• The rules for The Exchange can be found here. Please read and follow them. Stop using Paypal Friends & Family and follow our best practices to prevent getting ripped off or having a bad deal.

What happened to these guys?

B

bladeboss

Feedback: 0 / 0 / 0
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
3,530
Gerber. Why has the quality been going downhill lately? The older stuff used to be awesome quality, and now they just dont seem to care anymore.
Ever since they got this Bear Grylls thing going on, theyre spewing out all sorts of designs that look like they drew up quick in...like....a 3 minute period.
I havent dared to buy any of their stuff in about 4-5 months now, because i have learned of the low quality since ive been learning more about better brand knives.
So, have they changed because the popularity got to their heads, or do you think its the Bear Grylls thing?
Do you think this makes the older stuff "collectible"?
 
Last edited:
Oh great, now we have teenagers trolling Gerber!?!
Do we really need another slam Gerber thread?
Do you own any per Fiskars Gerbers?

4-5 months way back in the good old days of quality...
 
I think they had slipped off the wagon way before Bear Grylls came into the equation.
 
Superdave1 said:
Oh great, now we have teenagers trolling Gerber!?!
Do we really need another slam Gerber thread?
Do you own any per Fiskars Gerbers?
Click to expand...
No no no! you got me all wrong! I didnt make this for slamming gerber! I have some Gerber knives that i like. Im just seeing a slow downward spiral in them, and im asking if anyone knows why. Im not trolling Gerber, or slamming them.
And yes, i have an older Gerber of much higher quality. Thats how i can tell that the quality is dropping. By comparing the new Gerbers to that one.
 
bladeboss said:
gerber. Why has the quality been going downhill lately? The older stuff used to be awesome quality, and now they just dont seem to care anymore.
Ever since they got this bear grylls thing going on, theyre spewing out all sorts of designs that look like they drew up quick in...like....a 3 minute period.
I havent dared to buy any of their stuff in about 4-5 months now. I used to pick one up for a beater just about every time i went to the mall and it was what i expected (simple, sharp, strong, cheap).
Last time i bought a gerber i was basically smacked in the face with "frost-like" quality.
So, have they changed because the popularity got to their heads, or do you think its the bear grylls thing?
Do you think this makes the older stuff "collectible"?
Click to expand...

edit: Please dont use this thread for trshing gerber! Im just asking if anyone agrees, or knows why the quality is headed downill.
 
The old Gerbers were top of the line...
There are some new models that are ok ymmv.
The low RC steels take a quick sharp edge. Back when I was in the USAF, I didn't want a difficult hard to sharpen on a stone steel. I can remember people complaining about how hard to sharpen 440c was...ala older Bucks
 
idk i got my fast draw and i think its a good knife, the retention sucks ass but other then that the knife is fine for edc
 
Yes, Gerber's quality has gone way down, but it wasn't it the last few months, or even years. Gerber was bought by fiskars in 1987 and ever since has produced predominantly cheap, Chinese made crap. It's been a LONG time since Gerber put out a top quality product. They've been of questionable quality for a while, they just seem to have gotten cheesier since the whole Bear Grylls thing...
 
Superdave1 said:
Oh great, now we have teenagers trolling Gerber!?!
Do we really need another slam Gerber thread?
Do you own any per Fiskars Gerbers?

4-5 months way back in the good old days of quality...
Click to expand...
This is an interesting post. 4-5 months ago Gerber was not very good

4-5 years ago Gerber was not very good

14-15 years ago Gerber was not very good.

If someone born in the 90's is noticing a reduction in Gerber's quality, then that is not very good.

Back in the 70's and early 80's Gerber was top of the line. They have not been there, and were not competing with even non-Chinese Cold Steel, for a while. Fiskars was not kind to Gerber. They are producing some US made knives again, and are using steels like 154CM or S30V in some. But they have also done stuff like move from Sandvik steel down to 420 series or put ABS plastic pieces on handles that did not have them, a la BG stuff.

Gerber sells some ok stuff sometimes. They used to be the top, with high speed steels, new designs, interesting features like the Paul axial lock, etc.
 
hardheart said:
This is an interesting post. 4-5 months ago Gerber was not very good
Click to expand...
Ok. I worded my OP wrong. I basically mean that, im relatively new to better brand knives.
Like Kershaw, Spyderco, and even Cold Steel.
4 or 5 months ago, i didnt know any better, and i loved GERBER stuff.
I worded it wrong.
My bad.
 
