Gerber E-Z Out Skeleton Knife, Fine Edge [06751]

The one that is in my pocket has been there now for 6 years. I just used a Lansky Blade medic to re-sharpen the edge. This knife gets picked on, which is sad to the point of disappointing. First and foremost for the price it is a great value, (my subjective opinion of course). Yes the pocket clip is fixed and it is tip down situated (oh and stupidly right hand carry only...I'm left handed if you need a hint). This maybe the one issue I have with it. But it is light small so it sits alone in my back left pocket tip up (2 of 3 problems solved). The issue I allude to is sitting down will dig into my cheek muscle, which can eventually turn into a discomfort. Again a very simple solution, which is shift it to the outside (distal) area of the pocket, which creates the inconvenience of creating an impression that I'm scratching or digging my backside. So if you are a no compromise type of person that may be a deal breaker for you...yes lots of allusion to the fact that this is a $25 pocket knife (I thinks it's $35 now?); maybe I should just find a knife that I can remove the clip, and is made of S30V, and only costs me a dollar...I'm still looking for that unicorn rainbow knife, so until then, I just have to deal with it. Speaking of $25...my blade says "Gerber, Portland Oregon"...just saying.I have a smaller hand size for a man...I can get away with wearing "small" work gloves (If you are familiar with Hyflex: size 7 fits me like a...well perfectly). And I can just get my pinky snug on the back, so if you are looking for that fourth finger grip and you have a larger hand, you might be disappointed. No lanyard hole, so that could be a deal breaker for you.With that out of the way, let's get into why I decided that this knife deserves a review and mention. I have no idea what coating is on this blade, but what I do know is that I live is Hawaii. For some that means palm trees, crystal water, and coconut wahines, but it also means that any metal tools you own, rust. And they decide that they want to rust in the most ridiculously fast way possible. I included a picture and you can see...it's pretty rust free after 6 years. I have quite a few things in carbon steel and they are already an "antique" rust orange. Garden tools have decided that they want to chase the rust Olympic gold medal! There is a pin, which appears to be for the lock back pivot, that is orange (see photo), but the rest of the knife is in great shape. Speaking of lock back, mine has been great. There is a little back play on the blade, but no side to side movement. I have never tied to dangle a 45lb plate off the tip and lift it with a cherry picker, but as far as light to medium duty tasks that you would expect to use a pocket knife for, it has handled them very sufficiently. It is a 24/7 carry and if I have a pocket it will be in that pocket. Even running shorts.When I worked in catering (Hawaii is also so darn expensive that having a weekend job is almost a right of passage), I beat the crap out of it. it stabbed at balloon towers (made a 5 min job out of an otherwise 30 min grumble fest). I've used it to cut all sorts of cordage and ties, packages, wrappers, plastic, zip ties etc. I've used it for prying (chaffer pans can get stuck when in the steam bath pan and they get hot to touch...yes disclaimer: if you have a better tool then you should probably use it instead). I've even used it to cut through thin gauge craft wire that a florist decided to use as tie downs (overly bird nest kine wraps, with no systemic pattern, in a cro magnon fashion) [description added for emphasis. see disclaimer above] for a dozen flower bouquets to the arbor. Of course the bridal party then wanted the bouquets for the reception and when asked the florist just stood there with a blank look of "I didn't think that far ahead and I also spent an hour randomly tying them on, so good luck getting them down in any short amount of time...". You get my point.The blade is a simple clip point. the thumb hole works just fine (I have small hands but fat thumbs). Maybe mine has loosened up from when it was brand new, but I have no problem with one hand open with my thumb as intended. I can even wrist flick it open or pinch the thumb hole and open with the blade side. so it is definitely true to the "e-z out" moniker. There is also a small detent so the blade has a stop at close to 90 degrees. a small but very important finger saving safety feature. With respect to the serrations, on a small pocket knife I thin serrations are ideal and I agree with the reviewer that mentioned cutting hay bale wire...that's a serrated job not a fine edge job. If I'm wood or bush crafting then yes, I would enjoy a fine edge up close to the bolster for those controlled blade functions, but for everyday utility, the serrations come in very handy, to the point where I personally have a need for serrations more times then I find myself wishing I had a full fine edge...at least for my use anyway. If I need a fine edge then I just grab a fixed blade and make obvious and intentional gestures with it, so that I don't scare the natives of course.With respect to sharpening...I hope you can see in the photo, it sharpened easily and the edge came back very acceptably. it is paper sharp and can shave hairs, so I'm quite satisfied.And with that last bit...the reason why I'm here typing a review. Dog it, ignore it, pick on it all you want; say it is worthless or cheap . This knife has come through for me for 6 years now. It has been abused. The reason for that is because it's features and attributes make it an actual pocket knife. It is light and small so it goes unnoticed until its purpose is needed. It's purpose is to cut and slice...and even saw; when cutting or slicing is required...it is there. Sawing is only recommended when there is a desperate Bridesmaid and a hopeless florist, then for that scenario: in case of emergency break glass.It's not for show, it's for putting in work. It goes fishing,, it goes hiking, it goes into an office, it goes for sweaty workouts, and it goes to formal dinners...when forced to. It does this because it is is supposed to be "cheap" and it's supposed to be a "beater". Yet here I am 6 years later, as I'm sharpening it and inspecting the edge that just went back on it, that's when it comes full circle...this has been a workhorse of a knife for me and for all that I have put it through...Trust.That's why this is not just a good knife, it's a great knife.

This knife...this knife is something else! I do have some cons but I will get to that later first a general run down and the pros.So I bought this knife because I was disappointed in the Gerber F.A.S.T. series knives (NEVER AGAIN!) I actually bought this knife as a work knife but loved it so much it became my EDC for a short while (I bought a SOG for an EDC more on that later). The knife came out of the box sharp enough to comfortably shave with. In fact in the initial sharpness test (trying to cut arm hair) I shaved a completely bald spot onto my arm. Like smooth as a baby's bottom bald. And it didnt feel like it was pulling-it was cutting easily!I searched for a long time to find a knofe to replace my Spyderco (full serrated disappointment). I needed something rugged, safe, and openable with one hand. This thing works great! It took forever to find a half serrated lockback of a decent size. Let me tell you this thing is not going to close on your hand if it is locked in place. As a matter of fact the blade wont move a millimeter-it is solid.The handle is plastic but sturdy and comfortable.Also I have abused this knife like crazy. Opening boxes and cutting plastic on carboard and it still has a nice edge to it!So a run down of the pros:DurableEasy to useSHARPsafesturdylightweightHold its edgeNow on the downside. The pocket clip on this is very very nice. Hard metal coated black and perfect tightness, BUT it is not a low rise! Quiet alot of the handle shows when being carried. I know this is more a personal preference but still.... Also the handle is not the most appealling to look at. It is not all that bad and is definitely functional but could have been made to look cooler.Cons:Handle stylingnot a low riseAll in all for the price this is unbeatable and the knife is excellent. It is as sharp as the SOG I bought and seems to be holding its edge better than the Spyderco. Also this knife has less play in it than the SOG. If you want a good knife for cheap go for it! The only reason this is not my EDC is because I bought the SOG as a trial thing and it is a longer knife and is assisted opening-oh and has a low rise clip. If the Gerber had a low rise and was longer I wouldnt even care about the spring assist. Oh and the Gerber is a very nice satin finish blade. The SOG? Nope.