Gerber blade question

A

azmark

Joined
Jan 31, 2010
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6
:confused:
I'm choosing a folding knife for EDC. I'm looking into several different companies, and I just checked out the Air Ranger from Gerber. It seems that Gerber is the only company I've looked at that doesn't tell you what they make their blades out of. The website only says "high carbon" steel. I've looked around on the internet to try to find out what Gerber uses to make their blades, but I'm having no luck.

Can anybody help me out here? What experiences have you guys had with Gerber?
 
Most people on this site will tell you that their stuff is just awful, will fall apart, etc. How much of that is based on actual experiences, I don't know. I've found that, in general, they're okay. They're not great, and they have a few poor quality knives, but they also have some good knives, especially for work knives. I don't have the one you're talking about but I do like the AR 3.0 and the Profile folder, the Evo wasn't too bad, the Paraframe knives suck however. Better knives are out there, but Gerbers are okay for what they cost.
 
Hey azmark,

Gerber is known for their mystery steel.
But they have pretty good knives.
For EDC I would go with a Spyderco or a Benchmade maybe even a Cold Steel.
Yes they cost more but, in the long run they are way better.
I would recommend you get the Benchmade Monochrome, or the Spyderco Tenacious.
The Tenacious is like $50.
The Monochrome is like $60.
So the Gerber is not a good choice for EDC.
 
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azmark said:
Can anybody help me out here? What experiences have you guys had with Gerber?
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Some of the first "good" knives I bought back in the day were Gerbers, and I still have many of them. However, the sad fact is that while once Gerber was a maker of good quality knives, their product quality suffered drastically when they moved their production off-shore. While they do still make a few good products, for the most part there are many better alternatives. :o

Specifically with regard to the steel used in their Air Ranger, I'm afraid I don't know either. However, I don't know of a single company that doesn't tell you when they are using good steel. If they are vague or totally silent on the type of steel in their knives, I take that as an almost sure sign it's something cheap. :rolleyes:
 
The Monochrome and Tenacious are made in Taiwan and China, respectively. Should that cause me any concerns?
 
I'm too young to really remember Gerber knives of the 80's.

I picked up a Gerber multi-tool mid 90's, hated it.

The 06 (?) is s30v, seems sturdy.
 
azmark said:
The Monochrome and Tenacious are made in Taiwan and China, respectively. Should that cause me any concerns?
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No. Spyderco quality control is about the best in the industry.

You might also want to consider the Ka-Bar Dozier and the Ontario Rat 1. Both are good knives at very reasonable prices.
 
The Air Ranger is one of the better Gerber knives but for the price you can get something better. Id go for the Buck Vantage Pro, its easily the best bang for the buck EDC blade on the market right now. What other knife do you know thats made by a well respected company like Buck, uses S30V w/ BOS HT, has G10 handles and is made right here in the good ole USA!
 
I have to agree about Gerber Paraframe being poor. It's the only knife I threw away.
 
I've owned 3 gerber fixed blades and all three had wildly different steels :confused:

The Mk. II I had was 420HC as advertised - never used it, so I can't vouch for the quality. I can assume it'll perform like any run-of-the-mill 420, though. My Guardian had some kind of god-awful pot metal for a blade, I was completely and utterly unable to get it sharp. Sure, it was pointy, so I suppose it fulfilled its 'glorified shiv' role, but I could not get the steel to take an edge. My Big Rock actually seems to have very useable steel - seems like 440A, imho. So, it's pretty soft and won't hold an edge for very long, but it's extremely easy to put a good edge on it and it doesn't seem prone to chipping at all (if a good swift impact with some concrete won't chip the edge, I'd say the steel is at least acceptable :eek:).

So, I'm not sure what steel the Air Ranger uses, but the Gerber Steels I've had experience with are all over the place :confused:.
 
I don't know about the blade steel but I do have and have carried both the Gerber AR 3.0 and the Harsey Air Ranger at different times in my life and I love both of these knives. They are excellent knives, great for EDC. Sure the ergos could be better and the steel could be better but they are excellent knives. I have found that the steel holds an edge well and sharpens up without to much trouble at all. Now it is nothing like 154 CM or S30V but it gets the job done. All in all they are great knives for the money.
 
azmark said:
The Monochrome and Tenacious are made in Taiwan and China, respectively. Should that cause me any concerns?
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No. It should not. Both are excellent and the fit and finish are great.

