Customer Reviews

Gerber 22-47188 Paraframe and Mini Paraframe Lockback Knife Set

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have the mini Paraframe plain edge and it is the best little pocket knife I own. Sure, it doesn't have assisted opening like my Leek, or a tanto blade like my Cobra II, or even index opening like my Evo Jr. However, for what it is, the mini Paraframe is excellent. I keep it in my right side coin pocket where it fits perfectly and never comes out, even when I yank my keys out of the right front pocket. It's stayed sharp after hundreds of opened packages, annoying plastic electronics cases, stray threads, slicing and shaving various wood-ish items, and even is great as a staple puller. I still can't believe how sharp it is after all this time.

I bought an Evo Jr to replace the mini Paraframe in the coin pocket, but I switched back to the mini Paraframe a couple days later. I wouldn't go anywhere without this knife (except an airport).

If the regular Paraframe is half as good as the mini, I'm going to buy it next chance I get.

The two knives are obviously from very different steel batches. The small knife arrived very sharp, keeps and edge after moderate use, and is a good size for carrying daily.

The large knife, however, showed up half sharp and will not sharpen no matter how many times I try. It is probably just cheap general-use stainless that is ill suited for blades. It is also too large for a pocket, too large to carry outside the shop, and it requires too much thumb force to open one-handed.

Really, though, $20 is not a bad price for a good little knife. Even if you never use the big one.

I really like this knife. I have owned it for years and just bought this set because of the great deal at Amazon. I fits nicely in my hand and stays sharp forever.

This is a nice gift set that I have ordered for my bothers.

If you like knives this one is a nice addition to your set.

I've bought my fair share of knives, some relatively cheap ones that were inexpensive, too (you know the type: Blade has trouble cutting through warm butter after a hacking your way through a few minor rain forests with them) and a few really good ones (ie: I spent HOW much for this knife???). This knife set falls into the later catagory in quality but is quite the bargain for the price.

The smaller knife works quite well striaght out of the box and is perfect for the little daily tasks. You'll be surprised how often you'll find a use for it!

The larger one needed a bit of "breaking in" if you like flipping the blade open: The locking mechanism takes it job seriously! It's tough to look cool and macho when you try to unlock the locking blade and wimper slightly because it makes your thumb hurt. Just working the knife open and closed a dozen times loosened it sufficiently though.

All in all: Nice set and I'm not disappointed in the least in my purchase. It would have been nice, though, if the shipping department had thought to cut the nearly impenetrable plastic case this thing comes in. They should know you don't have a knife handy because you just bought a set! You'd think someone would have figured understood that looking through this clear, vault-like plastic case at the very thing you need to cut the darned thing open would leave people feeling a vague sense of irony.

I have the larger of the two knives, which I bought to use as an everyday type tool to have in the pocket, smaller than my Buck 110, and larger than a penknife. The knife worked well for a while, then the screws started to fall out of the handle. If I had been able to find the little buggers, a little loc tite would have fixed the issue...but who knows where they went...It was a disappointment to see something like this happen on what I believed to be a quality product. I have replaced this knife with one of the folding box cutter types. Nicer on the hand for me, and it hasn't fallen apart yet.

Great deal! High quality construction with a name you can trust. They could be a bit sharper, my Victorinox pocket knife was much sharper out of the box. Both knives have nice finishes and good but stiff action. This will loosen up with use, but don't expect to open the larger of the two with one hand on the first use. The smaller of the two has a standard opening style. I think that it is a great deal for the price.

This is a great deal. 2 Knives for the price of 1. Cuts thru everything even the SOG knife that my bother gave me. Great product and great deal Amazon.

I'm a pilot and recreational camper looking for a knife suitable for the flight bag as well as survival. The paraframe looked like a good knife online, but in my hand I'm disgusted with it. Way to heavy on the large knife, and far too small on the small knife. Both are razor sharp but ergonomically would cut into your hand with repeated use.

Poor design means no lanyard attachment ability, and the belt clips are... meh.

Where to start here...?

Blade and "mystery steel" material:
First, let's address the "surgical stainless steel" that most Gerber knives are made of. I have had these two knives for several years, and they have been the worst Gerber knives I have ever owned. So bad, in fact, that I will never purchase another from this company. After trying extensively to get a steel grade from Gerber, all I have been left with is "surgical stainless" from the package. A message board said it's 7cr17mov which is either wrong, or a TERRIBLE steel choice for Gerber. You can't put a razor edge on either knife, and they will not hold ANY edge for very long under any circumstance. This mystery steel needs to be VASTLY improved.

The handle:
The frame lock is what sold me on these knives. I thought that a frame lock would give me the most support and durability from a folder. Oh, was I ever wrong. These knives have collapsed on me on more than one occasion and caused me to cut my fingers. The larger one will, now, no longer lock into place unless you FORCEFULLY SLAM it open with a full arm swing. Even then, any little bump on the spine of the blade will make it collapse. Please note that I have never used these knives for anything other than EDC use, and the frame lock is still failing.

The pocket clip:
This clip does what it is designed to do... sometimes. It can not be moved to a different position on the knife, nor can it be removed. The bolt that holds the blade in place (pivot point) is run through the clip, and removal of this clip causes the bold to become too long. The pocket clip is in the way so that the "ambidextrous" thumb studs are only accessible on the right handed side. If you're going to try to open it with your left hand, it's not impossible, but you're better off using two hands.

Also, the clip can damage your pocket. Because of the combination frame lock and skeletonized body of the knife, the pocket clip rests on a part of the frame that doesn't fully connect with anything. This means that, when placing onto a pocket, you can run the pocket behind the frame and into the blade. It has happened to me a few times (when I wasn't paying STRICT attention to how it was clipping to my pocket) and it damaged my pants.

Overview:
Like my title says, neither of these are knives I would ever even consider purchasing again. Terrible [unknown] steel, bad designs, and terrible construction have turned me off of Gerber forever. That being said, the larger Paraframe as a "beater" EDC can be useful. Something to camp with, dig dirt, and destroy is all this is good for. Save your good knives and dig up rocks with this one, just be careful of the shoddy frame lock and be aware of the dull edge it keeps. I will never recommend this knife to anyone.

Bought these as a gift and the recipient LOVES them! The Paraframe was recommended by someone as a good knife...glad that person recommended them to me because they are great knives, esp for the price.