Is the Gerber LST considered a "traditional"?

C

Corwyn_bv

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Nov 13, 2014
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I really like this tiny, light, thin and tight knife. I got it as a bonus at a deal and meant to gift it on, but it's just too nice...

I was wondering where should I put it on my shelf and on my blog... it looks halfway between tactical and traditional... :rolleyes:

I mean it is black and Zytel handled, but no pocket clip, no one-hand opening, backlock, 420 steel...

Gerber%2BLST.jpg
 
In spirit, definitely! Those are great little pocketknives. Very basic and old school in their own way. :thumbup:

-- Mark
 
I have one. The LST is a solid little knife, made simply to work hard, with no worries about trying to look pretty while doing so. I view them in the same positive light as the noble (& Delrin-handled) Sod Buster, essentially. As a bonus, almost an imperceptibly light carry in the pocket. Therefore, very much in the Traditional spirit. :thumbup:


David
 
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I think of the LST as a "Transitional" type, right between "traditional" and "tactical" The use of zytel without liners was definitely a game changer for the knife industry, so it breaks with tradition, but it was designed from the ground up for gentlemanly pocket carry so I can't say tactical without chuckling!
 
In my book it's fine. Lockback is a thing that goes back into the c19th. Linerless knives have been around in horn for ever in Europe. Synthetic is OK, think Cell, Delrin et al. No thumbstud, no PC (no not the usual type :eek::D Pocker Clip :D )

That frame shape has been around for 50 years or more.

There's something IMMENSELY appealing about a simple, durable no-nonsense knife that is inexpensive, unpretentious but is a treat to carry. Ticks all those boxes:thumbup:

Regards, Will
 
Bartleby said:
I think of the LST as a "Transitional" type, right between "traditional" and "tactical" The use of zytel without liners was definitely a game changer for the knife industry, so it breaks with tradition, but it was designed from the ground up for gentlemanly pocket carry so I can't say tactical without chuckling!
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I was about to say naw, but I am inclined to agree that it rides the line.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I was about to say naw, but I am inclined to agree that it rides the line.
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I figure that since it originated in the 80's it is kinda vintage, and remember thinking back then how ultra modern it was! Besides "transitional" gives another catergory name that starts with "T"...
 
I think the LST fits in the category of the twilight zone. The little bit of time between the night and the rising of the sun. In other words, maybe an evolution of the traditional. Like the stockmen I've seen with synthetic handles and no bolsters, it's traditional in form, but the Zytel pushes the edge of the envelope.

In construction and design, is it really any diffent than a Buck 110, or a old Gerber sportsmen? Or a Mercator K55?

Yeah, it has the black handle, but there's no thumb stud, thumb hole, or pocket clip. It's a pretty strait up lock blade pocket knife. I'd say new age traditional. But them I have a large grudging respect for the knife. Someone gave me one many years ago, in a misguided gifting. Kind of a "Hey Carl likes knives, lets give him a knife." Uh huh.

I smiled and thanked them, but I hated the knife. It felt cheap and flimsy. I was wrong. I took to using the knife like I hated it, which I did. I abused it, pried with it, hacked with it, even battoned with it. And I hate to baton considering it…well I'll just say I never saw any of the old guys do it. In spite of my hating the knife and trying to destroy it, the darned thing took it all in stride and kept on going. Didn't even develop any lock rock or blade wobble.

The LST is a traditional design in modern materials. Like the red headed cousin from the other side of the tracks, he's family even if he's a bit embarrassing to have at the Sunday dinner.
 
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jackknife said:
I think the LST fits in the category of the twilight zone. the little bit of time between the night and the rising of the sun. In other words, maybe an evolution of the traditional. Like the stickmen I've seen with synthetic handles and no scales, it's traditional in form, but the Zytel pushes the edge of the envelope.

In construction and design, is it really any diffent than a Buck 110, or a old Gerber sportsmen? Or a Mercator K55?

Yeah, it has the black handle, but there's no thumb stud, thumb hole, or pocket clip. It's a pretty strait up lock blade pocket knife. I'd say new age traditional. But them I have a large grudging respect for the knife. Someone gave me one many years ago, in a misguided gifting. Kind of a "Hey Carl likes knives, lets give him a knife." Uh huh.

I smiles and thanked them, but I hated the knife. It felt cheap and flimsy. I was wrong. I took to using the knife like I hated it, which I did. I abused it, pried with it, hacked with it, even battened with it. And I hate to baton considering it…well I'll just say I never saw any of the old guys do it. In spite of my hating the knife and trying to destroy it, the darned thing took it all in stride and kept on going. Didn't even develop any lock rock or blade wobble.

The LST is a traditional design in modern materials. Like the red headed cousin from the other side of the tracks, he's family even if he's a bit embarrassing to have at the Sunday dinner.
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^^^ Carl said it better then I could. The little LST is welcome here.
 
