The Gerber Highbrow Pocketknife: A Quick Shabazz Review
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- Today, we'll take a look at a knife that does a number of unusual things, but ends up feeling like it was a bit too cheap for its own good, the Gerber Highbrow.
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I always know I’m going to love a review when it begins with “this is going to be a quick review because...yeah.”
Nickism!
"this is going to be a quick review because...yeah.” Goes on for 7 more minutes.
Did Gerber actually think Nick would like this knife? Or did someone inside the company go rogue and intentionally send it out for negative reviews to teach his or her bosses a lesson about the junk they're producing? And didn't even do a quality control check on the specific one sent out....
Nobody makes a product knowing it will get a bad review. Sometimes it just takes a reviewer to take off their rose tinted glasses.
They probably wanted it to be torn down to see just how bad it'd come off
Maybe they meant to send him the full flat ground 20cv fastball and sent the wrong blue knife?
@@dm3639 What's the point of Gerber making a knife like a full flat ground 20cv Fastball when they can't properly grind a blade, and, unlike Benchmade, will not fix it under their "warranty"?
Gerber has a long way to go, but their USA made stuff is a lot better than their Chinese junk (not a knock on all Chinese manufacturing, just Gerber's). The original fastball got a positive review from Nick. I believe one of his gripes was the low thick grind. If the new one is ground more thinly and offers 20cv for around $115... That would be at least worth looking at.
I find the "cleaver" blade shape semi ridiculous or I probably would pick one up just to see If Gerber is serious about stepping up their game.
I feel like Gerber pulled this out of the MTech catalog, and slapped their name on it, in GIGANTIC letters.
I'd rather buy this if it was an MTech. They at least don't pretend.
Agree, looks like shit
This is the best and most honest description 😂
I think they meant "Unibrow".
The moment I saw that sloppy "safety", I was like "what %$?"
hey nick, how about the idea that one of the main joys of that lock system is the ability to close it super easy...which is rendered impossible by the assist.
I'm thinking some chynese OEM factory copied all the possible features to this knife and Gerber just rebranded it.
I agree with the sentiment, but even Benchmade makes assisted axis locks. Some folks just love spring assisted knives.
@@dm3639 i dont strictly mind them myself, when done right. this wasnt. also, assistix axis locks from benchmade? which?
The emissary, boost and barrage off the top of my head, possibly others.. The barrage is in the custom shop (Nick's patron folks bought him one made to look like a z-Hunter😂)
I was thinking of buying an emissary but evidently it's non-trivial to deassist them so I passed.
@@dm3639 so 2 things. 1) i forgot about that crazy knife, which is odd as its one of my favorites this year. And 2) the scientists were so busy thinking about if they Could (assist an axis lock), they didnt thibk about if they Should.
Calling a knife "Highbrow" and then making it an assisted flipper :|
🤦♂️
Their original ideas for names, the Gerber "bottom of the barrel" and the Gerber "least common denominator", didn't text market well.
Thanks for honest review,instead of sugar
coating.Fairly new subb.
Merry Christmas,Happy
Holidays.
For $35 I'll stick with my QSP Penguin and pocket $5
Yes... a blue jean micarta Penguin has been my go to knife at work for the last week. I invested several hours to give it a reprofiling for increased sliciness.
The QSP Penguin is hard to beat for $35..its amazing what you can get in the $30-$50 price range these days compared to 10-20 years ago..there are all kinds of good budget knives coming out of China in D2 with G-10 or micarta scales..I’ve been considering getting the QSP Hawk w/marbled carbon fiber scales,I just can’t decide if I want the S35VN model or the Damascus model
Nick: That’s gonna make it accessible to a lot more people...
A Lot More People: Nooooooo
The dual finish looks like a sticker was peeled off it at some point. What a piece of crap
Yes they half assed that finish
At first glance, I thought it might have a bolster. I realized it was a dual finish at the same time I saw the safety and my expectations plummeted.
When I was a kid (late 80’s) Gerber was a brand I aspired to own, so when I see a new one being reviewed I keep hoping they are back on track to respectability. Guess I’m still waiting.
Biggest knife mistake I made was buying a gerber 06 auto. Totally lackluster not worth half it's price, only good thing about it was the steel. I sold it off pretty quick...
Every so often I’ll check their website to see if anything of note is happening and come across five-star reviews of knives like this with people proclaiming “Gerber is BACK, baby!” Then I actually get the knife in hand at a store, sigh, and move on with my life. Been that way for a few years.
