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Gerber Harsey Air Ranger, comments?
- Thread starter Kasy
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2002
- Messages
- 452
I picked up a Colored Air Ranger when they first came out... a blue one. I dont like the bead blasted finish... however the machine textured handle feels so cool and the blue is really nice.. so i had to get one. The construction is similar to alot of knives.. super lightweight, recessed SS liner in the aluminum, open frame build. Its not a hard use knife, but its a nice looking knife, and Gerber stuff ain't all that bad. I think the steel is Gerber's standard stuff.. probably a 420HC, 425 or 440A or something along those lines.. It was really pricey for what i was getting i guess, but the girlfriend really liked it, and i thought it was nice looking, so onto the wall it goes 
I have one and I love it!
I'll start with the overall construction: very pleasing and of high quality. The attention to detail and design is really amazing for a knife this inexpensive. If it were made in the USA instead of Taiwan it would cost twice as much easily.
The materials are very nice and time proven: hardened aircraft aluminum handles (anodized OD green) and an AUS-8 blade. Mine came extemely sharp out of the box (not quite as sharp as my Spydercos but sharper than my Benchmade came new). I like the bead-blasted finish (almost a frosted finish really), and it's a welcome break from the bright reflective Spydercos that I usually carry.
The clip: bead-blasted and non-glare too, it looks very nice against blue jeans. It was alittle too tight when I first got the knife so I bent it out just a hair and now it's just right. It's a good strong clip and designed better than alot of clips on high-dollar knives.
The handles: Although they're aluminum they're textured very nicely, and are certainly non-slip. The diamond texture is graduated from very tiny to larger and is very pleaseing to the eye as well as the hand. The handle shape looks alot like a Terzuola design to me (compare the handle shape of the Harsey Air Ranger to the Spyderco Starmate and you'll see what I mean). It is very comfortable in the hand in a variety of grips.
The blade shape and design is good for all-around utility and is larger than it appears at first (just under 3.25").
The liner-lock is easy and simple and seems to work just fine.
And if you think it's not that strong consider this:
I was curious about the handle and lock strength of this knife and my FRN Endura, so I did a little test of my own.
I hammered my Spyderco Endura, my CRKT M16, and the Air Ranger through about 2.5" of hard cedar (I wrote a review and posted it at the time). I knew I was risking permanent damage to all three knives but I had to know.
Well, they all came out just fine and apparently unharmed.
It's not the most elegant or finest knife around, but I am very impressed with the bang-for-buck, and the more I use it the more I like it.
It's one of the most comfortable knives I own and the only one that gives my Spyderco Endura competition for EDC status.
Good luck,
Allen.
I'll start with the overall construction: very pleasing and of high quality. The attention to detail and design is really amazing for a knife this inexpensive. If it were made in the USA instead of Taiwan it would cost twice as much easily.
The materials are very nice and time proven: hardened aircraft aluminum handles (anodized OD green) and an AUS-8 blade. Mine came extemely sharp out of the box (not quite as sharp as my Spydercos but sharper than my Benchmade came new). I like the bead-blasted finish (almost a frosted finish really), and it's a welcome break from the bright reflective Spydercos that I usually carry.
The clip: bead-blasted and non-glare too, it looks very nice against blue jeans. It was alittle too tight when I first got the knife so I bent it out just a hair and now it's just right. It's a good strong clip and designed better than alot of clips on high-dollar knives.
The handles: Although they're aluminum they're textured very nicely, and are certainly non-slip. The diamond texture is graduated from very tiny to larger and is very pleaseing to the eye as well as the hand. The handle shape looks alot like a Terzuola design to me (compare the handle shape of the Harsey Air Ranger to the Spyderco Starmate and you'll see what I mean). It is very comfortable in the hand in a variety of grips.
The blade shape and design is good for all-around utility and is larger than it appears at first (just under 3.25").
The liner-lock is easy and simple and seems to work just fine.
And if you think it's not that strong consider this:
I was curious about the handle and lock strength of this knife and my FRN Endura, so I did a little test of my own.
I hammered my Spyderco Endura, my CRKT M16, and the Air Ranger through about 2.5" of hard cedar (I wrote a review and posted it at the time). I knew I was risking permanent damage to all three knives but I had to know.
Well, they all came out just fine and apparently unharmed.
It's not the most elegant or finest knife around, but I am very impressed with the bang-for-buck, and the more I use it the more I like it.
It's one of the most comfortable knives I own and the only one that gives my Spyderco Endura competition for EDC status.
Good luck,
Allen.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2002
- Messages
- 721
The Harsey Air Ranger was my first "real" knife outside of a SAK. For the same amount of money, my Delica and Endura are better knives, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with the Air Ranger. It looks good, it's grippy, it's comfortable in forward and reverse grips (though it feels less secure reversed), the clip's nice, the colors are subdued in your pocket, the fit and finish are very good, and it holds a decent edge.
The main problems I've had with it are the screws. The clip screws need to be tightened every once in a while, and when a frame screw worked itself out, I couldn't get it to thread back in straight. This could be my own damned fault, so I don't blame the knife
Bottom line, if you want a work knife, get a Delica. If you just like the looks of the Harsey, get one. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it.
The main problems I've had with it are the screws. The clip screws need to be tightened every once in a while, and when a frame screw worked itself out, I couldn't get it to thread back in straight. This could be my own damned fault, so I don't blame the knife
Bottom line, if you want a work knife, get a Delica. If you just like the looks of the Harsey, get one. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it.