Customer Reviews

Gerber 22-41525 Mini-Fast Draw Spring Assisted Opening Stainless Steel Serrated Knife

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I carry this knive on my pocket for about a month now and cannot complain. I like the assisted opening - the spring will not try to open the blade when it is fully closed. It becomes engaged only when you open it quite a bit. Then if there is nothing in the way it opens and lock perfectly. There is no free play. The lock button doesn't look too durable but on knife of this size it can hardly be bigger. If you have it on the clip in the "back corner" your right pocket the blade will be facing backwards and cannot open accidentally even if the mechanism which prevents the spring from trying to open the blade when it is fully closed failed.

The blade holds a good edge and is sturdy. The knife over all is pretty small so people with big hands might want the bigger version (non mini). When I received it the opening action felt gritty, almost as if there was sand inside it. The saftey was also kind of hard to operate. However after a month of use that totally went away and now it opens smooth as butter and the safety is very easy to operate. That said, sometimes it falls *too* easily into the "safe" position, meaning that I have to un-safe it before it will open.

Tip up carrying position and deep clip means it hides well, even in my business clothes.

I just got this knife just over a week ago (Christmas time) and I really like it. It's very small and truly lives up to the words "pocket knife". It fits perfectly at the very right side of my right pocket without adding bulk or weight. I can also put my right hand in my pocket with out it touching my hand. If I were to move my hand around in my pocket the back edge of the knife is smooth and rounded and does not irritate my hand.

I have no problems opening this knife one handed with my right thumb or my right index finger.
Once the knife is extended and locked into place the blade seems to be strong and sturdy.

My only complaint is the spring that assists the opening of the blade is noisy when folding the blade back to a closed position. It's an ugly springy sound that gets worse if you close it slow. That being said...im over it the knife works well and it's very handy.

UPDATE(2.18.11): The ugly springy sound is now completely gone. I guess it just needed a little breaking in.

This Gerber "Mini Fast Draw" knife is the little brother of Gerber 22-07162 Fast Draw Spring Assisted Opening Stainless Steel Fine Edge Knife (see my comparison picture in "Customer Images"). It is fairly well made and I expect it will hold up well over time. Here are my observations:

Pros:
+ Positive lock, working to keep it closed and open, which is useful for keeping all of your fingers attached
+ Sharp blade right out of the package and it holds an edge nicely
+ Sturdy belt clip

Cons:
- Not as easy to open one handed as I would like, perhaps some braking in is needed, but the spring assist does help
- Somewhat "cheesy" looking grip, I almost passed it up without trying it out because it looked cheap to me

While I doubt this knife will last as long as my last Gerber (15 years before I lost it), its small size makes it a handy tool to slip in my pocket.

Recommended!

CFH

On me, any time, you will find this knife.
"mi lovet to ah 'T'..." (Jamaican dialect)

Very nice little knife. I never had an assisted opening knife before so I had to get used to that. The Mini-Fast is so small it took me awhile to figure out how to hold it while flipping the thumb stud with the same hand. But once I got the hang of it, no problem. I like the lock-up mechanism. Just a cute little contraption.

I bought this at Dick's Sporting Goods. I have been looking for a micro folder for 3 years. Something that is sturdy enough but light enough for EDC when I am wearing suits (majority of the time). The assisted opening is smooth, and with just a little practice you can develop a very effective, and efficient one-handed draw.

I will be putting it through its paces in a survival situation deer hunting soon and will update my review then.

Found this knife at a yard sale, and liked it so much I had to find it online. I've been a big fan of Gerber tools for a long while, and this tool has the same quality feel to it. It is definitely a 'right hand' tool, and might be a little ackward to operate left handed.

My only wish is that it had been the half serrated version, as I prefer the combination blade. The only gripe I have is the clip is a little stiff, something with a little more spring would have been handy for clipping it onto a jeans pocket.

As for comments that the knife is not safe, I have to disagree. The blade release slide has a 'safe' position which prevents the knife from openning. I've had my paraframe knife with the open body get caught on fabric in my pocket, but this little guy has never openned on me.

This being the first Gerber knife I purchased I was not sure what to expect.
For the impatient types:

Blade: 2 inches (3/4 of an inch is serrated)
Handle: 3 inches
Extended: 5 1/8 inches

Pros: Very strong release, Serrated blade, Belt-clip, Lock
Cons: Plastic Handle, Hard to open, Lock is hard to use, Belt clip is hard to use, Requires two hands, Serrated Edge wears out fast.

Overall: Good and stylish knife, surpassed expectations but is difficult to use and not long-lasting.

Summary:
The lock must be pushed forward to allow the blade to be "pushed" out. Literally it requires the lock to be held open, then the blade to be pushed out. This defeats the purpose of a spring-knife. You need two hands and by the time you've unlocked it you could have opened a spring-free knife. The handle is plastic and gets scratched easily. The belt-clip is so strong that it is useless.

The knife features a strong, automatic, and fast release spring-operating-system. The release surpassed my expectations and was incredibly fast. If you're looking for self defense this is the speed you want to get. The problem that ruins this release is the safety lock, however. The lock measures exactly 1/2 of a centimeter. The lock is hard to shift. It requires a sliding motion to move it 2 millimeters from SAFE to open. When the lock is shifted to open, a red dot will be visible in the lock. The lock is flimsy and requires much effort to move. After the blade is extended, to close the knife one must push the lock back to "open" and push the blade back. This will require two hands, very difficult to do with one hand as the spring is so strong.

The handle is made of plastic, which disappointed me. It retains any scratches or drop impact done to it; it scratches easily. A few drops on concrete and your handle will become frayed and scratched ("fuzzy" as my brother says).

The belt-clip is made of steel. It has the GERBER name on it and has an upturned end to assist easy clipping. The problem with the belt-clip however, is that it is made of steel. This makes it incredibly hard to clip or open. If you're thinking of clipping this onto your belt or pocket, it won't happen.

The serrated edge features 6 small spikes, these will however be completely gone after a month of moderate use. If you sharpen your knife the serrated edge will become flat and wear away. Not much for durability.

This is another awesome knife! Gerber delivers! I have had this knife for many years, and it has been nothing but great! The spring always works, the safety is an awesome addition, and the blade is always sharp. I have used this knife from everything from backpacking to opening letters, and it does everyting well. I have had no buyers regrets on this product.

Please note: I did not buy this product from Amazon, I bought it at a local REI.

Bottom Line: I would highly recommend this product! I would buy another, If I didn't already have one.