American maker of knives, multitools, and outdoors products
Gerber Legendary Blades is an American maker of knives, multitools, and other tools for outdoors and military headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Gerber is owned by the Finnish outdoors products company Fiskars. Gerber was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber.
Gerber is the "largest maker of knives and multi-tools for the United States armed forces."[1] The LMF II Infantry Knife, features a partial tang blade instead of a full tang blade, ostensibly to avoid electric shocks because the knife was designed to free pilots from downed aircraft.[2]
Gerber was the first knife company to collaborate with a custom knife maker when it collaborated with World War II knife maker David Murphy.[3]
In 2010 Bear Grylls designed a line of Gerber survival knives, including the best selling Ultimate knife. The Bear Grylls range from Gerber progressed to including items such as a water bottle, survival kit and tinder grinder. By 2019 the cooperation between Bear Grylls and Gerber ended. [citation needed]
History
In 1910, the Gerber family started an advertising firm in Portland, Oregon.[4] While working for the family business, Joseph Gerber mailed twenty four sets of kitchen knives to clients during the holidays.[4] These handmade knives were very popular, with then catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch requesting more of these knives from Gerber to sell in their catalog in 1939.[4] Gerber started Gerber Legendary Blades that same year.[4]
In 1966, the company relocated to new headquarters in Tigard, Oregon.[4] Finnish company Fiskars purchased the private company in 1987.[4]
Chad Vincent was hired as chief executive officer in July 2001.[4] By October 2003, the company employed three hundred people, and had revenues near $100 million and was the second leading seller of multitools in the United States,[4] after Leatherman, another company based in the Portland area.
the LMF II ASEK, or Aircrew Survival and Egress Knife
Models of Gerber folding knives include:
The Bear Grylls Folding Sheath Knife
The Flatiron, their only folding cleaver blade knife.
The Paraframe, a lightweight pocketknife.
The Kettlebell, a compact pocketknife.
The Gerber/Emerson Alliance: The first automatic knife made by either company is based on the profile of Emerson Knives, Inc.'s earlier Raven knife design and is an issued item to certain military units under the NSN (NATO Stock Numbers): 5110-01-516-3243 and 5110-01-516-3244.
the Gerber Gator: A single blade lockback knife with an ergonomic thermoplastic handle molded to resemble alligator skin.
Models of Gerber multi tools include:
The Center-Drive, known for its automatic opening pliers and bit driver
The Suspension Multi-Plier, a butterfly opening multi tool
The Truss, a butterfly opening multi tool and successor to the Suspension
The Suspension-NXT, a butterfly opening multi tool and successor to the Suspension
Gerber recently announced several new knives and one multi tool at the 2019 SHOT Show.
Gallery
This section contains an unencyclopedic or excessive gallery of images.
Gerber
Gerber logo on machete/saw combo
Gerber machete/saw combo
A Gerber LMF II ASEK used to cut through a 220 volt electrical line during a battle in Iraq
A Gerber Compact Sport 400 multitool, closed
A Gerber Compact Sport 400 multitool, open
A Gerber Mark II combat knife, with black anodized blade
A blunt tip Gerber River Shorty dive knife
A Gerber Paraframe I framelock knife, with fine edge and dark gray titanium nitride coating.
A Gerber Suspension pocket tool, blades open
A Gerber Suspension pocket tool, pliers open
Gerber Vise keychain, 60mm long when closed
Gerber Vise, fully opened
Gerber Blackie Collins One Piece, Fixed Blade CLip-Lock Diving Knife
Gerber Vise, only side tools opened
Gerber Remix, redesigned with Paraframe opening/closing system