why does everyone hate gerber.

Gerber is still one of my favorite knife companies. I try to only buy the usa stuff from them. The beloved kershaw had stuff made over seas even back in the 1980s. Didnt spyderco get their start in japan. I dunno just rambling. I remember the police and mariner back in the day and for being made in japan they weren't that cheap. Gerber still continues to make knives in the USA. Last two I purchased was a LHR and a silver trident. I like em.
 
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Hate, No. Loathe, maybe. I am a lover of the real Old Timer, Schrade, Uncle Henry of pre 2004 or so. And Wal Mart and Gerber threw them out of a lot of their business when Gerber took over Wal mart Knife counter in sporting goods at Wal Mart. Put up most of my old Schrades. And their stuff, Gerber doesn't do much for me.
 
boring said:
Gerber is still one of my favorite knife companies. I try to only buy the usa stuff from them. The beloved kershaw had stuff made over seas even back in the 1980s. Didnt spyderco get their start in japan. I dunno just rambling. I remember the police and marinerin back in the day and for being made in Japan they weren't that cheap. Gerber still continues to make knives in the USA. Last two I purchased was a LHR and a silver trident. I like em.
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The Beloved Kershaw (KAI) is a company that started in Oregon by Pete Kershaw (used to work for Gerber of all companies). The KAI group (Japan) now owns the Kershaw, ZT, and Shun names, but they make some of the best affordable folders around. Spyderco originally sold sharpening stuff (hence the phrase "First we made things sharp, then we made sharp things"), later they got into designing knives most of which if not all of which were made in Seki City.
 
Gerber...they made the first multitool I got as a kid. Not very good then... It seems like they're just a step above the cheap Chinese knock offs these days. They're stuff is OK, but not up to the name.
 
I thought the first "multi-tool" as we know them today was from LeatherMan ??? But before that, it was the Swiss Army Knife. Anyway, Gerbers are fine for light duty use. I love my Freeman folder & my Metolius fixed & my MK 2. I would NOT call them hard use knives by any means. They still make/sell a quality product for a value price point. My Beckers & Ontario Spec-Plus series are IMO, hard use & also value priced, for what they are & compared to the outrageous price of some custom blades.
 
I once examined their Profile fixed blade at a show. I didn't buy it but it did seem pretty ok at the low price. I expect the steel to perform at the same level as for example a Magnum at the price.

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And you have to admit: it looks rather cool.
 
Dagon said:
I once examined their Profile fixed blade at a show. I didn't buy it but it did seem pretty ok at the low price. I expect the steel to perform at the same level as for example a Magnum at the price.

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And you have to admit: it looks rather cool.
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I haven't put the fixed blade through the ringer, but I pretty much have with the folder, carried it for a year or more.

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Nice point, flicks open easily, locks up very nicely, GREAT grip with any of the three major holds, quite sharp, holds edge okay, resharpens easily. I generally take pocket clips off carry knives, so having no clip wasn't any kind of drawback for me.

I got sentimental and started carry Buck 110 again, and now have a Spyderco Military coming I'm gonna try, but really, the Profile worked fine for EDC, and would suffice pretty nicely for SD too as no doubt you could hold onto it with thrusting and slashing, even if it were, umm, wet.

I think if it were USA made, I might not have futzed around with other options at all. I think this ranks at least right up there with the Mora/Opinel type value.

- OS
 
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I have multiple Gerber knives, including a US made Mark I dagger, and a LHR, but I also have some of the non-US made knives. The fixed blades are OK, but the folders are nothing to write home about. For example, the skeleton frame one at all the big box stores doesn't look very sturdy, but the Fast Draw is pretty nice.

Received a Remix from someone as a gift. The Remix opens and closes fine, except there is a warp or flat spot on the ring area. You can feel the blade drag sometimes when opened. Oil doesn't make a difference. I have almost poked myself with it when trying to open it due to the flat spot.
 
Hate Gerber? No I don't hate Gerber. I am just very, very, disapointed in Fiskers/Gerber for going after proffit at the cost
of quailty. There was a time not long ago that when you heard those names, a well made product came to mind. Now not
so much.
 
I've had 3 Gerbers going back to the 1990's, and been disappointed in all of them. Most recently, an Evo that wouldn't open all the way right out of the packaging. I had to modify some of its parts with a file to get it to work. I won't fall for Gerber again.
 
ed_bltn said:
I've had 3 Gerbers going back to the 1990's, and been disappointed in all of them. Most recently, an Evo that wouldn't open all the way right out of the packaging. I had to modify some of its parts with a file to get it to work. I won't fall for Gerber again.
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How was it after you fixed it?
 
I think that Gerber is like many good companies of the past, they either outsourced or produced their goods with cheaper materials, economic gains played a fundamental role in the production of Gerber tools and knives. In my experience, older the Gerber the better, but that seems to be for many knives today. Gerber has some current models that are decent, such as the Mark II or the Gators, but not all brands are of decent quality. I've bought a basic $5 Gerber and I get practically 5 uses out of it before if turns to shit, on the other hand the Mark II is decent event with modern production, I think it's a love hate with most individuals, it is for me!
 
I had the Profile folder for a few months, then the tip snapped off. Not impressed, but for what I paid for ($20?), I probably shouldn't be. I'd prefer to spend an extra $10-15 on a Kershaw Skyline instead.
 
They were great until they sold out. Since then they have started using cheap steels, cutting corners, and giving themselves a bad name. Their biggest blunder was to start using "surgical steel", which basically made them lose all respect with hardcore collectors and enthusiasts. I personally avoid all knives without a specified steel like the plague. "420 steel" could be 420j or 420hc, and the difference between them is night and day. Just my 2 cents.
 
Basically Gerber makes mainly cheap knives and they don't even list the steel used in many of them. That pretty much makes many ppl avoid a large portion of their offerings like the plague. There are several designs Gerber has that I would like but not for the quality that they produce them in.
I think that the hate comes from ppl who want them to produce a higher quality product more in line with what many ppl feel that they produced in the past.
 
they do some current sprint runs that arent that bad, i have a gerber EZout in s30v for $35-40ish phenominal beater knife still wanting to find a 154cm gater but in all honestly i find them in the same ranks as bear and sons, or any other gun company that makes knives, some are hidden gems, the rest are complete crap
 
I dont have any problem against Gerber, I had two of them back when i was younger (before I was old enough to get a job, im 20 now) and they did alright. For most gerber knives price point at $15-$30, why not just spend that few extra dollars on a Kershaw Skyline or a SOG Flash 1 and get a really good inexpensive knife.
 
O.K., I'll fess up: I've carried a Gerber Harsey Air Ranger II almost every day for at least 6 years. Other EDC's of this size (3.75" blade) feel bulky and I keep coming back to this blade. The design, for me, is nearly perfect. Even the "Roto Lock" is innovative. It's light. The aluminum grip panels are indestructible. There's still no blade play after years of medium use and some shrink pack heavy duty plastic cutting. Great blade length to handle length. I have a NIB replacement waiting, but I can't wear this one out. Steel was advertised as AUS 8 early on when I bought mine, then was later advertised as 400 series. It does need regular touch ups on a 600 grit stone, but it holds an edge much better than my cheapo 400A boot knife (made in China). I wrote to the company and asked them to provide a better steel like VG10. I would have paid over $100 in a heartbeat and told them so. Of course their only response was to discontinue the knife. That's the problem I see with Gerber - they let great designs languish and die with mediocre (or less) steel.
 
Don't own a gerber and at this point in time won't own one in the near future....rather by a lowend Kershaw or spyderco......
 
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