Starting to like Gerber again!!!

W

Wildone39

Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Messages
815
I may get flamed for this but today I traded my Spyderco tenacious for a Gerber Gator folding knife. I must say I like the Gator better. Its sharp as a razor and tight as they come, lockup. I also like the Gerber EZ out Jr pocket knife with a pocket clip. I dont have one but I am going to order one soon. Anyway, I am starting to love Gerber again.
 
No responses is almost worse than getting flamed. I like the gators for hunting knives. They're cheap enough that I have three of them I can keep in truck, atv, hunting pack, etc. Of course I carry one of my premium knives as a primary, but I've field dressed more deer and hogs than I can mention with a gator.
 
Check out the LST's. Still US made. The LST Magnum and Magnum Jr are good for the price and worth a try.

Cabelas offered a fixed blade Gator with S30V and a Bell & Carlson fiberglass reinforced handle. Not sure if they still offer it but it might be worth looking for.
 
Whew!! Thanks for the responses guys. I was starting to sweat here. Your right, silence is worse than getting flamed. haha.
 
don't know about their blades but they make very good multi-tools for the price. Especially since they are always on sale cause nobody buys them at target haha.
 
I know some of Gerbers stuff is not what I would want but still, I like the Gator and the EZ out knives, LST also. I dont own any of the Multi tools but like you say, for the price, there good enough. The Gator though is one tough knife and quite honestly one of the most comfortable knives I have ever held in hand and so far its taken quiet a workout and still holding a good edge.
 
I have an older gerber ez out from probably 2001 or so, it's one of my favorite knives. Was my EDC while in the navy because it was cheap and got the job done and stayed sharp. I also carried harsey air ranger for a few years and it's a great knife. It's now in my car's glove box for "just in case" moments.

I haven't owned a gerber made after 2005, so I'm not sure about the newer knives quality and what not. If you like a knife and it gets the job done, who cares about what others say?
 
Gerber does still make some good knives. You just have to know what to look for and wade through a lot of fairly junky offerings to find them. FWIW, the Gator is still the knife of choice for many, many hillbillies, country boys and rednecks who don't know or care about fancy steels or branding, and just need solid, dependable knives that will get the job done. For knives available at retail in a lot of the backwoods parts of the country, the Gator is one of the best choices. Every year, I would guess many thousands of deer are cleaned and skinned with Gators, with their users perfectly satisfied with their performance.

I see Gators on belts all the time in West Virginia. On the belts of guys who actually use their knives on a daily basis. You wouldn't see that if they didn't work.
 
the last gerber i bought was an artifact.
no regrets 'bout that
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figure that pretty much says just how ancient the rest of my remaining gerbers really are.
 
I carry the Yari-II with s30v on all my day hikes, that blade can pretty much handle what ever i can throw at it. It seems that their s30v offerings are top notch. My friend has carried his gator for the last eight years, he has me sharpen it every so often. I like the ergos of the handle.
 
i like the ones i have...
Freeman Folder
Hinderer Rescue knife

and my son has
Grylls Lockback
evo jr.
mini fast draw

wouldnt hesitate to recommend any of the above, alot of gerber bashing, some of it deserved some is just dog piling...
No need to apologize for liking what you like.
regards
gene
 
Although I'm down on Gerber's quality control, I have always thought the Gator is a knife that far outperforms its price! I've had a Pro Guide II for many years and it has performed superbly in the field.
 
when i was an infantry soldier, the gator was one of the most popular blades in my unit. a few spydercos but lots and lots of gators. i tried their multitools but had two break on me. perhaps they are better now, i couldn't say. the steel seemed brittle, esp for the can opener function. they would snap right off and not from prying either. still loved my gator though!
 
moonwilson said:
Gerber does still make some good knives. You just have to know what to look for and wade through a lot of fairly junky offerings to find them. FWIW, the Gator is still the knife of choice for many, many hillbillies, country boys and rednecks who don't know or care about fancy steels or branding, and just need solid, dependable knives that will get the job done. For knives available at retail in a lot of the backwoods parts of the country, the Gator is one of the best choices. Every year, I would guess many thousands of deer are cleaned and skinned with Gators, with their users perfectly satisfied with their performance.

I see Gators on belts all the time in West Virginia. On the belts of guys who actually use their knives on a daily basis. You wouldn't see that if they didn't work.
Click to expand...

where in West Virginia are you from? if you don't mind me asking?
 
Hoodcanal5 said:
Bear uses the gator folder to baton and it holds up pretty well.
Click to expand...

He also has a stack of them with his crew, so they can hand him one whenever it breaks. jk :P

Seriously though, the only Gerber i own is a fixed-blade Profile that i picked up at MEC for under 25$. It wasn't super sharp out of the box, but after applying my meager sharpening skills to it, it's decent. Also did a paracord wrap over top of the rubber handle, which worked beautifully (paracord really bit tightly into the rubber). Threw a crown-signet lanyard on it, and the thing looks great, performs everything I've asked of it, no complaints.

Gerber makes stuff of better quality than their price-points suggest. I think people get too wrapped up in the hype about Gerber being crap. Most people like to talk shit about how bad this brand is, or how cheaply made that brand is, without ever owning anything from the company. They read people's bad reviews and then use them as their own, without having any first-hand experience with the product.

IMO if a knife cuts, stays decently sharp, doesnt break the bank, and doesn't break with normal use, it is a GOOD KNIFE. That being said, is it a GREAT knife? probably not, but what do you expect? Just because it isn't in the same ballpark as the ESEEs and Beckers, or even the same league as the Custom and semi-customs like Busse's and CRKs, does not mean that Gerber is a sub-standard knife, it just means there are too many Knife Snobs out there.
 
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