Gerber Still Doesn't Get It

Aquaholicc said:
Oh okay gotcha Gerber is just one of those "big companies" that preys on the mindless by slapping a "charity price tag" on their product.

Heard loud and clear
Wilco
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Uhhh....wut? :confused: I haven't the slightest what your quotes are supposed to mean.

Look, we could boycott their, for example, Bear Grylls stuff 'till we were blue in the face. And it would accomplish nothing.

Its like cheese aficionados boycotting individually wrapped pasteurized process cheese food slices. Guess what? They will keep selling them and raking in the cash.
 
Their target market is someone who is just getting into knives, but wants to make a huge purchase. So far gerber is one of the only companies he knows.

He goes on their site, sees this thing, "yes I now i have the best most expensive knife in the world!"
 
The sad thing is that Gerber used to be a well respected company. Now, they put out garbage. Except their 600 series multi-tool. It's OK.
 
jill jackson said:
http://knifenews.com/gerber-g1-series/
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The handle doesn't completely fail for me even though that clip and it's mounting looks like an afterthought. But darn that blade is fugly.
I'm guessing not Super Blue. If it was the Product Manager, who seems desperately short of real things to say to actual knife enthusiasts, would have said it at least 3 times.

US $500? Somebody must be drunk over there.
 
Hell, I'm just glad they are making an attempt at an American made folder that may appeal to people. Instead of shitting on them, they should get some kudos at least for the effort even though it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
•So why is the blade finish all wonky? Lots of laminated knives have a less than ideal finish, being wrapped in a softer exterior steel doesn't help.
•Why is there a rather large section of unsharpened blade above the sharpening choil? Look at the Cold Steel recon series, there are many other knives with this "feature". Doesn't really bother me.
•Why have a damn sharpening choil if you're not going to sharpen down to it? It's the kick, not exactly a sharpening choil. Again, look at the Recon knives from CS.
•Why ship in tip-down configuration when most "enthusiasts" prefer tip-up? That is kind of a blanket statement. I've seen about 50/50 split whether yip up or tip down is preferred. We have a choice this time. Spyderco ships their Para2 tip down. I leave it that way on all 30 of mine and I'm a knife enthusiast.
•Why not have a deep carry clip? Deep carry clips suck hard. It takes longer to fish the knife out of the pocket, and the retention on about 95% of the deep carry clips sucks ass. I have a pocket full of bent to hell clips to prove it.
•Why use a silly dagger grind that inhibits slicing and makes fixing the piss poor sharpening job that much harder? The grind reminds me of the Ares, or the Benchmade 530/531, same thing. Some knife enthusiasts like variety, having a FFG on everything is boring, some people cry when they see a recurve (literally), other people whine when they see hollow ground blades, etc. It is what it is.

SpySmasher said:
That is an excellent question.
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There are lots of knives designed that way. The area known as the kick is often confused with being a sharpening choil while not being sharpened all the way down. Cold Steel Recon series to name one. Some older Benchmades and other brands have the same thing. Todd Begg has some knives that are like that and people take a second mortgage out on their home for one.
 
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RevDevil said:
•Why is there a rather large section of unsharpened blade above the sharpening choil? Look at the Cold Steel recon series, there are many other knives with this "feature". Doesn't really bother me.
•Why have a damn sharpening choil if you're not going to sharpen down to it? It's the kick, not exactly a sharpening choil. Again, look at the Recon knives from CS.
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Thank you, my mini recon is just like that, other than that, great knife.
 
RevDevil said:
•Why is there a rather large section of unsharpened blade above the sharpening choil? Look at the Cold Steel recon series, there are many other knives with this "feature". Doesn't really bother me.
•Why have a damn sharpening choil if you're not going to sharpen down to it? It's the kick, not exactly a sharpening choil. Again, look at the Recon knives from CS.
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It's only a kick if it's used to stop the edge from hitting something. Most typically a backspring in a slip joint or lockback. I wouldn't think it necessary in a button lock knife.

Cold Steel isn't trying to sell a titanium handled Recon for $500. Cold Steel and Spyderco aren't really good examples either as they're not trying to break into the knife enthusiast market. They've both got good reputations in the community.

My point is that Gerber needs to pay more attention if they really want to step up into that world. I'm glad to see them making an effort, but there's more to a high end knife than materials and this one missed the mark entirely.

Play the apologist if you want, but I don't see the G1 series being a successful venture if they all look like that thing.

Edit: After looking more at the regular Propel auto I think you're right and it is indeed an intentional kick. So it's not a problem with blade sharpening, though that bevel is still pretty sad, but with the design in general.

Most enthusiasts prefer the sharpened edge to reach the choil, so why design a knife for enthusiasts where an unsightly kick is necessary? Protech doesn't need a kick on their button locks, so why should Gerber?

 
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that knife belongs in an ad in the back of a comic book for 9.99...............
 
Easy there guy, I'm not sure what the apologist comment is about, it has no place in the discussion. I could easily label you as a hater since this attempt is not up to your standards and has compelled you to critique harshly. In the end what would that accomplish? Not a damn thing to be honest, so let's skip the chest thumping, M'kay?

As I clearly stated I am glad that Gerber is turning things around and making more items in the US. That is all. I didn't say that they were perfect, that is extrapolating a lot from a little. I commented on your points and shared my opinion, which is why you stated them as questions (I'm guessing though). My attempt in answering to your bullet points is not exactly for your benefit, rather the benefit of some of the new members that have no idea what they are doing yet. Not a good idea to blast companies making efforts in this arena. Be critical of the products, yes of course. That is why we are here to discuss and alk. But there is a good way and a better way to do it.

Given the common knowledge of where Gerber has been for so long, it is obviously going to take them a while to climb up the ladder, the right way (so to speak) to make the most elitist among us happy or less miserable. I'm not planning on buying one, but I think it's a great first step. I'm pretty sure they will sell every single one they make too. To be honest, I've wanted to buy an Edict and a Gator Premium for a while now. I just haven't had the time to sit down and look things over. That is all, carry on.

More info on this knife from Gerber.
http://blog.gerbergear.com/g1-001/
 
Not my cup of tea, but I wouldn t be surprised if they sell them all. I hope Gerber continues its efforts in the upscale market.
 
While I would never give the asking price I think it is another step along the path I want to see from them. I can get behind any effort to increase manufacturing here in the US.
 
I still like their paraframe series of knives... quality stuff, aesthetically pleasing to boot
 
The dagger design says it all.

Petunia D. Feeble Petunia D. Feeble The finish on that laminated blade looks a lot like the finish on John Neeman's line of Laminated Silver Steel wildlife knives (at least from the pictures, of course).
 
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