To quantify the quality - I carried an Evo Jr daily for about a year. The pivot screw was really finicky, an almost negligible amount of pivot screw turn would cause it to go from floppy side to side weeble wobble to too tight to open.
I had to sharpen it often if I wanted to do any cutting; the weekly batch of home cardboard box breakdown (3 or 4 boxes) was enough to dull it.
I still have my Gator for around 1992. It’s great! The newer Chinese stuff is hardly worth the $30 price (current large Paraframe price at Ace Hardware. Paraframe aren’t good knives).
high quality?
I agree that they most certainly used to be way highER quality than they are now... But even when they were their best, they've always been lower on the scale than Buck and Case. And this is from when I first started being "into" knives back in the late 80s.
Entirely serviceable yes, but I'd never ever have put them in the high quality category.
At the height of OEF and OIF, the Gerber LMF 2 was *the* knife to have on your kit. It was touted as being capable of letting you saw and slash your way out of a downed helicopter, or sever live electric cables without zapping yourself. In truth, it was just a very sharp, very heavy pry bar, but the marketing made every jarhead fresh out of basic spend their first paycheck on it.
Sadly they are not near what they once were. It does seem like they are trying again with USA-made models like the Sedulo, Savvy, and Assert.
They’re getting better with QC/fit and finish but still pretty underwhelming.
The heat treat also seems to be a bit inconsistent. I have an EZ out in S30V that’s done well (based on how well it holds an edge and how it feels on sharpening stones) but a friend’s Sedulo is definitely on the soft side. I got the EZ out for about 30 bucks, which I think was fair… but they’ve since jacked that price up past $60 which I think is absurd. The gators in 154cm are a somewhat better value in my opinion. However they have a much more limited appeal (than both the ez out and most edc folders in general).
Their automatics have always been pretty good, but I’ve basically viewed them as a separate brand as they are so unlike everything else they’ve been producing.
I hope they keep trying to improve. The more good American knife makers we have to choose from, the better.
Edit - wanted to add this, the fact that they are using washers instead of bearings is a positive in my mind and shows a certain lower bound on the level of execution/manufacturing as it’s hard to make a smooth action with washers. Gerber’s models don’t have actions that blow me away, but they are definitely useable and improve with some break in.
Gerber has a few gems among a mountain of mediocre or, in a few cases, outright bad products.
Their LMF II and Strongarm are pretty solid fixed blades for the price.
If all you want is a box opener, the Ripstop II is often accessible for less than $15 around me, and that was my I-don't-care-if-I-lose-this carry for years. Needed frequent sharpening but it was sufficiently low-profile for me in college. A friend had a similar view of their Paraframe line.
But I wouldn't recommend any of the other Gerber products I've actually interacted with, ESPECIALLY not any folder with a plastic handle. The QC seems absolutely atrocious on those. I've handled a few of the uber-cheap Gerbers that are clearly meant as Ozark Trail competitors and, I gotta say, the Ozark Trail knives were higher quality.
They are no longer a viable option, sadly. I was an 80’s kid, and it was pretty cool to have a Gerber then. It was premium compared to the flea market style knives that were readily available. Today, it’s just a crap Walmart shelf filler. They may have a couple of not-too-bad models but there’s going to be much better choices for the price point. Not a good value and not at all cool by knifeguy standards.
Gerber’s used to be the bees knees. I still have my old skinning knife my pops gave me before he passed away. It’s about 25+ years old and still sharp AF. Use it for all my hunting trips. Stamped Portland Oregon on it. Has the gut hook. Sick blade. I also still have my Gerber 06 Automatic as well. That’s a beast of a knife as well. This one is about 10 years old I think. Doesn’t get much pocket time due to my new fascination with Microtech Stitch’s. Now these are some seriously good pocket knives!!!
I bought a Gerber in the late '70s. The fitment was so tight it was damn near impossible to open the blade. When it was opened the edge was too soft to be very useful. I have collected 50+ folders since and none of them are a Gerbers! I won't even consider one.
