Gerber

Gerber Jukebox Review

If you hadn’t heard: the war between form and function continues to rage. Sure, in a perfect world we’d end up with tools that look fantastic and work great. That said, the reality of the knife world is that most of us end up with pug-ugly blades we don’t mind hammering on, and a lot of drawer queens that we feel wrong about putting to hard use.

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The Gerber Jukebox has oddly fallen right into the middle of that continuum for me. Like most of the knife’s buyers, I originally saw the retro-cool looks and unique operation and found I couldn’t say no. However, after getting the piece in hand, I encountered a few clear drawbacks that prevented me from absolutely falling in love with the design.

Now here’s the ironic part of it all: the fact that I didn’t initially love it caused me to beat on the thing and push it a little harder than I would have ordinarily. As a result, it’s one of the few knives I own that’s both a neat showpiece and gets a frequent nod when there’s a job to be done.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Gerber Jukebox mates a 2.75” blade into a 3 7/8” long handle. Much of the retro appeal comes from a 7/8” broad sheepsfoot blade with a very steep descent between spine and tip. So much so it really resembles a straight razor more than a sheepsfoot. I find this blade shape to be well-suited to most blue collar cutting tasks.

Compared to the usual suspects of the Spyderco PM2 and the Ontario Rat II, the Jukebox is small, but squat. Closed, the knife is a hair under a half-inch thick (not counting the clip) and sits about an inch and a quarter at its widest point. Overall, the knife is weighty without feeling cumbersome at 3.8 ounces on my digital scale.

Now for the negative: the Gerber Jukebox uses a 7Cr17MoV steel. This was a new one on me, and required some Googling: apparently it’s even more budget than the Chinese standard bearer of 8Cr13MoV. Roughly equivalent to 440a, expect it to have slightly less edge retention than 8Cr but be even easier to sharpen. Considering that just about every knife these days from a quality manufacturer has landed on 8Cr as the bare minimum in steel quality, and given the $35 to $40 price point of the Jukebox, this seems an odd choice from Gerber.

What I can forgive less than the steel was the absolutely atrocious factory grind, which was not only dull but completely asymmetrical. One side looks like a flat grind, the other a hollow grind, and there’s a visible difference in terms of where the grinds start from the spine of the blade. At one point I might have accepted this as what one could expect from a “budget” knife, but competition is stiff these days. The sloppiness becomes even less excusable for a company trying to woo the enthusiast market segment.

You’ll notice my knife doesn’t have a perfectly straight edge and has a slightly rounded tip. That’s on me, not Gerber. In putting an edge on the knife, I turned to the Work Sharp company’s WSKTS-W model. Yeah: the electric-powered one. Maybe I was a little too aggressive in my first outing with the device and was a little heavy-handed with the coarse grit belt. Maybe my lack of finesse was an especially bad fit with the softer 7Cr steel. Live and learn. In my defense, it gave the Jukebox a razor-sharp edge for the first time in its life, and as the kids say, you only YOLO once.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Undoubtedly the biggest draw of the Gerber Jukebox past the straight-razor aesthetic is the tortoiseshell treatment on the acrylic handles. These are just awesome, and I hope this catches on. A lot of us gravitate to a single cool feature of a knife as reason enough to buy it for a collection, and this was the golden ticket that allowed the Jukebox entry to my shopping cart.

The ergos aren’t too bad when it comes to the Jukebox. It’s very nicely rounded and dehorned, making it virtually hotspot free. The stainless hardware is nicely polished, and the acrylic panels are nicely fitted to the frame. The knife has a satisfying weight in the hand, and the handle is right-sized to permit a four-finger grip without feeling bulky.

One issue made itself known in a way I’m glad didn’t amount to much. I realized that while the Jukebox feels good in the hand, its symmetric nature makes it harder to tell the orientation of the knife if you pick it up in the dark. I was breaking down some boxes at about 10pm when I realized I’d picked the knife up ass-backwards. One would think the flipper tab and pocket clip would’ve served as significant tactile clues as to which way the sharp end is pointing, but somehow I found a way to misorient the knife, so be careful.

The Jukebox’s pocket clip is deep carry in a non-ambidextrous, tip down orientation. Neither should be a dealbreaker: the knife is easily opened and deployed with the left hand, and I don’t think this is built to be opened at speed (more on this in the next section) or designed around a self-defense role. That said, we’d be remiss not to talk about the flipper. Some of the benefits of deep carry are slightly negated by a half-inch metallic protuberance. I didn’t get prodded by the flipper as some other online reviewers have mentioned, but it does make the knife a little conspicuous in the pocket.

Deployment and Lockup

I’m going to upgrade my original assessment of the Jukebox’s deployment from “awkward” to a new verdict of “unexpectedly gratifying.”

First, you might see the upward extension on the blade in the closed position and assume that this is a fidget-friendly front flipper. It is not. The blade is under stiff enough tension that you can’t easily flick this into deployment. Even if you did try to build up momentum with a wrist snap, the way you’d be gripping the knife would mean that you’d probably just end up pinning your index finger between the handle and the extension before the liner had a chance to engage.

