Why No Gerber Love?

I remember a few years back, (especially in the backwoods of the South) that saying Gerber back then was like saying Emerson or Benchmade today.. You just wasn't cool unless you had a Realtree jacket on and a Gerber in your pocket..LOL.. I do still like a few Gerber designs, these two have never let me down, that Harsey Air Ranger is a tough little knife and I find myself going to it alot for small outdoor tasks.. The USA made AF Combat Folder speaks for itself, I love that knife, (Nevermind the makeshift Smith and Wesson pocket clip, but it works great via the lanyard hole..LOL) Love these two...
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Got my CLS yesterday. Probably going to hold onto this one -simply because it's a great glove knife - second only to my G&G Hawk MUDD. Since I live in a place where gloves or numb fingers are the norm about 4 months out of the year -this is a big deal.
Here's what I like - big usable dual thumbstuds. Black -somewhat discrete when carried in my rt. front jeans pocket . The liner release button is also very usable with gloved hands - this is a very select feature on just a few knives. My Emersons open just fine via the disc - but I have to unglove to close 'em -same for a lot of other folders.That textured button release works just fine with gloves on.Texture on the scales is also pretty much right IMHO - grippy without being abrasive - a good trick.The texturing on the thumbstuds and the button release are very aggressive - little question -this is a knife designed for folks wearing gloves.Initial lock up is perfect -no vertical or S2S blade play. OK -so the liner tab isn't exactly a slab.Like the nice stout tip - I pry with my knives .
Interesting detail - the thumbstuds are toad stooled - they fit over a protrusion at the top front of the liners - cool - but I don't think they are anywhere near tight enough to lend any strength ? Anybody know what this is for?
Got this partially for the cuff cuter -carry a separate one now for cutting cable ties -that will be one less thing to throw in the tool kit.
What don't I like? Serrations . I routinely use my knife to cut and strip cable jackets-personally - serrations just don't work for me for this specific task. as has been suggested - meeting up with a Dremel tool may be in this knife's future.
Big thing is this - this thing is tight -everything fits together and works - price is not unreasonable. This is a good Gerber - they can do it - they just need to do it consistently from model to model across the brand.
And as usual - this taste of a Hinderer has got me looking at the "real" thing and wondering how much i might need one?
 
I think some pretty good and innovative products are coming from the new Gerber. That is probably the entire issue I have is that it is the "new" Gerber. It is just hard to take so many good American companies either going under or basically just licensing out their brand name so it can be put on what is usually lower quality knock-offs that are now legitimized by the name on them. Seems like so many established and respected American companies have just gone the licensing route in recent years - knives and everything else. Really a true shame. I might buy anything from any manufacturer if I want it enough or have a need for it and the price and quality are right but still deep down I usually know it isn't really a true product of the now defunct company stamped on the blade. The pride of ownership and any brand loyalty pretty much is gone in those situations.
 
I got Gerber Ripstop knife with Ripstop Multi tool combo cheaply. Fit and Finish of the small knife was... well, not to up to any of my Kershaws, Spyderco's and such. Decent. I had to use file to round few sharp edges. The skeletonized handle fit surprisingly well the handle. Its light weight and decent steel. And sturdiest knife lock I've seen. When that locks in place its really hard me to even think that frame lock could be easily broken.

With few gerbers I can say: their multitools are better than most of their cheaper folders. They are not bad, they make good loaners of known brand but I still take any Kersahw Knife over Gerber...

... Someone, we ought to buy Kershaw for Gibbs... He always uses Gerber in NCIS... Kershaw of Spyderco would suit him better IMHO.

But if fit & finish quality of Gerbers improve, they will make very good knives. Now, they are decent ones but you can get better with just few more bucks or same amount of bucks, like CRKT...

But I don't have expeirence of Gerbers more expensive knives. Just Multi-plier 400 and Rip-stop multi-tool besies Ripstop folder.
 
