Gerber really disappointed me today

[Zombie411]

I really don't think that Gerber will ever be like it was before Fiskers got involved. Those of us that remember Gerber's good days won't touch the current product line and everyone else doesn't know and there is a good chance they don't care.

Personally, I would like to see Gerber follow in KIA's footsteps. Offer better products under a different brand name. Like Kershaw and ZT are doing.

That's actually a very good idea.
It's a strategy that has worked in many industries over the years. Honda/Accura, Toyota/Nissan.
Too many others to list...

Gerber IS hiring senior executives (by the bushel).

 

[jbmonkey]

He knows how to open an auto. But I'm not talking about about him, I'm saying Gerber made that one and the other shown in my video to present and they still don't lock up right.

not really, least not in that video. he handles it like i handed a wrench to a kid whos never used a wrench.

im saying i have 4 that do lock up right.

im not gonna argue with you as i can tell you just like to argue to argue. you think their junk, i dont, so be it. mine are useable and work. carry on with your dislike.....

 

[deltaboy]

I'm sure you meant "was going out of business".

Well two years after Home Depot came to town the sign was posted this Ace hardware store is closing!
To me they are saying the same thing !

 

[Zombie411]

Gotya!
I did do a double take, and read that three times to be sure.

Maybe my mind was in the gutter that day...

 

[knives_in_nature]

not really, least not in that video. he handles it like i handed a wrench to a kid whos never used a wrench.

im saying i have 4 that do lock up right.

im not gonna argue with you as i can tell you just like to argue to argue. you think their junk, i dont, so be it. mine are useable and work. carry on with your dislike.....

I have handled plenty and I do not think all Gerbers are junk. I think these autos could be very very nice if they locked up correctly. The company themselves can't produce one that locks up for a demo model though, so why would that make me want to buy one? Even if I can fix it myself.

 

[scottyj]

No blade play in my Gerber.

I have that same knife. A BMF. Carried it everyday during Desert Shield/Storm on my web gear. Used it daily, and it never let me down.

 

[rover]

Toyota is better than Mercedes.

Get asked every week if I want to sell my old cherry Tacoma.

 

[Cognoscenti]

I have that same knife. A BMF. Carried it everyday during Desert Shield/Storm on my web gear. Used it daily, and it never let me down.

best blade in the world (i prefer the non-serrated 9 inches)

 

[Cognoscenti]

I don't know what your average carry knife is, but in my book, Gerber is not known for quality...

I often have them hovering with CRKT, S&W, etc.

Gerber is not know for quality NOW but back in the 80's TRUST me it was SOG Tigershark Black Jack Annaconda II and Gerber BMF theses are still considered stellar blade compared to anything made theses days. I mean theses design is so ICONIC and LEGENDARY man...

 

[yotgguitar]

I have been researching my 3 year old Gerber 06 and ran across this old thread....
This thread is soooooo full of BS....
The Gerber 06 Auto is made in the USA and is a TOP TIER MILITARY GRADE automatic....
Some of the comments about this knife are made by people who apparently have never owned this knife or they're just fanboys of OVERPRICED knives....
Don't get me wrong, I have examples from many "top tier" manufacturers and the Gerber 06 auto is built just as good, if not better than some of the manufacturers mentioned....
DO NOT base your opinions on all the naysayers.... the Gerber 06 is a literal TANK compared to many Benchmade/Microtech etc...

This is not a comment trolling people, but I had to say something.... the 06 I have has NEVER let me down.... EVER... in 3 years of EDC .... and I am an HVAC technician so this knife has been run HARD.... no breaks no chips .... the edge is LIKE BRAND NEW still.... I'm in awe of the reliability.... just my 2 cents... :/

 

[JBoone]

I still have a silver knight from the 80s.
Nice gentleman type folder made in Japan iirc.

I remember thinking that they were a step above buck back then but that was a different era. I was not that knowledgeable then and a teenager (so could be off here). Seeing what they made later was pretty sad regarding the decline, but I think what I saw was just the cheap stuff. I was not aware that they made US made products still.

Silver knight….

 

[rustinxcohle]

I had no luck with their folders in the last years. Had to send 'em back because of heavy qc issues (2x usa made, 1x china).
The Strongarm and LMF II I own are really nice knives on the other hand.

