The Gerber Brand?

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Willie Boy

Joined
Apr 18, 1999
Messages
328
I have noticed a number of nice looking designs coming from Gerber of late. I rarely see any mention of Gerber knives on the forums. Years ago, I thought the Gerber name was held in high regard. Is this no longer the case? Has their quality deteriorated over the years?

I own three Gerbers that I have had for 10-15 years: Mark I, Loveless Guardian, and a knife similar in appearance to the Mark I, but with a thicker blade and a serrated edge. Does anyone know what blade steel was used in these knives?

Willieboy
 
I think Gerber lost a lot of their talented designers a while ago, like Blackie Collins, and Paul Poehlmen. It does seem that their designs are starting to come around.
 
I think Gerber has always made good knives.
I also think Gerber fell out of favor with some collectors when they were bought out by Fiskars.

Allen.
 
Gerber's is one of the most underrated knife companies around. I own large and small gators, EZ-Out, (all in ATS-34) as well a a small liner lock made offshore. All are excellent values that work as advertised. I rank their quality right next to Spyderco and Buck, way ahead of Kershaw.
 
<i>Mark I, Loveless Guardian, and a knife similar in appearance to the Mark I, but with a thicker blade and a serrated edge. Does anyone know what blade steel was used in these knives?</i>

The company had a tremendous reputation as perhaps the finest production fighting knife company around until the late 80's when it was sold to Fiskars. The few Gerbers I fiddled with at that time were butter knife dull and poorly made/designed compared to the earlier knives. They seem to be improving though, some of the recently introduced Gerber's appear to be ready for primetime, with decent blade steels and quality fit and finish. Perhaps they are due a renaissance.

The "similar to Mark I" knife is a Command I, sold as a "survival" knife in the 80's. Most of the fixed blade Gerbers made after 1979 up until about 1990 are 440C, some early MKII's are L6 tool steel. The Guardian is also probably 440C, and a great knife.

Some additional info here:
http://www.gerberknives.com/


:cool:
 
I'll buy a Gerber over a Spyderco anytime. Nothing wrong with Gerber stuff. It'll get the job done same as alot of stuff. Good price point material.
 
Gerber Knives are great knives for the money. The members of this forum, for what ever the reason, decided to "dis them" in favor of whatever over priced brand "X" is in favor this week. The EZ Out is probably one of the finest folders available. I used one during an 8 week solo Kayak trip as my primary knife. It never failed. Can you ask anything else of a knife? I find it amusing that when the other forum members talk about lock up failer of Bench Made, Spyderco etc. They say it's an anomoly, but when an EZ Out doesn't fail, the owner just got lucky. Buy the Gerber and be rest assured you're getting a good knife and if anyone says otherwise, just say "bite me."
 
Hey Willie Boy :

One of my first knives was a Gerber Command II I had while stationed at Ft. Benning, Ga. ( I was an infantryman ) a good, serviceable knife
with alot of nice features, then to a Gerber Gator serrator, and then
an E-Z out jr. ALL good quality. It's just that my tastes have switched to Spyderco.

"...and let him that has no sword sell his robe and buy one..."

Luke 22:36

A.E.T.
 
I have an old Gerber double edged Blackie Collins designed all steel knife from the early 80s and it has always been good to me. It has a pretty trick way that it locks into the ABS scabbard with a spring in the center if the handle. I'm not sure what model it is (but am curious if anyone knows).

Regarding your Guardian, my best friend had one and loved it (back when carrying double edged was more socially acceptable, at least in the circles we ran in). He lost it in an airport many years ago before boarding an international flight and has mourned it ever since. If you (or other forumites) decide to part with the Guardian at a fair price, I'd be interested in buying it for him as a gift.

I think their new SL 3.25 seems like a cool knife for the money. It's not a william Henry but with Carbon fiber scales with an ATS-34 blade at around $80.00 it seems like a lot of knife for the money. Anyone have any experience with their ne liner locks likt this model?

jmx
 
I like Gerber. I have a Gatermate, a clip-point pro-hunter, an old Pixie bird knife, and a 18 year old LST. Great knives all. I used to carry a Folding Sportsman II. Another great knife! Now, I recently got a Folding Sportsman I, as well as another FS-II (my old one was lost years ago). Would be nice if they still made them. I also used to have a Gerber boot knife, lost that in the military. Gerber had gone down-hill for a while, but I think it was mostly because they discontinued most of their knives that everyone used and liked in favor of newer, more modern designs. Their quality never descended into the "crappy" range, just not as good as it was.
 
