Review of the Gerber Back Country Essentials Combo Kit.
Published: 7 years ago
If you were like me, then when you were a boy you thought Gerber knives were the best, right alongside BUCK and Schrade. The great American knife companies of my childhood. Now Gerber is by a fair degree the bottom on the heap.
They sell knives without telling the customer what kind of steel the blade is made from, in a day and age where customers are informed and know about such things. It's not good enough to just say that the product is good, they need to prove it not only with facts but then follow though because there are reviewers for every product under the sun providing free information for anyone who wants to know more about any given product.
I was tempted by the Gerber Back Country kit because the price was appealing. I also thought that with one $50 (Canadian) purchase I could get several videos done. I was wrong. This kit isn't even really worth this one video.
I have reviewed the Gerber Paraframe knife in 2016 and it is a knife that I cannot recommend, even if you were to get it for free. It just isn't a good user, it hurts the hand a fair bit after even just light use, not to mention heavy use.
Next in the kit is the Gerber Gator Machete Jr. This machete apparently has some sort of carbon steel - that is good as far as it goes, but we have no way of knowing what carbon steel it is. The blade was quite dull from the factory - not uncommon for Gerber. It cut much better after I put a convex grind on it using my WorkSharp. But since it is short (well under a foot of cutting edge) and light, it doesn't cut very well. It does okay. But not well enough to be recommended.
Finally we come to the Gerber Gator Combo Axe. This little hatchet has a 7-inch handle (about 18cm) and a small knife hides inside the handle. Again the knife arrived too dull to be useful, but it sharpened up fairly easily and then was quite useful. It has TPE overmolded handle. Comfortable. Has a very pointy (stabby) tip. and has a cutting edge of right around 3 inches. The hatchet could use some sharpening as well, but as it is this combo is useful. It is much to highy priced at the regular price. It is in fact, cheaper to buy the whole kit even if all you want is the little hatchet with knife. but at $50CAD that is over priced.
I will not provide links to purchase these products because I do not recommend them
If you are in Canada and you want to find this kit at Canadian tire, then go online and search for the Canadian Tire store product number 175-0776-8 (that is just the combo axe) or 299-6206-6 for the whole Back Country Kit
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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They sell knives without telling the customer what kind of steel the blade is made from, in a day and age where customers are informed and know about such things. It's not good enough to just say that the product is good, they need to prove it not only with facts but then follow though because there are reviewers for every product under the sun providing free information for anyone who wants to know more about any given product.
I was tempted by the Gerber Back Country kit because the price was appealing. I also thought that with one $50 (Canadian) purchase I could get several videos done. I was wrong. This kit isn't even really worth this one video.
I have reviewed the Gerber Paraframe knife in 2016 and it is a knife that I cannot recommend, even if you were to get it for free. It just isn't a good user, it hurts the hand a fair bit after even just light use, not to mention heavy use.
Next in the kit is the Gerber Gator Machete Jr. This machete apparently has some sort of carbon steel - that is good as far as it goes, but we have no way of knowing what carbon steel it is. The blade was quite dull from the factory - not uncommon for Gerber. It cut much better after I put a convex grind on it using my WorkSharp. But since it is short (well under a foot of cutting edge) and light, it doesn't cut very well. It does okay. But not well enough to be recommended.
Finally we come to the Gerber Gator Combo Axe. This little hatchet has a 7-inch handle (about 18cm) and a small knife hides inside the handle. Again the knife arrived too dull to be useful, but it sharpened up fairly easily and then was quite useful. It has TPE overmolded handle. Comfortable. Has a very pointy (stabby) tip. and has a cutting edge of right around 3 inches. The hatchet could use some sharpening as well, but as it is this combo is useful. It is much to highy priced at the regular price. It is in fact, cheaper to buy the whole kit even if all you want is the little hatchet with knife. but at $50CAD that is over priced.
I will not provide links to purchase these products because I do not recommend them
If you are in Canada and you want to find this kit at Canadian tire, then go online and search for the Canadian Tire store product number 175-0776-8 (that is just the combo axe) or 299-6206-6 for the whole Back Country Kit
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Come see us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheCanadianCuttingEdge
https://www.instagram.com/canadiancuttingedge