If you make peace with the fact that your deployment won’t be instantaneous, you can still have some fun here. The Jukebox does indeed open one-handed quite easily. The thumb can roll the blade out to a ninety degree position, at which point the index finger can hook over the back of the tab and click the blade into lockup. It might not be as fast as most EDC deployment methods, but after a small learning curve the process becomes very smooth. While the action is a little heavy for my liking, it’s free of grit or any hitches.

Lockup is decent if unexceptional. My Jukebox has a little lateral wiggle if I apply a bit of force, but it’s nothing that bugs me. The liner is a little thin, but it consistently finds the middle of the blade even with light pressure. I wouldn’t hammer on it, but this would be fine for light to moderate use.

Gerber Jukebox Review – Final Thoughts

As you might have gathered, the blade steel, action, and ergonomics all add up to a knife that I like, but don’t love. In considering what Gerber’s trying to do these days, the Fastball (and Gerber’s custom knife program) is more representative of the company’s potential, and something that moves my personal needle a little more than the Jukebox.

But indulge me in a baseball analogy. If I look at my knives the same way a manager does with pitchers, my Benchmade Bugout is one of my starting “aces.” It will give me a lot of output, look good doing it, and is a good choice for most situations. Oppositely, something like the ESEE Junglas works as a “closer.” It won’t be an everyday sight—much to the contrary, it’s a specialized tool that gets brought in when a specific problem needs to be solved decisively.

The Gerber Jukebox, then, is that relief pitcher who’s brought into the middle of the game when your team has a commanding lead. Granted, it might not be as flashy or as effective as another option, but often the job that needs to be done won’t be meaningfully impacted by the limitations of the tool. Additionally, by relying on that tool, you save aces and closers alike from unnecessary wear and tear.

My point is that there’s a place in every bullpen for a pitcher of this sort, and there’s a place in a lot of knife drawers for the Gerber Jukebox. It’s not a perfect knife, but it is striking, and it can certainly put in work.

Sale

GERBER Jukebox, EDC Pocket Knife with Straight Edge Blade Flipper, Tortoise Shell [31-003761]

The Jukebox is reminiscent of a knife that could be found in an old school barber shop, a polished gentleman's knife that can be easily carried in pocket.
An extended tang finger flipper is uniquely designed for easy deployment without sacrificing design.
A fully fine edge, modern sheep foot blade is not only on trend, but offers practical utility for everyday tasks.
The Liner Lock safety feature provides confidence during use and easy one-handed closing, and pocket clip to keep it secure when stored.
The Jukebox features a 2.7 Inch satin finished fine edge blade, with acrylic handle scales available in two unique colorways.

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Gerber Jukebox at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Gerber 06 Auto Review

by Dan Jackson 2 Comments

The Gerber 06 Auto has always struck me as a stand out piece for Gerber. A well worn trope in knife reviewing is to bag on Gerber for their decline from an American standard to a mass market, Wal-Mart oriented, overseas produced stuffed shirt of a brand.

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The poster child for that era of corner cutting was their plastic handled Bear Gryles Parang that would break in half if you tried to use it. I’m not sure you could even saber open a bottle of Dom with it on the hotel pool deck, much to Bear’s chagrin. If there ever was a rock bottom for Gerber, that was it.

The 06 Auto is a standout for the brand because it is USA made piece geared towards military and law enforcement instead of mall ninjas and glampers. It’s an automatic knife, so federal law forced Gerber’s corporate overlords to produce the 06 in the USA. The bean counters were pissed when they realized this, and groused about the diminished margins. But enthusiasts have referred to the USA made 06 as a “happy accident”, because the resulting knife was not an orange plastic encased turd best known for its propensity to break in half. Imagine that!

In the past few years Geber has attempted a turn around. Knives like the Fastball have shown the company is committed to making high quality blades again, but the 06 has been around for 10 years. In fact, the 06 I have here happens to be the 10 Year Anniversary variant with an OD green handle. It’s high time we check this modern classic out.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 06 Auto has an overall length of 8.625″, a 3.625″ blade, weighs 7.14 ounces and is made in the good ole USA. This is a full size knife with a similar footprint to my Strider SnG or Spyderco Paramilitary 2, but it’s about twice the weight thanks to a thick blade, full steel liners under aluminum handles, and a chunky steel backspacer. It’s not my top choice for an urban EDC knife, but if you are looking for a heavy duty piece this 06 feels like it can be used to bust through cinder blocks.

Here is a size comparison with a Spyderco Delica and an Endura. All in green!

The blade is a handsome traditional drop point, with a saber flat grind and a long swedge. The blade of my 10th anniversary edition has been given a simple stonewashed finish, but generally the 06 comes with a flat black blade coating. The grinds are clean and even and the edge has been neatly applied, the last 1/8th of an inch at the heel is unsharpened for some reason. I’m not a fan of that as I find material can get hung up on the unsharpened portion. I suppose that could be ground out, but would prefer to see the edge completely sharp all the way to the heel straight out of the box.

Gerber runs S30V steel on their O6s these days. I have no real issue with S30V. It’s a fine steel that gets the job done, although these days there are more exotic steels available. Depending on the heat treat S30V can be stubborn to sharpen. I found that this 06 is easy enough to touch up on my Spyderco Goldenstone, so that’s good. No issues with rust or corrosion so far.

