Gerber is Back!

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DocT

Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
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I know I am probably behind the rest of you, but I just found out that Gerber is making fixed blade knives with S30V and made in the USA! In the early days Gerber was a company to be reckoned with, but not for many, many years. These new knives are full tang. They are called Gator Premium. There is also a lockback folder. What happened? My world has turned upside down. Anyone have experience with these, yet?
 
I dont think gerber ever stopped making USA made products. The issue is that they are rarely the quality they used to make them at and the endless flood of "designer" products from them have diluted the brand.
 
But how will their HT be in said knives is a serious question to consider?

I feel the last few Gerber's I owned that weren't "mystery" steel (stainless or high carbon "?") Still seemed to perform inadequately compared to the same steel by other reputable makers... My only conclusion is that their HT is careless to the fine details (which are critical factors, esp with the more advanced alloys like s35v, as more advanced steels require more advanced and less forgiving HT parameters that come into play).
 
Haha tough crowd. I'm with ya DocT I'm excited too. Old school Gerber products were great. Its nice to see that return to there heritage.

The Gator line of fixed blades has been ramped up with S30v, Buck style leather sheaths, and steel bolsters. Looks fantastic and are under $100.
I think Benchmade's Hunt line is really forcing the competition to up their game.
 
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I dont really see it as a tough crowd. Gerber has been making usa made stuff this whole time. Their auto line for example has been made in the usa and rather poorly. Now if it was "hey look gerber invested in new state of the art machinery, is outsourcing its heat treat to the former bos facility and has hired a team of designers as well as skilled factory workers I might be excited. But if this is simply an expansion of their all ready faulty USA manufacturing capabilities I just cant get excited for same ole same ole veiled as something new and exciting. I would love to see gerber drop the Rachel Ray orange marketing and the green zombie slaying imports and start getting serious about knives again but year after year to me it gets more gimmicky. I dont really see this as anything but a side step. Its unfortunate as i really did like gerber in my younger years.
 
While I still don't see Gerber as a true competitor, I have noticed them seeming to try and break back into the enthusiast crowd; some of their newer stuff has respectable steel and reasonable prices, considering the USA manufacturing. In particular, they have the E-Z Out in S30V for just over $40. On the other hand, it's partially serrated. Worth keeping an eye on them, but I'm not ready to start dropping cash yet.
 
Not a huge fan of Gerber. They have the second worst warranty in the business, behind Strider (which is hands down the worst). They just ignore your claim. But at least the president of the company does not call you a "nobody" and tell you to "lick my sack" if you have a concern with your knife.
 
ursamajor said:
Not a huge fan of Gerber. They have the second worst warranty in the business, behind Strider (which is hands down the worst). They just ignore your claim. Bit at least the president of the company does not call you a "nobody" and tell you to "lick my sack" if you have a concern with your knife.
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Hardly a thread that goes by without a cheap shot at Strider....

I would imagine you deserved the 'lick my sack' comment.

Back on topic;

My personal belief is that as long as Gerber is owned by Fiskars, the corporate mentality will keep the brand from being much more then it is now.

S30V as a blade steel in 2015 is not progress....
 
JR88FAN said:
Hardly a thread that goes by without a cheap shot at Strider....

I would imagine you deserved the 'lick my sack' comment.

Back on topic;

My personal belief is that as long as Gerber is owned by Fiskars, the corporate mentality will keep the brand from being much more then it is now.

S30V as a blade steel in 2015 is not progress....
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Wasn't me. I don't go in for the snakeoil salesman type. But the poster most absolutely did not deserve it.

Mick Strider said:
No im not. I like people going to our dealers.

This knife was not purchased through our dealer network.

This knife is at LEAST second hand....who knows how beat the thing is. It may have even been gifted to someone....i have no way of knowing becuase it was not purchased through our dealer network.

If i purchased a knife second hand.....or a gun or a car, i would contact the manufacturer and ask if there was some way to take care of a problem, which there always is with us even if you go the thing second hand, rather than go to a forum and talk about how the manufacturing of ten year old gear is going down hill.

But thats just me....

you all do what you want.....




