Gerber with S30V.. good?

C

cckw

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May 24, 2008
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Cabelas has a Gerber fixed blade called a gator, they have an exclusive version of the knife with S30V blade, currently on sale for $69. Handle is cheap, but with some sandpaper and a razor blade could be improved.

My question is this: Do I trust Gerber to have good S30V? or beter to ignore this one?

(I own some BM's & nice customs. This is for my brother who is chincy on such things, I figure better a cheap handle then cheap steel)
 
I too have seen the Cabela's add. I saw the knife at the store and it comes with a nice satin finish. I think the U.S.A. made "Gerbs" are probably good. I still have a Mark I from my Paratrooper days back in the 1980's that's been to hell and back and it's still going strong.
 
banana-clip said:
Not a big fan of Gerber anymore but you can't go wrong with S30V steel.
Click to expand...


I never was a big fan of Gerber, Buck or any of the other cheap knives, but 30V is an excellent steel

I wouldn't hesitate to gift a Buck or Gerber to a friend if the blade was S30V. :thumbup:
 
Howdy,

Just a few weeks ago, I used a Gerber Stag Handled Freeman, S30V fixed blade, along with a custom Knife (made from a planer blade, approx. D2) to skin a 7-point bull elk I shot. I have to say I was disapointed with the Gerber S30V. It was OK, but definately not outstanding for edge retention. The custom knife with a D2 blade was MUCH better.

Based on past experience, I would rate the Gerber S30V (mine at least) similar to a standard Buck 420HC with reguards to edge retention. Based on all the talk of the high performance of S30V steel on this forum, I was expecting much better. It could be the Gerber heat treatment was not on pare with the other manufactures.

The overall quality of the USA made Gerber Stag Freeman was very low in my opinion. The main hollow grinds on each side of the blade are different widths (ie the flat part of the blade is different on each side). The edge is not centered in the blade thickness. The top clip point relief cuts are different lengths, one side is almost twice as long as the other. The spine is rounded, looks like a belt sander was used, and is not even uniform. Areas that should be flat are not - every surface has an uneven belt sanded appearance. This knife looks much better from a distance if you just look at the stag handles.

I have the Taiwan version of this knife and it's actually a lot better in overall quaility/appearance.
 
banana-clip said:
Not a big fan of Gerber anymore but you can't go wrong with S30V steel.
Click to expand...

I'd argue the opposite. S30V is very picky about its heat treat, and better companies than Gerber have been called out for rolling and chipping in their S30V knives.
 
I had a Gerber with S30V steel and it chipped something awful. I never will go back to Gerber again, even if it's made in USA.
 
I won't trust Gerber blades any more. While maybe they're higher end stuff is still okay, they've just lost all credibility with me in general as they sold out quality for quantity to mass produce junk and rather then investing into product development they'd rather cut corners and rely on gimmicky marketing pitches today to sell their mass produced junk... I wouldn't be surprised if their s30v was a hit or miss, focused more on the marketability of it as just another gimmick to improve sales rather then the actual consistent quality standards...

As a whole;
Buck >>> Gerber in every way.. And they have fairly reasonably priced bos-HT'd s30v that I would trust 100x's over anything Gerber sells.
 
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