I’ve used this 06 a bit. It doesn’t leave the house much, as I prefer to carry smaller lighter knives when I’m on the go, but I’ve carried it around the house and neighborhood, and used it on many cardboard boxes. It’s an effective box cutter, tracking smooth cuts through cardboard and other packing materials. It also whittles well, peeling off long thin strips of wood and bark. It’s also a stout blade that should hold up well in harder use cases. I think it would be a good choice as folding camp knife.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

As I mentioned before, this knife comes with hard anodized aluminum scales over full steel liners and a thick steel backspacer. All the hardware has been given a black oxidized finish. This Ten Year Anniversary edition comes with OD green handles. I find that to be fun and a nice change of pace from the blacked out regular edition. Some of the finish is a little crude, most notably the tool marks on the backspacer, but the parts all fit together nicely. It’s a solid and well made handle.

You can also see Gerber went through the trouble of skeletonizing the steel liners. The big honking backspacer also provides room for a lanyard hole and an “impact tool”. As far as impact tools go, this 06 Automatic means business. I would not want to get hit with this thing.

The ergonomics of this knife are quite good. The handle is generous and can accommodate larger hands and gloved hands. The anodized handles offer a little texture without being abrasive. There is some millwork in the handle for extra traction, but it seems that the 06 benefits the most from its simple and large handle shape. The knife is a little pommel heavy, and I find the most balanced grip is when I am choking back on the handle. However if you decide to choke up, the flared handle shape prevents your fingers from slipping forward. All in all this is a comfortable handle that should work well for most people.

The pocket clip is large, and doesn’t provide for particularly deep carry. A good inch or so sticks out, which makes the knife easy to retrieve, but not super discreet. The pocket clip is secure with good spring retention. That is essential for a heavy knife like this.

Here is your in the pocket shot:

In practice I found the 06 to be a large and somewhat cumbersome knife to carry. If you are used to a heavy load out then the 06 is just another day at the office, but if you regularly carry a Dragonfly 2 or Mini Bugout like I do, then the 06 will take some getting used to. No surprise there, the knife is over 7 ounces.

Deployment and Lockup

Now for the fun part. As you know, the Gerber 06 is a push button automatic. The coil spring inside the handle is strong and snappy. It has no problem propelling the blade out. Gerber has also included a large safety button, or safety slide, that will lock the blade open or closed. Most safetys are fiddly and detract from the knife. The safety on the 06 actually enhances the experience. It’s surprisingly satisfying to use. It’s large and takes a purposeful amount of force to manipulate. I have yet to accidentally manipulate the safety. I don’t mind it at all on this knife.

For lockup the 06 comes equipped with a button lock. This is a robust locking mechanism, and the safety slide allows you to lock the knife open if you choose. I like button locks in generally, and think the button lock here is pretty good. The blade is secure although there is a small amount of side to side play. No up and down play. When it’s time to disengage the lock, an appropriate amount of force is required. There is no stickiness in the lock. It’s good. No complaints here.

Here is a parting size comparison with my Strider SnG. I still enjoy this knife, and imagine it’s a collectible at this point. I thought it would make for a cool size comparison.

Blade centering is good on my knife. I’d say it’s off by a hair, but is still good enough for government work.

Gerber 06 Auto Review – Final Thoughts

The 06 Auto has been on my radar for as long as it has been in production. It has that universal cool, and is a strong departure from Gerber’s standard stuff. It’s handsome, rugged, and overbuilt. Who wouldn’t want one?

Well, an argument against the 06 is it’s a heavy duty tool. If you are a normal person, you could carry one for the novelty, but I think you will find that it’s overkill for most EDC use cases. Certainly if you are in law enforcement, military, or have a reason to carry a heavy duty piece like this, then the 06 is a great choice. But if your typical carry is an ultralight EDC knife, then the 06 Auto will get old fast.

With those caveats aside I can recommend the 06 Auto. It’s a robust knife and it shows what Gerber is capable of if they put their minds to it. It’s a quality piece, and I’d love to see them riff on this design and offer lighter and maybe even non-automatic variants. More “happy accidents” please, and less orange plastic.

Gerber 06 Auto – From $169.00
From: BladeHQ

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Gerber 06 Auto at BladeHQ. Thank you for reading.

Gerber Ayako Review

by Travis Pike 2 Comments

I’m a sucker for cool-looking knives. Not impractical fantasy knives, but practical knives that have a cool look to them. That’s why knives like the Gerber Flatiron and now the Ayako. I’m a sucker for budget-friendly knives that have a unique style and grace to them. The Ayako, as the name implies, has a Japanese styling to it. Not to sound like a weeb, but the katana like inspiration makes this an eye-catching knife.

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The swept-back blade with a forward-positioned belly makes this look like some form of mini katana. Call it the influence of Ghosts of Tsushima, but I really dig the vibe of the Ayako, and that’s what caught my eye at my local Academy Sports and Outdoors. I’ve been carrying the 30ish dollar knife for about two weeks now, and while it won’t be my main go-to for an EDC knife, I appreciate a budget-friendly option.

It’s easy to get lost in the snobbery when you carry a Hoback or a Micro-Tech. Budget-friendly blades have a rightful place and are the most bought blades, so they deserve some love when they can deliver performance above their price tag.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Ayako has a 3.5-inch long blade with a 3.625-inch cutting edge. That rounded edge near the tip of the blade gives you a little more cutting edge than the blade’s length offers. The handle is 4.625 inches long, and the blade has an overall length of 8.1 inches. The Ayako weighs 3.8 ounces, so it’s relatively light and comfortable for daily carry.

