Comparation Gerber Gator vs. Morakniv Garberg knives

not2sharp said:
Gerber's product line was destroyed when Fiskars acquired them. They used to be a premium maker, but they haven't made much that's worth having since the mid 1990s. Buy the Mora, you will be much happier.

n2s
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Ok, @not2sharp, thank you! I will buy Mora probably!
 
OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
The Garberg is definitely a known quantity in terms of quality, although their carbon blades are probably more popular.
14C28N on a scandi grind (although IIRC the Garberg comes with a microbevel) is definitely going to be easier to sharpen than S30V, especially in the field.
Carbon would be even easier to sharpen (with tradeoffs in corrosion resistance and absolute edge retention), and can spark a flint.

If carbon steel is okay with you, the Condor Terrasaur is very competitive with the Garberg but about half the price.
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I have owned close to a dozen Moras including the Garberg, and recently got a Condor Terrasaur. Though I always love the consistent quality of Mora and Garberg is no exception, in terms of knife balance and hand feel, I too would recommend Terrasaur over Garberg.

I felt the blade shape, belly, thickness and weight of Terrasaur is generally more useful for wood related task and more nimble in hand(YMMV). However, Terrasaur fit and finish is not as good as Garberg, but I think value and performance wise, Terrasaur is a better candidate for 'bushcraft' task.
 
I'd pick a Mora between the two as well.

The Terava Jaakaripuukko can also be had for about $80 usd including shipping with a nice leather sheath. Search youtube for some videos. Another great bang for the buck knife.

I will say this about Gerber. Yes, the QC is hit or miss but I like my Gator folder (154cm and a nice, fat, Mora-like handle), Strongarm (it was a good deal when they were $45), and an old 600 multi-tool. I'm very happy with my 3 Gerbers but I would hesitate to buy a new one unless I could hold it in my hand first.
 
comis said:
I have owned close to a dozen Moras including the Garberg, and recently got a Condor Terrasaur. Though I always love the consistent quality of Mora and Garberg is no exception, in terms of knife balance and hand feel, I too would recommend Terrasaur over Garberg.

I felt the blade shape, belly, thickness and weight of Terrasaur is generally more useful for wood related task and more nimble in hand(YMMV). However, Terrasaur fit and finish is not as good as Garberg, but I think value and performance wise, Terrasaur is a better candidate for 'bushcraft' task.
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Thank you!
I watched some reviews for Terrasaur yesterday. I saw this knife has good feedback but I like more the finish of Garberg.
 
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In my experience American made Gerber products are still great, their Chinese stuff is just about overpriced gas station quality and I won't touch it.

I don't like scandi grinds so of the two my choice would be the gator, but in general I'd rather have something old school in carbon steel.
 
Modern Gerbers are not what the old ones were. Functional yes, but not like the Gerbers of the 'old days'.

Regarding Mora blade steel; not the choice of steel snobs or amateur metallurgists but, it really works well in the 'real world'. Why? It sharpens relatively easily with normal things or even a river stone. Edge holding is certainly good enough for most people in most normal uses. Stain, or rust, resistance is very good as well.

Sandvik 14C28N is a generally under-rated blade steel by many forum users but, in the real world it simply works well.

The Garberg is a good hard use knife and I really like mine but, the Kansbool and Mora2000 are the real 'sleepers' and what I would generally recommend. The thin tip and with the robust 'shank' gives you the best of both worlds for many uses. The thin tip and front section is great for slicing (lunch meat, tomatoes, etc.) and the thicker back section for splitting small wood and similar hard or high pressure cutting.

If you need a full tang and a more dedicated hard use blade, the Garberg is going to work a bit better overall. However, in my world, the finesse of the Kansbool/Mora2000 is hard to beat.
 
Sid Post said:
Modern Gerbers are not what the old ones were. Functional yes, but not like the Gerbers of the 'old days'.

Regarding Mora blade steel; not the choice of steel snobs or amateur metallurgists but, it really works well in the 'real world'. Why? It sharpens relatively easily with normal things or even a river stone. Edge holding is certainly good enough for most people in most normal uses. Stain, or rust, resistance is very good as well.

Sandvik 14C28N is a generally under-rated blade steel by many forum users but, in the real world it simply works well.

The Garberg is a good hard use knife and I really like mine but, the Kansbool and Mora2000 are the real 'sleepers' and what I would generally recommend. The thin tip and with the robust 'shank' gives you the best of both worlds for many uses. The thin tip and front section is great for slicing (lunch meat, tomatoes, etc.) and the thicker back section for splitting small wood and similar hard or high pressure cutting.

If you need a full tang and a more dedicated hard use blade, the Garberg is going to work a bit better overall. However, in my world, the finesse of the Kansbool/Mora2000 is hard to beat.
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I appreciate your answer, S Sid Post ! I like as well Mora Kansbol but I prefer full tang! Thank you!
 
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I have a couple dozen fixed blade knives at this point, but the Garberg is still what ends up on my belt when I am camping or hiking. Great features (full tang, protruding pommel, 90 degree spine, good stock thickness, etc), excellent fit and finish, and good steel... All while not being so expensive that I would be devastated if I lost or had to abuse it. It’s a great knife.

