gerber gear

Gerber Remix Tactical: Unique Design and Exceptional Control

After receiving and a tip from a confidential informant (CI) that some drug carriers were transporting some illegal narcotics through my jurisdiction, we planned an operation to take down the vehicle. The op went well and the vehicle was ours. Our CI claimed he was certain the drugs were in the seats. After covering our butts, following all laws, policies and procedures, we confiscated the vehicle, and it’s seats. My partner was using some flimsy knife (brand unnamed) which was having trouble cutting through the seat. Gerber Remix Tactical folding knife to the rescue. I pulled out my Gerber and went to town. The partially serrated blade made short work of the seats, and yes, we found our drugs.

The Gerber Remix Tactical folding knife really catches the eye. A uniquely designed handle provides great control with an “Axle Hole” to secure one of your digits and lock the knife in your grip. The blade is partially serrated allowing for a wide range of cutting and the tanto design turns this utility knife, into a self-defense weapon. Definitely an EDC (every day carry) item and built with quality in mind.

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Gerber kept appearance sleek and tactical with a slim build and a carbon fiber, G10 composite handle. A solid thumb lift/rest allows for an easy open. Out of the box, the blade is a little rough to open, but loosens up after a few uses. Surprisingly tough with a blade sharp enough for any job, this knife has earned a spot on my side. Check out the video to see it in action.

Author – Matt Walker is a Texas Law Enforcement Officer of 10 years and serves as a SWAT Officer for his department. He is also the head defensive tactics instructor and holds various instructor certificates such as Krav Maga Force Division Instructor, FBI Defensive Tactics Instructor, Tactical Breaching Instructor and various others. Mr. Walker holds and undefeated Mixed Martial Arts record and is a practitioner of Muay Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Olympic weightlifting.

Gerber US-Assist S30V | A solid blade in Gerber’s lineup

Gerber has been an outdoors gear manufacturer in the US for over 70 years. Their tools and knives are especially popular among military servicemembers. One of Gerber’s newer folding knives is the Gerber US-Assist, adding to Gerber’s popular and diverse lineup. As alluded to by its name, the US-Assist features an assist-opening mechanism designed for smooth and rapid deployment of the blade. It’s a simple EDC knife that does its job well. Here are the specifications from Gerber:

Specifications

B.O.S.S. Tech™ – stainless steel ball bearings technology
Scratch-resistant, removable pocket clip – able to carry tip up or tip down
Ambidextrous assisted one-hand opening blade w/ dual ramped thumb studs
Blade Material: CPM S30V w/ stone washed finish
Blade Length: 3.0″
Overall Length: 7.2″
Weight: 3.9 oz
Handle Material: Glass-filled nylon
Lock Type: Plunge-lock w/ cross-bolt safety (locks blade open or closed)
Limited lifetime warranty
Made in USA

The Gerber US-Assist closed, front and back

My Thoughts and Review

The US-Assist isn’t as sharp out-of-the-box as other knives from other manufacturers. It was noticeable enough that I decided to sharpen it before putting it through extensive use. This isn’t a big deal because all knives need to be sharpened eventually, but I was a little put-off with my first impression. Aside from that, I think the US-Assist is a well-rounded pocket knife; there were several features that I really liked and only a couple minor drawbacks that I experienced with the knife.

Steel choice

Gerber currently offers the US-Assist in 420HC or CPM S30V steel. Between the two, S30V is the more premium steel, hence the higher cost. S30V is popular for several good reasons; it is a well-rounded performer offering good edge retention, corrosion resistance, and easy sharpening. My only grievance with S30V is that for a high-quality steel, the edge is prone to chipping when met with some hard use. That isn’t to say that all S30V blades are inferior, a lot of the qualities of steel are manipulated by heat treatment as well as the overall shape and design of the blade. With that being said, after using the US-Assist S30V for a couple weeks in the wilderness and for everyday use, I have yet to run into any issues.

The US-Assist features a removable and reversible pocket clip

Assisted-opening

Assisted-opening knives are designed for easier and more rapid deployment, and the US-Assist is well-designed for this purpose. The Gerber US-Assist features ramped thumb studs on both sides of the blade for ambidextrous use. A subtle feature that I really liked about the thumb studs was the jimping along the ramps. The added texture of the thumb studs ensures that your thumb won’t slip while opening the blade, especially when you have gloves on.

Plunge lock

I am also a big fan of the plunge lock mechanism that Gerber chose for the US-Assist. The plunge lock is a push-button that springs into a notch on the rear of the blade, locking it into place. To close the blade, you push down on the plunge lock to remove it from the rear notch of the blade. It is a simple locking mechanism that is also easy to use one-handed.

Cross-bolt safety

The US-Assist features a cross-bolt safety lock. The safety can be used while the blade is closed or open. I don’t use the safety, in fact, I prefer my folders to not have safeties on them. I have never had a knife accidentally deploy on its own, and I don’t like fumbling to open a folder when I forget that it is locked. With that being said, if you don’t like safeties on knives then just don’t use them. The cross-bolt safety on the US-Assist does a good job staying in place, and I haven’t had an instance where it unintentionally locked itself.

