Someone please explain the Gerber Paul knife to me.

Walking Man

Walking Man

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I don't get it!!??!?!?!! :confused:
How does this lock mechanism work?
and if there's not a special lock mechanism,
then what's the big deal with it?
 
I was just looking around, and I noticed that the price on these is a minimum of $100, and they have 420 steel?
What are they thinking?
 
Is there currently a Paul Knife made by Gerber? I hope not!

Either way, these days the Paul Knife is being made by Lone Wolf Knives in S30V and Damascus. Great little knives!

The lock works by squeezing the pivot. The blade locks both open and closed.
 
wasn't there a post recently about S30V being in the 420 family ;) much like 440V is akin to S90V?.
 
My understanding is it's a spring loaded button, push it in it unlocks.

Originally I think they where legitimately rare and hence costly even in 420. But then a whole slew of "limited" runs where started and now lone wolf makes them I think demand exists due to the ability of the advertising write ups.
 
Based on your link, the Paul Knife is in 420HC, not 420. It's maintains a better edge, but still not on my list of desirable steels.
 
I didn't really know there was much of a difference.
I wouldn't buy either one anyway.
 
Not only do you push the pin button to lock/unlock the blade, you can rotate the button pinched between your fingers to open and close it.

Its a clever little design. Takes quite a bit more fabrication and craftsmanship than your ordinary frame/liner lock, lockback, or even axis lock type. That is the first thing contributing to the price point.

Back when Gerber was Gerber, the things were comparatively rare. I think they still are.

It's patented, so it has to be produced under a license (adding another layer of cost), further contributing to the rarity.
 
Simply, it's a spring loaded button. The knife locks open and closed.

From the factory paperwork that came with the Gerber Series II, Model 2:
This folder is manufactured with various 400 series corrosion resistant steels that are heat treated and tempered to their specified hardness.
Click to expand...
AG's ad for the Gerber Paul knife lists the blade as "425 stainless".

As far as the Lone Wolf knives, I'd definitely like to have one. They've come up with a better variety of blade shapes, sizes, and handle materials. 420HC is OK with me, but for the price of those I'd expect something better.

Lone Wolf is using 154CM for the David Yellowhorse Paul Knife, as is the limited release clip point Paul knife. Their fixed blades are 440B, and their 'tactical' knives are made with CPM-S30V. So Lone Wolf can use better steels, when they want to.

-Bob
 
The Paul knife has history, and is an interesting mechanism. If such things interest you, then you'll like the Paul. Otherwise, it's not worth the money. It's apparently expensive to make, for various reasons, and crappy steel has often been used to keep the price down.

For myself, I like the Paul, like playing with it, like the way it looks. Got a couple of Gerbers. I would definitely not argue that it's "worth the money" based strictly on performance and materials.

Joe
 
I have a Gerber, Series II Model 2 Final Production 1997, I bought it from AG Russell. It is one of the coolest little knives that I own. I think the locking mechanism and the way the knife is flipped open and closed is just fun. I'm very impressed also with the fit and finish of this knife. I carried this knife once, but the link in my pocket made it stiff while opening, so I never carried it again. My only regret is I didn't order it in stag when AG first offered them.
 
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