Gerber Yari out of production....because??

xsrdx

xsrdx

Joined
Apr 25, 2002
Messages
343
I really thought Gerber was getting back on track with knives like the Yari, the overpriced Trident, and even the mediocre Spectre & Alliant.

Apparently this is old news, but the Yari - IMO the best knife Gerber has produced since they were purchased by Fiskars - is no longer in production.

Any of you industry insiders/dealers know why? Was it not selling through traditional Gerber outlets? Too expensive to produce? It would have been a good value even at a higher price point, given the competition.

It's one of a VERY few recent midrange Gerbers to have a good reputation here, and the only new Gerber I've purchased in the past 10 years - this from a diehard Gerber fan; my first decent folder was a Folding Sportsman II.

So what gives, and why is Gerber seemingly determined to position themselves at the low end of the "quality" production knife industry?
 
Same here...just when I wanted to buy the thing I had to find out that it was out of production...:(
No idea what the reason was...
 
I like it. Sharp. Pointed. Not too expensive, and pretty much Texas legal blade length wise.

Two Yaris would be pretty suhweet on a Survival Sheath's double sheath setup.
 
The reason it was dropped was simple - not enough sales. I don't think a lot of people "got it" with the Yari. I saw the knife as sort of a hybird; part utility, part tactical, part fighter. I don't own one but have handled many and really like them. Too bad...another good idea falls victim to poor marketing:(
 
I think a little free association is in order...
Fiskars makes........Garden Shears.
Gerber was bought by Fiskars and as much as we'd like them to be true to their heritage they are guided by a far off voice.

The Yari is definitley one of my favorite production knives.
Got one before they were cool. Now I just wish I had one in perfect condition. Its my beater camping knife.

My thought is it was too expensive to produce at the price point they were selling it at and they dropped production to focus resources on a more profitable line.
The thing just reeks of quality at its old price point of around $90 online.
 
Originally posted by xsrdx
I really thought Gerber was getting back on track with knives like the Yari, the overpriced Trident, and even the mediocre Spectre & Alliant.
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spectre mediocre?

-optional ats34 blade, standard 3.5" 154cm black-coated
-solid play-free lockup, smooth action
-standard textured g10 scales with titanium liners
-handsome aesthetics & nice blade to handle proportion
-substantial enough for comfortable utility, yet barely felt clipped on the pocket
-good value at $120

^^that's not mediocre in my opinion, but then again, i love the sheer looks of the knife, and in my book, that counts for a LOT.
 
My Yari was $70+shipping, a good buy. My favorite concealed EDC due to the light sheath and knife. With a tec-loc it is even more versatile. I too was surprised by the decision to discontinue it. My next one similar to it will be the Camillus CQB-1. A little larger, also with a very nice sheath. Should fit the same niche.
 
...Because Fiskars is a "short-sighted" company. Shortly after they took ownership of Gerber, many (most) of Gerbers' "combat/survival" knives were discontinued as they didn't fit into Fiskars' "image".
 
I'm new to the board ,been picking the thred's clean up late every nignt. The yari is one of the knife's that stand's out in the crowd.While readind the post's the fact it is out of production made it my first fixed blade .Thought i better get one while i could.Should be a good first.
 
I am a dealer. And, while I cannot speak to the Yari, I know that Gerber has developed a mind set that excludes speciality cutlery stores. My rep has told me Gerber would just as soon be done with speciality cutlery stores - and would rather go after the large box market. That means a dumbing down of their product line. They also have other issues that make it tough to want to do business with them - for instance - changing their MSRP's without notifying any dealers. To be honest, the more I work with them, the less I like not only their products but their business philosophy.
 
Originally posted by shiloh
To be honest, the more I work with them, the less I like not only their products but their business philosophy.
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whoops.. looks like the dudes at gerber/fiskars better take a few business lessons from chris reeves.
 
I've got a yari and love it, one of the best all around knives I could ever imagine. I do however have big problems with Gerber, I bought one of the axes from a friend that had lost the sheath no problem I'll just call them and get a new one. I called and I got a voice mail box so I left a explanation and a callback number, two days later I hadnt got a callback so I called again no dice. I've called them about 5 times over the last 2 months I havent been able to get a human on the phone and cant get a callback. I guess they dont want my buisness. I've had some gerber products that I loved but I dont like not being able to get someone when I have a problem.
 
Originally posted by Cyblade
I've got a yari and love it, one of the best all around knives I could ever imagine. I do however have big problems with Gerber, I bought one of the axes from a friend that had lost the sheath no problem I'll just call them and get a new one. I called and I got a voice mail box so I left a explanation and a callback number, two days later I hadnt got a callback so I called again no dice. I've called them about 5 times over the last 2 months I havent been able to get a human on the phone and cant get a callback. I guess they dont want my buisness. I've had some gerber products that I loved but I dont like not being able to get someone when I have a problem.
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^^on that note, i like the gerbers i've had.. but recently i called their customer service line and left a message. never got a call back, so i guess someone's dropping the ball BIG TIME. business 101: success is in the details -- call your fckin customers back if you have any intention of keeping them!!
 
There are more people that will by cheap knives than those like us who are willing to spend more on knives.

It's like this...Honda sells more Accords than BMW sells cars! Thats a fact Jack!

Collecter
 
my store is phasing out gerber's completely...pretty much because of the aforementioned reasons...their customer service sucks...there's better performers out there...and besides,i need the room for MORE CUSTOM KNIVES!!!...MWAHAHAHAHAAA..!:D :D :D
 
Thanks for the input, this thread has been enlightening....pretty much confirmed my suspicions about Gerbers future with Fiskars.

Grrr.:grumpy:
 
spectre mediocre?
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On paper, the Spectre seems to be first rate, but there are some pretty wicked folders at that price point- from Benchmade in particular, also Spyderco, and even EKI.

It's a "good" knife, but I find the execution sub-par, on the few examples I've handled, compared to the competition.

Compared to the Yari, which represented a truly outstanding value, the Spectre is just OK compared to competitive knives.
 
And so falls another old standby of the knife business and maker of some of the real classics such as the Mks. 1 and 2 Combat Knives. The Mk.2 was very, very popular in VietNam, just about the best buy for the buck then available to the grunt. And the Mk.1 set the standard in boot knives. I have one that I bought in the late 1970s or early 1980s for $35.00 and I soon saw literally dozens of cheap POS rip-offs on the market, but none even approached the quality or the class of the Gerber.

I hope that they continue to make their Multi-Plier combo-tools as they are the only ones of which I am aware that have the plier grips that do not cut into your hands if you really have to use them. I infinitely prefer the Gerber Multi-Plier to any of the other multi-tools that I have seen and tend to pack one around in my gear when I travel on the road.
 
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