- when even low expectations fall short
Gerber Vital is not a good knife. It is doubtful whether it can even be categorized as a knife. Rather, it is an overpriced plastic handle intended for poorly sharpened scalpel blades. So, now the review was done already in the first three sentences. But I still intend to justify why I am so harsh in my judgment of this thing so you can form your own opinion.
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| Gerber Vital |
After my previous adventures with products from Gerber* in the form of Paraframe and the Armbar Drive multi-tool, I didn't have much faith that this gadget would be much better. At the same time, hope is the last thing that abandons the knife reviewer so the saying goes, or perhaps should.
To be clear, I did not buy this myself, but am reviewing it for the Vasst blog.
Gerber Vital is sold as a "skinning knife" primarily aimed at hunters, one must assume. It still sounds promising. Reasonably, it should be a group of people with certain requirements for function, one might think. Whether it is or not, the sales figures will show in the end. But that's not a good measure of quality either. Advertising can do very strange things, as you know.
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| The interchangeable blades are the main selling point. A bad idea from the beginning in my opinion |
Twitter version: Gerber Vital, for those who want to pay way too much for about 3 cm of poorly ground edge in steel reminiscent of soft cheese.
Blade
Usually, I write something about blade shape and the like here. However, there is not much to write about in this case. This is a small scalpel blade and most people know what one of those looks like. Or rather, it's a quite long one with its 7.1 cm. By the way, that is what is written in the sales texts. It is the length of the ENTIRE blade they state but since it mostly consists of the mount for the blade itself the available edge is 3.6 cm and nothing else. That is 1.42 inches! There is a noticeable difference! That is why the knife is only depicted from one side in the pictures that sell it online.
The blade is otherwise 10 mm high and the thickness is as usual for such around 0.5 mm. Incidentally, that's the only reason you can cut anything with this blade.
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| A scalpel blade at the end of a plastic handle |
God knows which steel it is. It is stated to be 420** and it is nothing to proud about to begin with. But the heat treat is rubbish so after a few cuts in anything other than hot butter you might as well use the side of a spoon to cut with. You won't notice any difference.
Apparently this, again according to various poorly written sales texts, should correspond to "industrial standard #60". Obviously, it only applies to the dimensions of the blade and not the quality. The blade is under all criticism, even though Gerber claims on its website that "/../ a surgically sharp blade cuts through game easily". This may be among the dullest blades of this type I've come across. Luckily you get six of them with the deal. It is needed, I can say. The edges on both the attached blade and the replacement blades were abysmal.
I have other hobby and Stanley-type knives that are significantly cheaper than this one but are still much sharper. Since I work a little in leather, I have good experience with that type of knives.
What I can give Vital on the plus account is that the blades are very easy to replace. A slight push of the button on the holder and the blade can be pulled forward and thus released. A spare blade is in place within a few seconds, even if you fumble along the way.
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| The side that is usually NOT shown in pictures. The one that reveals that the available edge is about 36 mm |
According to what is written about this device, it should be intended for skinning animals with and butchering. Since I worked as a butcher in my youth, I allow myself to sneer. What should be skinned and cut with just over THREE CENTIMETER of available edge, a chaffinch? Well, I can give them that you can possibly open and field dress game. But why not have one knife for the whole job? Alternatively, a gut hook supplemented with a proper hunting knife to work with. Given that your knife, together with a rifle and a pair of comfortable shoes, is one of the most important things you have with you when out hunting, I see no point in saving weight right there.
Not being a hunter, I considered for a very brief moment whether I should try to cut open an unsuspecting chicken or attack a piece of meat on the bone with this toy. Then I realized it's ridiculous as I have a whole battery of competent kitchen knives that are so much better sutied for the task.
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| The edge is frighteningly bad even in new and unused condition. Uneven in height and is clearly canted in several places and thus not very sharp |
Instead, I settled on a piece of leather. I make knife sheaths from time to time and therefore have some such material laying around. That adventure didn't go well either. A couple of cuts later, that blade was dull. Imagine trying to process a moose with this thing! Dejected, I turned to cut cardboard intended for one of my fiancee's puzzles. Well, it went about as bad. After a few minutes, the next blade lost its sharpness. Then the question remained whether I should give in to the attempt of sharpening the blades to extend their lifespan. But then why not use a real knife? Isn't the point of replaceable blades that you don't have to sharpen them?
