Gerber FAST Draw Assisted Opening EDC Folding Pocket Knife, Serrated Blade

I have had this exact Gerber knife in my pocket since they became available. In my opinion it is the very best, most sensible, practical pocket knife one can have. Believe it or not, one of my favorite features is the simple, easily accessible, sliding lock mechinism. If you think this little lock will slow you down I can assure that it will not. The placement of this lock-switch is such that you can activate it and open the knife with your thumb all in virtually one move. You won't even think about after you've had the knife for a little while It just becomes automatic. Then, when you go to close the knife, you slide the little switch to allow the blade to move freely. The reason why this little lock it so important is because a spring loaded pocket knife an actually open in your pocket on occasions just enough to catch your finger when you reach for it. I am not saying this is likely to happen but it can happen and it happened to me many years ago. It also happened to a guy I was working with. That guy is the same person who turned me on to this knife to begin with. I find a use for this knife many times per day and at times I have been very rough on it. I never leave home without it. By the way, I received an expensive pocket knife with a value of around $100 as a gift from my brother a few years back. It is top quality in every way. It sits in my desk drawer and I will not carry it in my pocket because it does not have the locking feature that the Gerber has. I think it is a great value for the money, it's the perfect size for day to day use and I find it very durable in every way. I highly recommend this pocket knife!

This knife is everything I was looking for in a backup weapon. To start it is heavy enough to make me feel I can rely on it even if I had to punch a few knots in an adversary should the situation go south quicker than me being able to overcome. The handle has no sharp edges and forms a nice hilt. The thumbstuds are oversized in length and circumference but doesnt hang up on pocket material. plenty of grip length still tall and wide enough to use closed as a roll of quarters. Heavy blade so it doesnt bend or break if bone is hit. All of this and still concealable. The pocket clip is low profile so it doesnt break the ideal left handed grip. I am left handed. I have Sog.Kershaw and the Buck quickfire and this Gerber is that much better. In deploying this knife there is a mechanical sound to it and a snap when in place locked. Reminds me of my Remington 870. Just not as loud but your opponent will hear it. The safety is adequate and is set to be a bit harder to deactivate. It is made that way and for sure wont fail while in your pocket. The safety means nothing to me I dont believe in the safety in a knife. Blade is thick and no play. I always liked Gerber and feel they are like Ruger pistols and revolvers heavy well thought out over engineered and never fail. As far as tactical I just didnt think they could get it right. I was very wrong and now I have a knife with all the features and benefits for something priced to get everyone into a fighting knife without breaking the bank. Buy this knife and see how you feel carrying something that wont let you down. As far as a working knife I am sure it will fill all expected of it. can you tell how I like this knife? Havent been this excited since buying my first Colt Combat Commander! LOL

Love the Gerber knife. It definitely goes with my collection. Very sharp, the weight is nice and very sturdy, and opening and closing the knife works perfectly. I have had it probably two years. but, I don’t use it for working. I just wanted a Gerber. I carry it all the time.

I've ordered 3 of these and I'm about to order my 4th. I give them as gifts and use mine daily. I never review but needed to ensure this gets it's 5stars that it deserves.

I'm not a big fan of folding knives. The lack of a full tang tends to make them flimsy, the handles are usually terrible and lack any kind of crossguard, and the joints are usually either wobbly or too stiff. So, I usually swear by fixed blades, but I wanted something I could carry everyday and that would be legal. In my state, automatic opening knives are illegal. This is not an automatic opener, it's an assisted opener - you don't press a button, you nudge the blade to get it started and the spring takes over after a few degrees. The blade size is perfect too, as the maximum allowed size in my state is a 4" blade (this one's about 3.75"). I bought this knife for the handle. It's the best handle I've ever seen on a folder. The checkering provides a great grip surface without irritating your skin. The fingering is nicely done and comfortable whether you hold the knife blade-up or blade-down. It gives a nice, firm, comfortable, and most importantly safe grip. Your hand will not slip off this handle when wet. The handle is perfection. The blade is good, if a little soft. I've had to sharpen it a bit more than I would like, but it's taken some abuse. I've batoned it to cut down trees up to 4" thick. I've used it all day, every day for about a year in a warehouse. I've used it for carving, whittling, fieldcraft, you name it. It's a good all-purpose blade. The finish will eventually show its age but it has kept its color nicely. It's still got a nice matte finish for no unwanted reflecting. The joint may need a little adjusting. I found it loosened up over time and I had to tighten it up once or twice. No big deal, but be aware that they use Torx (star head) bolts to hold it together, sizes T5 through T-9, I think. So if you don't own small Torx drivers, you may want to pick some up. Here's the big con - after about a year, the main spring broke in mine. The spring being broken meant the knife had to be manually opened, and with no tension, there was a risk of accidental folding. I was able to repair it myself by stretching the unbroken part in a few minutes, but I'm handy and I have the tools. Since then, I've had no problems with it. The clip is set up for carry inside the right hip pocket. You can switch it over if you're lefty, but again, you'll need a small Torx to do it. The locking mechanism is very nice and intuitive, clearly marked so you can tell with a glance if it's locked or not. It may be a bit awkward for left-hand use, but is nicely placed for use with the right thumb. It locks automatically. Opening is smooth and crisp. Closing is easy and natural. All in all, it's a great knife, but it loses a star for the amount of maintenance it's needed. As for my credentials, I'm a combat veteran and worked in shipping and receiving for a while. I abused this knife in both military and industrial applications. I've owned it for a few years now. It's still my go-to everyday knife, and I would buy it again. Summary: Pros: Great handle, decent blade, nice fit and finish. Legal almost everywhere. Cons: Needs maintenance (with uncommon tools), spring my eventually fail.

Perfect knife.

I work in Kandahar, Afghanistan and had need for a light, general use knife. After six months of daily use I like this knife so much that I plan to buy another and one with a regular blade so that I have them when Gerber stops making them! The spring action is easy to use and quick. I did have it open in my back pocket which was because I didn't set the lock after use. It opened my pants very well! The lock is a bit stiff at first but both it and the spring action smooth out with time. I don't worry about it failing because all hinged knives have weak points and will fail under constant use. Just how long - who knows? The stainless steel blade takes a edge quickly, and goes dull just as fast - as all stainless steel blade do. I recommend you always keep a pocket sharpener with you. The serrated blade is a bit to short for many jobs such as sawing through a big box or rope, but works well for most things. I have a small tapered round sharpener to keep an edge on the serrations. The clip is getting weak from use. But it takes only a minute to remove it, bend it a bit and you're back in business. The clip even has a hole to access the blind screw. For the price you will be hard press to find a better day to day carry knife.

Just what I've been looking for. I've been looking for an everyday carry that's partially serrated, isn't bulky in the pocket, and opens, locks, and closes effortlessly. This checks all the boxes. -The clip lets the knife sit low in your pocket so it doesn't push out when you sit down (I've lost 2 knives that stuck too far out of the pocket because of clip placement). -The price isn't so high that I'm afraid to lose or damage it. -Very sharp right out of the package. -I was hoping for more aggressive serration, but turns out it's more than adequate. -Not too big and not too small. Thin profile makes it fit nicely in pocket. -Flips open easily and locks securely. -The locking spring does seem to be getting a little gunked up from pocket link, but it can be cleaned out. -As for quality, I can't say what longevity will be (I've had it for a month) but it feels solidly built. -Fits comfortably in my hand and easily opens and closes with one hand.