Is this normal for a Gerber Mark I blade?

B

Bennett Richards

Joined
May 22, 2000
Messages
185
Hi,

I just got a Gerber Mark I on ebay serial # 059027.. 25+ years old described as mint. It certianly looks to be mint... and the Gerber flyer that it came with describes the gerber "survival" knives to be made from tool steel. I was really happy with the knife UNTIL I looked down at the blade from the tip down towards the hilt,

I was surprised when I noticed that the blade did not seem to be set straight in relation to the knife's hilt.. IE: A line drawn through one edge to the edge on the other side would not be parallel to the hilt.

Is this normal for a non-custom double edged dagger ? Any other Mark I owners out there care to examine their knife and tell me if I should be upset? :confused:

Thanks guys.
Happy Holidays!!!!!!!

Rich
 
check the serial number and look up the specs for it
some of them came with an offset blade to fit closer to the body when you wear it......it does sound like that is what you are describing.

I *think* this is the website that has a history of the serial numbers so you can look yoru knife up.

http://www.gerberknives.com/
 
Sounds like the 5 degree offset that the early models had. I had a buddy of mine pick one up for me in the mid-70's from the px at West Point. I was so excited until, like you, I looked at the blade and thought, "they screwed my knife up". Put it up and never used it, finally selling it sometime in the mid-80's. NEVER knew what I had until years later when I read it here. I sold the thing for a pittance of it's worth!
 
IIRC, it was the early Mark II that had the five degree offset, not the years later (and shorter) Mark I.
 
Bennett, I went back and read the first post several times. I think you are saying the blade is rotated along the tang/point axis so the guard is not "square" to the "flat" of the blade. If so, this is doubtless unintended by Gerber. That would probably not impact function (but would bug the snot out of me :rolleyes: ).

As described to me (mine lacks this feature), the five degree cant or offset of the early Mark II's was like you held the knife flat against the table and (somehow) bent the handle up five degrees. It would then fit better over the hip if attached to the web belt with the end of the sheath laced to the thigh. Or so the story went.
 
I'm with Thomas as that is my understanding of the story and YES when you're as anal as I am that offset will bug the sh*t out of ya'!!
 
I have had several Gerber collectors say that this WAS done deliberately by Gerber and a number of really knowledgeable folks say that it is NOT.
Your guess is as good as mine. I did contact another owner in the same serial range and his knife is like mine.

I think that probably the only way to tell for sure is to contact the Gerber folks... The Mark I was never documented like the Mrk II was.

I find it fascinating. You guys are a veritable encyclopedia of knife lore!

Rich :)
 
Gerber is not the same company. It is owned by Fiskars. If you have any success in getting info, please, please share.
 
Thomas Linton said:
IIRC, it was the early Mark II that had the five degree offset, not the years later (and shorter) Mark I.
Click to expand...

You sure about that? I've got a MKI S/N 00119X that I purchased new in late '75 or early '76. It sure looks like it's got a canted blade to me. 5 degrees isn't much over a five inch blade, but if I lay the knife down flat on one side the tip touches the table but the guard dosen't touch. Flip it over and the tip is in the air and the guard is flat against the table.

Edited to add that I just checked my other one, S/N 03056X, and it does the same thing.
 
Bennett, hi. In the 1970s I worked at REI Co-op in Berkeley. I sold knives and climbing gear, and remember the Mark I well (I wish now that I had bought one!). What I remember from the Gerber written materials was that the offset was so that during combat a straight or slightly angled thrust at the abdomen would not bounce off the ribs but glide between them. I spent 5 years in the military, including a tour with the 7th Special Forces Group, and from what I remember from knife fighting 101, this makes sense. If anyone knows more about this I would like to hear it.
 
The knife was reputed to have an offset to reach the heart when thrusting under the ribcage. Of course, it only worked if you held it that way.

I had three of the MkII's at one time and darned if I could tell which way I was holding it, daylight or dark. I think the slant came from being tossed in the handle mold during production with no way to keep it perfectly vertical. The rest may be marketing talk, like "blood groove, " to hype a beancounter's "value engineering."
 
Mine (early 80's vintage) also lays tip down on the table on one side, up in the air on the other.
Looks like it was intentional to me.
 
I sold one I bought in the 60's for $125.00 in the mid 90's before I got "into" knives. Now, mine was not very historic, being that it was mint and I never even undid the tie-down thong.

:( :grumpy: :mad:
 
only the mk 11s had the cant which was either to facilitate stabbing between ribs or to make the blade ride closer to the leg in the sheath, gerber deliberatly canted them but didnt after '69 or so, my '71 which i bought new is not canted.

gerber came out with some mk 11s in the '80s which MIGHT have been canted but i dont think they were IIRC anyway.

the mark 1 was never canted, i just went and looked at mine and they are not canted, if yours is maybe its a defect or something, but it should not be imho.
 
What's the serial # on yours Sifu?
Mine starts with 099_ _ _ and is canted.
 
Anything is possible. My uncle bought a V-8 Buick years ago that had poor acceleration and a strong smell of gasoline. He took it back the day after he had taken delivery from the dealer. Turned out it had seven pistons. :eek:
 
Ebbtide said:
What's the serial # on yours Sifu?
Mine starts with 099_ _ _ and is canted.
Click to expand...


021392, i bought it new in '71, and its not canted.

later on i'll look for my old issue of tac knives which has a bunch of stuff about mk11s and be sure, but i am 99% sure they did not cant the blades after '69 or so, i think it was earlier to be honest, IIRC gerber didnt do it very long as people thought they were defects/funky/etc and being canted didnt really do anything.
 
I just realized that I neglected to mention that I was talking about my MKI.
:embarassed:
Don't have a MKII
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top