It is of course possible to hone and strop them to some extent, but you still have to change the blade so often that this becomes a bloody expensive knife over time. There is a reason why scalpels are disposable products. A surgeon can also change several times during an operation. Scalpels are made to be stainless, cheap, and sharp for a very short time, nothing else. They are consumables.
Only one thing speaks in favor of this type of blade and that is that they are so thin that they cut reasonably well even when they are relatively dull. Something that thicker knife blades do not do.
Handle
Signal orange and black rubber and a large space for the index finger. Those are the arguments for buying this knife according to Gerber. I can agree with them. Those details could make for a good handle that's comfortable to hold. Now it's not! For the simple reason that someone in the design department has read that "jimping", grooves of some kind are good to have as it increases traction so you don't drop the knife. That's why this little thing was fitted with sharp plastic spikes scattered across the handle. They are found both on the underside and on the top.
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| The handle is made of plastic and, as can be seen in the picture, has a poor fit. Note the visible gap between the plastic and the lock bar |
And just like that, they made this handle uncomfortable if you don't work with gloves on, but I wouldn't do that if I were working with game because it would ruin the gloves besides being clumsy. Or rather, it applies to the grooves found on the underside and the front of the handle. Namely, they are split in two to allow the blade and lock bar respectively to pass. The ones found on the back of the handle are positioned so that they are not fulfilling any function at all.
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| Feel free to enlarge the image and take a look at how Gerber thinks a handle is made. Sharp plastic edges everywhere |
Then there was the actual build quality. Sorry Gerber, it's not up to par. If Vital had cost around 10$, I would not have had any or at least very low expectations. But for the SEK 550/50$ or more it costs here, I expect more. The plastic materials do not meet very well and along the back side between the handle and the lock bar, there are substantial gaps. The transition between the blade and lock bar is just as rough. Not pretty anywhere.
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| The balance is found at the finger choil. On the other hand, it is pointless because if you hold the knife in a hammer or saber grip, it is way too far from the blade. The only way to hold the knife is like the picture on the far right |
In hand, the knife is not too bad. Or I'll rephrase that, not complete rubbish. The index finger finds its natural place in the recess intended for the same and the thumb can be placed on top of the blade/holder for the blade. On the other hand, that grip is almost useless on this knife.
In the same way, an index finger can be placed there. But these are basically the only grips that can be used. If the knife is held in a hammer grip, there are eons of distance between the hand and the small edge that exists. But in the name of honesty, it must be said that you rarely hold a knife with such a small blade that is supposed to cut meat in that grip. So basically this is a one grip knife.
Opening and Lock
Someone in Gerber's design department saw fit to place the thumb opening stud along with the blade release mechanism. So close that if you place your finger wrong, which can easily happen with cold hands, you risk dropping the blade on the way out. Sure, that scenario isn't imminent but it's there and just the possibility makes me a little frustrated. It shows that someone certainly thought about it, but in a very bad way.
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| At least the thumb stud is easily accessible |
Otherwise, opening the blade is fairly painless. I won't exaggerate and say it doesn't work because it actually does.
The lock is a simple back lock and does pretty much what such a lock is supposed to do. It holds the blade in place or rather the "bit holder" in this case without too much play. To compensate for the lack of play in the lock itself, it is found between the blade and holder instead. So there is movement in the blade anyway. Any folding knife enthusiast knows how annoying that is. And the material in the blade is so thin that it also flexes laterally. So there is a lot of movement for a supposed to be precision instrument.
To Carry
Vital is, of course, easy to carry. Everything else would be surprising for a flyweight or in this case 42 grams. The outer dimensions are also modest. The length of the handle is 10.8 cm and the height is around 2 cm.
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| The shape of the clip is decent, but the attachment is not |
When paired with an admittedly flimsy but capable clip and plastic sides, there are no problems with putting the knife in your pocket.
The clip, like most things on this thing, is not entirely good. Let me explain why I think so. The shape itself is actually not that bad with a decent ramp and plenty of space underneath. In addition, the tension is somewhat above expectations. But there are also some less good things to point out.