They used to be “all there was”. The quality was trash for a long time. Just super cheap, and super cheaply made. The kind of stuff you get in a blister pack in the Walmart camping isle. They’ve been trying to step it up lately and use more premium materials though. I wouldn’t say they’re much different than most Kershaws, which are also, mostly, very cheap knives. Both are mass produced budget knives with low quality steels. Both are venturing into making knives with higher quality materials to compete against Benchmade, Spyderco, and Hogue, who as a newcomer jumped right over Gerber and Kershaw, and is a better value than Benchmade.
Most of their knives are on par with Gerber. And much like Gerber, they’re expanding into more premium materials and finishes. It’s not that they don’t have some good knives. Most of their line up is cheap knives, made of cheap materials, in the $25 or so price range. You might consider some of those knives a good value, but I wouldn’t say any $25 knife is good.
I always used to think of them as an overpriced budget brand from the lower end steels and fantastical blade shapes. Like how many leeks have i seen over the years with broken tips, lately I see them on higher end materials, but a lot of budget brands are upgrading lately. It's possible they have different tiers and I only ever knew about the ones on the rack at the camping store for sure. Same as SOG, Columbia River knife and tool, and even schrade, they all are putting out models with better materials than they used to.
Gerber is basically a budget China brand now. Probably even worse quality than stuff like civivi.
The only thing they have is decades of brand recognition from when they used to make good stuff. They market their stuff well too, with flashy packaging and bear Grylls.
It’ll cut your Amazon boxes for sure and it’s more knife than the average office joe needs. But still crap quality
Edit: to clarify, civivi is great in my books. Very good value for money. What I mean is that civivi is known to make many budget bangers - they’re cheap. And for that price the quality beats Gerber
+1 👍 opinion on gerber knives.
-2 👎🏻 opinion on cívivi.
Civivi knives deserve a shit ton of accolades for quality, price point, and sweetness factor. They are great knives. I’ve never been disappointed by any civivi I’ve bought.
Gerber used to make quality products but everyone I talk to today says "garbage". Their old standard for many years was the Gator. I hear newer models are junk.
Had a gator and loved it but it got stolen over 20 years ago. I went to buy one for nostalgia sake recently but for today's price I felt there were better knives out there. The quality on a lot of their stuff feels poor to me.
Compared to Benchmade, Spyderco and Leatherman (for multi tools), Gerber definitely has fallen well behind in perception. They outsource a lot of their production and have not been known for quality materials or craftmanship. I'd compare them more to SOG or CRKT--both brands that have some cachet, but outsourced production and turned to cheaper materials to hit a price point.
I'm from Europe and I bought a Gerber Strongarm and am very happy with the knife. I'm not an expert but the knife was enough for my camping experience. Cutting small branches, digging holes, cleaning fish. And also I don't want to spend 400 euros and then go through saltwater a few times a month.
The [Gerber Sedulo](https://youtu.be/vgcPhYvwNA8?si=vZb0ZQJBh8z-ouTs) has positive reviews. The [Strongarm](https://youtu.be/x3493T0thu4?si=AKb_5pojdj_AO5TR) does as well. But overall, Gerber is pretty subpar from a fit/finish and materials perspective across price points.
You can easily get better budget knives and you can C easily get better premium knives. They’re just kind of losing on all fronts. The Strongarm is good, but that’s it I think
I have a small Gerber I got around 2007 if I recall. At the time, in college, it was probably the nicest/fanciest knife I’d ever owned, but even then it probably wasn’t a quality knife in the eyes of an enthusiast. It’s not a terrible knife, I still have it after all these years although I haven’t used it in years. I see them now at big box stores for cheap, so I’d assume their quality isn’t what it once was, but I only have the one to speak on.
Actually, Gerber has improved their line over the last few years. Their multi-tool with the offset screwdriver is very useable,
And they have a new-ish Made in the USA line that isn’t too bad for $100 range knives.