The blade seems to be half tanto half sheep’s foot tip. It’s not exceptionally pointy like a tanto, but it’s not as tip reduced as a sheep‘s foot. The belly like area near the tip of the blade gives good traction if you want to go deep on your initial cut. For a sword, that’s probably a great trait when you have to fight a Khan invader. On a knife, it allows me to cut through tomatoes quite quickly and dig into thick materials efficiently.

The slightly swept-back blade is only slightly curved and seems to follow the tip into deep cuts rather well. The blade is made from the pain in the butt to type 7Cr17MoV stainless steel. 7Cr is a Chinese made stainless steel that is relatively cheap.

The corrosion resistance is high, which is excellent, and as stainless steel, this is one of the more defining features of 7Cr. 7Cr is also an easy to sharpen steel, and that’s important because you’ll be sharpening it a fair bit as the edge dulls quickly. In my two weeks or so of use, it hasn’t be pressed into hard service by any means. I’ve cut up a lot of cardboard as I disposed of a ton of Amazon boxes during the Christmas rush and put it towards most of my daily knife tasks.

Gerber barely seems to sharpen it before it heads out the door, and it seems to dull rather quickly. It’s low-end steel, but I’ve had low-end steels hold a better edge than this. The edge itself can get decently sharp with a whetstone. Sharp enough to slice and dice cardboard, zip ties, chicken, tomatoes, and even an onion or two with relative ease. It hangs up a bit with cardboard but will still make it through when pressed.

I wish it had more to the tip, especially when cutting the zip ties that held the portions of a bike in a box. It worked, eventually, but more of a point would help with basic tasks.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

One side of the handle is an aluminum scale, and the other is a stainless steel scale. Both are checkered and marked, but it’s not overt checkering. It’s subdued and likely wouldn’t cling tight to your hand under stress. The knife has never slipped in my grip, but the checkering is nowhere near what something like G10 offers. You can grip it tight and still pull it out of your hand with little resistance.

The handle is plenty comfortable, and it does allow you to cling to it without much discomfort. The grip is nice and long and seems to fit my big hands well. It’s thin but functional and comfortable. The shape is well done and allows for intuitive blade manipulation.

The grip is thin, and my main complaint about it would be the pocket clip location. It’s a big clip on a svelte design. I almost wish the knife didn’t have a pocket clip; it feels like it ruins the smooth lines of the grip.

You can remove the pocket clip, but you can’t move its location. You are stuck with the blade in a tip-down carry position with the clip on the right-hand side of the knife. It clings tightly to your pocket though and doesn’t budge when you move.

Deployment and Lockup

The Ayako has two means to deploy the blade. The first is via a flipper that extends past the body of the blade and is part of the blade. The second is a thumb hole in the blade. Neither is a means to quickly deploy the blade. The flipper allows for one-handed manipulations, but it’s not going to fly out in a hurry and takes a deliberate motion to deploy the blade.

The thumb hole is nearly useless and very small when the blade is closed. It’s such a small little slot that my monkey fingers have a hard time reaching into it and using it. If my nails are trimmed, it’s useless.

Once deployed, the stainless steel liner lock seems to do a good job of pinning the blade open. The liner lock is part of the rear grip scale, so your own grip keeps the blade pinned open. Once the liner lock is engaged, the Ayako’s blade is locked in place and seemingly won’t move or budge even a bit. A cut in the front grip scale makes it easy to depress the liner lock and close the blade with ease.

Gerber Ayako Review – Final Thoughts

The Ayako is a little bit more than a pretty face. It’s a decent little EDC knife. The solid lockup and decent blade design make it well suited for EDC tasks. If the knife was more expensive, I’d be more critical of the 7Cr steel and how fast it dulls. Knives like the Flatiron are about the same price but featured a much worse grind than the Ayako.

The Ayako is a solid little knife for the money. It won’t win any awards, and it’s not exceptional in any way. The most redeeming qualities are its price and attractive appearance. Behind the pretty face is a knife that cuts and claws as it should, but it doesn’t do much else. I don’t regret my purchase, but I’m betting the Ayako is a knife I put in my knife box for a long stay or eventually give away. Speaking of, with Christmas around the corner, its a great budget based gift, especially for a young man or woman in need of a knife they can abuse, break or lose.

GERBER Ayako Folding Knife, Silver

The Ayako pocket knife is modern take on a classic Japanese designed friction folder EDC
The knife features dual deployment options: a nail nick hole, as well as an extended tang front flip
Featuring a fully fine edge 3.5 Inch, Japanese style tanto blade of 7Cr17MoV
Frame Lock for easy one-hand closing
Handle scales of coined aluminum, and stainless steel with Frame Lock for easy one-hand closing

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Gerber Ayako at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Gerber Tri-Tip Review

by Travis Pike 1 Comment

I like weird stuff in general, and that extends to my knife collection. The good news is knives can get really weird. I now have three cleavers that have been produced by companies who don’t specialize in kitchen utensils. My ESEE cleaver, my Gerber Flat Iron, and now a second Gerber, the Gerber Tri-Tip mini cleaver knife, make up my collection.