Totally understandable. I just didn't know why anyone would be surprised teens would have issues, the BG stuff is definitely not a sign Gerber has turned a corner. One of the premium steel EZ-Outs or military themed/issued fixed blades would be a better sign. I agree that throwing orange plastic at blade/handle and handle/pommel junctures is a bad idea when it means your knife breaks. I believe they fixed that, though.
 
Yeah. I know basic stuff about knives right now. Im learning.
I know what the good-worded brands are, i know how to use a knife, and how NOT to use a knife, and im working my way into owning better stuff lately.
I definitely worded my OP wrong. (i edited it though)
Im also starting to learn the differences in blade steels.
Alot of this stuff is new to me. I have alot of good brands, but i need more stuff, like Spyderco and a ZT, ETC.
So, basically, i wouldnt consider myself a noob, but im no expert.
 
marcinek said:
Read more....
Click to expand...

:thumbup: I know some thread topics will pop up more than once, that's just how it is. That being said though, if you have a question, take advantage of the incredible amount of information within these forums and use the search bar. To answer the question in short though: Fiskars bought Gerber -----> crap products. :D
 
bladeboss said:
Ok. thanks! Sorry if i angered anybody by this thread. I didnt mean to.
Click to expand...

I don't think you angered anybody, its just that this topic has been discussed many many times. In fact, this topic was being discussed before internet forums like this even existed...
 
I have an old Gerber folding knife that I have beat to hell...it still works and I don't care how I treat it.
I also have a newer fixed blade that cost me $24.00. It is a nice sturdy knife that holds its' edge ok...but for the cost I'm not expecting more and it fits the bill nicely for the price point.
I think "price point" is also a key for Gerber. They are, have become, a "big box" knife I think.
The Bear stuff is just the current...or may "jumped the shark" is appropriate here...fad gear to go with the show. I don't blame either Gerber or Bear for making an extra buck on show related merchandise...everyone does it and has for years...this is just more show merchandise.

How about KaBar and their "zombie" knives? Talk about playing up to and merchandising a fad...Get a Zombie Chete and you are ready for the Zombiepocalypse...

Gerber is making and selling knives and stuff for the mass market...that's it in a nut shell...More people will shell out $25.00 for a knife than they will $300 plus.
 
I thought that Fiskars bought Gerber in like 1980. What I do know is that the "Mark" series of combat knives were originally made from L6 and forged L6 at that for the first years of their production. Around 1980, they switched over to some form of stainless, 440C I think, and that, IMO, is when the slide started. The stated reason for changing from the stock removal L6 may have been that the knives would stain if you had impure thoughts in the same house with one of them. :D I have owned both and can tell you that even with my limited experience with knives back them, I could tell the difference big time. With that said, I still have one of the second run gray handled forged L6 Mark II's from the early 70's and also one of the medium brass and rosewood drop point folders from the late 70's/early 80's that I bought new at Oshmans and they are both nice little knives, especially considering how limited your options were especially in the 80's. IIRC, those Gerber folders were not really all that cheap back then. Whatever stainless they were using on those folders also just seemed to work better than what they used on my stainless Mark I.
 
bladeboss said:
i understand lately that ive been somewhat of a troll. i dont mean to be.
i keep posting threads that can cause some ruckus between everyone here on bladefoums.

i also post too much. and im sorry for that. it must be a pain in the ass for all of you to look at page 1 of forums and see 3 or 4 of my crap.
again, im sorry for all the issues i may have caused.
Click to expand...


Read more post less. This thread isn't really a question, you obviously already know peoples opinions on gerber. so either you're starting threads just to get a reaction out of people . . or you're just bored and typing out new threads amuses you.

And i still like gerber just fine. they make a reasonable selection of knives that are quite useful. They do have plenty of designs that i wouldn't buy but so do better respected companies like buck. I would still buy some of their simple backlocks. it boils down to how i answer the question "what brand of knife should i buy?". I might say kershaw, benchmade or spyderco because i happen to like nearly all the knives those companies make but i wouldn't say gerber.
 
Last edited:
My evo's liner lock slides with a tap on the back. Probably because I've used it for two years, but still.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top