Customer Reviews

Gerber 06069 Folding Gator Knife - Clip Point, Fine - Box

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gerber's Gator series of folding knives are famous for their unique handle, it is made of a rubber like polymer that gives you a great slip proof grip, even when wet. This particular model is made famous for the fact that Bear Grylls has used it in several of his Man vs Wild episodes, and is also featured on the cover of the Season 1 DVD.

The combo blade length is long enough to provide a useful serration section. Most other shorter blades compromise too much, meaning you don't have enough serrations in the blade to cut effectively with a back and forth motion.

The only drawbacks are very minor, it uses a lower grade 420HC blade that doesn't stay as sharp as 154CM or S30V which are more expensive, but for the price the 420HC blade on this knife is acceptable. The blade is also not perfectly centered into the handle when closed, again, an acceptable drawback when considering the price.

Overall I'm very pleased with this folder and I'm pleased to have it in my collection.

Gerber (A Fiskars Company) put out some of the best knives for the money in the market. Fiskars is my favorite scissors company and everything I've used of their stuff is top notch - so this is a good combo.

I have this knife in the partially serrated version. It is 8.75" long when open, 5" when closed, and the blade is 3.75". If you have the serrated model, the first 1.5" is serrated. The remaining smooth blade hones nicely and stays sharp. Gerber 650 &Portland, OR U.S.A are printed on either side of the blade.

The grip is exceptional. The Kraton handle is very tough and offers superior traction and grip with it's rubbery feeling alligator finish. It has a notch for the index finger and the butt curves down to fit your other fingers very comfortably. It feels like a part of your hand when you hold it and is balanced nicely for a folder. It simply stays in your hand when you want it there.

The lock is solid with a lever-lock cog/pin system in the backside. The cordura/nylon belt sheath has a velcro closure that has some adjustability to it. Mine is several years old now and I still love this knife. For this price, it's an amazing buy. There are knives that cost 3 or 4 times as much that don't feel nearly as good. The steel could be a little harder, but it holds its edge admirably.

They came out with this over a decade ago and you can still find it and it's popular. I think that says a lot. I haven't used the ones with the hook point (sinew cutter for hunting, cutting rope etc.) but they seem virtually identical.

The only thing this knife is missing is an ambidextrous notch for quick opening. I give it 4.5 stars, rounding up for price/performance ratio and fantastic quality and grip.

Overall, I'd say that this is a fantastic knife. The other glowing reviews for the knife are absolutely correct in terms of its solid feel and sharpness. The lock is excellent, and the serrated edge is just about perfect. For the price, I don't know if you can do any better in terms of folding knives.

But then the unexpected let down.

I took it with me on a kayaking trip to an island off the coast of Florida. I had three knives with me, all of them Gerber knives of different types. All three were stainless steel blades, one being a PFD knife, and the other a full tang non-folding knife.

Over the course of the trip out there, all three knives were exposed to significant amounts of salt water. Both of the other knives had made this trip before, so I didn't give it a second thought. I guess I should have, because opening the knife the next day revealed a blade covered in rust spots. Of course, I cleaned it off as best I could when I brought it home, but there are still a couple dozen rust marks on the face of the blade that just won't come off.

So I know that it's my fault for not washing off the blade immediately. I guess since the other two knives have had no problems, I just didn't think about it. With those knives I can just wash the dried salt residue off of them whenever I get around to it. And with a limited fresh water supply (whatever I can fit in my kayak along with the rest of the gear), I need to be careful with how much I use.

I guess to me the question is if Gerber can make these two other knives impervious to salt water, then why not this one?

Maybe there are others out there with better experiences in salty environments, and if anyone would like to mention those experiences, feel free to leave a comment with this review. I welcome dissenting opinions, but I can only review based on my own personal experiences. And overall I love the knife, but it had to lose points for rusting after one day.

I bought a Gerber Gator about 3 years ago. As an oudoors-y engineer, I've used and abused this knife an awful lot and haven't had to sharpen it much. The rubberized handle is great for use in bad weather, and really comfortable for extended periods of time. The gator is a thicker than most folding knives with similar blades, but still fits comfortably into a jean's pocket. It came with a nylon belt sheath, but it wore out quickly (because of increased friction from the rubber knife handle).

This is the one knife I take with me when I know I'll need one.

I love the way the knive feels and its durability is great. As others pointed out, it's not perfect like fancier brands. I bought mine in the late 1990's. I worked as an EMT and needed a durbale knive to cut seatbelts and for other rescue purposes.

I'm not a hunter, but I have taken this outdoors for hikes and fishing. This is my second Gerber product. I own the original multi-tool - Gerber's version of the Leatherman. That got a lot of use.

Bottom line: A great value to have in your collection.

I've had this thing for a good long while now;

Instant Order Update for Robert F. You purchased this item on May 4, 2006

It's been in use regularly, primarily around the house doing things like cutting all my cardboard for recycling, cutting back small branches etc.

The grip is fantastic (at least in my hand). I can not get it to slip, period. It's made of the Gerber super grippy rubber material, and the finger groove locks it into my hand. It can be trusted in use held normally or with the blade up. The serrations are great for tougher material like thick rope or cording.

If you want a great deal on a hardy smaller folding knife that can handle some big boy tasks, I recommend it.

One caveat - the sheath is crappy. I've never used it, fits in my pocket without too much annoyance.

PS - who cares what gear Bear uses in Man Vs Wild. His show is 'survival entertainment'. 90% of what he demonstrates in his show would make you terribly sick, injured or dead. I would not recommend this knife as a primary survival device, it's simply too small to easily do the most common survival knife task - chopping or digging to build shelters. I'm sure it'd work much better than any similar knife, but the axiom is 'a big knife can do everything a small knife can do, but a small knife cannot'. You'd at least want a chopping device in addition, like a gerber back paxe.

... Wonderful workmanship, the fit and finish is nothing but exceptional. It's easy to grip and fits in your hand like a custom pair of gloves. This one won't get away from you (slipping from your hand), that's for sure.

A great utility knife. I carried this knife with me during a year in Iraq. Kept a sharp blade with little maintenance and the lock did not foul in the sand. However, I felt a but concerned about the strength of the tip. Although I did not break it I treated this portion of the knife with care. Maye the drop point version would have been a better choise. Handle always worked well, no matter the temperature.

This is absolutely my favorite folding knife ever. The folding and locking mechanism will even let you chop wood with a baton. The gator grip is superb, even in the midst of a rain storm. I like their unique clip point bend, allows the tip to easily puncture tough hides. The blade is strong have used mine as a lite hammer with a small baton. I don't like using it with fire steel as fire steel causes to much damage to non carbon blades. Razor sharp out of the box and sharpens real easy.

This past hunting season, I lost part of my pack with my favorite hunting knife inside while tracking a deer. I have gone back and looked many times, but to no avail! When I looked in the usual stores to buy another one, it seems that none of them carry this particular model anymore. Only the newer designs, which I don't really care for, as most have a serrated edge. Anyway, when I found the clip point Gerber Gator on Amazon, I was thrilled and ordered it right away. Now I have my favorite knife back, and in a different pack that won't get lost.

This knife is absolutly perfect, as it's light weight, it folds, it locks open, it has a rubber like handle making it easy to grip, even with wet hands, it really holds an edge, and when it does need sharpening, which is seldom, it's not too hard to get it back to a razor's edge.