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Gerber is a broad brand when it comes to knives. They can range from quite lovely and rather expensive, to remarkably affordable. The Tri-Tip leans more to the affordable side. It includes a molded polymer sheath and admittedly has a very fresh look. The Tri-Tip is a pretty blade, and I can’t lie when I say its looks drew me to it more than any specific need for a mini cleaver. I’m a real sucker for a pretty blade, and the Tri-Tip is a rather attractive and stout little knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Gerber Tri-Tip has a 2.875-inch cleaver blade is divided into a chisel edge and a cutting edge. The chisel edge is about an inch long, not very sharp, and it is finger safe. The bottom cutting edge is the near 3-inch blade. The handle is 2.75 inches long, and the whole thing weighs a mere 3 ounces. It is a full tang knife with a set of grips attached.

The blade is made from 7Cr17MoV. This cheap stainless steel that’s very popular for budget based knives. It’s quite common in affordable hunting and camping knives and even kitchen knives. The Tri-Tip fits that description nearly perfectly. It’s a budget based blade optimized for camping kitchen chores. This steel does offer excellent corrosion resistance, is easy to sharpen, and for low-end steel tends to hold an edge okay.

Edge retention is somewhat questionable, and it’s not one that lasts long. The good news is that as a cleaver, the blade isn’t always tasked with tradition cutting tasks, so the edge lasts longer than I thought. This steel isn’t known for being tough, but I’m not batoning wood or striking a fire rod for cleaver tasks.

Its edge is good enough to cut through meat and veggies easily, and even thin bones with a little strike to the rear of the blade. It’s not as sharp as any ZT or Emerson, but it’ll do its job as a 30 dollar cleaver. The small blade length offers a solid cutting edge due to the knife’s aggressive belly. You can cut through thick meat and chop vegetables rather well.

Admittedly the use of such a small cleaver is somewhat niche. I can see it as a functional camping cooking utensil that takes up very little room and weighs very little. With sustenance camping becoming more popular, I see the Tri-Tip being a handy tool for cleaning up squirrel, rabbits, and deer. The small blade won’t chop through the thicker bones of medium-sized game, but it quickly eats through chicken bones.

The chisel edge acts as a useful bench scraper to collect ingredients with ease after slicing and dicing them. The edge could also serve as a pry tool or even a stripping tool to remove bark from branches.

Handle and Ergonomics

The little 2.75-inch handle doesn’t necessarily fill the hand and won’t give you the real cleaver’s wacking ability. The grip angle has a slight incline that allows for a rocking motion to cleave through meat. The handles are made from aluminum and textured.

The downside is that there are some immediate hotspots in the area where the handles meet the palm. Using the cleaver to strip meat from bones creates hot spots throughout the hand. Using the Tri-Tip in traditional kitchen tasks was comfortable enough. Giving the black a wack, rocking it back and forth, and using the chisel edge was all plenty comfortable.

The handle is textured comfortably, and you can get a sure grip, which was surprising due to how small the grip is. I like the rounded aluminum grips and the texture they add, but they were far from perfect.

Once you turn to more outdoorsy tasks, you’ll want a larger, more prominent handle. The lightweight design is appreciated, and at only 3 ounces, it won’t pull on you when belt-mounted.

The rear of the blade is wide enough to cover with a towel and give a wack to break through thick veggies and small animal bones. You can split a chicken breast, but anything more significant might prove to be a challenge.

Sheath

The included molded polymer sheath is a high point in the Tri-Tip design. It’s mostly a simple, rectangular shape that fits 1.5-inch belts. The sheath is quite sturdy and well designed. The Tri-Tip sheath is outfitted with an active retention device. To defeat the device, you merely press down a small spring-loaded toggle and pull the blade out.

Tri-Tip slides in and out of the sheath with ease and allows you to dismount and mount the knife quickly. It’s a neat design that seems like it would be more at home on a more expensive knife. The included sheath can be worn on the right or left side, or even in a scout position. Scout being the fancy name for wearing it upside down on a plate carrier or pack strap.

While I haven’t tried to modify the sheath, it seems possible to attach a variety of clip options and change how it’s mounted. With different belt clip options, it looks like a great candidate for horizontal carry should you wish for such a thing.

Gerber Tri-Tip Review – Final Thoughts

The Tri-Tip is a neat mini cleaver. It looks and feels cool. The aluminum grips are fantastic, as is the included sheath is quite nice. I like the Tri-Tip, and I say that because I can’t find a use for it. If you wanted to kill a squirrel and clean it in the woods, then here you go. The Tri-Tip is perfect for that role. I could do the same with a dozen other essential fixed blade knives and have a more useful tool overall.

With that said, I think the knife has a powerful cool factor that makes me a fan. For the low price, I don’t mind buying it for the giggle factor.

Sale

Gerber Gear 30-001694 TRI-Tip, Mini Cleaver Fixed Blade Knife with Sheath, Green

At home on the trail, in the backyard kitchen, or at a tailgate, The standout design of the tri-tip rewrites what a utility blade can do.
The Cleaver blade is not only eye-catching with it's black oxide coating, but has two distinct functions: scraping and cutting.
The machined aluminum handle scales provides an excellent grip, and a balanced contrast of color to the knife
The multi-mount sheath can to be carried in two positions: tip down or horizontal SCOUT carry.
A lanyard hole is integrated into the handle as an additional place to the secure the knife.

