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What are your thoughts about the US-made Gerber DoubleDown folding machete/knife?

E.D.C. said:
This is a useless toy.
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Says you.

Looking around at many knives that are advertised for sale and are ultimately sold, I suspect many consider them to be "useless toys." Except for the even larger number of people that actually put their money where their mouths are, buy the knives, and then put them to work of course.
 
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Nixelplix said:
I think they look like some machete-balisongs I made back in 2011. Darn it Gerber stop copying me!

Q29ePsM.jpg
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Whoa, sweetness! You're an artisan! Nice job!
 
DangerZone98 said:
It’s good that they’re innovating and that it’s US-made. Those are definitely plus points.

But the knife just ain’t for me.
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That's exactly the way I feel. I've read where some really knee-jerk respond in a negative way to anything from Gerber, no matter the person's actual experience with the given knife model or the actual quality of the given model. Almost as if they can't help themselves. This thread sure illustrates that.
 
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Stahlmann said:
That's exactly the way I feel. I've read where some really knee-jerk respond in a negative way to anything from Gerber, no matter the person's actual experience with the given knife model or the actual quality of the given model. Almost as if they can't help themselves. This thread sure illustrates that.
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I have a lot of experience with Gerber. That's why the only thing I own from them now is the Dime, which is a handy little tool.
 
Gerber.. well --- i believe the term used by many is "tacticool" or in some circles "tactic-lol" however i believe it can be used in some gardening applications cause why not? but the nature of the machete is to hack and chop, and as such, those actions can send shock and vibration to what keeps the machete locked in place. In my personal opinion, the safety concerns outweigh the use, for the same price you can buy a machete machete, try Ontario
 
JokersFaceLifter said:
Gerber.. well --- i believe the term used by many is "tacticool" or in some circles "tactic-lol" however i believe it can be used in some gardening applications cause why not? but the nature of the machete is to hack and chop, and as such, those actions can send shock and vibration to what keeps the machete locked in place. In my personal opinion, the safety concerns outweigh the use, for the same price you can buy a machete machete, try Ontario
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I suspect from watching the above videos and the one I'll post below, the forces which will be encountered by the DoubleDown during use have been well taken into consideration by its designers. From a pure business standpoint, it would be risky for them not to.

Conventional machetes and the DoubleDown are two different instruments. I can't think of a single application where a fixed-blade instrument is not ultimately stronger than a folding-blade instrument. It's folly however to discount a given instrument based solely on this, because in the case of the DoubleDown, it might well be more than strong/durable enough to perform any task expected of it, while also providing added utility such as greater portability and the ability to pack/conceal it.

 
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Stahlmann said:
I suspect from watching the above videos and the one I'll post below, the forces which will be encountered by the DoubleDown during use have been well taken into consideration by its designers. From a pure business standpoint, it would be risky for them not to.

Conventional machetes and the DoubleDown are two different instruments. I can't think of a single application where a fixed-blade instrument is not ultimately stronger than a folding-blade instrument. It's folly however to discount a given instrument based solely on this, because in the case of the DoubleDown, it might well be more than strong/durable enough to perform any task expected of it, while also providing added utility such as greater portability and the ability to pack/conceal it.

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Alright friend, buy it, put it to use, and report back, and by use i mean U-S-E, it is a machete after all, am i correct?
so treat it as such --- All the best
 
fwiw, I do like the idea - the 420hc is actually a decent choice if you want a stainless machete (aeb-l or 12c27 I'd prefer, or 14c28n)

personally, I don't like the added cost vs a fixed machete, which provides insane toughness
look at the skrama (lower in cost), and the 80crv2 will outdo anything 420hc could for extreme use
 
The only Gerber I would consider owning right now is the Strongarm. Looks like a tough medium sized blade that doesn’t break the bank.
 
I don't get the "machete" part. If someone was designing a blade that short to use like a tiny machete, it could be way better. To me that's just a large balisong with a weird handle.
 
Stahlmann said:
That's exactly the way I feel. I've read where some really knee-jerk respond in a negative way to anything from Gerber, no matter the person's actual experience with the given knife model or the actual quality of the given model. Almost as if they can't help themselves. This thread sure illustrates that.
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1. you've got a big affinity for Gerber. That's pretty obvious.

2. I remember 1980s Gerber. My first fixed blade was (still have it) a bmf (not sawback).

3. I used to use Gerber folders in the 90s. They were reasonable in price and decent quality. I lost quite a few knives during this time of my life. Then i noticed their quality slide considerably after they sold out.

4. They stayed selling out, losing the core knife buyer who cared about quality and were willing to pay decent $ for it.

5. They started teaming up with advertizing ventures more than focusing on quality. They made a bet that they could sell more blister packs of items barely better than an ozark trail "stainless" knife.

6. They dropped the lmf2, which was an improvement, but not appealing to me for the very reason it was contracted (non-conductive handle - tang doesn't go through whole handle). Also not offered in plain edge. I get it, pilot surival knife and all that.

7. They have offered a few better knives here and there, but due to their reputation issues, knife people likely don't even consder them when looking around for their next fix.

8. Now they seem to be on the "find the next gimmick" kick. Not saying other companies haven't done this (cold steel), but at least cold steel had some core knives that were actually worth owning even if one was into knives to care about the little details.

But you do you, boo. However, you act like there's no reason why gerber gets a sideways look. You say I must not know what I'm talking about. You're wrong in pretty much every way.

You do remember when gerber and fiskars were the same mfg just one did knives? Well, fiskars scissors and my fiskars splitting maul are awesome. But they aren't trying to be anything they aren't. They improved a design and kept quality.
 
Mecha said:
I don't get the "machete" part. If someone was designing a blade that short to use like a tiny machete, it could be way better. To me that's just a large balisong with a weird handle.
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now if it were made of titanium and ya could flip it too...then we'd have something.........
 
I had to check my collection to see if I even owned a Gerber knife? Sure enough I do! A Gerber Mark II Knife [22-01874] which Amazon was selling a while back for $74.92. A very well made, American made knife. Worth every penny. The Gerber haters crack me up. I might have to pick-up another Gerber of some sort. Any model suggestions?

MKjKa0P.jpeg
 
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Mecha said:
I don't get the "machete" part. If someone was designing a blade that short to use like a tiny machete, it could be way better. To me that's just a large balisong with a weird handle.
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Actually "the features of a knife, machete and a hatchet" per Gerber.
 
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