The Best Gerber Pocket Knives For EDC

Founded in 1939 though boasting roots that trace three decades further, Gerber Legendary Blades currently stands as one of the world’s most eminent producers of knives and multi-tools, with an expansive catalog of rugged yet accessibly-priced products that have earned the Portland-based brand legions of dedicated customers with each new generation. To the uninitiated, however, it can sometimes be difficult to understand what exactly it is that separates Gerber from brands like Benchmade, Kershaw, CRKT, and Spyderco. So, today, we’ll be taking a deep dive into Gerber Legendary Blades and shining a light on its history and what makes it unique, along with our picks for the best Gerber knives for everyday carry. 

The history of the Gerber brand is somewhat unusual, as its founder, Joseph R. Gerber, never initially set out to create a knife company. Described by its founder as “the birth of an enterprise that grew into big business,” the Gerber story starts back in 1910 when Joseph’s family started an advertising agency based in Portland. In a never-ending bid to stand out from the crowd and distinguish itself from other advertising firms, Joseph came up with the idea to send kitchen knife sets to clients during the holidays. And while this was primarily done as a thank-you to its clients, Joseph quickly began receiving requests from these clients to be able to purchase more of these blades, as well as requests from some who wished to sell these knives themselves — including Abercrombie & Fitch which inquired about carrying these Gerber cutting tools in its catalog starting in 1939. 

While producing a small number of knife sets exclusively for clients once a year could be done as a small side effort, Joseph knew fulfilling the massive demand for his knives would be a full-time endeavor. So, in 1939, Gerber Legendary Blades was officially founded. With several major retailers and catalogs carrying Gerber knives upon its inception, the brand was able to hit the ground running, quickly amassing legions of customers. This would ultimately afford Gerber the resources needed to further invest into the research and development of its future generations of blades. 

Fast forward to 1960, and Gerber had become one of the biggest and most eminent knife makers in the country, touted by everyone from military personnel to craftsmen to hunters for the brand’s commitment to quality, performance, durability, and value. As the years marched on, Gerber’s product catalog continued to grow as the brand diversified its lineup, branching out into larger cutting tools like axes and machetes, as well as modern multi-tools models, sharpeners, and other accessories and pieces of gear. And this trend has only continued over the years as Gerber has increasingly diversified its product range, now standing as one of America’s two leading producers of multi-tools, second only to Leatherman. 

In 1987, the Gerber brand was bought out by Finnish company Fiskars, which is still Gerber’s parent company today — though Gerber Legendary Blades remains based in Portland and continues to follow the guiding principles established by Joseph R. Gerber upon its inception in ’39. For this reason, it’s not uncommon to see the same product — albeit slightly reskinned — sold as both a Gerber or Fiskars product. Interestingly, Gerber has also served as something of an unintentional incubator for other knife startups, as several ex-Gerber staffers have gone on to found their own, now-well-established knife companies such as Al Mar and Pete Kershaw. 

Since day one, Gerber has designed and crafted its products around only a handful of guiding principles. The company aims to deliver high-quality, highly-functional knives and gear that can stand up to a lifetime of hard daily use. And while this alone isn’t necessarily unique, the fact that Gerber manages to deliver its knives at such accessible prices definitely is. That’s not to say that Gerber’s products are cheap, far from it in fact. It’s just that the company produces high-quality gear at the lowest possible price, guaranteeing stellar bang for your buck. In addition to great designs that are brought to life with solid build quality, Gerber tends to use constructions that are rugged and extremely competent, rather than flashier, more exorbitant materials — such as using constructions like aluminum, Micarta, GRN, G-10, D2, and S30V, instead of titanium, brass, forged carbon, 20CV, and M390. 

Despite the fact it produces knives and other tools at such a large scale, Gerber manages to deliver surprisingly decent quality control. The fact that almost all of its knives and tools are backed by a lifetime warranty against defects — known as the Gerber Guarantee — speaks volumes about the quality of its products and their construction. And while it does admittedly make much of its wares overseas, Gerber does have a more premium USA-made product range that’s grown significantly in the last few years alone. Like Benchmade, Gerber has also recently launched an online configurator on its site that allows customers to personalize a myriad of Gerber’s most popular knives using an enormous wealth of customization options. 

Another unique aspect of Gerber’s identity is its tangible ties to U.S. military servicemen, with ties to American soldiers that date back to the ‘60s. From Vietnam to Desert Storm to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Gerber’s knives and tools have widely been carried by U.S. military personnel, both as items personally purchased by servicemen as well as numerous knives and other pieces of Gerber gear that’s been adopted as official standard issue equipment. In addition to its overall build quality and use of durable materials, the military’s proclivity for Gerber’s knives is also owed to the fact that the Portland brand routinely calls on ex and active-duty military personnel to design its blades, as their experience gives these individuals and unparalleled understanding of what a modern solider wants and needs out of their knife — whether it be a fixed blade or a folder. 

One more way that Gerber has remained at the forefront of the knife industry has been through the individuals that it’s selected to design its blades, as its designer alum include the likes Rick Hinderer, Ernest Emerson, Matt Larsen, Brad Parrish, and Fred Carter, just to name a few. And by mass-producing these designs using quality but affordable materials, Gerber is able to deliver a surprisingly high-quality — in fact often boarding on premium — product at an exceedingly reasonable price. Put all of this together, and you should start to get a very clear sense as to what exactly it is that’s so special about this company. 