The stainless 14c28n version uses good steel, but they also make a carbon version (which is what I purchased), that performs better for me. An added bonus to the Garberg is that they are such popular bushcraft knives that you can find a plethora of reasonably priced, quality leather sheaths with slots for firesteels and whatnot.

ESEE, Becker, and several other companies also have some great bushcrafting knives in this price range that I would check out. I wouldn’t count out a good carbon steel blade in the bush even with all the reasonably priced diamond stones on the market.
 
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gazz98 said:
I'd pick a Mora between the two as well.

The Terava Jaakaripuukko can also be had for about $80 usd including shipping with a nice leather sheath. Search youtube for some videos. Another great bang for the buck knife.

I will say this about Gerber. Yes, the QC is hit or miss but I like my Gator folder (154cm and a nice, fat, Mora-like handle), Strongarm (it was a good deal when they were $45), and an old 600 multi-tool. I'm very happy with my 3 Gerbers but I would hesitate to buy a new one unless I could hold it in my hand first.
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Thank you, gazz98 gazz98 ! Terävä Jääkäripuukko is really good buck knife! Regarding Gerber, I like very much Gator Premium but I haven't the opportunity to keep it on my hand so, I don't want to take the risk with it. :)
 
Fixall said:
The stainless 14c28n version uses good steel, but they also make a carbon version (which is what I purchased), that performs better for me. An added bonus to the Garberg is that they are such popular bushcraft knives that you can find a plethora of reasonably priced, quality leather sheaths with slots for firesteels and whatnot.

Can you give me more details regarding why Garberg carbon version is better than stainless 14C28N for you, please?
For me, as a beginner, what type of blade recommend you?
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Fixall said:
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The stainless 14c28n version uses good steel, but they also make a carbon version (which is what I purchased), that performs better for me. An added bonus to the Garberg is that they are such popular bushcraft knives that you can find a plethora of reasonably priced, quality leather sheaths with slots for firesteels and whatnot.

ESEE, Becker, and several other companies also have some great bushcrafting knives in this price range that I would check out. I wouldn’t count out a good carbon steel blade in the bush even with all the reasonably priced diamond stones on the market.
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Lika said:
Thank you, gazz98 gazz98 !Terävä Jääkäripuukko is really good buck knife! Regarding Gerber, I like very much Gator Premium but I haven't the opportunity to keep it on my hand so, I don't want to take the risk with it. :)
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When bounded by the original two options, the Garberg is an easy choice. When you open things up to other brands and knives, things get complex fast! Personally, I'm a fan of ESSE which is a very good VALUE choice in carbon steel. The Terava is the one I would get FIRST IF I LIVED IN THE EU. The Terava Pukko is deceptively simple looking but, it really packs the goods for a harder use option. In terms of Esse 1095 vs. Terava 80crv2, both steels are going to perform similarly assuming they are heat treated the same. I would suspect the Terava heat treat would be slightly optimized for use in Arctic conditions but, that isn't a concern of mine in Texas. ;)

The Terava Pukko is relatively cheap if you don't factor in the additional cost of their EXCELLENT sheath.
 
Lika said:
For me, as a beginner, what type of blade recommend you?
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In general, carbon versus stainless steels has several factors to consider which may not be relevant to your use.

Carbon steels will strike a ferro rod to start a fire, stainless won't.
Carbon steels are generally easier to sharpen with simple tools.
Carbon steels will generally tolerate prying better.
Carbon steels will generally take batoning wood better.
Carbon steel edge holding is generally better and can take a steeper (thinner) edge bevel.

Stainless is a lot easier for most people to take care of.
Stainless is generally better for novice users.
Stainless is rust resistant and a good choice long term storage.
Edge holding is generally more than adequate for most users.
A seemingly dull knife (on most stamped stainless steels) can be restored by running the edge against a hard edge to straighten the cutting edge (think common 'sharpening' steels in knife blocks which re-align the edge).
Stainless will generally bend and not snap when pried beyond its limits.

This assumes common non-super steels so, common stamped stainless varieties and simple carbon. Moving to Powdered Metals and complex metallurgy is a whole different topic and overwhelming for most novices. This also assume simple heat treats, skipping differential heat treats, cryogenics, etc.
 
Thanks,
it seems that carbon steel is better than stainless but in my case I think it’s better to go on Garberg Stainless.
 
My first real knife was in carbon steel and I really love it to this day.

Carbon steel is much more forgiving for newbies. It's easier to resharpen and it will perform better in all areas except corrosion resistance.

It also teaches you to maintain your knife. You take care for your knife the same way it does to you.

And either beat up blade coating or stained blade will give your knife character.
 
No way! I’m in the dark now!
I cannot decide between carbon steel and stainless.
As well, I like a lot black leather sheath.
I’ll use the knife a few time on year not regularly but...
I want to have universal knife...for bushcrafting, preparing food, animal sacrificing, fire starting etc.
 
MORA.

On the last Gerber I had they "forgot" to heat treat the blade. Slicing chilled (not frozen) butter dulled it.

I'll never own another Gerber even if they paid me to take it. IMHO Gerber is several steps below the made in Pakistan or Afghanistan FROST knife shaped objects.
 
L Lika If your going to use the knife with a ferro rod or flint to start fires, then carbon steel is your only choice. Stainless won't spark.
 
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