The Gerber US-Assist utilizes a safety lock to keep your blade open or closed

Handle

My only major complaint about the US-Assist is its handle. Nylon handles are smooth so they tend to be slippery and it gets worse when they get wet. To mitigate this, manufacturers add some texturing to improve their handles. However, the texturing on the handle of the US-Assist is more for aesthetics than practical use. The bottom half of the handle helps improve your grip, but as the texturing fades into the upper-half of the handle, it becomes slippery. I would have liked for the US-Assist to use a better material like G10, or to at least texture the entire handle to help achieve a better grip.

The verdict

The good
-Well-designed thumb studs
-Assisted-opening works well
-Easy one-handed operation

The bad
-Nylon handle can be slippery

The Gerber US-Assist is a good-looking EDC knife and its assist-opening mechanism makes it easy to use, even a little fun. Aside from having nylon handle, the US-Assist doesn’t leave much to be desired. The assist-opening mechanism does a good job deploying the knife and the process is aided by having textured ramped thumb studs. S30V isn’t the best steel and infamous for chipping at times, but it’s still a great steel that is easy to maintain. At the time of writing this review, the Gerber US-Assist S30V has an MSRP of $119 and the US-Assist 420HC has an MSRP of $99.

As always, if you have any experience with the US-Assist or other gear from Gerber, let us know what you think!

My most used piece of gear while in the Marine Corps

Pictured above was my first Gerber multi-tool I purchased at the PX on Camp Lejeune, NC shortly after checking into my unit (2/8 WPNS Co.) in June of 1993. Back then we didn’t have the internet to order stuff or even research options. You could order through a catalog at the time, but I didn’t want to wait nor did I have a lot of money as a PFC in the Marine Corps. My options were Gerber, Spyderco or Benchmade. Gerber seemed the most economical route at the time and they had a solid reputation.

I carried my Gerber multi-tool for four years straight in every weather climate imaginable. From the forests of North Carolina to the mountains of the Sierra Nevadas in Northern California, to the jungles of Okinawa and Middle East deserts. It was a dependable workhorse. I used it for cutting through a myriad of materials over that timespan, fieldcraft tasks, disassembling my M16-A2 service rifle (before there were specialized multi-tools for this) and even some field repairs on a Humvee (HMMWV). It truly was a multi-use tool and probably even endured some tasks Gerber never thought it would be used for.

Where has your Gerber been?

Take control of the outdoors with the Gerber Spine fixed blade knife

Gerber has taken a refreshing marketing approach with their Spine fixed blade knife. They are not telling us it is the best quality knife on the market, or even the best-priced. They are telling us the Spine is “for the weekend warrior camper or hiker” and I commend them for that honest approach. After all, it certainly isn’t the best blade I have ever wielded. What it does offer is an affordable price point, excellent grip, sturdy blade, and a very comfortable ergonomic design.

Whether you are stripping wood for kindling or cutting open an MRE, the Spine is designed for an all-around reliable camping experience. It features an oversized lanyard hole to accommodate a variety of rope sizes and carabiners. The texturized rubber grip provides excellent retention even in wet or cold conditions, and for my medium sized hands, the handle provides a comfortable amount to hold onto. The drop point blade has a functional shape for camp-related tasks and has a great looking dull finish that helps to mask general wear on the blade over time.

Gerber Spine fixed blade anatomy (courtesy of Gerber website)

Drop point
Fine edge 7Cr17MoV blade
Raised handle grip
Textured grip
Lanyard hole
Full tang
Belt clip

The good:

Excellent grip retention
Oversized sheath clip can mount to the lumbar strap on a backpack
Blade design offers a fine edge angle that lends to good all-around performance for camp related tasks
Vibrant handle color options are easy to spot at the campsite or on the trail
Thumb latch on the handle makes one-handed deployment very easy

The bad:

Factory edge is a little uneven and not quite as sharp toward the ricasso
The glass-filled nylon sheath has some excess at the seams that should have been cleaned up
Oversized clip on the sheath not very stable when mounted on a belt – it tends to tilt front or back

The Spine is a solid addition to the packing list for any casual camping trip or hike and is easily one of the more comfortable knives I’ve ever used in this price range. It isn’t perfect but not every knife needs to be. For $40 Gerber offers a durable, functional, and comfortable fixed blade camp knife that you will be able to get plenty of use out of.

Primary features:

Full length: 8.4″
Blade length: 3.7″
Blade thickness: 3.25 mm (0.12″)
Blade material: 7Cr17MoV
Weight (with sheath): 6.6 oz
Weight (knife only): 5.2 oz
Full tang construction
Glass-filled nylon sheath w/ belt clip
Textured rubberized grip
Lanyard hole
Also available in Cyan color
$40 MSRP

The Gerber LMF II Survival Knife

When looking for a great knife, I have 3 main area’s that I judge a knife off of. 1) What is the steel? Does it Rust? 2) Is said knife durable in extreme elements? 3) Is it serrated, partially serrated or non-serrated? With all those factors coming into play, I tend to stick to either Benchmade or Gerber. Benchmade’s are great and probably all around the best knives out there (you get what you pay for) but what if I told you that you could have Benchmade quality in a $125 fixed blade knife? That is where the Gerber LMF II Survival Knife comes into play.

