Picked one of these up recently because it was priced well, and I wanted to check out a 4" folder, so figured I'd try it out. I've got an Air Ranger which is amazing and a few other Gerber knives which are great as well. Sadly I have to report that the Icon is nothing but a POS. It has multiple design flaws, one of which actually compromise the integrity of the blade.
1) The first is slight; The thumb stub is nearly flush with the handle, so it's difficult to deploy, and it's flat, not ramped so it makes for an even tougher time getting it opened. It's sharp too, not ergo at all.
2) The lock is a joke and barely holds it open. A light tap on the backside of the knife on a table top and it slams shut; I would never trust my fingers to this knife.
3) Third is the most absurd to me; When closing the knife, neither the thumb stud nor base of the blade itself halt the blade. Instead, the blade travels too far into the skeleton and slams against one of the support pins putting a fat dent in the blade, ruining it. From looking at it, it seems if they moved the pin every so slightly this might have been avoided, but perhaps it would just hit another one and do the same thing.
Anyway, that's my brief experience with the knife. I've sent it back to Gerber and asked for a refund or a substitute as I feel the knife is a complete waste and not useful. Hopefully my notes to them will result in design changes which fix these flaws, but most likely not. It was a cheap knife yes, but I expect more from Gerber honestly.
1) The first is slight; The thumb stub is nearly flush with the handle, so it's difficult to deploy, and it's flat, not ramped so it makes for an even tougher time getting it opened. It's sharp too, not ergo at all.
2) The lock is a joke and barely holds it open. A light tap on the backside of the knife on a table top and it slams shut; I would never trust my fingers to this knife.
3) Third is the most absurd to me; When closing the knife, neither the thumb stud nor base of the blade itself halt the blade. Instead, the blade travels too far into the skeleton and slams against one of the support pins putting a fat dent in the blade, ruining it. From looking at it, it seems if they moved the pin every so slightly this might have been avoided, but perhaps it would just hit another one and do the same thing.
Anyway, that's my brief experience with the knife. I've sent it back to Gerber and asked for a refund or a substitute as I feel the knife is a complete waste and not useful. Hopefully my notes to them will result in design changes which fix these flaws, but most likely not. It was a cheap knife yes, but I expect more from Gerber honestly.