Tbh the only good knife gerber has made has been the strongarm seems like they have that qc dialed in but...all their folders seem to be a joke tbh...
Horde334 the Prodigy is pretty awesome too
"The very best quality controlled one of these guys ever" .. at that point I spat out my drink.
Lol !!!
It probably was. The one I had, had all the same issues, along with inconsistent opening and enough hot spots to make it uncomfortable for use in literally any circumstance.
Excellent review. Thanks. What’s a good spring assisted for older hands in the 75 dollar model?
First impression is junk. When Nick flips it open it sounds like my toy cowboy gun when I was 6 years old...
Well, I was considering buying this knife 10 minutes ago. Very informative!
One of the nice things about the pivot lock is being able to close the knife with one hand by swinging it down. However, gerber took that away by making it assist so the only way you can close this one handed is trying to use just your thumb to disengage the lock while using the index finger to close the blade which sounds really awkward.
I got a Gerber Sumo a few months back (another Gerber axis lock), and tried to adjust the action out of the box. I think the factory used red lock-tite instead of blue because the screw stripped before it loosened. I had it warrantied and the new knife was the same. Would be interested to see Nick try a disassembly of that one.
I have two, and one of the two disassembled like a dream. The other had some red dead but not crazy like other brands.
I recently got a Delica in K390 steel, love it.
🤑
Why did you sound like JFK when you said “this is a THICC BOI”
Every time I see that spelled like that I wanna rip my eyes out.
CRKT also has safeties on its assisted opening knifes.
That's been a rather short episode of "terrible knives".
They must have fixed some of these issues....I just bought one of these myself and I have no vertical blade play almost no side to side blade play....now I can agree that the safety does feel a little cheap and flimsy but it serves it's purpose....and this is personal preference but the thickness of the knife/handle is pretty comfortable for me where I have bigger hands and it feels very sturdy...there are several brands that I prefer over Gerber but would chose a Gerber over plenty of other brands but so far I have to say this knife is a great working tool, we'll see how it holds up long term
Agreed no play at all and if your shopping at walmart it blows kershaw out of the water i also love the handle thickness because i want to know i holding a knife and not a pencil...
Me too
I got mine for $35 at bass pro but I got a discount cause my gf works there it’s going for $45. The quality control must have went up from then because mine is sturdy, no play, feels good like I’m holding a firm solid piece of sharp steel. As my girlfriend received gifts from her job on Easter they gave her a handheld sharpener and she gave it to me as a result I recovered it after digging around and now it’s very sharp. I do wish it could have been 0.5inch longer tho!
To be fair, Gerber is using a lot more d2, s30v, and now even 20cv. Higher end Gerbers are actually doing good work. You should check out the sedulo. It has a lot of nice details, is American made, and is customizable. Really well handled review regardless!
Do you work for Gerber? you post something defending Gerber on every video I see.
Doesn't mean the crap isn't carp. Plus, why did they chose to send him the crap?
@@tidge879 Some folks are Gerber fans, want them to succeed like they used to. He's not wrong really, the custom shop Gerber has actually does give you a variety of options and the knives ain't too bad. QC might be an issue but... From what I've heard even Benchmade can't nail good QC down.
@@tidge879 no, I don’t, nor do they pay me. Like nick, I was able to have a talk with the company behind closed doors after a factory tour of the American plant. They put no sales pitch to me, but admitted to the sins on their previous management, and the current company of Gerber is the people trying to turn it back. They are honestly doing way more than any other brand currently effort wise. Most of the arguments against them no longer apply, or never did in the first place (especially when it comes to profit margins). Everyone there cares about the company’s image, and the products they put out. Hence why you are seeing more American made stuff, better steel, a complete disconnect and discontinued onslaught of bear grylls knives. A lot of the stuff they are doing to improve isn’t cheap, and the people working there aren’t living the luxury of those at benchmade living off overpriced (and they are grossly overpriced when I was shown material prices and manufacturing costs) overhyped stuff. It’s a matter of respect for a company who still gives a shit, despite what most people think. When work like this highbrow (one of the few knives in the new lineup that is a budget mess) is highlighted, it doesn’t do the brands actual work justice. That’s all it is
It’s ok if you like Gerber. My experience with them though, I’ve had 3 folder and 2 fixed blade. The fixed blades seem okay. The folders, everyone of them, trash... I will not buy anything else from Gerber, and would not recommend them to anyone else.