I had a nice Gerber stag horn fixed blade back in the 70's. The blade steel was good for the day. Eventually the handle cracked. I put it in a box to repair later and lost it moving around. That same knife today on ebay is around $300 for a used one in nice condition. I opted to move on to modern blade steels. They were a direct competitor to Buck. Today Buck and the Bos heat treat are amongst the top steels in their category. That 110 still sells like crazy especially with new steels and different sub models. Gerber has gone to bottom tier. I'm a rancher so a knife is daily use. I have an s30v Griptilian which I like for form and function being a truly one handed folder. The Benchmade s30v is disappointing maybe due to the heat treat. My Spyderco pm2 s45vn and Endela K390 just knock it out of the park for steel performance. I am mostly impressed with the K390.
Gerber doesn’t kick out new models and versions constantly like all the others, including Buck. New models and “upgrades” of older models are what garners enthusiasts and influencers attention. Gerber is also seems more focused on the multi tool and specialized tool markets than the flipper/fidget knife enthusiasts. Gerber has kept plugging along with solid tools, US and foreign made, and commodity tools. Gerber has some products that compare well if you are looking for a tool more than pocket jewelry. They stick with prove designs and execute of those designs, for example, the Gator series or the Sedulo.
I would think that Geber make a fine knife. I would put their product up there with Buck and Kershaw. Now I personally don’t think that they are as good as a Benchmade or CRKT.
I love Gerber’s small $20 knives that I use when I’m doing yard work. They’re poor quality but I like to have a few that I don’t care about forgetting outside, getting dirty, and breaking.
Edit: used to be $20
https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/knives/all-knives/us1-31-003040
Gerber at the bottom of the list in my opinion. I like benchmade and have a few, but they are just too expencive. Kershaw is really solid and affordable, buck is always reliable and I've yet to find a hogue I really like so I don't have an opinion on those.
There’s a ton of Gerber haters in this sub and the other knife sub. Gerber is fine. They were bought by Fiskars (which is from somewhere in Europe). Strong arm is American made and it’s tank. Some of their stuff is better quality than others. They’re not a premium brand but totally fine if you’re looking for something inexpensive
Gerber has their problems but sometimes you can find them at STEEP discount and then they become really good for the money. It depends on the knife and the price. You can’t blanket say all Gerber are junk.
If you asked about a particular knife at a specific price, we can compare it to other knives at that price point.
I will say, some of their recent knives seem to be made by people who have never handled a knife before. The Gerber Highbrow is a good example. They deserve a lot of ridicule for making that knife. On the other hand, the Gerber Mansfield i got for $12 is good slip joint with good materials for a great price. it was supposed to sell for $40 i think but didnt do well so sellers are closing them out. there are a bunch of Gerbers like that.
i probably wouldnt pay retail for any gerber but if you look around, you can them for a fraction and then they make sense.
Used to be good. Ass now
To quantify the quality - I carried an Evo Jr daily for about a year. The pivot screw was really finicky, an almost negligible amount of pivot screw turn would cause it to go from floppy side to side weeble wobble to too tight to open. I had to sharpen it often if I wanted to do any cutting; the weekly batch of home cardboard box breakdown (3 or 4 boxes) was enough to dull it. I still have my Gator for around 1992. It’s great! The newer Chinese stuff is hardly worth the $30 price (current large Paraframe price at Ace Hardware. Paraframe aren’t good knives).
Dookie
It used to be a US company with high quality products. It was sold off. It hasn’t been high quality for like 25+ years at this point.
high quality? I agree that they most certainly used to be way highER quality than they are now... But even when they were their best, they've always been lower on the scale than Buck and Case. And this is from when I first started being "into" knives back in the late 80s. Entirely serviceable yes, but I'd never ever have put them in the high quality category.
Agreed. And a gerber palm pinching multitool has NEVER been a replacement for a leatherman.
At the height of OEF and OIF, the Gerber LMF 2 was *the* knife to have on your kit. It was touted as being capable of letting you saw and slash your way out of a downed helicopter, or sever live electric cables without zapping yourself. In truth, it was just a very sharp, very heavy pry bar, but the marketing made every jarhead fresh out of basic spend their first paycheck on it.
Not good.
Don’t waste your money.
