knife? Yes.

Before you call the cops, let's back up a bit. Multi-tools are handy, but they're generally not the coolest-looking pieces of outdoor gear around. Multi-tools used to be something that I wouldn't carry on me, but I was always glad when someone had one around, but the Octane has definitely made a believer out of me.

What really stands out is how well the Octane works with one hand. If you sqeeze it between two fingers, the pliers pop out of the top, and the blade is contained in an external sheath, so it opens with a flip of the thumb. It's got a partially serrated 2.75-inch blade, pliers, a Phillips screwdriver, 2 standard screwdrivers, wire cutter, pry bar, a bottle opener, and a clamshell packaging opener.

Did you hear that last one? A clamshell packaging opener. Not one week before I got this thing, I had to go King Kong on a bluetooth headset that was trapped inside one of those things. All the other tools are awesome, the pliers are strong, and the blade is just plain sweet, but I've got a feeling that the clamshell package opener is going to change my life.

But a lot of multi-tools are functional. What sets the Octane apart is how cool it looks. It's small (4 inches closed) and light (5 oz.) enough to fit in your pocket, but sweet-looking enough to whip it out and show it off every chance you get. It's got a sleek, ergonomically curved profile, the slots drilled throughout the body add texture to it, and the blade sheath adds color to the traditional metallic gray.

I was showing a friend this knife, and he said "If I lost my hand in an accident, and they put this on my wrist...I'd be okay with it."

Indeed.

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