Turns out you can easily use the cuff cuter on the CLS to strip jackets off of electrical cables - just lay the cable on your thumb and draw the cutter along the jacket with a light downward angle/pressure as you slide the tool over the wire -zipity do dah -jacket's sliced.Haven't tried this gloved yet -but suspect it would work pretty well. For me - this is a big deal since I can get the cutting power of a serrated blade and cable prep ability in one knife.
It's also interesting to look up US Pat.7165329 -which explains the button lock release.
I remain extremely impressed with fit and finish . This is the best made folder with the Gerber name on it that I have handled in years.Certainly well worth the selling price.
 
yablanowitz said:
Some of us old geezers remember Gerber from the 70's, when they made some of the best knives around, and I for one feel they are worse than dead. The name has been sold to a company more interested in making a buck than making good knives.
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Count me as a geezer. I bought Gerbers in the early 70s. I do not buy Gerbers now.
 
Leftoverdj said:
Count me as a geezer. I bought Gerbers in the early 70s. I do not buy Gerbers now.
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Another+1. My old Gerbers are still some of my favorites, but I haven't added a Gerber to my collection in years. They still make some good knifes, but they also make some real junk.
 
I have maybe 500 dollars worth of gerber knives. All of them have the same issues: poor steel, poor finish, poor materials, poor quality control, and way too high a price.
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Why would you buy $500 worth of these knives if you knew this?

I bought some Gerbers several years ago just as they were adopting its crap-out policy. One of them wouldn't even cut heavy bubble plastic -- just slipped and slided over it. Horrible!
 
Ive got a Multiplier 600 thats taking quite a beating and still going strong. The tool itself is allright, but the cutters are way too soft. Got 3 of their smaller tools too, the Eclipse, Clutch and Shortcut and theyre all utterly crap.

Ive owned their LMF II which i thought was a pretty nice knife, mine was the 12c27 version, and if it wasnt for the serrations i wouldnt have sold it. Came with an excellent sheath too.

My last Gerber is the Gator II folder, this one has taken a real beating bordering on abuse, and it still locks and cuts great. I think the Gator has a great ergonomic handle too. Wish id gotten the 154cm version instead though, but dont know if it was around when i got mine.

The one thing my 3 "good" Gerbers have in common is that theyre all made in the USA. Dont know if thats what makes them good, but im not buying anymore to find out.
 
So would anyone reccomend buying the LMF II?
Ive been debating to get this knife for a few months now, I bought a RC4 instead but im still interested in the Gerber, well I was till I read this thread lol
 
cheftothestars said:
So would anyone reccomend buying the LMF II?
Ive been debating to get this knife for a few months now, I bought a RC4 instead but im still interested in the Gerber, well I was till I read this thread lol
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Check out this thread not so long ago: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697268

If you bought a RC4 then theres no point in getting the LMF, unless you like caryying 2 knives in the bush.
But if you really like it and want it for the collection then go for it. Try to see if you can get the 12c27 steel version.
 
i have a remix fine and then a fixed blade i got in 2005 (cant remember the model)...not that bad, the remix is a little slopping the in the fit side of things but the blade is sharp and done its job for when i needed it to.

I do like the older gerber though, its a shame they dont make em like they used to.
 
I'm really sad to hear how Gerber went downhill :(. The brand, in the early 90's, had a special place in my heart, back at the time when Spyderco was only "that new brand with a hole in the blade".
 
I have the gerber gator drop pt, 154mc steel..i hvae to say its actually a pretty awesom knife...good/bad in all knife makers.
 
Yep, my last Gerber was the drop point Gator in ATS-34. An incredible knife for the money. IMHO, there is scarcely a more ergonomic handle to be found than the one on that Gator. It doesn't get carried much anymore because it doesn't have a pocket clip, but, if I could decide on putting one on or not it'd be in the EDC rotation.

Gerber these days has shown me NOTHING I can get excited about. They've become a mere shadow of what they once were.
What a shame...
 
Gerber still makes some good knives that I buy. I just Bought a Gerber Gator fixed blade in s30v, I have a couple Folding Gators in 154cm. These are excellent knives at a very good price. If you don't like their cheap stuff, don't buy it. They are doing what a lot of companies have done to survive. That is make and sell cheap Chinese stuff, the kind that people can't by from Walmart fast enough. As long as people will buy it, they will oblige.
 
I've got an older Gerber camp knife with an metal handle I'm quite fond of. Am considering one of their multi tools.
 
They made GREAT stuff at one time. Now, I think they still make some good stuff. However, their name is also stamped on some real crap. So, it's a bit hit and miss now. Don't get me wrong, they can still do good work but it's not as frequent as it was 20+ years ago.
 
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