Gerber LST

C

carrot

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Jan 9, 2006
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So when I showed my dad the Benchmade 556 that I wanted to get, he went to his room and brought me a 13-year old new-in-package Gerber LST. So far I like it -- the grip has a nice feel to it and the locking mechanism seems pretty solid. The LST is my first folder, and I've got two questions:
How does the LST compare to other knives for a general use folder?
Is it possible to quickly open the LST with one hand? How?
 
I used one of them in the machine shop for the dirty jobs I did not want to mess up my Hen and Rooster stockman on. It was a surprisingly decent knife. I kept a course edge on it and it cut pretty good, and was easy to sharpen. Used almost abusivly it held up well, and did'nt weigh anything in the pocket.

Not a bad pocket knife for the money.
 
Not a bad user for the dirty jobs. Still have mine. The steel is ok but, far from the best. Mine was hard to sharpen.
 
What steel was Gerber using on these knives 13 years ago? You better check and see what else your dad has been hiding!
 
stevekt said:
What steel was Gerber using on these knives 13 years ago?
Click to expand...
"Positive locking blade, precision blanked from the finest American high carbon stainless steel."
It's got a matte finish except on the edge, and it has "GERBER 400" marked on the blade. That's all I know.
Locking mechanism is very smooth.
 
At that period of time Gerber used 440A with a sub zero quench. Ended up around R57-58. Not too shabby, about the same as 420HC.

You can take a steel that is just okay, and with very carefull attention to heat treat, you can get a pretty fair knife.
 
carrot, the LST is a great folder for general use. LST; Light, Smooth, Tough. The first successfull Zytel handled folder. OK so the steel isn't "the best" by knife knut standards but it's good enough for the average user.
As far as opening it one handed I was able to by pinching the blade between my thumb and 1st/2nd finger, wedging it up and continuing the sweeping motion with my thumb.
You may also be able to "Spydie Drop" it by holding it between those three fingers and snapping the handle downwards.
Adam
 
If the knife was free from your pops then I'd say you scored pretty good. I always thought the Gerber LST was an overlooked classic. I need to pick one up myself.
 
I have a new ultralight LST in the box. Probably made in the early to mid 90's. Actually my collection of knives has many late 80's through early 90's Gerbers in it. I carried one as my carry knife back in those days. They always served well and didn't cost very much. Enjoy it.
 
I've loved those little Gerber knives for years. Just 400 series steel but great little folders. Used to be they came with a neat little pocket clip that I used for upgrading many owners' Fallkniven U2 folders. The FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) clip matched up the to the FRN handle of the U2 perfectly. I have one more of those clips left. Too bad Gerber quit supplying those.

But back to the LST. These are super little knives. I used to make my own custom upgrades on these quite a bit and sell them at the shows I did. I've done them for many guys around here local where I live too. They still sell one size of the folder at the local Lowes here in town. Many of the oil rig guys here carry them as beaters and users.

They upgrade pretty well too I might add. They make a neat project knife for anyone interested in a cheap way to get into making knives or learning about whats inside one. What can I say? When I started doing the knife making thing a guy had to make his own kit knife. :D

And a couple of upgraded LST folders with titanium liners, Australian Jarrah Wood, Bull Horn and Stabalized SWBlack Ash and some shots in the beginning stages of an upgrade or two. These little Gerbers provide a pretty good platform to work from really and for knives as small as they are they have some hefty springs in them. For the money they aren't half bad really. I think Lowes sells them for like $14 and some change.

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Finally received an LST today. It's been on my to-buy list for a while now. Not a bad little knife. It is a much better knife than my CRKT Wrangler which is very similar to the LST. My Wrangler was sent to me as a free bonus when I bought another knife and I actually think it is quite the piece of crap. :mad: (Can you be ripped off if something is free? :confused: )

It does open very smoothly, just as advertised, and the lock up is solid. There is no nail nick which looks pretty cool. The factory edge was nothing to write home about but a few minutes on the Sharpmaker made it sharp enough to shave arm hair and slice post-its. It doesn't cut as smoothly as my SAKs and Opinels but it does okay. I can't comment on edge retention just yet but getting an edge wasn't too difficult.

The handle is a bit on the thin side but I guess that was what Gerber was shooting for. I don't have big hands but I do like a bit more substance to my handles. My hand was cramping a tad while running it through the sharpmaker.

Overall, I'd say it is a good knife for $16. Solid, simple, basic. I'd recommend it. In case anyone is interested, they are manufactured in Portland, Oregon, USA. :)
 
I've had an LST in my pocket almost every day for the past 27 years (I know this, because I bought it the summer before I got married). Actually, I've had two - I lost the original one about five ago and replaced it with another. For my money, this is the best blade-for-the-money out there - it sharpens easily and holds an edge pretty well, the blade geometry is excellent for most purposes, and it is one of the few folders that doesn't create any bulge and looks fine coming out of a pair of suit trousers. Also, the folding and locking mechanisms have been smooth and trouble-free for many years. I've often thought about replacing it with something slick and expensive, but I've got to say that I can use this thing without troubling myself about damaging it - if I do, another one can be mine for less than $20!
 
That was the first decent knife I ever owned. Uncle gave it to me when I was bout 10 or so. It had a clip point which I really haven't seen too much since. Cool little knife for the price range. I actually carry the mini version on my key chain nowadays. Not really meant to be openned with one hand, I don't think, but you can. I'd be careful.
 
The LST series are good knives. I have both the small and medium versions. They have a few nice traits that I like to see on my pocket carries...very light, super lockup, easy to sharpen, and nice blade shape. The lockup is better than every one of my other lockbacks! I've given a lot of these away and almost everyone still carries it.

One guy is rough on equipment and lost his over the side of his boat at the launch. Two days later, after backing over it with the trailer, he found it. The plastic was beat to crap from skidding on it but the blade was fine. He still carries it, fish guts and all!

One thing I really like is when the blade is closed, the part near the lock is covered by the handle...nothing sticking up. Just a good design.
 
I carried an LST Jr. for years before upgrading. I still have it and use it as a travel knife when I have to fly. I toss it in the checked bag before check in.

If I ever make the mistake of forgetting to check it and end up having to turn it over to TSA, I'm only out $14. So far - so good. Its still with me.
 
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