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Gerber Tri Tip at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Gerber Fastball Review

by Dan Jackson 4 Comments

I haven’t reviewed much Gerber stuff on here. That’s because these days Gerber’s best known products are plastic handled collaborations with Bear Grylles, or is just super low end, or something like the Downrange Tomahawk – cool, but not something I can review well. I enjoy the occasional fixed blade, but confess that I’m mostly a folding knife guy these days. Thankfully I’ve had some great contributing writers to fill in some of my deficiencies as a reviewer. We actually have a handful of Gerber knife reviews.

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The Gerber Fastball is interesting because it’s a folding knife made for a normal person who likes higher end tools. It’s a USA made knife, features premium materials, retails for around $100, and it lacks a celebrity endorsement. Instead, it’s a bearing equipped flipper. It isn’t some novelty knife you can buy at the Wal-Mart sporting goods counter.

And enthusiasts appear to have taken notice. The Fastball has appeared on both EveryDayCommentary and KnifeInformer. That sort of begs the question of whether I needed to review it, but the folks at Gerber contacted me about reviewing the Fastball. Given that Tony and Matt both liked it I agreed to check it out.

So this knife was provided to me from Gerber free of charge to review and keep for long term testing. As usual, all thoughts are my own.

Speaking of which, is it possible to change my thoughts on a brand with a single product? We shall see.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Fastball has an overall length of 7″, a 3″ blade, weighs 2.79, and is made in Portland Oregon. I know, because it says so right on the blade.

The Fastball is targeted firmly at the enthusiast EDC crowd, so it’s no surprise that the proportions of this knife are ideal for daily carry. It’s a great size and weight for my kind of carry, and the Fastball kept gravitating towards my pocket. Here it is next to my Spyderco Delica:

Although I’m not the biggest fan of the Delica, I like the size of it. And I like the size of the Fastball too. It’s small enough to forget you are carrying it, but large enough to get all sorts of work done.

The Fastball comes equipped with a distinct reverse-tanto blade. In a way it seems polygonal. Or maybe it is a study of triangles. I didn’t do particular well in Geometry. Looking back, that was the beginning of the end for me. My parents always wanted be to be a doctor, but I always struggled with math. Calculus evades me to this day. Now I’m a divorce lawyer who only needs to know how to divide by 2. Regardless, I get a futuristic vibe from this model due to all the aggressive angles. Was the Fastball actually sent from the future to protect us from being enslaved by a race of cybernetic beings? Quite possibly. It doesn’t take many cues from the traditional drop point hunter.

Despite it’s non-traditional styling, the blade of the Fastball is fully functional. Reverse tantos can be among the best EDC knives. Just look at the Benchmade 940. Here we have a little less belly, but a low and fine tip. The blade comes with a shallow partial hollow grind, and has been left with a lustrous stonewashed finish. Details include a small swedge, and a long even edge.

Gerber selected S30V blade steel. In some circles S30V may be getting a little long in the tooth, but it is still highly serviceable blade steel and remains a totally appropriate choice at this price point. In some cases I have found S30V be a little tough to sharpen, but no one can argue with its good edge retention and high resistance to corrosion.

In practice my Fastball has proven highly capable. That low thin tip easily gets underneath envelopes and in between the folds of boxes. The edge is wide and shallow so it’s easy to keep sharp. The Fastball also excels at fine tasks like preparing strawberries. Here in Florida we are just getting into strawberry season, and they happen to be my girlfriend’s favorite fruit. So the Fastball has been deployed to process cartons of strawberries. Neatly trimming the leafy tops, and excising any bruised flesh with surgical precision. Usually that’s a task I reserve for my nimble Dragonfly 2, but the Fastball has been a great stand in.

Speaking of the Dragonfly 2, here the Fastball next to it and a Mini Griptilian:

All said I find little fault with the blade of the Fastball. Perhaps an upgrade to S35VN would have been nice, but that’s nit picking.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Blade Details

The Fastball comes with aluminum handle scales. The show side is solid aluminum, while the flip side is aluminum over a stainless steel liner. The handle is screw-together construction with a geared black FRN backspacer. The fit of this handle is good. All the parts line up and come together solidly. There are some nice details including a custom pivot, countersunk holes for the body screws, and a slotted lanyard hole that looks like more than an after-thought.

Where the Fastball impresses a little less is in the the finish of the stainless steel pieces. You can see machining marks on the edges of both the steel liner and the pocket clip. Also, the aluminum handles have some attempts at chamferring around the edges, but no true 3-D contouring like you see on a lot of titanium handled pieces. I also don’t like how the body screws thread directly into the aluminum handle. If you take the knife apart often they could eventually strip out. Steel standoffs or bushings would have been more robust.

Are these deal breakers? Absolutely not. Given the price, the materials, and the fact that this is a USA made product, something probably had to give. These are areas where compromise is evident. It gives the knife a less premium feel, and more of tool vibe.

The ergonomics are also strictly business, but in a good way. The Fastball feels at home in the hand. The handle itself is generous, and easily accommodates a full 4 finger grip. While the handle isn’t heavily contoured, the chamferring Gerber did works. As a result, the Fastball is comfortable. The only area that pokes out a little is the release tab for the liner lock, but that’s so you can easily unlock the blade. It also provides a little texture underneath your index finger, not a bad idea given the knife is not otherwise heavily textured. The Fastball provides the ergonomic assurance of a dedicated work knife.