It moves! It is attached to the handle with a single screw and sunk into a recess in the plastic. For quite natural reasons, the fit is not so good with this material so it moves quite strongly laterally. Another detail that does not inspire confidence at all, even if it does not affect the function in general.
To Conclude
When I opened the package, I was at first puzzled. Because from a distance, read viewed in pictures online, Vital doesn't look too bad and the idea itself doesn't seem so stupid before you think about it.
But when I saw the price tag, I was completely convinced that someone was pulling my leg. In Sweden it costs between SEK 550-678! ***. That's around 50-62$. What the heck! Yes, and then a pack of replacement blades costs about SEK 250/25$ per set. I wouldn't bother to sharpen these sad blades. Partly because the blades are made of doubled metal foil and partly because the very idea of replaceable blades is to avoid that. This means that the price after the first six blades, which is the same as a couple of times of use, is over SEK 800/72$ even if we do the calculation based on the cheapest option. After that, the price increases, unlike a regular knife where the price can be said to decrease according to the formula price/use over time.
But let me summarize the matter in a few points. We thus have a knife that:
- has 3.6 cm of available edge to work with
- comes with replaceable blades made of cheap steel that won't stay sharp for more than a few minutes no matter what is being cut
- provided with a handle that certainly feels decent in the hand but is flimsy and poorly constructed in cheap materials and full of plastic spikes
- has a blade release button that can be accidentally accessed when opening the knife
- is equipped with a clip that moves
- sold as a hunting knife but is full of nooks and crannies where crap can get stuck
- a price that in no way reflects what you get
Can something forgiving be said about this thing, you might wonder. Maybe so, if the knife had cost a fraction of what it actually does, otherwise nothing. After all, a product's performance must be compared to its price. At least if it doesn't apply to a pure collector or art object. Then other conditions apply. However, that category does not include simple knives made of rubber and sheet metal with poor manufacturing quality.
By the way, I came up with a couple of remotely positive details. The signal color makes it visible if it is dropped in moss. The latter is the most tragic because it causes it to be found when you try to throw it away. Trust me, I've tried.
Furthermore, it is claimed in the sales texts that the blades are easy to change. It's lucky since you need to do it often. Vital is also very light so it is barely felt when carried. One of the ways this has been achieved is to have ridiculously thin dimensions on most things. That detail hardly inspires confidence, either.
And then there was cleaning and hygiene. Even ordinary folding knives are at a disadvantage in relation to a fixed blade in that area when the intended area of use is taken into account. But Gerber Vital is full of nooks and crannies which makes it a nightmare at that. It doesn't smell completely fresh if you first skin an animal with all that that entails and then leave parts of it in the knife until the next time you need to use it.
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| Gerber Vital is marketed as a hunting knife, can some kind soul explain why? |
This is a knife I cannot in good conscience recommend to anyone. Do those selling this realize what you can get instead for SEK 550 + SEK 250 that the extra knife blades cost?
So let me give you some examples of knives I found from various stores after a couple of quick searches online. They can all be used in the same role and are found in the approximate price range. Some are cheaper, others slightly more expensive. However, the latter is quickly eaten up by another set of spare blades.
The alternatives all have in common that they are a better buy than Gerber Vital. Then I have avoided the really low-priced brands it should be added.
Folding Knives:
Fixed Blades:
So all in all, it's just to say that at least I don't think this knife is worth the price in the slightest. What's the point of having replaceable blades if they can barely be used for anything and what exactly is that feature supposed to facilitate?
Anyone else who has a different opinion and has different experiences is welcome to write to me and justify why this would be something other than a poorly thought-out gimmick.
Specifications:
Length Overall: 180 mm
Length Folded: 108 mm
Weight: 42 g (Weighed by me)
Blade Length: 36 mm (usable length)
Blade Thickness: 0,5 mm
Blade Steel: Who knows, 420?
Handle: Plastic
Lock: Lock back
Produced by: Gerber, made in China
/ J
I now refuse to write "Legendary Blades" until I have tried something good from those who live up to such a slogan.
** Although "Jaktligt.com" on their website completely misunderstands and shows that they know nothing about knives when they write that the blades "are #60 of industrial standard have 420 HC in hardness /../" (SIC!)
*** As a comparison, the equivalent knife, however not folding, from CRKT costs SEK 179! I can't comment on the quality of it, but I can comment on the price point.
