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Gerber Basic Knife

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The Gerber Basic knife is the perfect companion for the minimalist who wants to go light and fast with a sturdy, affordable blade.

Solid stainless-steel design with partial nylon/rubber overlay on the handle is super light and tough
The Gerber Basic knife snaps securely into its rigid sheath; pocket clip is reversible for right- or left-hand and tip-up or tip-down carry

Please Note: This product is not able to be shipped to addresses in New York.

Imported.

Item 802108

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Gerber Basic Knife Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Gerber Basic Knife

3.1

(based on 16 reviews)

67%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Sharp blade (10)
Durable (8)
Finish (8)
Comfortable grip (6)

Cons

Dulls quickly (3)
Poor craftsmanship (3)

Best Uses

Camping (10)
Home (8)
Survival (6)
Hunting (5)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (7), Avid adventurer (6)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (11)

Reviewed by 16 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Aug

2012

4.0

Gerber Basic has it's Place

By NorthernFitnessExplorer

from ND / MN

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Practical
Price
Quick Access

Cons

Clip

Best Uses

Camping
Canoeing
Kayaking
Marine

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

This Gerber has proved to be a convenient fixed blade every day carry, and also a great addition to my life vest. It's sheath is very simple with a good amount of tension so that the knife will not come out when you do not want it to, but is very QUICK and SIMPLE to pull out when needed.

In my opinion, the clip that screws onto the sheath could have been better designed. Possibly with an inward J to grip more sturdily.

It is thin and short enough to carry in one's front jean pocket which is a plus for a fixed blade. (I remove the clip if I plan on carrying it in my pocket.)

The durability, blade/serrations, and grip are all decent and hold up to the GERBER name. It is as much, if not more than, you can ask for for the cost.

*My roommate bought the knife after one trip with me because he also liked it so much. My boss also owns one, and she loves it too.

Comment on this review

Mar

2012

3.0

I tried to like it

By WwW

from Tacoma WA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Durable

Cons

Best Uses

Home

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

I tried to like this knife. I love the look, the size, the way it felt in my hand, and the sheeth wasn't bad at all. I'm not sure why everyone complains about that. My issue with this knife was the tip was too dull and so was the blade. I really liked the knife but, for the purpose I bought it for those two items were critical.

Might be good for a kids first knife as it isn't too sharp.

Comment on this review

Oct

2011

4.0

Good Knife for the Price.

By 803Industries

from Lexington, SC

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Durable
Finish
Sharp Blade

Cons

Best Uses

Camping
Home
Hunting
Survival

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

Love everything about this knife. I bought it before my latest camping trip and it came in very handy in the woods. My only complaint is with the sheath. Wearing the knife on your belt is near impossible unless you don't mind the knife's handle jabbing you in the side everytime you sit down. As long as you're standing, you won't even realize it's there.

Comment on this review

Oct

2011

5.0

Great knife to carry everyday/everywhere

By E outdoors

from Houston, TX

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Sharp Blade

Cons

Best Uses

Camping
Home
Survival

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

The Basic is what it is... a small, strong knife you can have on you at all times. I'm a big guy with large hands and I love this knife. It is sharp and strong enough to handle most tasks when you need it. It is easily sharpened with stone or diamond. The sheath is stiff at first but breaks in. I've worn my Basic everyday for over a year.

Outdoors, it is my backup knife that is small, light and easy to have on me in case I lose my primary. Because the Basic is a small knife, I carry a more substantial fixed blade (Gator) or lockback (AR 3.5) when hiking, fishing, or anywhere I expect to do a lot of cutting. So I'll tuck the Basic in my waistband. Or I'll attach to a belt or MOLLE - Tip - the clip bends easily alone and will slip off if you try to attach it outside and you are active. So if I'm attaching it sheath side out, after I run the clip behind what fastening it to, I use a small zip tie, run it through the hold on the clip, and around the sheath to hold it place - so it cannot slide off the strap. I'll carry it on a pack, vest, or life jacket. Also, the screws on the clip may loosen, but Loctite solves that.

Around home and office, it is my primary everyday knife. I don't need a knife everyday when at home, but I tuck it inside my waistband (jeans, shorts, dockers, dresspants); it's small enough it's undetectable in the waistband and it's out of my pocket clutter... it's ready if I need it.

