Gerber once was something else....

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NirreBosse

Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
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A few of my first kontacts with realy good folding knifes was gerber. This is a story about late 70-ties and 80-ties. They did knifes like the Folding sportsman, the classic, silverknights, magnum. LST with micarta handle and even the early LST zytel ones. they did zytel multiblades. Further moore they made the Paul knife and a loveless folder.The steel was 440 C that was considered a good steel in those days. I still think its good.

In these days I just have a reed handle, black blade LST and a Folding sportsman 1. That FS 1 is one of the most, if not the best manufactured knife I have ever owned. Its so crisp and smoth. Yes the design and materials is a little off date but its such a great made knife...

I never see any collections of good old gerbers from when it was an american high profile company.
I for sure would love to se some old gerbers here to show what once was!

Bosse
 
I really liked their Silver Knight pattern. Had a reproduction, and an original. Wish I would have kept them. All of the other Gerbers I have owned were junk and produced in the last ten years.
 
Agree. I still have my two MK-1s and an old Guardian. The MK-1s were "it" back when. The Gerber line is now oriented toward a lower price point and panders in their advertising to macho wannabes. Hard to take them seriously anymore. Here's from their website on the current Guardian: "Remember the very first time you saw an image of the Stealth Bomber? With its aggressive lines and matte black paint job? Well the Guardian Back-Up probably belongs on board that bird. Because the overall look and attitude is much the same." Give me a break!
 
Gerber (along with Puma) made some of the best production knives in the world until they were sold back in the mid 80's. Sadly most of the stuff they put out now is a disgrace compared to what they made in their heyday.

Here's a pic of a couple of great old Gerber's I bought back in the mid 70's. (disregard the Bear sideliner - it was a semi-drunk impulse buy on ebay:D)

The Gerber knives are a stag sportsman 2 and a beefy Gerber Magnum - both have 440C steel and a superior fit and finish.

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I bought a few on Base in the early 80's. I traded a few away but kept this one. Built really well and holds a great edge. Made in Portland, OR.

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My old Magnum Folding Hunter from the late 70's.

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And my first production Bolt Action.

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They were also the first factory knives that I am aware of to use both L-6 steel and M-2 steel in their "high speed tool steel" blades. Most of those came with the armorhide metal handles and were hard chromed to prevent rusting. I have a few of them along with several of the different Folding Sportsmen series and they are still great knives today, especially the tool steel fixed blades. Those M-2 blades hold an edge almost as well as any of the wonder steels of today.

After Pete Gerber sold the company off to the Fiskars conglomerate in the 80's it started going downhill fast as far as quality and they started cutting corners to save costs and increase profit margins.

I have picked up several over the years right here in the Exchange both trading and buying but they don't come up too often. When they do you need to jump on them quickly. All picked up here have been bargains compared to ebay.
 
They used to be my favorites mid-70s. Liked them better than anything from Buck, except the 110. Still have these two I got at JCP in Fairbanks.

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I had quite a few Gerbers in the late 70's to early 90's. Then I went through a phase where I thought I could live with just a few knives. I sold a lot of nice knives for very little money. Of the Gerbers, I miss the early Guardians the most.
 
Here's my Silver Knight. I still have a Folding Sportsman and a Bolt Action, and I'll try to get pics up later.

The fixed blades were tool steel, chrome plated, and would take an edge like a razor.
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They were once a GREAT American name. However, like so many others, people buy the family name, ship it off shore, pimp it out, and in the end it's crap.

Sad, but true. They have a few knives recently that seem OK but I won't put my money there.
 
Nice ansvers and pictures.
Bigmo66. I realy appritiate a picture of the classic. I think it to be the pre or paralell modell to the FS1 but the design of the handle seams more timeless.
I havent seen any roloxes or realy rare modells yet. Mabye the accumulators of gerbers is the oldtimers without internet? I hate to think that the old nice ones would be all used up. I agre that Gerber and Puma went the same way, from the wery best to something uninteresting. For bouth brands its important to remember that if they were made lake before even today they would still sheck in by the very best of the best.

Bosse
 
I finally found a Sportsman 2 in "V" steel ( Vascowear) dated 1986. I had been trying to get one since the 80's.

They were once the company that did the "super steel sprint runs". These were the days when even 440C was rare and most stainless knives were "surgical steel" and sucked.

Those old Gerbers hold their value really well. In fact they are worth more by a longshot than when new.

Has anyone tried to buy a S-7 Mk. 2 lately?
 
yablanowitz said:
My old Magnum Folding Hunter from the late 70's.

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Click to expand...

I have the exact same knife (without your initials, of course) that I bought at The Acorn in Gatlinburg, TN in 1980. I was a senior in HS and I paid $40 for it, which was a fortune to me at the time!

It was the first quality locking folder I ever owned and I still have it, though I lost the sheath in the early 90's when I left it on the ground after dragging a deer away. I went back after it the next day but I guess a critter eating the gut pile must have decided that leather was tasty too.

I was SO proud of that knife and I bragged about it to all my friends (most of whom had Buck 110's) like it was made of gold. I dressed my first deer and a number of later ones with it and it still remains one of the very few knives I'll never voluntarily part with.
 
Had several gerbers in the '70s & '80s as well. A Bolt Action and some sort of small lockback, my first "real" knives & both great knives unfortunately lost since. Also bought several MKII & Guardian models which I still have and use.
 
Didn't they have a fixed blade magnum back in that time period? Love to see a pic. BTW loved that touchee dipbait.
 
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