Gerber Instant- The Comeback Kid?

[umustbready]

I will let you know how the warranty exchange works out.

 

[StaTiK]

Verdict If Gerber made it available with a plain edge, uncoated blade, with manual deployment and a tip-up option, I’d buy three and call it the best knife under $50. As it is, I won’t hesitate to recommend it to those new people on the forums who want a folder that can do everything under $50.

It sure looks cool, but the Buck Vantage Select (large) is plain edge, uncoated blade, with manual deployment, a tip-up option, real steel, and made in America for under $30... just sayin'. I've purchased a LOT of knives and I'm a little disappointed that my Buck Vantage Select kicks so many out of my pocket.

As for Gerber, I feel compelled to defend their warranty coverage. I had a knife that needed some repair work after years of hard use. The knife was discontinued so I sent it in with a letter saying that it had sentimental value to me (it did) and to return it rather than replace if it could not be fixed. I was concerned that they would not be able to find parts for the discontinued knife and instead send me a Paraframe (yuck). They fixed it, sharpened it, and returned it along with a brand-new-in-box duplicate all free of charge. Yes, the knife has "mystery steel" with a slight patina and is severely pocket worn, but I've been all over the world and in the worst conditions you can imagine so those scars were earned.

Gerber, if you're listening, I like more than a few of your designs but I can't get past 1)"mystery steel", 2) combo edges, 3)tip-down only carry. Those are cheap fixes that can definitely bring back customers. Better QC and steel will drive up prices so I don't know if those will work for your corner of the market, but the first three are "no brainers".

-StaTiK-

 

[TheGent]

Mystery steel or not. My DMF and Myth have proven to be two great Gerber knives. Both imports and unlisted steel. I used a freeman fixed blade when they first came out. That too was mystery steel. Used it for nearly five years for all manner of tasks (Hunting and Bushcraft mostly). May have sharpened it five times. Bought an lMF II the day they hit stores and never had a single problem all around. 90 % of the comments that "Gerber sucks" are made by people who have never picked one up and used it. And that's a shame. Never had one of their multitools break on me either. But every company has a warrenty because there is a chance of something breaking, weather its a Benchmade or Gerber. Maybe I've been lucky. And yes, I bought the Gerber Myth because of the commercial. I want the bow in that commercial too. Great review. Might have to pick the instant up too.

 

[mqqn]

Due to this review, and letting me know that this knife has a ball bearing pivot, I just ordered one for $35 -

Thanks for the review (although I just saw it) and I look forward to this knife.

I will put it in the console of my truck and replace the old s&w liner lock that has been riding there.

best

mqqn

 

[mlanghornes]

It sure looks cool, but the Buck Vantage Select (large) is plain edge, uncoated blade, with manual deployment, a tip-up option, real steel, and made in America for under $30... just sayin'. I've purchased a LOT of knives and I'm a little disappointed that my Buck Vantage Select kicks so many out of my pocket.

As for Gerber, I feel compelled to defend their warranty coverage. I had a knife that needed some repair work after years of hard use. The knife was discontinued so I sent it in with a letter saying that it had sentimental value to me (it did) and to return it rather than replace if it could not be fixed. I was concerned that they would not be able to find parts for the discontinued knife and instead send me a Paraframe (yuck). They fixed it, sharpened it, and returned it along with a brand-new-in-box duplicate all free of charge. Yes, the knife has "mystery steel" with a slight patina and is severely pocket worn, but I've been all over the world and in the worst conditions you can imagine so those scars were earned.

Gerber, if you're listening, I like more than a few of your designs but I can't get past 1)"mystery steel", 2) combo edges, 3)tip-down only carry. Those are cheap fixes that can definitely bring back customers. Better QC and steel will drive up prices so I don't know if those will work for your corner of the market, but the first three are "no brainers".

-StaTiK-

Yes, the Buck Vantage is an extremely good knife, but for me, the ergos and traction on this knife are better. I would, of course, prefer the Instant to be made in the US. I hear you, though, the Vantages tend to stay in one's edc rotation for a long time. Have you tried the small? Man, what a great small edc knife...