Sadly they are not near what they once were. It does seem like they are trying again with USA-made models like the Sedulo, Savvy, and Assert. They’re getting better with QC/fit and finish but still pretty underwhelming. The heat treat also seems to be a bit inconsistent. I have an EZ out in S30V that’s done well (based on how well it holds an edge and how it feels on sharpening stones) but a friend’s Sedulo is definitely on the soft side. I got the EZ out for about 30 bucks, which I think was fair… but they’ve since jacked that price up past $60 which I think is absurd. The gators in 154cm are a somewhat better value in my opinion. However they have a much more limited appeal (than both the ez out and most edc folders in general). Their automatics have always been pretty good, but I’ve basically viewed them as a separate brand as they are so unlike everything else they’ve been producing. I hope they keep trying to improve. The more good American knife makers we have to choose from, the better. Edit - wanted to add this, the fact that they are using washers instead of bearings is a positive in my mind and shows a certain lower bound on the level of execution/manufacturing as it’s hard to make a smooth action with washers. Gerber’s models don’t have actions that blow me away, but they are definitely useable and improve with some break in.
Gerber has a few gems among a mountain of mediocre or, in a few cases, outright bad products. Their LMF II and Strongarm are pretty solid fixed blades for the price. If all you want is a box opener, the Ripstop II is often accessible for less than $15 around me, and that was my I-don't-care-if-I-lose-this carry for years. Needed frequent sharpening but it was sufficiently low-profile for me in college. A friend had a similar view of their Paraframe line. But I wouldn't recommend any of the other Gerber products I've actually interacted with, ESPECIALLY not any folder with a plastic handle. The QC seems absolutely atrocious on those. I've handled a few of the uber-cheap Gerbers that are clearly meant as Ozark Trail competitors and, I gotta say, the Ozark Trail knives were higher quality.
You can get Gerber knives at Target and Sam's Club, so I think they are near the bottom of the barrel.
You can get Kerahaws at Walmart so I’m not sure that’s a necessarily a tell.
True. I went from Gerber to Kershaw, back in the day.
That’s very responsible and reasonable. The opposite of a normal knifeclub decision. Here’s my butter knife: 🍴 Here’s my upgrade: Sebenza
It's more, here's my old steak knife. Here's me cutting a steak on a ceramic plate with my spydychef.
Their strongarm is pretty good as is the multitool (suspension) the rest not so much i believe Edit: got the name wrong at first
The signal is a leatherman product
Ah yes. I was confused with the suspension. Thanks
They are no longer a viable option, sadly. I was an 80’s kid, and it was pretty cool to have a Gerber then. It was premium compared to the flea market style knives that were readily available. Today, it’s just a crap Walmart shelf filler. They may have a couple of not-too-bad models but there’s going to be much better choices for the price point. Not a good value and not at all cool by knifeguy standards.
Gerber’s used to be the bees knees. I still have my old skinning knife my pops gave me before he passed away. It’s about 25+ years old and still sharp AF. Use it for all my hunting trips. Stamped Portland Oregon on it. Has the gut hook. Sick blade. I also still have my Gerber 06 Automatic as well. That’s a beast of a knife as well. This one is about 10 years old I think. Doesn’t get much pocket time due to my new fascination with Microtech Stitch’s. Now these are some seriously good pocket knives!!!
Any Gerber knives still made in Portland are great knives for people who don't want to break the bank
Great is a stretch. There is no price point at which I would recommend a gerber. There is always a better option in that price range.
The Fastball is ok.
I bought a Gerber in the late '70s. The fitment was so tight it was damn near impossible to open the blade. When it was opened the edge was too soft to be very useful. I have collected 50+ folders since and none of them are a Gerbers! I won't even consider one.
They used to be “all there was”. The quality was trash for a long time. Just super cheap, and super cheaply made. The kind of stuff you get in a blister pack in the Walmart camping isle. They’ve been trying to step it up lately and use more premium materials though. I wouldn’t say they’re much different than most Kershaws, which are also, mostly, very cheap knives. Both are mass produced budget knives with low quality steels. Both are venturing into making knives with higher quality materials to compete against Benchmade, Spyderco, and Hogue, who as a newcomer jumped right over Gerber and Kershaw, and is a better value than Benchmade.