That means a lot coming from you.....oh thats right...your no one.
Lick my sack loser!

m
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Huh? S30v is progress compared to the past steels used
 
nagod said:
Made in the U.S. is not an automatic indication of quality.
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But it is a good start, and it beats the hell out of closing doors for good and shipping all those jobs overseas.

strategy9 said:
But how will their HT be in said knives is a serious question to consider?

I feel the last few Gerber's I owned that weren't "mystery" steel (stainless or high carbon "?") Still seemed to perform inadequately compared to the same steel by other reputable makers... My only conclusion is that their HT is careless to the fine details (which are critical factors, esp with the more advanced alloys like s35v, as more advanced steels require more advanced and less forgiving HT parameters that come into play).
Click to expand...

It won't really be a consideration for many people, as they are not as obsessed with such things as we are here. The knife enthusiast community is a small percentage of the overall sales made. Hard to believe I know. The heat treat on their 154CM knives (Gator) has been ample, as has the S30V. The problem that most mainstream companies face is striking the balance between making a knife that can be maintained by someone that knows nothing about knives at all, and someone that might be much more knowledgeable. If a knife blade is treated in such a way that it takes hours to sharpen a dull edge, it won't be considered easy to maintain and chances are that it will cost a bit more than your average consumer is willing to pay. This has never been a one size fits all industry, but many companies are trying to do just that. I see a lot of people don't really get that aspect of the hobby, they just feel certain things are garbage because they don't like the steel choice, heat treat, etc.
 
ursamajor said:
Not a huge fan of Gerber. They have the second worst warranty in the business, behind Strider (which is hands down the worst). They just ignore your claim. But at least the president of the company does not call you a "nobody" and tell you to "lick my sack" if you have a concern with your knife.
Click to expand...

My experience with Gerbers warranty has been excellent. It's unfortunate yours wasn't as well.
 
Just a quick comment. A discussion about current Gerber products is not improved by off-topic remarks about another company. Strider has enough threads without inserting them here, and a vulgar quote from so long ago doesn't belong here anyway.
 
PURPLEDC said:
I dont really see it as a tough crowd. Gerber has been making usa made stuff this whole time. Their auto line for example has been made in the usa and rather poorly. Now if it was "hey look gerber invested in new state of the art machinery, is outsourcing its heat treat to the former bos facility and has hired a team of designers as well as skilled factory workers I might be excited. But if this is simply an expansion of their all ready faulty USA manufacturing capabilities I just cant get excited for same ole same ole veiled as something new and exciting. I would love to see gerber drop the Rachel Ray orange marketing and the green zombie slaying imports and start getting serious about knives again but year after year to me it gets more gimmicky. I dont really see this as anything but a side step. Its unfortunate as i really did like gerber in my younger years.
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I agree, and you know what the really sad part is about that? The 06 is NSN listed and has been bought by at least the Army in significant quantities and issued to troops in the field.
 
I remember growing up when a Gerber was a heck of a nice knife for the average guy.

I had a Gator and one of the original EZ Outs. I lost the EZ Out after several years and bought a new one and the difference was immediately apparent. It just was not the same knife. Wouldn't take an edge and wouldn't keep what little sharpness I could get on it.

If for nothing else than nostalgia I am rooting for Gerber to make a comeback, but I think it's unlikely.

I consider them the The Learning Channel of the knife world.
 
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Gerber was never gone. In fact unlike some ( other ) :p high priced brand ( Quartermaster ):p Gerber HAS a REAL actual USA knife factory.
[video=youtube;a277JW8BS4U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a277JW8BS4U[/video]
 
PURPLEDC said:
I dont really see it as a tough crowd. Gerber has been making usa made stuff this whole time. Their auto line for example has been made in the usa and rather poorly. Now if it was "hey look gerber invested in new state of the art machinery, is outsourcing its heat treat to the former bos facility and has hired a team of designers as well as skilled factory workers I might be excited. But if this is simply an expansion of their all ready faulty USA manufacturing capabilities I just cant get excited for same ole same ole veiled as something new and exciting. I would love to see gerber drop the Rachel Ray orange marketing and the green zombie slaying imports and start getting serious about knives again but year after year to me it gets more gimmicky. I dont really see this as anything but a side step. Its unfortunate as i really did like gerber in my younger years.
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Ouch, tremendous, and tremendously punishing post. I agree with every word. :thumbup:
 
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