Got it simply for the axis lock. I'm digging it 😎
I have this knife and like the thickness. It makes a great utility work knife. It's easy to grab and open with one hand,and also easy to close one handed with the slide locks
Can u review the Gerber swagger or zilch
Never had vertical play or horizontal. Super solid
Can you review the cold steel colossus?
Just got one off of Amazon. The knife doesn't fully open to the lock position with a flick. Will be sending it back.
I got one of these. Took the safety off and it makes a decent work knife.
Knowing that it works well without the safety is good. If the price tag was under $25, I might care. Like Nick said, it's 2020. That price tag would be too high for 8Cr13Mov, let alone 7Cr17Mov.
@@chronovore3726 I'm not in live with it or anything, but I do think it's more useful than say the CRKT homefront which did not hold an edge to save its life
@@guitarhero8110 I wasn't impressed with that one either. AUS-8 typically ranges from a little to a lot better than 8Cr13Mov but it all depends on heat treatment and blade geometry. Even if they got that stuff right, and you've sharpened past the burnt steel at their crappy factory edge, it'd be hard to enjoy with the Homefront's $90 price tag. That's something both of these knives have in common: they cost WAY too much for what they are in 2020.
Now that we can get a Civivi with good fit and finish, good action, better steel, and better blade geometry for under $50; knives like this just don't make sense anymore.
You know what kinds vibes this gives me: 🤮🥱🤢💩🤭😂🤔
The anodized brushed metal finish makes me interested but the big bold "Gerber" on the blade makes me queasy.
Even if this knife is a flop it is still trending in the right direction. They made their own version of the axis lock, they're experimenting with new finishes and colors and they're still in an affordable price range. This knife is still going to be one of the better Gerbers hanging on the blisterpak shelf.
3 key areas where I feel Gerber should learn from with this knife:
Upgrade the materials... I don't expect high end materials but an upgrade into AUS8, 9cr18mov or D2 would be a good compromise.
They're still ironing out some kinks on their axis lock... Benchmade made 2 near identical knives 4 years ago: The Benchmade Freek & the Benchmade Boost. One key difference being that the Boost was assisted while the Freek was unassisted. The "super" Freek is a fan favorite while the Boost is overlooked and often forgotten. Gerber needs to move away from assisting their knives.
And then there's the massive billboarding on both the blade and the clip. That's too much. Pick one. Or better yet, make the billboarding more subtle. Gerber actually has one of the best looking logos around and I wish they made more use of the logo than printing out "GERBER" in big, bold, all-caps, wide lettering print. It's just going to scratch off anyway, so put it somewhere that's less likely to wear and make it just big enough to spot it if you're actually looking for it.
I'm thinking some chynese OEM factory already had this "designed" and gerber rebranded it.
Gerber has already released better steel options this year. Multiple Chinese knives in d2 and micarta, and their American Line has been pretty much all s30v, and now 20cv, so they are focusing more on their American line it seems
Does it have ball bearings
I bought that knife because I truly did like the look of it, especially with the two finishes. But it was so so so bad. The safety lock is absolutely ridiculous, I mean i had to remove it immediately, but all the materials on it were just junk. Not to mention these days you can pay $35 and get something you can carry for the rest of your life.
Actually calling a $35 knife Highbrow when it isn't is just asking for trouble
That's a big nope for me. Check out the Gerber Sedulo, actually a nice EDC knife. My only complaint with mine was blade not centered and it came with a edge by Brigg's & Stratton. I centered the blade and completely reprofiled the edge. Now, it's good to go.
I understand that this is a serious character flaw, but I really like the chunky -smooth handle design
Think I've become a knife snob over the years. That said I'd be embarrassed to pull that out of my pocket....lol
I wouldn’t pull this out of my pocket unless it was to give it away...lol
@@garrettferrell6821 why not mine works quite well. It cuts stuff quickly for me and gets the job done.
@@JohnDoe-il3jq Ya I used to use it for work cutting boxes open. Handy for that at least lmao
Are you excited to see what other companies do with the "compression" lock when the patent expires in about 2 months?
yes
Entertaining review. This Gerber is a Walmart special.
Bough one for my community knife at work. Everyone hates it.
I want to want to buy a Gerber folding knife. I know they can do it eventually. By that time I think it will be too little to late though.
