Harsey Air Ranger (or II) opinions...

allyourblood

allyourblood

Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
2,432
i read a few posts, and searched out a very short review thread, but i'm interested in hearing opinions of you folks who are still using one today. preferably, from those with long-term exposure to the HARs., but i'd be glad to hear from anyone who has used it. maybe a brief comparison to a more well-known & similar-themed knife? how does the steel hold up? is it "cheap" in regards to lock-up, materials, durability, etc.? i'm sure it's not going to give my Endura a run for it's money, but maybe it comes close?

another question: i LOVE the look of the blue aluminum scales, but i don't like combo edge anymore. does anyone know if the colored handles are available with the "fine edge"? if not, i suppose i might be able to "Frankenstein" a color-scale version to swap the blade. is this possible? from online pics, the HAR seems to be held together with hex screws... is this correct?

please offer up any information you can. this seems like a either an inexpensive quality knife, or an over-priced low-ender. thanks again, all!


abe m.
 
I have had the blue Air Ranger (3.25" blade)for a year now. It's a nice enough knife, but it has remained an EDC for a shorter period than previous EDC's.

Pros: great ergonomics, pretty blue handle is less scary than tactical black. Lock up is solid with no blade play, passes spine-whack test no problem. I'd say it's as solid as an Endura with the added benefit of srews instead of rivets.

Cons: the steel seems really soft - it gets duller quicker than any comparable Spydie or BM I've had. The anodizing gets scratched off the handles quickly, especially the edges. And the screws (T6 and T8 whattyacallit star not hex shape - torx? - easy to take knife apart and swap blade if available) keep loosening, just like the Gerber Covert I had, which I could fix with Loc-tite but never get around to.

Finally, this last is very subjective, but I find a wharncliff-type profile to be more useful on smaller blades than a clip-point, like a flat-ground Delica or Kershaw Random Task.

hope that helps!
 
I had an Air Ranger II while I was in Nicaragua and gave it to a Nicaraguan guy who works for our mission. I had used it for about four months on some projects and had not encountered any trouble. He does construction and gardening and has used it REALLY hard! In spite of my offers to keep it sharp, he sharpens it on a rock at his house. It is scratched to death and is a little gritty because of how much he uses it in the dirt but it has held up well. (I used loctite on the screws before giving it to him.)
I hought he might try to sell it since it was worth the equivalent of about four months salary for a guy his age in Nicaragua. He has been very pleased with it and I have been impressed with how it has held up. I think they are great knives for the money.
 
I like the Harsey, but I would prefer a plain edged blade. I also would like to see it with a blade of better steel. I could be plenty happy with 440C at its' price point.
 
I have a Gerber Harsey Air Ranger (plain edge). For the money, it's hard to find a better pocketknife in my opinion. Quality is exceptional for a folder of it's class. I have the standard grey anodized version which doesn't seem to wear as easliy as the blue or green anodized ones and the action is smooth. To be honest, I'm not hung up on steel type and I find it holds a good edge for everyday use. I like to sharpen all my knives anyway so for me the need for some high-tech super steel isn't a priority for me. Get one, I think you'll be pleased with it.
 
Come on Cosmic...it's people like you that ruin these forums.

You think what you have to say is so important to be said twice?

Whatever man...whatever.

:D :D :D :p :p :p I kid, kind of :mad:
 
I've been carrying the Harsey AR II for about two months now. It's the plain edge version and it differs from the AR in having a larger blade and because it has an external blade lock in addition to the liner lock.

For me, this approaches the ideal design for a folder with its beefy blade, and relatively deep belly. Lock up is solid even without the external "interlock". Another thing I find impressive is that the open length is not much more than twice the blade length - meaning that there's not much wasted/excess handle. Keeps it as compact as possible and looks good. Call me crazy, but I like the design better than a Sebenza. The only drawback is Gerber's use of "mystery" steel - reported most often to be AUS 8a. So far it keeps a good edge, but not as good as my ATS 34 blades.

I actually wrote Gerber asking if they would make a model with premium steel. They said they have no plans to do so at this time. Its still a great knife and I prefer it over some of my more expensive EDC's.
 
I carried a Harsey AR for about a year and thought it was well designed and manufactured. There are really no surprises with that knife; it's just about what you pay for. A decent folder that will hold its own against similarly priced knives. Depending upon what you intend to use it for you could certainly do worse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top