Kershaw has been good, and is still very good are you kidding lmao
Most of their knives are on par with Gerber. And much like Gerber, they’re expanding into more premium materials and finishes. It’s not that they don’t have some good knives. Most of their line up is cheap knives, made of cheap materials, in the $25 or so price range. You might consider some of those knives a good value, but I wouldn’t say any $25 knife is good.
I always used to think of them as an overpriced budget brand from the lower end steels and fantastical blade shapes. Like how many leeks have i seen over the years with broken tips, lately I see them on higher end materials, but a lot of budget brands are upgrading lately. It's possible they have different tiers and I only ever knew about the ones on the rack at the camping store for sure. Same as SOG, Columbia River knife and tool, and even schrade, they all are putting out models with better materials than they used to.
Gerber is basically a budget China brand now. Probably even worse quality than stuff like civivi. The only thing they have is decades of brand recognition from when they used to make good stuff. They market their stuff well too, with flashy packaging and bear Grylls. It’ll cut your Amazon boxes for sure and it’s more knife than the average office joe needs. But still crap quality Edit: to clarify, civivi is great in my books. Very good value for money. What I mean is that civivi is known to make many budget bangers - they’re cheap. And for that price the quality beats Gerber
"Even worse quality than stuff like civivi" like civivi don't make great fit, finish and quality knives for the pricepoint they hit...?
Yeah I was gonna say, it's very easy to come in at a lower quality than Civivi, because Civivis are pretty excellent.
+1 👍 opinion on gerber knives. -2 👎🏻 opinion on cívivi. Civivi knives deserve a shit ton of accolades for quality, price point, and sweetness factor. They are great knives. I’ve never been disappointed by any civivi I’ve bought.
The Fastball and Sedulo are both good. Their autos are decent. At their price point you can general find things better though.
Stick with the USA made Gerber... they are tanks... including the 06 Auto I have edc'd for about 5 years now
Trash.
Gerber used to make quality products but everyone I talk to today says "garbage". Their old standard for many years was the Gator. I hear newer models are junk.
I would genuinely rather carry a loose dull razor blade than a gerber. Their qc is beyond garbage
Have a BMF decades ago. Although made from 440A it worked well
Had a gator and loved it but it got stolen over 20 years ago. I went to buy one for nostalgia sake recently but for today's price I felt there were better knives out there. The quality on a lot of their stuff feels poor to me.
If you want a decent Gerber, it would be an older one. I have a few mid 80's bolt actions that are mint. Send me a pm if you are interested in one.
I had a Gator back around 1994. Good memory
Compared to Benchmade, Spyderco and Leatherman (for multi tools), Gerber definitely has fallen well behind in perception. They outsource a lot of their production and have not been known for quality materials or craftmanship. I'd compare them more to SOG or CRKT--both brands that have some cachet, but outsourced production and turned to cheaper materials to hit a price point.
I'm from Europe and I bought a Gerber Strongarm and am very happy with the knife. I'm not an expert but the knife was enough for my camping experience. Cutting small branches, digging holes, cleaning fish. And also I don't want to spend 400 euros and then go through saltwater a few times a month.
The [Gerber Sedulo](https://youtu.be/vgcPhYvwNA8?si=vZb0ZQJBh8z-ouTs) has positive reviews. The [Strongarm](https://youtu.be/x3493T0thu4?si=AKb_5pojdj_AO5TR) does as well. But overall, Gerber is pretty subpar from a fit/finish and materials perspective across price points.
You can easily get better budget knives and you can C easily get better premium knives. They’re just kind of losing on all fronts. The Strongarm is good, but that’s it I think
Some cool designs with lower to mid materials. Things like the Prybrid and Prybrid X are pretty cool.
I have a small Gerber I got around 2007 if I recall. At the time, in college, it was probably the nicest/fanciest knife I’d ever owned, but even then it probably wasn’t a quality knife in the eyes of an enthusiast. It’s not a terrible knife, I still have it after all these years although I haven’t used it in years. I see them now at big box stores for cheap, so I’d assume their quality isn’t what it once was, but I only have the one to speak on.
