The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
The Gerber Empower is one of Gerber’s newest American-made additions to the automatic knife market. It is rock solid, has S30V steel and doesn’t scream tactical. It weighs in at 4.6oz and has an overall length of 8.4” when opened (blade length is 3.25). Best part….. it’s priced at right around $100. Check it out.
Author – Tim M.
I’ve been carrying and using the new Gerber Barbill wallet for about a week now. I know that’s not a long time, but it’s been enough to give me a good feel for how the wallet is going to perform. I love my minimalist wallets and only carrying what I need. I’ve tried others in the past similar to this design and was not a fan; mostly because accessing the cards and cash was not ideal, but that is just my personal opinion. When I saw the new Barbill on their site, I had to give it a try. To my surprise, I’m really liking this wallet and plan on using this for the foreseeable future. Accessing the cards and cash is easy, as is using the integrated bottle opener. Great for a night out on the town or vacations when you want to reduce what you’re carrying in your pockets. For only $20, you really can’t go wrong with this product.
Courtesy of Gerber Gear:
A wallet’s duties are pretty straightforward: secure valuable cards and cash. Yet, your wallet isn’t just on hand during working hours so the Barbill steps up to the happy hour plate with an integrated bottle opener.
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)
The good:
The bad:
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:
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.
I Don’t know a whole lot about knives, but I do know that they are an essential piece of equipment for any first responder, military member, or anyone who likes to be prepared. Gerber Gear is one of the leading manufactures of knives and their Decree knife is a great option for anyone looking for an outstanding knife. Not only does the Gerber Decree feel sturdy, it has some great features and looks pretty cool as well.
The Gerber Decree features a S30V steel with a modified tanto blade and has partial serrations for great cutting power. The blade also has a ceramic coating which minimizes reflection and provides superior corrosion resistance. The handle is made of glass filled nylon and is covered in a rubberized diamond texture which allows for a solid grip in all types of environments, but it’s not so sticky that it stays gripped to your pocket while deploying the knife. There is also a glass breaker built into the handle of the knife, making this a perfect knife for law enforcement officer, firefighters, and other first responders.
The Decree is easy to open one-handed via a thumb stud and finger flip tab. The knife features a black metal clip that can be moved to either end of the knife. There is also a lanyard attachment point so you can dummy cord the knife to another piece of equipment. The blade length of the decree is 3.75 inches and has an open length of 8.7 inches and a closed length of 5.1 inches, the blade length is 3.7 inches. The knife weighs in at just 4.8 ounces.
The Decree is made in Portland, Oregon and comes with Gerber’s limited lifetime warranty. Overall, this is an excellent knife and would be a great addition to everyone’s EDC.
Author – Cameron Paidousis is a former Police Officer and is a current member in the Air National Guard where he serves in Security Forces. For his civilian job he works as security contractor for the U.S. Government. When not working he enjoys spending time with his family along with kayaking, hiking, and traveling.