In seeing this thread, I dug out my LST to look it over again. Aside from the Zytel handles, which I think compare similarly to Delrin in a 'traditionally progressive' aesthetic, I did notice a matte-like bead-blast finish on the blade. In strict terms, the bead-blast finish might be the one thing that might not fully fit 'Traditional', though it's subtle enough that I'd originally forgotten it completely. On the other hand, it is very understated and nothing 'flashy' at all, which fits entirely the 'no-nonsense' character of the knife as a whole. In that respect, I think the knife almost screams 'Traditional'.


David
 
Wasn't the LST a Blackie Collins design for Gerber that was the first to incorporate one-piece zytel constrction? If so, it's interesting that a modern knife that revolutionized knife construction is considered traditional :)
 
brownshoe said:
Wasn't the LST a Blackie Collins design for Gerber that was the first to incorporate one-piece zytel constrction? If so, it's interesting that a modern knife that revolutionized knife construction is considered traditional :)
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I believe you are correct about the Collins design and the design first. I had one when they first came out and those comments were in all the ads for them.

I agree it's in the gray area. There is no clip or one-hand feature, but it is quite a bit different than "traditional designs". There's a thread around here someplace called "modern traditionals". It's about knives which don't have clips, modern locks, or one-hand opening features, but which have other distinctive modern features. The LST likely fits best there, but I wouldn't infract someone for posting it in other threads.
 
I don't know if I have a real handle on the size of that knife, but if "tiny" isn't a misnomer then it's probably somewhere in the ballpark of the Case 059L lockback, which Case felt represented "tradition" enough to include in their 1989 centennial knife set. Here it is pictured with the red bone granddaddy Barlow from the same set.



My vote: "traditional".
 
Corwyn_bv said:
Gerber LST Folding Knife
Overall Length: 6.1"
Blade Length: 2.63"
Closed Length: 3.61"

Do you condider it tiny? To me it's on the smallish side.
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There are two different LST models: the LST (which is the knife those dimensions describe) and the Ultralight LST, which is a smaller knife with a closed length of only 2.65".

I own an Ultralight LST (don't remember when I got it, but I've had it at least 10 or 15 years, maybe longer), and it is very small. I don't have a regular LST, but from looking at pictures of the two, they appear to be identical. Without something to compare for scale, I can't tell which knife the OP has there, but if it's the smaller Ultralight LST, then I think "tiny" is a reasonable description.
 
Gerber produced a number of innovative linerless Zytel-handled lock-backs. in the 80's and early 90's. Nice knives, both light on, and in, the pocket. Nothing scary about them, not really 'tactical', they preceded that I think. My grandad might have carried one, had they been around in his day, but he didn't. Interesting knife to discuss, but for me, there's more 'modern' than 'traditional' in these knives, even though they've been around a good few years now. I have knives from the same period, which are considered to be classics by some collectors, but they wouldn't be accepted here, and for good reasons I think. Thin end of the wedge for me :thumbup:
 
I can't say I disagree with any of the posts here, I think all of us realise it's a grey area, but Frank's position is close to how I feel...

knarfeng said:
I agree it's in the gray area. There is no clip or one-hand feature, but it is quite a bit different than "traditional designs". There's a thread around here someplace called "modern traditionals". It's about knives which don't have clips, modern locks, or one-hand opening features, but which have other distinctive modern features. The LST likely fits best there, but I wouldn't infract someone for posting it in other threads.
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I have a Gerber 500, and when I handle it, I certainly think of it as 'modern' rather than 'traditional', despite the lack of a thumb-stud or pocket-clip. There are a lot of other designs which we might also discuss as 'transitional' designs, and the thread Frank mentions is perhaps a good place to do so. The Sheffield manufacturer Ibberson produced a range of folders in the 70's and 80's, which have traditional blades, are non-locking, and had liner-less plastic orange handles. They were designed as working knives, and I think were an attempt by a dying, and rather clueless, industry to try and compete in the modern knife market, and also to reduce manufacturing costs. I find the range rather garish, and they contrast to the Gerber knives in that they were a dead end, of full-stop. Unlike, the more innovative Gerber designs, they weren't going anywhere.
 
Corwyn_bv said:
Gerber LST Folding Knife
Overall Length: 6.1"
Blade Length: 2.63"
Closed Length: 3.61"

Do you condider it tiny? To me it's on the smallish side.
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That appears identical to the one I've got. Lengthwise, I roughly equate it to the Case Sod Buster Jr., which I carry everyday and is a very comfortable user. I don't think of this LST as 'tiny', but it is a bit shorter than my favorite pattern, which is a 4.25" Case large stockman (6375). In Traditional knife terms, I'd call it's size a 'medium', which often describes other traditional patterns in that ~3.5" closed length territory, like a medium stockman pattern. These types of lockback patterns often do have a relatively short blade though (cutting edge length), in relation to the length of the handle.


David
 
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Dimension wise it is not far off from a GEC model 83 Tascosa lockback. Similar size, similar blade shape and both are lockback mechanisms.

Unless there is an issue with the handle being Zytel I would think the LST is definitely a traditional.
 
The LST was the first knife I was given by my dad in 1988. It was my only knife for many years. I still have it in my bedside table. I purchased one for my daughter a few years ago. When she is ready for a knife, it will be her first as well. I still carry one every now and then she in feeling Nostalgic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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