 

[mqqn]

I received my Instant already.

It is well made and seems of high quality. I had to open and close mine until the coating was worn off of the tang where the deployment spring rides, as this was causing the blade to "stick" in the closed position making it very hard to open via thumbstud.

After a hundred cycles (roughly) the knife opens clean, and is very sturdy in terms of lockup.

The blade is centered very well (a bugaboo of mine), and the action is very smooth - free wheeling if you push in on the lock disengagement button.

This is a very good knife that would be outstanding if it were made in USA and had better steel. (personal opinion of course).

As it is, it is a great value and worth picking up for general use duty.

best

mqqn

 

[Lycosa]

Good ending. ^

 

[TheGent]

I went out and bought one 4 days ago. Love the knife. Took it hunting. It didn't fail me, but I like a more sturdy lock (lock back, wedge, liner) if it were my only blade in the bush, which it wasn't, but what if it was. Not a single problem with the knife. I just can't bring myself to trust that lock regardless of who makes the knife.

 

[chiral.grolim]

I went out and bought one 4 days ago. Love the knife. Took it hunting. It didn't fail me, but I like a more sturdy lock (lock back, wedge, liner) if it were my only blade in the bush, which it wasn't, but what if it was. Not a single problem with the knife. I just can't bring myself to trust that lock regardless of who makes the knife. So its really not an an all around do anything knife for me.

Hmm... Odd that you don't trust the lock as button-locks have been demonstrated to be more sturdy than both liner-locks & normal lock-backs (non TriAD).

I test-drove one of these but passed on it because I already own a Benchmade 585s (a little smaller but comparable) that cost me $70 for better steel, MUCH better serrations, better A/O mechanism, better lock mechanism (imho)... indeed, better design in general, + Made in USA. *shrug*

 

[TheGent]

Show me were it's been proven as I'd like to study it further. Personally, after my experience with the Kershaw breakout button lock I'll keep my lockback and liners. The Breakout 7x out of 10 the blade will not lock open. Both my Dad and brother have the same problem with theirs and our thumbs are clearly off the button before the blade is in the open position. The lock barely catches and you can force it closed or it doesn't catch at all. Now I can care less seeing that we can't carry them, but not a good first experience with a button lock. I am curious as to where you get your studies and how you've proven it to be a stronger lock. Spine whack tests? Is there a youtube video?

 

[chiral.grolim]

Show me were it's been proven as I'd like to study it further. Personally, after my experience with the Kershaw breakout button lock I'll keep my lockback and liners. The Breakout 7x out of 10 the blade will not lock open. Both my Dad and brother have the same problem with theirs and our thumbs are clearly off the button before the blade is in the open position. The lock barely catches and you can force it closed or it doesn't catch at all. Now I can care less seeing that we can't carry them, but not a good first experience with a button lock. I am curious as to where you get your studies and how you've proven it to be a stronger lock. Spine whack tests? Is there a youtube video?

I have no experience with that Kershaw, but from images/video of it, I can say that, besides some other very bad design features, the lock-bar does not engage well with the tang of the knife. Did you happen to have the slide-lock in place when these button-lock Kershaw's failed?

Anyway, I didn't type "proven", I typed "demonstrated". Here is a video comparing lock-strengths of a few production folders in linear inch-pounds (static force, not impact force), summary at 6:00 for part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ1moCHqa6E

I have seen & experienced a number of lock-back & liner-lock failures just like you describe - excessive wear on the tang or lock-bar and it slips, even without a static-load or spine-whack test. Many liner-locks are designed to slip in&out of position easily, and back-locks tend to barely grab the tang which is designed to rotate out of their grasp - both not very secure lock-mechanisms.
Even Benchmade has put out a few axis-lock knives where the lock-bar doesn't travel far enough up the tang to ensure a durable hold I haven't experienced this myself however, and numerous "hard-use" videos demonstrate phenomenal strength. I am not sure that a TriAD lock could fail prior to the knife falling apart completely, provided that the steel is sound.