That was the best 'Terrible Knives Live' yet!
It's making the MTechs look good...
I’ve never had much difficulty opening a pocket knife. Therefore, it puzzles me that there are so many assisted-opening and automatic-opening knives out there.
It masks poor action, fairly well, and for some reason it gives a false sense of quality and value. I didn’t like Zt for a long time because it seemed like that’s all they made.
It's more to make a knife seem better than it is. It costs money making a knife that's designed and machined to be super smooth. Why use low friction materials and precision machining when you can just add a .02 cent spring.
Kershaw makes a good assisted opener with the Leek but otherwise meh
Hey Nick you should check out the Gerber US1
I think it's 7cr stainless on the blade. Not as great as 9cr or even 8cr for that matter. However, it's well enough to hold a somewhat decent edge for an everyday knife. Also, it is perfect enough to be beat on without feeling like crap, or feeling like you somehow robbed yourself. The knife is just good enough to work as an e.d.c.! It is kinda pretty lol, it's a nice looking knife.
My disappointment was in the $50 I spent assuming it would be alot better.
My other disappointment was mainly with the lock! Yes! The lock! I actually love those axis locks like how Benchmade has them. But, this one is a spring-assisted knife. I hadn't actually realized that detail when I first purchase it. And that ruined it for me as an everyday carry knife, because I love to be able to fidget with with my knives with ball bearing pivots or w.e.. And of course the "axis locks" are soooo much fun to open and close, over and over etc.. .
Overall it gets a 6/10
Does Kershaw know somebody stole a bunch of Skyline blades?
I won this knife from you Nick. I played around with it for about 20 minutes. Yeah. No. Thanks for the free knife though. Made my dad’s day when I gave it to him. He said, “oooh a switchblade!!”
I'd probably hate this for the same reason I hated the AT-XR loc on the sog Flash AT. Which is otherwise a decent knife, but assisted open "AXIS" locks are terrible. It was terrible on the barrage i had years ago too. offers no real benefit opening, but makes it much harder and less safe to close.
Gerber used to be a good knife company back in the 80's. Now, it looks like they are trying to get back into it, but not trying very hard. 🙄
Does it have different ownership now?
@@censusgary they’re owned by Fiskars, a German company that sends everything to China for manufacturing. Although I think Gerber still makes a select few things here, but I could be wrong.
Held one of these in walmart. The lockswitch felt super loose and poorly designed. I was genuinely curious when I saw it though...
Doesn't it being assisted take away that fidgety part everyone likes about axis lock style locks?
Jeez that is some billboarding
i have 2 gerber knives. the grinds are uneven on both blades. total rush jobs.
Knives like this are definitely the result of bean counters cutting corners. This knife with better materials and I would probably check it out. They can't expect to compete with civivi or other Chinese companies that are totally nailing the budget market with something like this. I've been rooting for Gerber to turn things around but it's been disappointing. Good review 👍
I have one and it is razor sharp. It cuts through paper like an actual utility razor.
Must admit that when I first saw it I thought it was a rather attractive knife. The assist made it much less interesting, and the review made it completely uninteresting.
The sad thing is that CIVIVI, CJRB, and the like are knocking it out of the park consistently. Why can't a company like Gerber at least get it right once in awhile?
Glad to see I’m not the only person who absolutely despises this knife.
Didn't you say you would stay away from the cheaper standard knifes?
I see these gerber reviews as PSAs to avoid POSs
There There There You Go !
The funny part is someone at Gerber marketing thought it was a good idea to send this to Nick. LOL When you market crap, don't give it a reviewer you can't buy off.
Gerber should use more D2 steel.
Does anyone else watch these gerber reviews hoping something won't suck? I want to like gerber. I carried gerbers in the 90's when I didn't know any different. But at this point it just feels like I'm in an abusive relationship with gerber. I want them to be good. I keep giving them a chance. And every time they punch me in the face and shove me down the stairs.
"Hey boss, what features should I try to incorporate into this new folder?"
"....All of them"
"But...sir...I..."
"ALLL OF THEM!! THIS WILL BE THE CLASSIEST $&%#ING KNIFE EVER!"
"Uh. yeah...real high brow stuff."
"That gives me an idea for the name!"
"Oh s%$@"
I dig the accent it sounds like 1940’s mid Atlantic where it from?
Pull Down lock with Assist is horrible. I threw this one away and got myself the Kershaw RJ Tactical 3.0 and love it so far
I'd prefer a Rat 2 in this price range.
