Gerber, outrigger, assisted opening with Push button or plunge lock, will not open without using plyers

D

Dearslayer 44

Joined
Mar 22, 2026
Messages
3
I recenty bought 2, 3inch,, Gerber, outrigger, assisted opening, push button, or plung lock knives off ebay! Nice knives, except the seller forgot to mention you can't open them without using plyers!
I have tried several times to get them working but with no success! I started by blowing canned air in and around the pivot pin, and applying pivot lubricant, several times and then, manually opening and closing the blade! ( no luck )
I then took it too the sink and used hot water with Dawn, while also scrubbing with a tooth brush, after washing, next I used a hot hair dryer, then reoiled the pivot and push button, then worked the button and blade numerous times! ( no luck ) I have repeated this process, at least three times, in the last week, I repeat the process nightly, allowing oil to soak over night!
I am reluctant to disassemble, as I'm new at this! Any suggestions or corrections on what I've been doing, will be appreciated
Thanks 81 year old, Ed
 
Dearslayer 44 said:
I recenty bought 2, 3inch,, Gerber, outrigger, assisted opening, push button, or plung lock knives off ebay! Nice knives, except the seller forgot to mention you can't open them without using plyers!
I have tried several times to get them working but with no success! I started by blowing canned air in and around the pivot pin, and applying pivot lubricant, several times and then, manually opening and closing the blade! ( no luck )
I then took it too the sink and used hot water with Dawn, while also scrubbing with a tooth brush, after washing, next I used a hot hair dryer, then reoiled the pivot and push button, then worked the button and blade numerous times! ( no luck ) I have repeated this process, at least three times, in the last week, I repeat the process nightly, allowing oil to soak over night!
I am reluctant to disassemble, as I'm new at this! Any suggestions or corrections on what I've been doing, wi
Click to expand...
 
Dearslayer 44 said:
I recenty bought 2, 3inch,, Gerber, outrigger, assisted opening, push button, or plung lock knives off ebay! Nice knives, except the seller forgot to mention you can't open them without using plyers!
I have tried several times to get them working but with no success! I started by blowing canned air in and around the pivot pin, and applying pivot lubricant, several times and then, manually opening and closing the blade! ( no luck )
I then took it too the sink and used hot water with Dawn, while also scrubbing with a tooth brush, after washing, next I used a hot hair dryer, then reoiled the pivot and push button, then worked the button and blade numerous times! ( no luck ) I have repeated this process, at least three times, in the last week, I repeat the process nightly, allowing oil to soak over night!
I am reluctant to disassemble, as I'm new at this! Any suggestions or corrections on what I've been doing, will be appreciated
Thanks 81 year old, Ed
Click to expand...
We got in some brand new Gerber Propel assited open button locks at our store a few years ago that wouldn't open at all. We had to send them back. We've never ordered any more of the them. and stick with the O6 autos these days
 
Dearslayer 44 said:
I recenty bought 2, 3inch,, Gerber, outrigger, assisted opening, push button, or plung lock knives off ebay! Nice knives, except the seller forgot to mention you can't open them without using plyers!
I have tried several times to get them working but with no success! I started by blowing canned air in and around the pivot pin, and applying pivot lubricant, several times and then, manually opening and closing the blade! ( no luck )
I then took it too the sink and used hot water with Dawn, while also scrubbing with a tooth brush, after washing, next I used a hot hair dryer, then reoiled the pivot and push button, then worked the button and blade numerous times! ( no luck ) I have repeated this process, at least three times, in the last week, I repeat the process nightly, allowing oil to soak over night!
I am reluctant to disassemble, as I'm new at this! Any suggestions or corrections on what I've been doing, will be appreciated
Thanks 81 year old, Ed
Click to expand...
Stop messing with them and return them. Disassembly will probably void any warranty. If they don't work, they don't work.....
 
Dearslayer 44 said:
I recenty bought 2, 3inch,, Gerber, outrigger, assisted opening, push button, or plung lock knives off ebay! Nice knives, except the seller forgot to mention you can't open them without using plyers!
I have tried several times to get them working but with no success! I started by blowing canned air in and around the pivot pin, and applying pivot lubricant, several times and then, manually opening and closing the blade! ( no luck )
I then took it too the sink and used hot water with Dawn, while also scrubbing with a tooth brush, after washing, next I used a hot hair dryer, then reoiled the pivot and push button, then worked the button and blade numerous times! ( no luck ) I have repeated this process, at least three times, in the last week, I repeat the process nightly, allowing oil to soak over night!
I am reluctant to disassemble, as I'm new at this! Any suggestions or corrections on what I've been doing, will be appreciated
Thanks 81 year old, Ed
Click to expand...
Ed, If you bought them on eBay and used PayPal, you can return them. Do now while you still can.
 
Pivot screw was probably too tight and if you forced them open with pliers you probably damaged the assisted open. Should have been able to fix it by backing the pivot screw off a bit.
 
unwisefool said:
You are spending way too much time and effort on a crappy knife. I'd save up and get something well made and reliable.
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This. The best way to deal with this is to buy an Ontario / Spyderco / Benchmade / Spartan / Anything else really...
 
Dearslayer 44 said:
I guess assisted opening, means, get the plyers
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There's something really wrong with the knives you've got. Assisted openers of reputable brand & quality shouldn't present such problems. I have many of them and have never seen an issue like this at all. Knives with issues like this should've never hit the market in the first place, assuming they're new and haven't been previously altered or tinkered with. On that note, the previous mention of the pivot screw possibly being too tight might be a sign of previous tinkering, BTW.

If you bought them in 'as new' condition, I'd pursue returning them for refund. Two identical knives purchased with exactly the same apparent defect is a really bad sign of quality. If it were just one of them defective among others that've never had such issues, it might just be a one-off fluke which might not warrant as much worry, but something which should still be addressed by the manufacturer and then made right. Two identical defects at the same time means I'd avoid the brand like the plague going forward.

I generally don't prefer assisted openers anymore, as I've decided the feature is something I don't need anyway. And the extra complexity of their design means more things can potentially go wrong over time, with more moving parts to fail. But I'm not knocking them either, as they can still be very consistent in their reliability when they're designed and built well.

Edited to add:
In searching the phrase "gerber outrigger knife difficult opening" on Google, the search returns many mentions of this problem with this particular make & model, and even other Gerber assisted models, all mentioning they're difficult to open and they "require a break-in period" to get them working more reliably. Also, some mentions of the pivot screw possibly being too tight. Again, in my view, these are signs of problems which don't generally happen with more reputably built brands.
 
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