Gerber makes a few good knives. I'm glad that they've swithched to ATS-34 for a lot of their folders. I think the Gerber EZ-Out was the first folder I bought that had a pocket clip. It really got me interested in quality folders. Some of their new designs look quite nice, although I havn't had a chance to play with any of them yet. I've had two of their folders break, but other than that, the rest were fine. I ended up getting rid of them all to buy more expensive knives. Still, I think that the ATS-34 EZ-Out is an excellent value at around $30.
 
I think that lately in here we are either bashing the POS cheap stuff or talking up the high end. Gerber, Buck and others just get lost in the middle. But the middle is where most of the $$$ comes from. Just my $o.02 :D
 
I've been using an EZ-OUT in the older steel, for years. Using it hard, but not trying to pry doors open, or chop ten inch logs in two. Honest, hard use. Still as tight as the day I got it and holds an edge well. I use an EZE Lap Mdl. M diamond rod and it only takes a few licks to sharpen it.

Also have one of the old Gerber semi-dropped point fixed blade A475 (4 3/4" blade), with the Armorhide handle. Great knife! I've used it, aside from camp chores, etc., on deer, elk, and antelope. That knife takes apart an animal with no trouble whatsoever, just as well as a couple of my $300 custom hunting knives do. And with bloody, freezing hands, that Armorhide has yet to ever slip on me! They oughta bring it back! If I recall, I bought that knife about 1977. It always goes to camp with me.

I finally wore out the leather sheath and had Scott Hendryx of Boise, Id., make a Kydex sheath for me with his "survival" pouch attached. A very useful combo.

FWIW.

L.W.
 
I have 2 serrated EZ Out's (in ATS-34). One resides in the leather pouch on my motorscooter and the other is in my tackle box. Both are very sharp and several quick strokes on a Sharpmaker brings the edge back to life when they lose their edge. Both have that cheap-o Zytel handle material. . .takes a bit of abuse and cleans up pretty quickly with soap, water and a old toothbrush.

Overall. . .I think that they're pretty darn good knives ! They do what I want them to do ! ;)

I do have to continually remind myself that they're not to go into the display case. :p
 
Originally posted by Mike Turber
I think that lately in here we are either bashing the POS cheap stuff or talking up the high end. Gerber, Buck and others just get lost in the middle.
Click to expand...

Ya know Mike your right, it comes down to three things, what you like, what you can afford, and what are you gonna use it for. CRKT knives are middle of the road knives, I hear people bash them because of the steels they use in their blades, but in my book they're worth what you pay. Gerber also makes many great knives, I can remember seeing little LST's on key rings all over the shop I worked in when they first came out. The Thumbbolts were hailed as state of the art technology when they first came out, and wasn't the E-Z Out one of the first production folders to use ATS-34? Sometimes I think people get caught up in the " My knife is better than your knife" mentality, and tend to forget that in the beginning a sharp rock was considered state of the art. Afterwards someone found a piece of flaked obsidian, and called the other guys rock a POS. :D

PS If I'm not mistaken isn't that when this forum was born?:D
 
Jmxcpter-the Blackie Collins designed knife you are referring to is the Frisco Shiv, I believe.
 
Gerber makes great knives for the money. But, unlike, some of you; I'll take a Spyderco over a gerber any time. That's mainly because I don't like liner locks, and because their lockbacks mostly have kraton handles(which I happen to hate). I also wasn't very impressed by their heat treat on ATS-34. As an example, I'll take a 45 dollar Endura with VG-10 over an ATS-34 Gator that costs almost as much.

Just my $0.02

Jeff
 
<i>It has a pretty trick way that it locks into the ABS scabbard with a spring in the center if the handle. I'm not sure what model it is (but am curious if anyone knows). </i><p> The Frisco Shiv? Double edge, ABS handle and ABS sheath, with a lever just above the guard that snaps into the sheath, designed by Blackie Collins. The Shiv is not all steel though, the handle is ABS or Zytel, and it has a medallion in the handle that says "Frisco Shiv" IIRC. The knife is flat -flat handle, flat sheath, from the side it's only about 3/8" thick, sheathed, from tip to lanyard hole.


:cool:
 
jmxcpter, what you have is one of the knives designed for kayakers and whitewater runners. I believe they were called River Runners or River Rescue. They came in both single and double edged versions and in addition to the ABS sheath which is designed to be lashed to a flotation vest they came with a nylon webbing sheath with a belt loop that the ABS sheath went in to, to be worn as a regular belt knife.

phantom4
 
If the Frisco Shiv has a polymer handle, that's definitely not this knife. It is an all steel construction. I seem to remember that there was a double edge and single edge version produced. I believe that Gerber still makes something similar in a single edge.

Thnaks for the info guys.

jmx
 
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