The pocket clip is simple stamped steel. Like I mentioned, it’s a little rough around the edges. Literally. But it’s fully functional and a solid design. It’s set at a slight angle on the handle for some reason. I don’t know if there is a practical purpose for that, possibly to keep the clip from too close to the edge of the handle. It might drive the OCD slightly more insane. Present company included.

In pocket the Fastball performs great. The clip is strong and secure. It buries the knife deeply in your pocket, but still provides a little sumpin’ to grab onto. And the knife is thin, light, and basically disappears into the pocket. The smooth aluminum handles are easy on your pockets, making the knife a joy to draw out and use. I think the carry-ability factor of this knife is another high point.

Here is your in the pocket shot:

Deployment and Lockup

The Fastball is a liner lock flipper. Some might view that as a poor man’s framelock flipper, but the Fastball stands on its own. The Flipper action is very firm. Firing the Fastball sounds a little like the crack of an air rifle firing. It has a very mechanical feel. I’d put the action at a solid 8.5 or 9 out of 10. It’s crisp, and the sharp jimping on the flipper tab further accentuates that. If you are a fan of stiff action flippers you will like the Fastball.

Inside there is a caged bearing system. I haven’t taken the knife apart, but you can see it at the right angle, and a bearing symbol is also printed on the blade. The bearings are smooth and work well at propelling the blade out.

The liner lock works well. It engages fully, and holds the blade securely in place. I noticed my pivot kept loosening up, so a little lock tite is a good idea. With the pivot tightened everything works, but there is a small amount of side to side blade play in my knife. Nothing dangerous, but noticeable. The lock bar disengages easily and there is no lock stick.

Blade centering is good on my knife but not perfect. It falls towards the show side as the pivot loosens.

Gerber Fastball Review – Final Thoughts

The Fastball is a solid effort from Gerber. If you are looking for a no-nonsense higher end work knife I think it’s worth considering. While the design doesn’t reach the iconic status of the Para 2 or Griptilian, I found it to be a great size for an EDC knife. For example, it falls in between the Mini Griptilian and the full size Griptilian, giving it Goldilocks “just right” appeal.

The knife is also practical in other regards. Regular readers know I’m a sucker for a good work knife, and the Fastball strikes me as a small but refined work knife with a lot of versatility. It could work well in an office setting, but it also would work underneath the hood of a car or on a hike. The combination of capable blade, comfortable handle, and excellent carry make it a surprisingly sweet EDC piece. The snappy action, smooth bearings, and lightweight construction all serve to subtly elevate the knife. It’s not perfect, but it gets a lot right.

Where the Fastball falls short is that it doesn’t quite deliver that premium knife experience. The machine marks on the edges of the pocket clip and liner, the use of aluminum rather than titanium, the lack of true 3-D contouring on the handle, the slight bit of blade play. Knife users may be willing to overlook these quibbles for a practical work knife, while knife collectors may turn their noses up. But then again, this is a $100 made in USA folding knife. Not a $150-$200 Chinese folder.

At first glance the Fastball struck me as a humble offering, but it quickly grew on me. Mostly after I started to carry and use it. I wasn’t immediately impressed when I pulled the Fastball from it’s box, and as a collectible I’d probably pass. But as a user piece I can easily recommend it. When you consider that a Delica costs ~$85 these days, I’d pay the extra $15 for a Fastball. I think it’s well worth it.

Check it out if you want a well made and practical flipper for around $100. The fact that it’s a made in the USA is a big plus in my book.

While the Fastball hasn’t completely changed my view of Gerber, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Good job, Gerber.

GERBER Fastball Folding Knife with Lock Release - Flat Sage

Pocket knife made from high carbon S30V steel with machined aluminum handles
Manual finger flipper deployment and reliable detent make this EDC knife safe and secure
Finger flipper won’t tear fingers up, yet stiff enough for smooth flip knife deployment every time
Designed as a slim, lightweight knife with single liner for off-centered 3 in. blade
Gerber knife features Wharncliffe/drop point blade with shallow flat grind and needle tip point

Editor: I recommend buying the Gerber Fastball at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Gerber Key Note Review

by Travis Pike 5 Comments

Guns may be the main draw the SHOT Show, but there is a healthy amount of knives at the Show. One I saw at 2019’s SHOT Show that caught my eye was the Gerber Key Note. I loved the unique look, small size, and how lightweight it was. I saw it at SHOT, and after that never saw another hair of it until it popped up in my recommended items on Amazon. It was only 20 bucks and some change, so I promptly ordered it.

Buy the Gerber Key Note at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

Even if it were a total piece of crap, I’d only be out 20 bucks. Luckily it’s not a complete piece of crap. The Key Note is a teeny tiny knife that lives up to its name. It’s almost the same size as my car’s key fob. As far as EDC knives go, this is about as small as it gets. The Key Note currently comes in both black and FDE, and as you can see, I have the FDE variant.

