Gerber Gator Line - Honest Opinions

S

SpydieNative

Joined
May 31, 2009
Messages
49
First off I know of Gerber's current reputation. Correct, I should have written this thread before buying one:p, but it was a spur of the moment thing and I kinda like those moments. I bought a Gerber Gator II. Nice fit and finish and comfortable as hell, shaving sharp out of the box. That doesn't prove the quality of a knife though.

The box does say "Knife Made in the USA." Are they still as good as the older stuff? I am speaking not specifically of the Gator II, but the full current line of the Gerber Gator products. We used to swear by them in the nineties. I noticed Bear Grylls used them in his earlier shows a couple years ago.

Thanks for your opinions. I as well will field test this knife at the Okefenokee Swamp this coming weekend and post my reviews in the knife review and the wilderness forums.

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Thanks again,

SN
 
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I have a couple of them in the 154 CM steel and for the price, they are one heck of a good knife. I liked the first one so well for hunting that I bought a spare in case I ever lost it. Mine holds the edge forever.
 
I bought a gut hook one a few years back when the whole Gerber Exchange-a -blade thing got big. I don't use it often, just when i forgot my other knives or when i am cutting grass and need to hack at those little limbs that always seem to grow right at head height.

That being said i like the one i have a lot. Seems to slice deep into limbs/packages and stays fairly sharp. The sheath can go either vertical or horizontal and i even attached mine to my backpack within easy reach. Also want to say that the handle is probally the "grippiest" handle i have ever owned(not saying much i suppose).

The onl y cons i have is that i have had the edge on this one roll on me once(maybe because i was hacking at limbs? sarcasm) and while i enjoy the sheath, something always keeps me from wearing it alot. Can't ever put my finger on it but i think its probally the tight fit in its sheath and the loose straps on the back.
 
Thanks for the opinions guys! I have decided that the sheath is too big and awkward. Plus I can't say that I trust the weakly sewn strap on the back. It's such a light knife I wonder about front pocket carry in the woods?
 
I carry mine in my inside vest pocket of my hunting vest. However in loose fitting pants or Cargo's it would carry fine in the pocket.
 
Never owned one, but have sharpened a few - the Gator line is popular due to price and ergos in some areas.

The locks seemed good and the blades seemed well heat treated. I sharpened ats-34, bg-42, and 154cm versions. All of them sharpened as I expected these steels to, better than some "premium" made knives I've sharpened (if you've sharpened a few knives of a given steel, you can get a feeling for whether a blade is well heat treated for that steel).

No one ever asked me to sharpen one of the base metal versions.
 
The older USA ats34 versions are excellant knives. I would like to try the BG42 version too. keepem sharp
 
Not a huge fan, but mostly from a design standpoint. It just doesn't do anything for me. That being said I haven't heard anything bad about the steel in these, which is rare for a Gerber these days. :)
 
i bought one of the drop point gators in 154cm back in 1999,we field dressed & butchered several deer that year after three deer the blade still had a good working edge.after that with Y2K coming up i did what udtjim did
and picked up two spares in case of loss or breakage.
skip to 2009 first gator still going strong spares still in the box they came in good knives:thumbup:
 
The Gators are very popular field knives in some parts of the country. In southern Virginia and in West Virginia at least, they see quite a bit of duty as deer skinners, and all around outdoor users. I've known lots of guys who have carried Gators, and they work just fine. Usually they're just shoved in a back pocket, or carried in a homemade leather pouch, because as noted above, the supplied sheath is garbage.
 
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