Gerber Paraframe II

Best Budget Option: Offering a high carbon 420 high-carbon series stainless steel blade in a skeletonized stainless steel frame, the Gerber Paraframe II cuts weight where it isn’t necessary so that it can bulk up the body of the knife where it counts. A sturdy frame lock keeps the blade in place with a minimum of play, despite the minuscule price tag. The sturdiness of the body along with the tight pocket clip make it everything a basic folder should be. With the option to go with a fine-edged model or a partially serrated blade, this is simply a better basic, budget knife.

Gerber Gator

Best Outdoor Knife: Whether you’re out on a squirrel shoot or chasing down the most dangerous game of all: man, the Gator deserves consideration as your piece of pocket kit. It’s a little aggressive for everyday carry if you’re just going to be cutting the crust off your daughter’s PB&J, but if you must do it like a badass, then this will fit the bill. The 154CM steel is made to shrug off the elements so that you can use it for days in the worst conditions without worrying about oxidation or loss of sharpness. With both clip point, drop point, and gut hook models, whatever nasty business you have in mind, you can bet the Gator is ready for.

Gerber Covert

Best Tactical Knife: When opened, you’re going to have nearly 9 inches worth of knife to deal with, and nearly 4 inches of that is blade. This is made like an Italian stiletto, utilizing the spear-style tip, which is downright menacing and doesn’t even pretend to be a knife for anything other than opening mouthy fools from crotch to gizzard. Despite the length, it weighs in at just over 4 ounces, making it surprisingly light thanks in part to the 154CM steel with titanium nitride coating. Double beveling enhances the grip and with a patented roto-lock, you don’t ever need to worry about accidental closing or opening.

Gerber Flatiron

Best Cleaver Knife: The Gerber Flatiron perfectly encapsulates the brand’s ethos, with an immensely rugged and wholly capable folder that offers stellar bang for your buck. The knife is constructed around a frame-locking stonewashed stainless steel handle that’s been fitted with a textured G-10 composite scale on its show side. Deployed using a thumb-hole opener, this knife’s blade consists of a 3.60” cleaver-style blade that’s crafted from stonewash-finished 7Cr17MoV. While it’s design is admittedly attractive, what really makes this knife shine is its build quality, which is on par with blades costing five-times what the Flatiron does. The handle and blade’s stonewashed finish also does a great job of hiding scratches and scuffs. 

Gerber Fastball Wharncliffe

Best USA-Made: While Gerber’s knives have always offered immense value and great construction at a fair price, the brand’s made-in-America product range gives its more discerning customers a more premium option — at a more premium, but still largely accessible price — that takes aim at blades from brands like Spyderco and Benchmade. One such knife is the Gerber Fastball. Offered in multiple finishes and blade shapes — including our favorite, the blacked-out (oxide-coated) Wharncliffe model — the Fastball is made entirely in America and is crafted around a liner lock-equipped aluminum handle that comes mated to a 3.00” flipper-tab-deployed, assisted-opening blade composed of CPM S30V stainless steel — a powder metallurgy blade-specific steel that’s widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest blade steel for EDC. 

Gerber 06 Auto 10 Anniversary Edition

Best Automatic Knife: First debuting in 2006, the Gerber 06 Auto is unequivocally the Portland brand’s most iconic automatic knife — a fact that’s at least partially owed to the fact that the U.S. military has placed several hundred thousand of them in the hands of its soldiers. To celebrate a decade in production, the company debuted the Gerber 06 Auto 10 Anniversary Edition in 2016, taking the CPM S30V-steeled auto model and treating its milled aluminum handle to a special OD green Cerakote finish. With its ergonomic handle design and oversized firing button, the 06 Auto is also just as easy to handle when wearing gloves as it is in a bare hand. Backed by a lifetime warranty, this auto folder is also made entirely in America using an American-made blade steel. 

Gerber Terracraft

Best Fixed Blade: One of the stars of the brand’s new top-of-the-line Gerber Reserve range, the Gerber Terracraft is an ultra-rugged outdoor-focused fixed-blade that’s meticulously crafted in America from a premium material array. Backed by Gerber’s usual lifetime warranty, the knife starts with machined and layered G10 scales with a super ergonomic shape that perfectly nestles in its user’s hand. This handle is mated to a full-tang CPM S30V construction that culminates in a 3.90” drop point blade. With a thickness of 0.165”, the Terracraft is well equipped to take on ultra-hard use tasks and bushcrafting applications, as well as more delicate tasks. With its premium materials, top-notch build quality, and minimalist design, the Terracraft is a knife that’s ripe for being passed down to future generations as a family heirloom. Lastly, this knife also ships with an American-made Gerber-branded leather sheath. 

The Complete Guide To Kershaw Knives

Want to learn more about a brand that was actually founded by an ex-Gerber staffer? Then be sure to head over to our complete guide to Kershaw knives for a look at its history, what makes it special, and our picks for the best blades it currently offers.