Look at the lock-bar/tang intersection on this Gerber on page 1. Then look at the lock-bar/tang intersection of this Hogue: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/937276-Hogue-EX01-4-quot
Compare that to the intersection on that crappy Kershaw. The strength of this lock is demonstrated by the Hogue tests. I'd trust it over a standard lock-back or thin liner any day... but again, not "proven".

 

[TheGent]

Slide lock was off. Do you have any experience with button locks though? Personal "demonstrations"? I guess we have experienced opposite scenarios. While I have never had a failure with liners and lockbacks, you have. While I have experienced failures with button and axis type locks (SOG Trident), you haven't. But, back to the Instant. Carried it today and it's growing on me. The lock does engage further than the Kershaw. If I were to compare the Instant to a Benchmade, it closely resembles the Rift and that's just in blade shape. Also, the Gerber Instant is economical. Sure, I could buy a 585 too, but I get what I need out of my Gerber Instant. I could have bought a Dodge, Ford or Chevy truck, but I get better gas mileage out of my Toyota Tundra. I have Spydercos, Bench Grips, ZTs and my Gerbers and Chinese Bucks are doing the same things the top brands are.

 

[TheYankeeGI]

I personally enjoy the Instant, I feel that Gerber did a good job with this one.
Here's a video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrkdI7mr0BY&feature=plcp

 

[TheGent]

I have been putting mine through the ringer and it is awesome. Great job Gerber! Now let's have one in orange. Can't wait to see what they offer in 2013.

 

[chiral.grolim]

I personally enjoy the Instant, I feel that Gerber did a good job with this one.
Here's a video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrkdI7mr0BY&feature=plcp

Nice video. Some quick comments:
1) A 'torsion bar' IS a spring.
2) Hogue EX-01 (http://www.hogueknives.com/pages/ex-01-specifications.php) and other higher quality knives feature a smoother surface beneath the clip. The Gerber is a foreign-made budget knife (also SOG, CS, etc.). Keep that in mind.
3) The Hogue also features a safety slide to prevent accidental disengagement of the lock - something Gerber should have included?
4) Could you confirm via calipers that the width actually increases at the false-edge? That would be VERY unusual.
5) 'Harpoon-style' blades are not really unique, nor is this handle-shape.
6) An advantage of the forward ramp is secure finger placement during fine work.
7) Why do you prefer serrations on a blade so short (~3")?
8) Thank you for mentioning the steel liner blade-stops - excellent feature! Another great feature is that the liners are nested.
9) There is no safety mechanism on the torsion spring - risk of accidental opening is greatly increased.
10) Clip is designed only for tip-down right-pocket carry, no good for leftys, and the tip-down + spring-activation again greatly increases risk to users in the event of accidental opening.
11) Please do not even mention the word "tactical" unless you have something very specific in mind. Most knives can be considered "tactical" depending on the situation.
12) Is it your opinion that a knife is a YoYo? Just curious...

Thank you for the review, good luck on future offerings!

 

[EricV]

Solid review, but Gerber is nowhere near the "brink of ruin". It has moved powerfully into another market and is likely doing quite well there. Every big box store has the, even before Bucks sometimes, and I just went into REI and their entire knife section was a solid wall of Gerbers. Not even a SAK.

Folks like us might recognize what they're doing and condemn it, but financially I assume they're doing fine.

REI stores carry what is requested by members, has been selling well, or employees requested. Ask them to carry leatherman, or SAKs and they probably will. Great company.

Great review. Makes me almost want to try Gerber again. I had a coil spring F.A.S.T. knife that was garbage but torsion bar, pivot bearings, and button lock sounds like a lot for the money.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

I picked one of these up as well, that ad does keep ringing in my head but it is a surprising value too.