Maritime elements are extreme, especially in the summertime. Humidity and salt water is no Bueno to knives, so the first test for a knife’s quality is running it in maritime operations in the dog days of August a couple hundred miles off the coast. 4 weeks, 28ish days, 100+ degree heat. I decided to run the LMF II Survival on my calf. The only downside to the LMF II is that its big (10 inches) but that’s also a good factor for “Survival” (It’s intended use) but its hard to run on a low pro plate carrier like what I run during maritime operations (The First Spear AAC Frog). The LMF II Survival was designed by a veteran named Jeff Freeman and was intended to be used to cut through anything and everything. Helo Egress? It’ll cut through the fuselage skin, plexiglass and it’ll sever just about any seatbelt. Need to chop wood in a wilderness survival situation? It’ll do that as well!

I’ve always wanted to run a knife on my calve and go full Rambo. The first rule in a gunfight – always look cool. The LMF II Survival on your leg looks badass especially when you’re wearing a high-speed maritime helmet, a combat shirt with the sleeves cut, the First Spear AAC Frog and a pair of colorful Hurley board shorts with a 10-inch knife strapped to your leg. It says you came to work on the top and came to party on the bottom! (I just hope my boss doesn’t find out I was wearing neon blue and red board shorts during operations!). Now back to the LMF II Survival – the rust factor (I never rinsed the salt off) was almost not noticeable. Just a few spots that could be easily removed with a little coke and a toothbrush.

Now let’s get to cut tests – through just about any line I could get my hands on it cut through like a hot knife through butter. I was also very impressed with the way it handled through many types of wood. Maple, Oak, you name it. The LMF II Survival features a 420HC drop point blade, with the handle made of a textured rubber. The textured rubber handle is ideal for hammering or chopping as your hand will not slip down the handle. Last but not least, it features a sharpener that comes attached to the sheath and is very easy to remove. The Knife sits securely in the sheath and does not rattle or move and it removes very quietly to reduce noise. The second and last downside to the LMF II Survival is the fact that the knife is difficult to pull out of the sheath. after about 20 times of pulling it out, it starts to loosen and you are easily able to access your knife in a situation that demands speed.

Should you buy this knife? In my opinion, yes. It has Benchmade quality in about half the price point. It is great for survival, stowing on your pack, or running it as a drop leg knife. The guys and gals over at Gerber really nailed the design of this knife and it definitely deserves more credit than it gets. It has been field tested and maritime tested by me and it lives up to the Gerber name.

Available on Amazon for around $79!

Gerber Suspension Multi-Plier | Best Budget Multi-Tool

People spend hundreds of dollars on multi-tools and that’s cool and all but I like quality gear that doesn’t break the bank – I have drinks to buy for girls, money to spend on my truck (She’s always breaking down), rent, and last but not least the “gun fund” as I call it! Let’s put it this way – life would be a lot easier being a weekend airsoft “operator” living in my parents basement. The fact of the matter is, I drive fast boats and shoot guns for a living to pay the bills, but I can’t afford every piece of expensive gear – so I look for ways to get quality gear without breaking the bank. Gerber is known for quality gear and for not breaking the bank.

The Gerber Suspension Multi-Plier is a screaming deal for $38. It has been with me for the last 6 months or so and I am quite impressed with the quality for such a low price. I’m not sure if there is a multi-tool that doesn’t feature pliers, but this one has them. They work very well and the wire cutter is incredibly sharp. I have never had a problem with them. It also features 11 other tools such as a can opener and bottle opener which are perfect for opening beers at the beach. The knife is great for cutting, as well as shucking oysters. The scissors are decent, but not anything to write about. The best thing about the multi-plier is the saw. That little thing is amazing and I’m convinced it’ll cut through anything.

The Multi-Plier features cross tip and flat screwdrivers. Those things have saved my ass quite a few times out on our RHIB’s during operations. One of the best features I like about the Multi-Plier is the weight – not too heavy, but also durable as all get out. It weighs 9 oz, and its small enough closed (3.5″) to not take up much room and 6″ when it’s open. I personally throw it in a pistol mag pouch on my plate carrier. It also has a locking feature called “Saf.T.Plus” and in 6 months it has not failed me. Having the ability to lock your tools is ideal. Not sure I would buy multi-tool without this feature.

When Gerber branded the Multi-Plier as “A field-tested classic that never disappoints, the Suspension is the benchmark tool of convenience and durability.” they weren’t lying. For $38 there is not a better deal out there and this is a multi-tool I would highly recommend for your average hiker to your tier 1 operator.