Gerber Machete Jr really any good?

G

Graphyfotoz

Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
389
Well I've been wanting a packable Machete for awhile now and was at Waldo-Mart......
Hadn't been there in a while and was surprised to see they sold SOG and Camillus!
I'm sure it's not the Camillus I remember from way back...thought Kabar picked em up?

Any way I saw this Gerber Gator Machete Jr in my web searches in the past.....
I see it gets pretty good ratings around the web...4 outta 5 stars most cases.
Saw it in the case with the Camillus Carnivor which was $15 more...gears turned...
After having the Camillus in hand.....looked like a fancy cheap pry bar to me.
Also I'm not crazy about serrated blades of any kind....@#$!! to sharpen!
Not only that but no place for a lanyard and it was thick and heavy.
Machete Jr has a nice comfortable grip....not super bulky like the Camillus.
Actually the Jr reminds me of a Ninja Sword with the handle! :D
For the past few years I haven't been real excited about Gerber Knives any more.
(Love their multi-tools but see SOG and few others are looking tempting)
But for a tad under $20 I couldn't pass it up!

Anyone else have a Gerber Gator Machete Jr?
What's your take? It truely deserving of 4 outta 5 stars?

gerber-jr1.jpg


.
 
Last edited:
My opinion....no.

Its low cost, but still not much bang for the buck compared to imacasa, tram, ontario, and condor. I found the gerber awkward and not that it matters but the looks of it are weird and just plain silly to me. Lastly the steel doesn't hold an edge well compared to the other brands I mentioned.
 
jbmonkey said:
My opinion....no.

Its low cost, but still not much bang for the buck compared to imacasa, tram, ontario, and condor.
I found the gerber awkward and not that it matters but the looks of it are weird and just plain silly to me.
Lastly the steel doesn't hold an edge well compared to the other brands I mentioned.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know.....Gerber Knives haven't been very impressive to me either since the 1980's or so.
Maybe I ------ up but I'm not gonna use a machete THAT often and I wanted some thing smaller and packable.
Kinda figured for $18-$19 if I goofed it wouldn't hurt too bad.
Really wanted a Becker BK4 but for as much as I'd use it...rather spend my $75 on another knife. (BK17)
 
My brother bought one and gave it to me to convex it for him. I chopped up some wood with it and it was just fine. I would rather order a better one online but it will do fine if that is what's available. The one thing I didn't like was the handle, it seemed cheap and I can see how you could lose your grip with it.
 
wroughndt said:
The one thing I didn't like was the handle, it seemed cheap and I can see how you could lose your grip with it.
Click to expand...
Was it a older version?
Mine has like a rubber Gator skin texture.
Seemed very gripable.....dunno about if it gets wet.
 
Seriously, if ya dont wanna spend alot of loot, get a Condor blade. Even some knife snobs tend to love these cheap things, and from what I hear they really are done right in a real native style.. plus, they got lots to choose from..
 
Graphyfotoz said:
Was it a older version?
Mine has like a rubber Gator skin texture.
Seemed very gripable.....dunno about if it gets wet.
Click to expand...

It was more the shape of it, most machetes get bigger at the bottom of the handle to keep your hand from slipping off.
 
wroughndt said:
It was more the shape of it, most machetes get bigger at the bottom of the handle to keep your hand from slipping off.
Click to expand...

Gotchya!
It does have a crazy handle......looks more like a Asian Sword than a Machete!
I haven't had mine out to test it just yet.
 
Condor, Imacasa, or Tramontina will give you better performance for equal money.
 
I have one, bought for the smaller size that you mentioned. It's fine for just hacking cactus, small brush and stuff but not really impressive. Dulls pretty fast and not long enough for any serious brush clearing. If you're in a hurry and need something quick it will suffice. If you have a little time, I'd recommend one of the other brands mentioned - Tramotina or Condor
 
No. As already stated Ontario, Tramontina even Marble (the 3 brands I own) are superior to Gerber.
 
Marble's machetes are made by Imacasa/Condor. Edges are sharpened like Condors but the scales are left unfinished like standard Imacasas.
 
Maybe I have a bad attitude on this, but Gerber and SOG are just trying to fill a void on store shelves, not provide their customers with great affordable tools. I'm not a survivalist expert, a machete expert, nor am I in business, but I do own some machetes by Condor, Imacasa, Ontario.
Anybody can make a MSO, machete shaped object, but not all can do the edge, HT, and handle correctly. Not everybody needs a Bark River modified Ontario machete, but spending $25 on an Ontario will still get you a better blade than a POS from Gerber.
Simple answer, suspect most things from Wal-Mart to be a POS. I live in Kentucky, we don't need machetes too often, I like to trim bushes and tall grass, fallen limbs get cut down to size with a machete quite often. So, in my AO, Wal-Mart, Dick's, Sportsman's Warehouse, etc.. are just marketing to those folks that don't know have direct access to nor the knowledge of something better.
 
DallasSTB said:
I have one, bought for the smaller size that you mentioned. It's fine for just hacking cactus, small brush and stuff but not really impressive. Dulls pretty fast and not long enough for any serious brush clearing. If you're in a hurry and need something quick it will suffice. If you have a little time, I'd recommend one of the other brands mentioned - Tramotina or Condor
Click to expand...

No doubt I'll probably get a different machete later on.
I took the time to reprofile my Jr last night see if it helps.
Pretty dang sharp for now....hafta see how long it holds.

Either way it was better than the Camillus "Titanium Bonded" thing they had.
Titanium in a knife blade....riiiiiight.....thing was a thick crowbar with a knife handle.
Serrated on the bottom looks like a bread knife....blade thick as a BK2 but not even half the grade of steel!
For the $30 they wanted for it.....your choices above are a much wiser use of $$!!

i-8tVTPGT-L.jpg
 
Last edited:
havent used the gerber machete you describe but i have used a number of other 'big box store' machetes. my experience is that they are all made of inferior materials. i speculate that the gerber is no different.
is the gerber machete worth 4 out of 5 stars? dont know. ive grown to be deeply suspicious of ratings/reviews around the internet. many times ratings seem to reflect the items initial appearance, how quickly the product was shipped or merely a rough first impression. internet reviews are rarely posted after six months of use, for example, when the initial thrill of newness has passed and whatever flaws/drawbacks have emerged. (this is true for nearly everything, not just knives). and thats not even considering shills; if i worked for a company that made product x i would be sorely tempted to rate product x highly to promote job security. caveat emptor.

i work in the environmental industry and have used machetes by hansa, ontario, tramontina, imacasa and aguila. my unsolicited advice (lol) is to just use the gerber and see how you like it. it may work just fine for your needs. if you find yourself wanting a better product then i suggest either an imacasa or a tramontina. they will be equivalent in price to the gerber and will perform for hundreds and hundreds of hours.
 
Last edited:
The Gerber machetes are absolute rubbish. Plain and simple. The only quality machetes I've ever seen in a big box store have been Ontarios. With machetes you'll find that, go figure, the _________ American-made (North/Central/South) machetes are the best, as well as those from Martindale of England.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The Gerber machetes are absolute rubbish. Plain and simple. The only quality machetes I've ever seen in a big box store have been Ontarios. With machetes you'll find that, go figure, the _________ American-made (North/Central/South) machetes are the best, as well as those from Martindale of England.
Click to expand...
What he said!! Listen to him.--KV
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top