For the price at Wally World, just over $40 with tax, as mentioned in the nice review above, good job by the way!, the handle is very comfortable to grip during use, just seems to meld into my hand, no hot spots or worry that it would twist during use, I was whittling some hard wood stakes, did dandy. I'm not a serrated edge guy but the partial serrations on this just seem to be right, with a good bit of plain edge to cut with as well. The serrations are spread apart and are shallow enough that you can pretty easily keep them maintained, if you have a Spyderco sharpmaker that would be handiest, but I had given that away a long time ago to a friend, so I just use the corners of my Spyderco DoubleStuff and then some leather that I rubbed in some polishing compound in order to strop the edge. A regular strop you would end up dragging grooves into, not to handy if you want to use that strop on plain edge knives later on, but the strip of leather I have I rubbed in the compound on the flesh side/rough side and wrapped that around the edge of the regular strop so that I could get the leather into the grooves, worked very well.
And a word on serrations, they are typically chiseledge and as most that have ever emailed me will note that my email name is chiseledge a long long time ago, when I first got on the internet, I thought everyone needed to pick a name for their email, so I chose one that was my favourite edge, later on I realized I should have just used my name, but, hind sight is usually at least 20/20...but back to serrations, being chiseledged they are very aggressive in cutting hard material like plastics, where a normal v beveled edge might skate across, a chiseledge will catch and dig in, and with the pointy tips you get double catching so having these on this knife seems to be a good fit, for me at least.
Also the clip, some have complained it can't be moved to the end, well with my knife, it doesn't take much to move the blade out and away from the handle, so I like it being not pointed up towards my hand.

Also for those that are lefties, you'll find the button lock and double thumbstuds to be very lefty friendly, in fact I rather carry it in my left front pocket, which keeps the spine of the blade against the side of the pocket, just a bit safer

All in all, I find this to be a very no nonsense knife at a pretty decent price point. It was 'sharp' when I got it, but as most knives I tend to put it on my edge pro and now it's very sharp indeed. Mine also has perfect centered blade, the bearings were a surprise but the blade snaps open and locks solid with the button lock, ANOTHER nice surprise, and when released the blade swings freely to the halfway point, doesn't swing into your hand which is a good thing, but down so you can then close it the rest of the way yourself.

Here's just a quick shot of mine, the black coating has some rub marks along the grind lines which adds character I think, kind of a two tone look,

While it doesn't remove all the knives from my EDC rotation, it has earned a place in the line up for work for sure, ** Edited to update status, ended up not keeping the knife after all, blade didn't seem to keep it's edge as well as I liked, that plus the thickness of the blade at the bevel shoulders are too thick, I had high hopes for this one **
G2

 

[mqqn]

As an update, I had been carrying and using the Instant around the house and in my garage/workshop.

The knife feployed in my pocket, pushing the blade forward through my jeans pocket, and slightly cut my hand when I brushed across the protruding tip of the blade.

I have relegated this knife to the workbench, or as I stated earlier, in the console of my truck, but I will not trust it in my pocket again.

best

mqqn

 

[chiral.grolim]

As an update, I had been carrying and using the Instant around the house and in my garage/workshop.

The knife feployed in my pocket, pushing the blade forward through my jeans pocket, and slightly cut my hand when I brushed across the protruding tip of the blade.

I have relegated this knife to the workbench, or as I stated earlier, in the console of my truck, but I will not trust it in my pocket again.

I am sorry to hear about this incident, though it was not unexpected. IIRC another a/o Gerber, the FAST?, was originally produced without a safety until lawsuits from users injuring themselves on knives opening accidentally in pockets and cutting them forced a design change. Also, tip-down deep-pocket carry on a folding A/O knife greatly increases this risk, whereas tip-up carry with less depth uses the side of the pocket to help keep the blade closed. Gerber better implement a new version soon...

To refer to my earlier post:

...
9) There is no safety mechanism on the torsion spring - risk of accidental opening is greatly increased.
10) Clip is designed only for tip-down right-pocket carry, no good for leftys, and the tip-down + spring-activation again greatly increases risk to users in the event of accidental opening.
...

I hope Gerber recognizes the dangerous flaws in the design and produces a superior product - the potential is certainly there.

Thank you for the update.

 

[TheGent]

Any updates?