 

[Macchina]

When you look at companies like Benchmade, Spyderco, ESEE, they try really hard with every launch to get it right because their name is on it.
Spyderco even came out with the Byrd brand to differentiate their cheap knives from nice ones.
Benchmade had a few cheepies from China in 8cr but I believe they purged all those from their catalog pretty quickly.

Kershaw used to be like Gerber in that they tried to hide if a knife was coming from their USA factory (high quality) or just a rebranded Chinese knife. They seem to have largely turned themselves around.

Gerber (I haven't owned one in years except for a collection of MP600's) always had a few nice knives and a bunch of chinese junk they wouldn't even tell you what crappy steel was used.
I lost any brand trust in Gerber after a few knives that didn't even seem to be heat treated, crazy blade play, and locks that were clearly never refined beyond the initial tooling run. I remember a Gerber folder with a liner lock that had at least a 1mm gap with the lock so far over it almost fell in the far side bushing space. I bought one of their plastic handled axes and it was great until I sharpened it a couple times. The steel just a few mm back from the edge was completely soft. I wouldn't trust that company even with their USA made knives anymore.

I am an engineer for a very large company and we put out many levels of products. We stand behind all of them and have common engineering principles that we all adhere to. It prevents junk from being in the market with our name on it. I also see similar companies to us that release a varying level of engineering design in their products. Once one fails, you'll never trust that company again as a consumer.

 

[greater]

The Gerber Sedulo I find to be really good. This is 20CV (more expensive) which I only got because of it's polished finish not available on the S30V versions. Custom blue liners, pocket clip, screws, and lock bar. Red barrel spacers are hardly visible but look nice if you catch them. Handle is thick white FRN. Blade edge bevel is on the thick side. It strikes me as a high quality hard use knife made in USA.

Gerber is starting to manufacture high quality US made knives. The prices are not bargain basement so those expecting so need to get over it, that being said prices are not over the roof either but more in line with what making products in the US should cost.

I have read good things about their auto openers and there is a model/models? that open slowly by design not defect. I don't see that as an issue unless a speedy click and spring kick appeals to your visual and tactile senses to the point that just plain fast enough is not fast enough for you.

I never give any credit to any company for making Auto openers and Balisongs in the US. They often do so only because importing them is far more trouble due to federal regulations. That is why you see companies that only sell imported knives make exceptions for Auto openers and balisongs. They do not do so because of patriotic nonsense even though at times marketeers try to make it look like so.

I have to give Gerber credit for now making US made knives that are not auto openers or balisongs.

 

[Hashishiin]

Whoa there pardner. Please don't throw all Tauruses (Taurusi??) under the Gerber bus.

I have a Taurus 9 shot 22LR revolver that I have used to dispatch literally 100s of rats, raccoons, skunks, rattlers, copperheads and, sadly, an 18 wheeler-hit dog with nary a failure, misfire or issue, and I have put nearly 1000 rounds through my 9mm Taurus PT111 Gen 2, again with no issues.

The only Gerber I had WAS a Paraframe I found in the parking lot of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. It had enough blade play for an NCAA Basketball tournament. The best thing about it was the pocket clip, so I kept that and chunked the knife in my scrap metal pile to be recycled.

So many people just find Paraframes out and about.

 

[Quiet]

Gotta say, Gerber doesn't get much traction here because they were trash-tier for so long, and most folks here simply moved on from them. These days, I don't really care what they make, they just aren't in the running. When I want to buy a production made modern folder, I'm plenty happy with offerings from Benchmade, Hogue, or Spyderco. I don't see anything Gerber makes as being better than either of those companies, and to clarify, that's just my opinion. They just aren't on my radar, and probably won't ever be again.

 

[strategy9]

I was at a sporting goods store earlier today and they had some nice looking Gerber auto knives in stock. One was an 06 10th anniversary edition, a large and small Rex Applegate Covert, and the 06 FAST.
Every one of them had blade play plus the 06 fired much slower than expected. The 06 anniversary had blade play in all four directions. When I asked the store employee to let me see the Gerber autos, I had my hopes built up that everything would check out and I could take one home with me. Unfortunately, Gerber must be slipping in the qc dept. They make some really nice products, but they need to start focusing more on quality.

Gerber lost me about 7, maybe 8 years ago? With all the other options out there, I'll spend more, I'll spend less, but sadly I'll never own another Gerber, unless the entire brand is bought out (again), by an actual reputable name in the knife world, and completely revamped...