Gerber is owned by Fiskars and the corporation has set a target customer group who are typically less discriminating than those who hang out here.

Monochrome and Tenacious are made by Benchmade and Spyderco, respectively. Their target customer group IS discriminating and it shows in the quality of the product.

When it comes to fit and finish, alloys used, and heat treat. Worry about whose name is on the knife more than where it is made.

To answer your first question: If he alloy on a Gerber blade in not identified, it is usually 440A or 420HC.

My experience with Gerber knives is that usually I can get more knife for the same amount of money from other knife companies. Some of Gerber's low end knives are of dubious quality. Gerber's high end knives are said to be good, but I never buy them because I can get a better knife from somebody else for less money.
 
cgmblade said:
No. Spyderco quality control is about the best in the industry.

You might also want to consider the Ka-Bar Dozier and the Ontario Rat 1. Both are good knives at very reasonable prices.
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Seems to me that what you are implying is that a good knife CAN be made in China or Taiwan?? Then that means that "made in USA" doesn't ALWAYS matter for a quality product, but the company does.... :rolleyes:

Just clarifying....


To the OP, Gerber knives have always been good quality for the $ for me. Like another poster said, many folks here live to bash a few decent manufacturers whether or not their critiques hold water.

Ask yourself if you like the feel of the knife and whether you would be comfortable using it. That matters much more than the type of steel it's made with.:thumbup:
 
GWashington1732 said:
I don't have the one you're talking about but I do like the AR 3.0 and the Profile folder, the Evo wasn't too bad, the Paraframe knives suck however. Better knives are out there, but Gerbers are okay for what they cost.
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I inherited an AR3.0 from my brother.
It's pretty smooth actually. The coating on the blade came off really easily, so i decided to scrape off the rest. The lock however is quite weak. I wouldnt trust it under stress.

I have a Gerber machete, its soft, the finish is poor and the way the tang extends into the handle is shallow and scary.

I looked at a Compact Sport 400 multitool today.
I wasnt impressed by the quality at all.

Gerber is no good in my books. But i would consider the prodigy or the LMF if one came along for the right price
 
FTO_dude said:
I inherited an AR3.0 from my brother.
It's pretty smooth actually. The coating on the blade came off really easily, so i decided to scrape off the rest. The lock however is quite weak. I wouldnt trust it under stress.

I have a Gerber machete, its soft, the finish is poor and the way the tang extends into the handle is shallow and scary.

I looked at a Compact Sport 400 multitool today.
I wasnt impressed by the quality at all.

Gerber is no good in my books. But i would consider the prodigy or the LMF if one came along for the right price
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Interesting feedback. Good to here an honest evaluation of the knives based on actual usage. Thanks!
If you don't care for the 400 multitool, look into the Deisel of Freehand. Both are a few bucks more, but much sturdier. I love the One hand deployment of the pliers.
Also, give a hard look at the LMF. i love mine! The prodigy is supposed to be equally as nice, but I haven't had the pleasure to play with one yet.
 
i already own an LM wave, i was just looking at the gerber for comparative purposes.

just having a quick look on the gerber website, this looks interesting
http://www.gerberuk.com/index.php/product/id/443
even with the partially serrated edge looks like there is still plenty of straight edge
The scales look a little cheap but that can be fixed.
i feel all embarrased now becuase i might actually look into one of these
 
Drink the Gerber Koolaid and come the darkside with me.
OK, here's the deal with me prefs: I like both Gerber and Leatherman tools. I like the feel of both. What I prefer about the Gerbers is the on hand opening. Other than that, I like the stainless finish on the Leathermans.
(Confession, I have a secret lust for the Vic... Does this just make me a multitool whore???)

I feel dirty all of a sudden.
 
FTO Dude, How do you like your Wave? I'm debatitng my next Purchase, and that's ont that I'm thinking about.
 
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