Dull Gerber

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posse comatosis

Joined
Oct 24, 2008
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Do Gerber knives normally come dull from the factory or did I just get a fluke of a counterfeit? I can take a new Bolt (440 steel) and push down on the blade hard while dragging it across skin and it won't leave so much as a mark. Nice little spike knife, but WTH??? :confused:
 
The handful of Gerbers I had weren't quite that dull, but I have had at least 1 if not 2 that were in need of a good sharpening just to be trusted to get the job done. There customer service/warranty people were pretty cool. Just call or email them. Or if you got it from a retailer nearby, they may resolve it locally for you. Good luck
 
The title of this thread says it all
"Dull Gerber"
IMO.. Some of there knives come sharp.. But in general they come much duller than other companies
 
Congrats on your first post and welcome to the forums. Who knows, you might even get addicted like the rest of us.
For me gerber is kind of hit or miss, and in general the people around here try to stay away from them. One gerber I bought I think 3 years ago, that was made in Portland, Oregon came sharp, not kershaw, spyderco, or benchmade sharp, but still reasonably sharp. The other gerber, the infamous Paraframe, that I bought maybe a year and a half ago came really dull, infact it was only slightly sharper than the knife you are describing. I never could get that knife reasonably sharp and it is now my firesteel striker. Needless to say that was the last gerber I ever bought. I graduated to higher quality knives as most of the members here have.
 
It doesn't matter all that much to me whether a knife comes to me sharp or not. A Knife is a tool just like my Hand Gun. My .45 didn't come loaded either. I had to do it. And no matter what, If I use it, I'm going to have to load it a gain.. Same with a Knife,. If you are going to use it, you are going to have to sharpen it. If you don't know how. Have some one teach you.

Carrying a knife and not knowing how the sharpen it, make just as much sense as carrying a gun and not knowing how to load it.

For you poor LA, Chicago, NYNY and NJ. folks, ( who can't be trusted by your government to carry a gun) driving a car, and not knowing how to put gas in it. Oop's, that doesn't work for NYNY either! Uh-taking a drink without knowing how to refil the glass?:D
 
That kind of sucks but it was going to go dull anyway from using it. If it seems like a defect free knife in every other way, I say just do now what you would have done then, i.e. have it sharpened or sharpen it yourself.
 
In all seriousness, every Gerber I've had has come pretty sharp. They just tend to dull very quickly. I'd get used to sharpening it!
 
I will try today to sharpen it on a Lansky. But I see a round diamond file is offered specifically for Gerbers. We'll see what can be done. Factory dullness of this magnitude seems like a warranty issue.
 
posse comatosis said:
I will try today to sharpen it on a Lansky. But I see a round diamond file is offered specifically for Gerbers. We'll see what can be done. Factory dullness of this magnitude seems like a warranty issue.
Click to expand...

Not really a warranty issue. Spend some time browsing the threads around here and you'll find that most Gerbers are not very good quality. The fit, finish, and steels that they use are pretty terrible. I used to have a few Gerbers myself until I spent some time here and "saw the light". Save up for a good knife and you'll never go back, I haven't. :D
 
i have several knives made of 440c and they sharpen up really nice no matter what edge you put on them.
 
No. In all likelihood, you will have a hell of time sharpening it, and when you do it will not hold that good of an edge. I confiscated one of those Wal-Mart gerbers at my old job, took it home and grinded the hell out of it. Piece of junk IMO.

Take the Gerber back and order this: http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=244.

I can't believe how good of a deal that is.
 
grinding the heck out of a knfe isnt the way to do it. maybe someone who knows what they are doing can get it sharp.
 
^^^ maybe I didn't use the right adjectives. Yes you can get any knife sharp by reprofiling the edge, but that doesn't change the fact that 440a(b) is crap steel and won't hold the edge. By the time he pays someone to do it, he will have had more invested in the sharpening than the knife is worth.
 
I'm sure the knife is capable of being sharpened, but how long it would hold that edge I don't know. 440A can be a farily good steel type as long as you don't expect it to perform like S30V. The problem is not the steel so much as the manufacturer. For example Kershaw has made many top notch knives in 440A and they get the best out of the steel. Some companies just don't care enough.
 
My Gerber 600-series DET multitool is a neat package, but its partially serrated blade came as dull as a butter knife. I spent a good half hour with my SharpMaker and its diamond-coated and ceramic rods to get it shaving sharp. After that little bit of initial maintenance, it's be A-OK. :)
 
Well, it took a fair edge right quick with the Lansky set at twenty degrees cant. Not real hard steel obviously, marked as 440 only on the blade. I won't be using this knife for anything right off, so if it goes dull, it will probably be from rubbing the sheath and oxidation. The serrated edge remains dull as flat concrete until I get some kind of round sharpener that fits.

This is the first time I ever used a Lansky sharpener. It's similar to the clamp on guides for sharpening chain saw teeth. It is consistent on the angle of dangle, I will say that.
 
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