A word or two of praise for a true Giant of Cutlery

Ethan Becker

Ethan Becker

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Last night I spotted on Bill Harsey’s Instagram feed that Pete Gerber had left the room.....I think Very few of us knife nuts realize how much Mr. Gerber contributed to the cutlery community....

He was an incredible innovator in his own right. the first real quality knife I ever touched probably in the early fifties was Pete”s “White Hunter” it had a fully contoured aluminum handle which was my first ever hint about”ergonomics”. The knife belonged to my older and much larger brother and when I borrowed it once I got an interesting lesson in advanced pain management... I later used a set of dishwasher pitted Gerber steak knives to begin my knife modification experiments... Which is why I am where I am today.

Pete Gerber was a very smart man and was one of the very first to spot, support and collaborate with other brilliant designers... Just off the top of my head the list includes,Pete Kershaw, Al Mar, Colonel Rex Applegate/Bill Harsey and Blackie Collins.....Oops I forgot the Paul knife.....

He IS the reason that Portland Oregon is one of the leading and most innovative centers of our cutlery universe....

Unfortunately I had only a peripheral connection to Mr. Gerber. I had met him at SHOT Shows but,of course, it was just a friendly hi and how are you. I did have a great conversation with him when Wallace Fennel, then principal salesman for Camillus, Bruce Bramlett now with ESSE and Jim Furgal, the president of Camillus ran into the Gerbers during an Alaska Bear hunt at the Ketchikan Trading Post. Wallace had been a Star salesman and good friend of Pete’s and Jim was an old friend.... I was mostly a fascinated bystander but, it was a memorable meeting...

I thought then that the rumors of his friendliness and kindness was right on... a bright and fine gentleman.

What an incredible legacy he has left us.....Kershaw Knives, Al Mar Knives A plethora of his own knives and the great collaborations.....

There has been a tear in the wall of the cutlery universe and it will be a while before it heals.

God Speed, Pete Gerber and I hope you are at rest in a happy place...
 
Wow, R.I.P.

On a much lighter note, good to see you back around Ethan.
 
Hey Warrior...
I am gonna post a wee note on my absence a bit later.... I miss you and the rest of the people here.... I will explain in just a bit... Gotta get my thoughts(no laughter,pleas) in order.... I hope you have been well and spending a lot of time at the cabin....E
 
wow - that's a bummer.
my first "real" knife was a buck folding hunter I received as a gift.
then I discovered Gerber's and a lot of lawn mowing $$ was left at the local flea market for the next few years.

good to see you posting again - wish I could make it to Blade West to hang out.
 
My first knife I ever bought was a Gerber....
Early mid eighties. A beautiful little folder. One side of the scales were abalone, the other side mother of pearl....it was gorgeous, cost me a lot, I wasn't even 12 when I went with my dad to a gun store and bought it.

I later gave it to a girl, it was my most prized possession, and wanted to show her I cared.....wish I had That knife back!

The Gerber's gave me good memories, and taught Me knife etiquette.... Thank You.
 
R.I.P. Mr Gerber :thumbsup: Condolences to his family. My favorite folder for a long time was a Gerber Gator 650 :) it was so light compared to another popular folder in that size range :D
 
RIP.

I have owned gerbers before but had no knowledge of the man and history. Thanks for sharing wish it was under better circumstances. Good to see you here. That meeting on the bear hunt sounds like a great memory.
 
ZPQL3Ex
ZPQL3Ex

In tribute RIP
Sorry photo trouble.
ZPQL3Ex
 
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Gerber Gator was my first folder.
RIP Pete Gerber.

Ethan, you have been one of my favorite maker /designers since I was about 10.
Thank You for doing what you do.
Al
 
I liked the Mark II even more after I read the sulsas book...cept them 17 degree angled ones that felt like ya had a bent blade.And the FS II I eventually gave to my papaw was a good knife but I always wanted a loonium hafted Vascowear bladed outdoor knife.Yeah Mr.Gerber made his Mark I reckon.
 
I don't know how much bigger a name in knives you can get than Gerber? To all things eternal, we march.
Glad to hear from Ethan again though!!
 
Mr Gerber's knives were the ones that got me hooked on steel. My friends all had Buck 110s so I had to be different. At one time I had all of the folding Sportsman models, several Silver Knights and a bunch of fixed blades.
This presentation 400 was the first knife I saved up to buy. It's been on every hunting trip I've been on and has been bloodied more times than I can count. It's still the blade that I use to judge all others.
RIP Mr Gerber.
72789840_2650676494983825_1161589203876708352_o.jpg
 
Ethan Becker said:
Hey Mack...

what a great blade to build memories on!

e
Click to expand...
Thank you, Ethan. I fell in love with it when I first picked it up. They sure made fine, comfortable blades back in the day.
 
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