Gerber Downwind G-10 Drop Point Fixed Blade Knife

[Phil_H]

Has anyone had any experience with the Gerber Downwind G-10 Drop Point fixed blade knife?
Just having a quick look at the specs and it seems as if it could be a good cheap backup hunting knife. I understand that any knife made of 7Cr17MoV stainless may not get the "steel elites" drooling but as a backup that is easy to sharpen in the field, appears to have good geometry for field dressing and is cheap, it could be a winner.

GerberDownwind.jpeg

drive.google.com

Any experiences of thoughts on this knife would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Phil

 

[scdub]

I like the looks of that knife, but like many folks here I avoid buying Gerber knives in general (and knives made in China for human rights reasons).

While they still apparently make a good knife here-and-there, they have also put out some real trash.

I was particularly bothered by their Bear Grills “Ultimate Survival Knife” which was more fragile than the average kitchen knife.

 

[DocJD]

I'd stay upwind ...could be a stinker !

Seriously , not everything Gerber is junk , but not what they used to be .

 

[Chronovore]

It looks like these are 7Cr17Mov. That's pretty bad, both given the price and that it is 2022.

Even 8Cr13Mov is hard to justify in the current market, regardless of heat treatment. For just a few dollars more, you can get a fixed blade in 9Cr18Mov with an excellent heat treatment from WE's Sencut line.

 

[jeepin]

I wish we could just bring the 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s Gerber back.

 

[gazz98]

At $42 I'd pass Phil. You can do better for the money. The only Gerber I might recommend is an inexpensive multi-tool. The fixed blade Strongarm was a good deal when it was $45 but it has almost doubled in price.

1. Mora HD $22 or Mora Kansbol $37 or Mora Outdoor 2000 $38
2. Buck 685 Buck Lite Max $30
3. Spyderco Bow River $40. 8Crxxx but you know Spyderco did the heat treat right. Still an upgrade from that Gerber.