New Gerber Folding Utility/Razor Knife "EAB Pocket Knife"

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shecky

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May 3, 2006
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Wal Mart seems to be selling this new Gerber lately for under $10. Folding utility knives seem to be quite common in the last few years, most pretty much like the Superknife, very similar to a generic folding knife with a utility blade holder in place of a regular blade. This Gerber seems to be a competely different approach.

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For starters, it's quite small. Closed, it forms a thin, almost rectangular package less than 3" long. Finish is handsome bead blasted stainless steel with a wide pocket clip sporting the Gerber logo. A single, though not terribly useful, nail nick is machined into one side of the blade holder.

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The stock blade is a heavy duty contractor's grade blade, held securely in place with a single Phillips screw. Upon close examination, the construction of the knife is quite clever, consisting of several layers of stainless steel sheet, each stamped it's required shape and laminated together. The clip appears to slide onto the end.

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Opening the knife reveals a liner lock, smooth operation, and no play at the joint. One of the bladeholder's stainless steel laminations forms a convenient choil under part of the blade's edge. An interesting thing about this design is that the exposed cutting edge of the utility blade is significantly larger than any other utility knife I've seen using this type of blade. The tolerances of the blade holder seem pretty tight with the supplied blade. Secured with that Phillips screw, the blade has absolutely no play at all. Cutting heavy cardboard didn't loosen the blade one bit.

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This is really a clever, compact design for a utility knife. Probably one of the better on the market. However, there is room for improvement. Most obvious might be a tool-less blade change mechanism. Any such mechanism should be clever enough to work with the knife, unlike most currently on the market which are clunky and/or not terribly secure. Another improvement would be a provision for one hand opening. I find it is possible to open the current design one handed, however, it takes a bit of concentration and reasonably clean, naturally moist, hands. I experimented a bit with a longer screw that protrudes out the backside, used as a kind of thumb stud. It works, but is clearly inelegant. A full length nail nick, cut deeper and sharper might do the job better.

I've been unable to find out much about this knife. So far, it seems to be sold only at Wal Mart. The packaging even has the counter display number printed on the box, perhaps for the time being, it may be a Wal Mart exclusive. Another curiosity is the patent numbers displayed on the package, which when looked up, seem to have no similarity with the EAB Pocket knife at all. Other patents pending, presumably for this particular knife, are also indicated on the packaging. Weighs about 2.2 oz according to the package. Has no provision for a lanyard. And it's made in China.
 
Nice review. I think I will stick with my Superknife. I has one hand opening, toolless blade change, and a foldover pocket clip for deep pocket carry. Mine also has a tree bark camoflauge handle just for the coolness factor. I have never had any problems with this or my older version with rubberized handles(realy nice for wet work). I have seen other off brands and agree that they due look clunky. Gerber is the second best design I have seen yet. Those improvments you mentioned would definately be a step in the right direction. My superknife has a very slim profile too. On a side note Stanley makes a knife called the sport utility, it has both razor and regular blades pretty cool concept IMO.
 
Once opened, I find it pretty comfortable and fits my hand well. Despite the potentially slick bead blasted finish, the choil and open handle contours provide a positive hold. Overall thin, flat profile of the knife make it easy to grip. I was unable to make the linerlock fail by twisting or gripping the handle aggressively. In fact, it doesn't twist very readily.

As noted earlier, it's not a convenient one hand opener, simply because nothing on the knife readily accommodates such activity. For some folks, this may be an issue.

One thing I have noticed in the last couple days is that when closed, the edge of the blade comes extremely close to touching the inside handle. Just a teeny bit more and the edge would begin dulling in contact against the stainless.

I'm also a little bit wary of the choil. It's a single sheet lamination thick, about 0.048" thick and fairly long and thin. I suppose under aggressive use, it may be possible for it to bend laterally, exposing the user's index finger to the bare edge, and making the blade much less secure in it's holder. mind you, I haven't experienced this at all, but it seems a possibility.
 
Nice review.

I'm going to pick one up and test to see how well it holds up. I realize you get what you pay for but I inspected one yesterday and it seemed like a decent box/letter cutter. (for under 10 dollars anyway)

Thanks.
 
I picked one up yesterday @ walmart. It will make a good money clip. I don't think i want it for a heavy use piece but it will work well fr a sharp box cutter when you need one.
For the price point it is pretty well made.

I would like to pick some up through distribution, if anyone can help me find them. i cannot find any through my suppliers. Like the OP, i have only seen them @ walmart.
 
I'm definately making a trip to Wal-Mart. I love Gerber (even if they do use cheap steel), and I use a Mat/Utility knife every day for work.

Glad you posted this, I've seen this knife once on eBay. I had no idea Wally World sold them.

Gerber and Superknife are both owned by Fiskars.
 
shecky,

Thanks for that detailed review, good photos too. I've had mine for a while now. I purchased mine when they first became available at my local Walmart. I collect all sorts of knives and have a fairly good representation of the current folding boxcutters that are now available.



This Gerber model is unique. I found out, that whith a little practice, it is possible to "fling" the knife open with one hand. It's a bit tricky to master, but once you do, you can really make it snap open.

Thanks,
Dan
 
I was doing electrical wire and it cuts insulation off heavy gauge wire nicely. I also like how thin it is. It is the main reason I bought it besides the price. I has a nice tight belt clip so it's not coming out your pocket without your consent. So far I think this is a solid knife.
 
I picked one up at Academy Sports earlier this week. I would also not use the thin choil/guard for hard gripping, but it is nice to have for delicate cuts. Also, I think that if you intend to use standard thickness blades instead of the thicker type as supplied with the knife, I would avoid using the choil as a finger rest since the blade edge centers closer one side. Beyond that, it is nice to get a utility knife that is so compact using full sized standard blades. Much less obtrusive than a full size utility knife, with the looks of a gents folder. I'm getting one for my father-in-law, who hates sharpening but likes to have a sharp knife in his pocket.
 
Looks pretty cool but doesn't seem like it would be good for all day use in a warehouse type environment.
 
I agree that a full sized handle is in order when you're cutting all day, but it is nice to have the little Gerber. Good for when you don't carry your Superknife, but don't want to have one of the little keyring razorcutters with harder to find blades. The Stanley extra heavy duty blades work well in both, BTW.
 
Saw one like that at Wal-Mart just yesterday. Didn't buy it because Gerber screwed up the packaging. Makes it look as though the knife only opens 90 degrees instead of the full 180. I liked its flat profile. Seems to be the ideal folding knife to put into a small Emergency or Survival kit with other bare-bones items.

But the packaging shows the knife open only 90 degrees. I thought, "What's the point of that?" Also nothing on the packaging indicates the knife opens a full 180.

Now that I know the deal, I'll probably pick one up the next time I'm in Wal-Mart.

Thanks for posting the review.
 
Found that the pocket/money clip can be easily removed if desired by pressing down on the bend of the clip (with the other side on a table) and sliding it off the end of the knife (with the blade removed and the blade holder open). I like mine better this way since the knife is easier to open with the clip gone, and the grip is better with the clip out of the way. It will leave a shiny rub mark on the stainless where the clip was in contact with the handle though.
 
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