Comment on this review

Jul

2011

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Awful.

By davidl2013

from Los Angeles, CA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Looks cool
Sharp Blade

Cons

Breaks
Cheap steel
Dulls Quickly
Hard to hold
Poor Craftsmanship

Best Uses

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

I may have gotten a lemon, but this knife is awful. The sheath was too tight to be useful, it took an incredible amount of strength to pull the knife out. When I tried to break the sheath in, it broke. The blade dulls extremely easily, even after cutting sharp objects. The knife is also impossibly hard to hold, almost as if it was designed and built without ever having been tested.[...]

Comment on this review

Jun

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Setting this straight

By humantiger

from Los Angeles, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Finish
Sharp Blade

Cons

Sheath poorly designed

Best Uses

Camping
Hunting

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

To the guy who said the knife was falling out shealth: Try pushing it in ALL the way until it clicks. For those people who said the shealth broke, well honestly it happened to me the first time too. When I got it out of the package I slapped it into the shealth and heard the plastic crack. Here is how you can avoid that. When you first get it, slide the blade in and out 10 or 20 times. But not all the way, only until you see the shealth expanding and it is going in hard, then back it out and do it again. That way the shealth gets "broken in" without being broken.
Besides that the knife is a decent design.

Comment on this review

May

2011

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Skip this knife

By Tenderfoot the backpacker

from Spartanburg, SC

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Finish

Cons

Dulls Quickly

Best Uses

Home

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

I rarely get a Gerber knife that I am not happy with,however this one is a exception. The handle is a bit small particualy in the front where you need it to be big to hold. The sheath is the poorest of all the knifes I own. The sheath will not hold the knife at all. If you hold the knife by the sheath the knife will fall right out. I clipped the knife on and just did some light yard work and in no time the came out of the sheath and in a hunting/backpacking/camping situation would have become lost forever. Sure I could store it in my backpack but if there is any room the knife will come out of its sheath and stab holes in you pack. Not happy with this one. I just ordered the Gerber LMF so I am taking this one back.

Comment on this review

Feb

2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Don't Buy

By Knife Lover

from Haleiwa, HI

About Me Military/Law Enforcement

See all my reviews

Pros

It's a knife

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

If you cannot pull the knife out of the sheath without full force, you don't need the knife. Looks like a good knife, but I will only keep it long enough to return it next trip. I've tried all kinds of different methods, but the knife still comes out like it's the sword in the stone.

Comment on this review

Feb

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Good Knife.

By Bocephus39

from PHX, AZ

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Finish
Small light weight

Cons

Best Uses

Camping
Home

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

I don't see anything wrong with the design of this knife. I wanted a small fixed blade to carry in my boot. The interchangeable pocket clip is perfect, whether you carry it on your belt, in your boot, or on a strap on your back pack.

If you aren't planning on moving your clip back and forth alot, I recommend using blue loctite on the screws to help them stay tight(also so you dont lose the Gerber plate like mentioned above).

As for the tightness of the sheath, no worries. Almost every locking blade I've had from Buck's, Kershaw's S&W's, Gerber's, either need broken in(loosened), or adjusted. I realize this sheath is plastic, and mine too is slightly carving out a bit of plastic on the top side, but if you use the thumb depress on the top when you pull the knife from the sheath, it starts to get smoother. I do hope that the sheath doesn't crack or split like the gentleman's above, but time will tell, remember, this knife is only about $40. I don't expect to use it daily for 25 years.

I for one like the small handle, the rubber inlay is soft and grippy. I tied a lanyard on the handle so my pinky finger also had something(kinda) to grip.

I recommend this if you want a small, lightweight knife. Remember, buy whatever knife you need for your application.

Comment on this review

Dec

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Okay I Guess

By Blade Guy

from Greensboro, NC

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Sharp Blade

Cons

Poor Craftsmanship

Best Uses

Hunting

Comments about Gerber Basic Knife:

I use this product a lot and I love the knife in general but the one and only and also major problem for me is that every last screw in the clip fell out in the first week or two.I would only recomend this product for hunting for things such as skining the blade is fairly good for that in my opinion.