Or any kershaw! 35-40 bucks gets a pretty decent blade from kershaw
How to ruin a knife with an Axis style lock: assist it
😎👍
The gerber lowbrow
Holdup, before I finish the video, I'mma guess that Nick makes an eyebrow raising pun
The fit of the safety lever is off and, sure, they could have done better with the screws and still sell it for $35 and profit. At $35 or less expect blade steel that is not particularly spectacular but still serviceable. I can forgive the thick grip scales at that price point. I see two glaring flaws that really shouldn't have been present; the safety lever and the screws. Those two details make it seem like more of a $5 to $10 knife, but it still isn't a Z Hunter or Spydernope Dollarca.
1:57 not even Nick can remember how this god awful thing locks 😂
Hello, the new Gerber Steel
Big, chunky and GERBER !!
Budget knives also have neon eye-fucking green. Don’t forget that color.
You reviewed this janky knife and I got a sebenza today .Damn
Congrats, man!
So its an axis lock flipper. 2 of my favorite things. Kind of sucks that its bad steel and poorly made.
Still on the backlog? Not sure why reviewing any gerbers beside maybe it’s a USA company but made not in USA. Maybe it’s unique design? Think Sog has something Similar. Anywho thx for vid, I do like watching them.
A co-worker of mine had one of these and I walked to my truck grabbed a Kershaw Natrix that I never use and gave it to them. I’m not a huge fan of Kershaws except for a few models. It was definitely and upgrade for them. Told them to just throw their knife in the trash.
Why would they send this knife to Nick when they could have sent the full flat ground Fastball Cleaver in 20CV or the new Sedulo in S30V? It is like they were looking for punishment...
I paid $17 for this when our Gander Outdoors was going out. Only knife I've ever been disgusted with. This was either a 8am Monday morning or 4:59 on Friday knife. It's just awful.
"Highbrow", "brows-ing"- I saw what you did there, Nick. 🤗❤️😷
Stay safe, stay well everyone.
🤗❤️😷😷😷😷😷😷😷👋
Gerber in my opinion is the special ed class of the knife world
I’ve seen way too many folding knives that are manuals and open with a flick, and too many inexpensive ball bearing systems for spring assist to be a thing. Spring assist is stupid.
I honestly do like a good spring assist, because it can get you some of the enjoyment of an auto without the extra cost. I just don't like it when it is used to substitute a good action instead of enhancing it (pivot has PB washers with good tolerances and just uses the assist for some kick, but not as an excuse to go teflon crazy).
This is a dumpster fire of a knife let's think about 7Cr17Mov in 2020. So long as CRKT, Kershaw, etc. continue to get away with 8Cr13Mov in the $30-60 range, why is 7Cr17 especially bad? Edge retention might be a little worse, depending on the heat treatment, but corrosion resistance is pretty good. In fact, 7Cr17Mov used to be a staple for budget outdoors and survival knives. So while definitely not a good deal on knives costing more than $20, neither is 8Cr13Mov. I'd like to see the community come together on this and press for better budget steels overall.
Lots of potential that the designs would offer... ruined by poor manufacturing... maybe they should try again at an 80$ budget.
Thanks for sharing...
Assisted axis lock; bleh pass.
They have this sad pound puppy in my local Walmart for 39 bucks lol I'm waiting for 11 bucks on clearance 😮😊
Wuss up nick
Who at Gerber thought it was a good idea to send that knife to NICK SHABAZZ.. other than just plain old exposure, not really sure the thought process.
It was a saboteur, working from the inside to bring the company down.
That knife and it's moniker is a non-sequitur.
@R. Schowiada71 thanks, I forgot which way was correct.
Gerbege raised eyebrow
Bought this knife then 10 minutes later here I am....sigh. granted cost me $20 brand new but still, sigh.
I knew that name was a bad sign.,.
For 35 bucks I'd go with the rat 2 instead
What a wretched knife
It is clear gerber does not understand the quality over quantity way the knife world operates
Great review, had considered this knife as a gift for a friend, will pass, thanks for saving me the embarrassment.
😒When I first saw this thing I actually found the design quite appealing ... superficially speaking🤨 Lose the assist, lose the secondary lock, lose the liners and do some milling on the aluminium scales, maybe also give it a nicer bladesteel and Gerber would actually have themselves a nice little knife here😑