Who started out with an EZ-Out?

S

Simple Man

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Nov 6, 2001
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The knife collecting thread got me thinking. Who all got started out with a Gerber EZ-Out as a first real user blade?

Mine started when I was on vacation to the Smoky Mountains/Gatlinburg area with my in-laws-to-be at the time. We stopped by SMKW on the way in (of course) and ended up spending at least 6 hours there over the next several days. I was in search of a sheath knife I could use on their farm and possibly for EDC. I looked at several sheath knives and was about settled on a Gerber Gator then my brother-in-law-to-be said "Hey look at this knife with a clip, it will be easier to handle and carry than that thing". So I bought the EZ-Out for the asinine amount of $30 and was hooked. That was probably six years ago; I have now moved well up into the ranks of Spyderco and may have found "The One" in a S30V Millie. (At least until the next One catches my attention, Oh hey, look over there, what's that??.........)

So who else got started with the Gerber?
 
I did! I'd still use mine if I hadn't broken the tip from dropping it. It definitely felt like a "real" knife compared to the crap I had used before, and the blade was (and still is) incredibly sharp.
 
I didn't get started with an EZ-Out, but it was my favorite knife for quite some time. It was even the knife I used for "The Knife I Carry" in Blade.
 
I didn't start out with an EZ-Out but it is the knife that I currently carry everyday. I'm not sure if they had two models serrated & straight or just serrated. Mine at least is the half serrated blade which is obviously great for slicing through something quickly. I would have preferred it with just a straight blade though(personal preference only).

Sean
 
I love my EZ-OUT. It was my first real knife and still is my EDC. The first one I found At a bustop, and was lost a year later by a friend at a party. The second one I paid for and it is a great knife. I like the junior version too but I have yet to handle it.

Oh, and the sound it makes when it is opened is such a satisfying click, crisp and secure. Good stuff.
 
it was my first clip knife that i got, now i've got 3 sebbies and am looking at mayo dear lord...
 
took much more abuse than you would think it would be capable of. Just recently gave it to a girl at school who goes jogging at night.

Frank
 
My first ever knife is from Edge Mark, called the Bear Cat Knife-$ 10.00 with 440 blade. Bought it around 1979-1980. The box say model number 11-300. Gutman Co, Mt. Vernon N.Y., then below that it says Japan.
Next was a SAK around 1983. Flash forward to 1995, a Gerber E-Z Out, first production run - 1995.
Of course, these knives have a special place in my collection, they mostly collect dust, I doubt that I'll ever carry one of the above when the Strider, CRK or Buck / Mayo is nearby.
 
I also had one of the "First Production Run" knives, obtained from the Cutlery Shoppe in Boise. I bought a couple of other later models and used them, gave them to my sons to use. Mine worked well, locked up tight, and held a reasonable edge. I've since graduated to Benchmade, Spyderco, and a CRK Sebenza but those EZ-Outs were pretty good knives for the money. Buying one kept me from buying one of those Cold Steel lockbacks!
 
The EZ-Out was the first knife I ever bought that had a pocket clip. Overall, it was not a bad knife. I bought it for around $30.00 from Wal-Mart many years ago. I eventually broke the tip off and I threw it away.

The EZ-Out got me interested in higher quality blades like Spydercos, etc. I'm often tempted to buy another just for nostalgia.
 
EZ-Out is my "work" knife, which I carry when doing any real work around the house, church, etc. I took it on a missions trip last week, and the sharpness impressed the pastor who borrowed it to cut up some boxes. (If I had known he was cutting cardboard, I would have given him the Stanley utility knife inatead!). I'm sure a quick date with Mr. Sharpmaker will bring the edge right back.
 
BTT, just because I was thinking about it the other day. Seems like the EZ-Out was a "gateway" knife for many folks.
 
It wasn't the EZ out for me, but I got started buying folders with synthetic handles with a Gerber Bolt Action. It was my 1st Gerber knife. Before that I bought mostly stag and bone handled folders.

In the 80's SMKW was a good source for some nice discontinued knives. I got a beautiful red bone handled Buck 110 and an equally beautiful Parker Damascus folder, they were closeouts for about $29.00 each. I also got my share of Frost knives too , but back in the 80's most were made in Japan.
 
It was pretty close to my first:) My son found one and asked if I would re-furbish it for him - as I cleaned it up, I started to see that it was actually not that bad (but what did I know back then:) ) I think I was just starting to monkey around with kits, so my exposure to that point was more fixed blade kits and SAK's. I went out and bought one a little while later. It's one of my weekend beaters - and it's still tickin:D


- gord
 
My interest in "modern" knives started with an EZ-Out. It was by no means my first knife (SAKs, slipjoints, etc. have been with me since I was old enough to use a fork), but it was my first one-handed locking knife, back in '96 or '97. I suppose it qualifies as a "tactical," if a Spyderco does. After all, they're very similar.
I bought it because I worked at a nature center, spending a lot of time doing trail maintenance and other outdoor work, on the grounds or in the woods, and I when I discovered one-hand-openers, I had to have one. It served me well for a good couple years, and introduced me to the idea of a quality tactical knife (opening the door for real quality like BM & Spyderco).
It does indeed seem to be the "gateway drug" of knives. ;)

Peace.
Alex.
 
Nope, I'd been accumulating knives long before the EZ-Out was released. And my first Gerber was an early Gator.

I've heard that the quality of newer Gerber knives has declined. Is that true for the EZ-Out as well? I've always wanted one, but just never did it. And if the older knives are higher quality, is there an easy way to distinguish the older knives from the newer production?

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
Yep, the EZ-O was my first "real" blade, is still working well, and has been the first victim of my "restructuring the blade" experiment, since i never used the serrations, i simply and carefully ground them off and restructured the edge as a plain edge

it still does it's duties as a beater knife and lives in my desk at work....

i have sort of a "love-hate" relationship with it, i'm not a big fan of it, but it *did* get me into better blades.....
 
Yep, it was my first pocket clip knife, 95-96ish. I carried one for years until I got my first Mini-Grip. I still have 3 ez outs, 2 in ats-34. Great beater knife, definitely a "Gateway".
 
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