The Key Note is designed to be versatile and easily carried. The Key Note comes equipped with a key chain ring that’s hefty and well made. There is also a pocket clip that’s long enough to fit over a belt as well. The Key Note is a neat little knife, and it’s one that’s small enough that there is never an excuse to leave it at home.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Key Note sports a sloping blade that is 1 inch long at it’s very longest and a little over half an inch at the shortest portion. The blade is a stout 1.125 inches wide and .15 inches thick. The knife weighs only 2.33 ounces and is 3 inches longer overall.

It’s a small, but stout little blade. The blade is made from 5Cr15MoV. On a 20 dollar knife with an edge this short I wasn’t expecting 154 CM or S30V.

5Cr15MoV is cheap stainless steel. It is effortless to sharpen and resistant to rust. It won’t hold an edge very long. It’s not like you’ll be batoning wood or cleaning game with this little guy anyway. With a blade as short and as thick as this, you are unlikely to break it with regular use.

I’m not sure what to call this type of blade or point. It’s an exaggerated tanto that looks almost like a chisel with a weird lower level edge. Gerber classifies the blade into two different edges. The longer edge is a scraping edge, and the short bottom edge is the cutting edge. Both edges are sharpened, and both cut through everyday materials.

The Key Note’s blade size is a big limiting factor in its ability to do serious work. However, for the most common EDC tasks, the Key Note is entirely sufficient. It can cut through plastic, tape, cardboard, 550 cord, and similar cordage. The ledge like design gives the Key Note a little bite, and it can punch above its weight. The Key Note is sufficient for most mundane cutting tasks, and that is just about it.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is made from two aluminum panels connected by several different Hex head screws. The Gerber Key Note is a little knife, with a petite handle. The handle is textured with small serrated indentions on each side. The handle has an integrated finger groove that allows for easy access to the blade and to accommodate your pointer finger while gripping the knife.

The rest of the grip is pretty simple and is relatively unadorned. It’s short, won’t fill the hand, and is only 2 inches long. It’s 1.25 inches wide and .45 inches thick. The Key Note’s handle is comfortable enough. It doesn’t poke or jab, but don’t expect Emerson level ergonomics and comfort.

The pocket clip and keychain loop give you multiple ways to carry the knife. The keychain loop is removable to reduce the overall length and even weight of the knife. I’m tempted to remove the keychain loop. I don’t like the way it feels in my hand when using the knife, but I like being to connect it to my key fob. The big keyring is just awkward and more than a little annoying when using the knife to cut.

The pocket clip cannot be reversed, but it’s not a big deal. The knife isn’t designed to be quickly drawn and deployed, so it doesn’t matter which direction it faces in the pocket. The clip is 1.5 inches long and will fit over most standard belts.

This opens up the ability to wear the knife on your belt, but will only efficiently work for right-handed owners. It’s a stiff and strong pocket clip and its made from stainless steel. At the bottom, the steel rolls upwards allow it to hook onto the belt and prevent it from sliding off.

This is a big and beefy pocket clip. It’s thicker than most pocket knives, and it feels quite sturdy.

Deployment and Lock-Up

Opening the Key Note requires the use of a small nail nick built into the blade, but there is a built-in starter tab to push the blade out just a little. This little tab is a lifesaver when the knife is brand new or if you’re the type who has naturally short nails. It’s easy to deploy, but it’s not quick. I doubt you’d ever need to deploy this knife quickly enough to worry about it. You’ll need a few seconds and both hands to deploy the Key Note’s blade.

The blade is locked in place by a simple liner lock. It locks it nice and tight, and there is no noticeable play as you move the blade. It’s tight, but you can push it in with little effort overall and close the knife. The liner lock isn’t jimped for texture, but it seems to close just fine without it.

Gerber Key Note Review – Final Thoughts

The Key Note is a cool knife. It’s not a very versatile or handy knife, but for 20 dollars, you’re buying a unique design. An unconventional design that makes carrying a knife easy. It’s one you can toss on your keychain and never leave behind. Ultimately it’s somewhat of a novelty in its design. I’m sure a Gerber Airlift would serve you just as well for the price, but the Key Note has a sense of style and design that pushes it past boring.

Speaking of design, I spotted something about the look of the Key Note. If you take a quick look at Gerber’s symbol you’ll see a Sword and Shield make up the G in Gerber. If you close the blade, the Key Note most certainly looks like the Shield portion of that logo, and I thought this was a nice touch. If I feel Ho-Hum about a knife, I give it away and have gained an office reputation for it. The Key Note’s neat design keeps me from feeling Ho-Hum about this cheap little folder.

The Key Note is 20 bucks worth of cool, and I’m planning on holding onto mine and passing a few out for Christmas. It’s not a great knife, the design isn’t innovative, but it’s not a bad knife in any way. If you look at it and like the design from a nerd’s perspective, then buy it. You’ll be satisfied. If the looks and design don’t grab you, I’d pass on it.

Sale

Gerber Key Note, Compact Fine Edge Scraping & Cutting Knife, Coyote Brown [30-001692]

Throw it in your pocket or on your keys and forget it; with it's compact design, the key note was intended for this very purpose: to be on hand when you need it for daily tasks.
The dual-purpose blade caters to two separate needs, with cutting and scraping edges.
When in the open state, the blade is secured with an easy-to-operate liner lock.
Aluminum scales stand up to daily abuse
A removable keychain is included for added versatility depending on the carrying preference.

Editor: I recommend buying the Gerber Key Note at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.