Garage sale Gerber LST.....

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Drum4fun

Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
371
I'm not sure if classifies as traditional... been around since the early 80's. At
a minimum deserves honorable mention as a trend setter (at the time). I couldn't
pass up this Gerber LST for $2. Sure is lightweight & easy to carry. I
especially appreciate how strong the blade secures when opened. I am sure
most here have owned one of these over the decades... one of the good ones.

Charles
1bu3oFI.jpg
 
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I had an orange one in 1987 I carried my senior year in high school. I remember one weekend night a bunch of us got rousted by the police for drinking beer out in an old field tailgating and the cop asks me what’s this? I reply a pocketknife...he gave it back and I lost it a year or so later. Missed that one for years. So easy to find with that orange color when I put it down on a creek bank at sunset while gutting fish and whatnot. You could flick it open if it was well lubed with graphite powder by holding the blade and snapping your wrist downward...good find! If that one was orange I’d tell you it was mine!
 
I still have one that I bought sometime in the 90s. Mine has no nail Nick and the blade has a matte coating. I don't have the pocket clip for it though
 
I have one from the early 1990s or so, with a bead-blasted finish on the blade. Beautifully lightweight, with the linerless Zytel handle - so much so, it seems to disappear out of mind, when dropped into the pocket.

In terms of it's 'working' aesthetic and no-nonsense build, it reminds me of something like a Sod Buster, in that it presents no worries at all about doing the job and not being concerned about scuffs & scrapes along the way. Great design. I think mine might've had the screw-on pocket clip as well - but I removed it very early on and forgot about it. It's just so NOT bulky and lightweight, that in-pocket carry is perfect for it.
 
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I love the little ultralight LST, had one and lost it so I bought another.
Gave it to my dad when it turned up and he loves it, I also bought one on sale for $12 which I gave to my aunt for Christmas and she loves it.
I really love how they left off the nail knick knowing it wasn't necessary.
I've never had one of the larger ones, but I'm sure they're every bit as good as the Ultralight, and based on the quality I've experienced which is pretty good I can onley imagine the older ones being even better.
 
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That's a pretty good deal for $2. I have one that I acquired about ten years ago, and I wonder why I never bought one in the '80s.
 
I've carried one for 30+ years. The early models didn't come with the pocket clip.
Only downside is it's so lightweight it gets missed when putting the laundry together.
Mine has been washed 20+ times, dried about 5 times. :)
After all this time, not a hint of blade play.
It really is a classic.
 
Bastler said:
The Gerber LST deserves more credit than it gets. Case and Buck also make comparable lock backs in the same price range that I think get overlooked.
Click to expand...

The case mini caliber is essentially an LST copy, it is definitely a good knife too and you can get it in a clip point which is nice.
Bucks only offerings would be comparable to the little ultralight LST, and while Buck makes a great knife I will say I prefer the little Gerber.
The halfstop though unnecessary is very satisfying, it lacks and doesn't need a nail nick which is a nice touch, theyre a tad smaller for about the same blade length, and they have a much thinner grind that slices better.
 
I had an earlier version of the LST. It was made with two thin maroon Micarta “slabs” pinned together rather than the molded body of the models that replaced it. It also had a more rounded handle profile.
 
Yes-sort of. The handles on yours look molded (from Zytel?) and their edges seem more rounded. i recall mine as flat slabs cut from sheet Micarta with the edges slightly beveled at most. i also recall only the maroon (that I had) and white being available. On the other hand it's been MANY years...
 
buckthorn said:
Yes-sort of. The handles on yours look molded (from Zytel?) and their edges seem more rounded. i recall mine as flat slabs cut from sheet Micarta with the edges slightly beveled at most. i also recall only the maroon (that I had) and white being available. On the other hand it's been MANY years...
Click to expand...

The handles are micarta or some similar material. I bought it in 1989, but I think it may be a bit older and sat on display for a time. I carried it at work for a couple of years and it shows.
 
Original poster here.... I was so impressed with my Gerber LST I hit the swap
meet and was able to pickup the big brother... a Gerber 650. I gave $10..it seemed
a reasonable price. Good balance, strong blade lock, feels good in the hand. Appears
it will make a nice "camp" knife. Not sure why I ignored Gerber all these years ?

Charles
https://imgur.com/a/PDqdfdr
 
Drum4fun said:
Original poster here.... I was so impressed with my Gerber LST I hit the swap
meet and was able to pickup the big brother... a Gerber 650. I gave $10..it seemed
a reasonable price. Good balance, strong blade lock, feels good in the hand. Appears
it will make a nice "camp" knife. Not sure why I ignored Gerber all these years ?

Charles
https://imgur.com/a/PDqdfdr
Click to expand...
I wanted a Gator for a long time, but now I'm just not into larger folders.
I feel Gerber has their classics that they do well, then they have all the modern imported type junk you find at Walmart.
If it's an American made lockback from Gerber I'd okay it.
 
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