Gerber Pixie and Sportsman II

Most of us know the story of Gerber Legendary Blades.  Let me add to what I wrote at https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2021/09/gerber-parabellum.html.

Gerber Legendary Blades is an American maker of knives, multi-tools, and other outdoor and military tools headquartered in Portland, Oregon.  Gerber was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber and is owned by the Finnish outdoors products company, Fiskars.

Gerber is claimed to be the largest maker of knives and multi-tools for the United States armed forces.  Backing up that claim is a wide variety of combat-style knives, Many of which are highly collectable.  Susan J Dorey states in her publication (1) that Gerber switched on December 8, 1941, from making kitchen knives to military knives.  That was the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

Gerber's Folding Sportsman II -  From around 2000

Slightly off topic, but I found it interesting that Gerber and Emerson Knife formed an alliance to produce an automatic knife, AKA switchblade.  Interestingly, it was the first automatic knife made by either company.  The knife was based on Emerson Knives’ Raven knife design.  The auto was an issued item to specific military units.  You can look it up if you want to go down that rabbit hole!

NSN (NATO Stock Numbers): 5110-01-516-3243

A couple Folding Sportsman from "100 Legendary Knives"  by Pacella

I recently got hold of a Gerber Folding Sportsman II.  They were released in 1972.  The FS II was later discontinued in about 1995.  It’s a nice knife.  Many people found it a convenient substitution for the larger, clunkier Buck 110 Hunter.

The blade is just over 3.5 inches long and can be described as a flat grind, straight-back blade.  I couldn’t find anything listed but I suspect the steel is 440C, a common, but still used knife steel.  The handle is an attractive blend of brass and wood.  Of course, the blade locks open.

Gerber Folding Sportsman II

          The tang stamp doesn't appear to be anything unique.  The tang marking system developed by Case Knife is, without a doubt, genius!

It simply says 'Gerber' on the other side

It's an icey cool knife, and I'm lucky to find one this nice.

The other Gerber under discussion is the Gerber Pixie.  The Pixie could be best described as a bird and trout knife or a lightweight kitchen fruit knife.  

A Gerber Pixie

        There is an elegant simplicity to this knife.  It seems too nice to be used for kitchen work or field dressing.

The only identification is stamped into the handle "Gerber-Pixie"

The story here is a little more complicated, and I must find some reference books.  I thought I could fall back on my old trick of looking up Gerber's catalogs online, but they don't seem to have any.  Damn shame about that!

My limited research shows that the Pixie is a member of a family of Gerber aluminum-handled knives.  Some handles were given a coating to increase friction and improve grip.  I've found examples of Pixies with leather sheaths, the knife sans sheath, and at least one with a wooden sheath.  It is just an ordinary kitchen knife.

I find the smooth flow of the handle and blade attractive.  To me, it almost has a futuristic look

Here is what I consider interesting about this knife.  My friend Derrick found it at Harbor Freight in 2005.  "I don't know," he told me.  "They just had a pile of them.  Thought you'd be interested."  I was, but not enough to rush out, and by the time I did get there, they were gone.

(1)  http://www.susandoreydesigns.com/insights/GerberLegendaryBlades.pdf

 

Gerber Strongarm

 

Gerber Strongarm— that's a hell of a name, isn't it?  But yet I remember strongarm inspection.  Maybe it's not such a great name.

Despite the name, the Strongarm is a combat knife.  First, let me get this out of the way.  According to the Gerber website, they have made 'survival' knives since 1968.  Gerber released the Mark 1 and 2 back around '66 as combat knives, and they were a hit with the military.  That is to say, with the boots on the ground.  For reasons never explained, Gerber was stopped from selling these knives in PXs.  Gerber relabeled them as survival knives and PX's welcomed them with open arms.

The Gerber Strongarm

Since a survival knife can be defined as the knife you survive with, the Strongarm certainly qualifies.  But it is a combat knife.

The blade is ground from 420GHC steel, a hard martensitic steel.  With 12% chromium content, it qualifies as stainless.  Gerber gives the blade what it calls a ceramic coating for additional protection.  Washing off corrosive chemicals and wiping a blade down with oil never hurts.  The partially serrated blade at 4.8 inches long, is a useful length for many knife chores. 

Gerber describes the blade as a drop point; it is really a clip point with a false edge.  The Strongarm reminds me of a Bowie knife blade.

I see this as more of a clip point with a false edge

The full tang blade is 0.19 inches or 3/16 of an inch thick.  Gerber doesn’t say what the hardness is, but it has been suggested 420HC steel has a sweet spot for hardness around 56 to 57 RHC. 

The handle is shaped to help retain the knife in your hand.  The diamond texturing helps

I know.  Some of you are only satisfied once a blade reaches such hardness that only a monocrystalline diamond in a tungsten carbide matrix will sharpen it.  A general rule is that hard knives are brittle knives, which leads to the truism that a broken knife is junk, while a bent knife is still a knife.

The handle is a rubberized polymer with a diamond texture and striking pommel.  It also sports a guard to keep your fingers off the blade, a handy feature in working knives.

Get a grip, bunkie!  The pommel can be attached to a lanyard. 

The knife is 9.75 inches long and weighs just over 7 ounces.  The sheath is customizable, and Gerber provides adaptors so you can wear the Strongarm on your belt, as a drop leg, on a MOLLE rig, sideways, upside down, or horizontally.  The sheath can also be lashed to other items.

The sheath is very adaptable.

I like this knife a lot.  If I was heading out to hunt Dal sheep, raft the Amazon, or shipping out to active duty overseas, I'd take at least one of these with me.  Remember, one is none and a knife-less man is a life-less man.

The knife’s balance was in the handle behind the guards, where I like it, and the grip felt good in my hand.  The Strongarm clips in very securely in the sheath.  I welcome the little extra force needed to draw this knife.  I want to know my knife isn’t going to fall out if I take a spill.  The polymeric sheath looks tough enough to prevent the blade from penetrating the sheath and injuring me, another feature I’m crazy about.

The Gerber Strongarm

Does it cut?  Well, here’s where I must assume so.  It isn't my knife, but it belongs to a retired military man who wants to set up his daypack the way he carried it back in the day. 

Don't be a foolish.  Consider Gerber's Strongarm if you need a hard-working, EDC fixed blade for harsh environments.

You can find one at https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/knives/all-knives/strongarm-coyote-brown-serrated-30-001059 for $90.00.  It's a good deal for what you get.