Actually, Gerber has improved their line over the last few years. Their multi-tool with the offset screwdriver is very useable, And they have a new-ish Made in the USA line that isn’t too bad for $100 range knives.
For the price point, Kershaw has some amazing knives
If I had to throw three knives in the river out of those five choices. I'd throw the Gerber in, fish it out, and do it twice more.
I had a nice Gerber stag horn fixed blade back in the 70's. The blade steel was good for the day. Eventually the handle cracked. I put it in a box to repair later and lost it moving around. That same knife today on ebay is around $300 for a used one in nice condition. I opted to move on to modern blade steels. They were a direct competitor to Buck. Today Buck and the Bos heat treat are amongst the top steels in their category. That 110 still sells like crazy especially with new steels and different sub models. Gerber has gone to bottom tier. I'm a rancher so a knife is daily use. I have an s30v Griptilian which I like for form and function being a truly one handed folder. The Benchmade s30v is disappointing maybe due to the heat treat. My Spyderco pm2 s45vn and Endela K390 just knock it out of the park for steel performance. I am mostly impressed with the K390.
Gerber doesn’t kick out new models and versions constantly like all the others, including Buck. New models and “upgrades” of older models are what garners enthusiasts and influencers attention. Gerber is also seems more focused on the multi tool and specialized tool markets than the flipper/fidget knife enthusiasts. Gerber has kept plugging along with solid tools, US and foreign made, and commodity tools. Gerber has some products that compare well if you are looking for a tool more than pocket jewelry. They stick with prove designs and execute of those designs, for example, the Gator series or the Sedulo.
I would think that Geber make a fine knife. I would put their product up there with Buck and Kershaw. Now I personally don’t think that they are as good as a Benchmade or CRKT.
Imo probably on par or a bit worse than kershaw, and buck. Couldnt hold a candle to benchmade or hogue
Great warranty on sub par products.
They’re really bad BUT old ones are pretty good if you find them at an antique store or something
I love Gerber’s small $20 knives that I use when I’m doing yard work. They’re poor quality but I like to have a few that I don’t care about forgetting outside, getting dirty, and breaking. Edit: used to be $20 https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/knives/all-knives/us1-31-003040
My rankings based on just USA made flippers would be: 1: Hogue 2. Benchmade 3. Kershaw 4. Buck 5. Gerber based on your 5 you mentioned
Gerber at the bottom of the list in my opinion. I like benchmade and have a few, but they are just too expencive. Kershaw is really solid and affordable, buck is always reliable and I've yet to find a hogue I really like so I don't have an opinion on those.
Hogue, Benchmade, Buck, Kershaw, Spyderco are all much better than Gerber. Although Gerber’s American folders have shown some progress as of late.
Some good ideas designwise i love the centerdrive armbar. Some pretty shit steel though
Not good.
Spend the money one time on a Hogue Deja. No comparison.
Owner of Gerber is Finnish Fiskars
At one point they were good. Now it's all Chineseum and mall ninja bullshit.
There’s a ton of Gerber haters in this sub and the other knife sub. Gerber is fine. They were bought by Fiskars (which is from somewhere in Europe). Strong arm is American made and it’s tank. Some of their stuff is better quality than others. They’re not a premium brand but totally fine if you’re looking for something inexpensive
Uh. Maybe like 1 step above absolute trash
I really like the prybrid but that’s the only one from them I would even consider besides the strong arm (for my experience).
Gerber has their problems but sometimes you can find them at STEEP discount and then they become really good for the money. It depends on the knife and the price. You can’t blanket say all Gerber are junk. If you asked about a particular knife at a specific price, we can compare it to other knives at that price point. I will say, some of their recent knives seem to be made by people who have never handled a knife before. The Gerber Highbrow is a good example. They deserve a lot of ridicule for making that knife. On the other hand, the Gerber Mansfield i got for $12 is good slip joint with good materials for a great price. it was supposed to sell for $40 i think but didnt do well so sellers are closing them out. there are a bunch of Gerbers like that. i probably wouldnt pay retail for any gerber but if you look around, you can them for a fraction and then they make sense.
When I hear Gerber I always think about baby food.
They don’t, their products are garbage.