Gerber Obsidian knife?

[Libertarian Man!]

 

I saw it in target today and I'm considering it or one of the expanse leatherman knives, does anyone recommend this knife?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Can't say as I have ever seen one in person and so I really can't offer any useful information on it specifically.  The only thing I can say is that Gerber's quality seems to be all over the place these days, so I would either keep my reciept or make sure I get a chance to play with it before plunking down any money for it.

Def

[jzmtl]

Dang, just saw it in store this afternoon, if you had posted a day earlier I could've checked it out for you.

[joebw]

Hi,

I've got a few of the Leatherman Crater and Expanse knives.  Have been EDC'ing the Expanse e33B (Bit Holder) for several months now and think it is top-notch.  The new pocket clip and the 154 CM blade are really nice.  Yesterday, at Christmas dinner, my son-in-law wanted an opener for his bottle of beer - the carabiner solved that right away - another convert?  Yes, if I buy it for him.

Best - Joe

[Libertarian Man!]

Yeah, they have it at Target for $24, so I was considering it for the price factor, since the expanse knife I want is $49.99 plus shipping and it's blade isn't even as big as the Obsidian's. Bear in mind, I plan on taking this knife to college(hence the bottle opener ), so which would be best suited for that enviroment?

[jzmtl]

Yeah, they have it at Target for $24, so I was considering it for the price factor, since the expanse knife I want is $49.99 plus shipping and it's blade isn't even as big as the Obsidian's. Bear in mind, I plan on taking this knife to college(hence the bottle opener ), so which would be best suited for that enviroment?

Expanse knife have 154CM blade steel so it's more expensive, Crater's 420HC is more comparable with Gerber's steel.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I would suggest if you want something sheeple friendly, inexpensive and with a functional bottle opener to take to college, get a SAK.  The larger (wider) the model the better, as a SwissChamp is a pretty unwieldy weapon, meaning campus security may be more accepting.  Plus, it gives you lots of options to come to the rescue of co-eds...

Check with www.felinevet.sosakonline.com for good deals on great SAKs.

Def

[Libertarian Man!]

The colleges in Florida generally follow state law meaning that you ca carry and folding pocket knife as long as the blade is 4" or less, so I don't really care about "sheeple friendly".  Another thing about the gerber is it has a "plunge lock", which is basically the button on the side that locks it up like a switchblade, do you think this is better than a liner lock or a lockback.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have never had any locks fold on me... well except an old cheap liner lock from Smith & Wesson.  But that one didn't fail during use- it failed during opening, so it doesn't count.

Nowadays every company is coming up with their own fancy and technical locking mechanism trying to differentiate themselves in the market place.  I doubt any of them are any better than any others, but again, since Gerber's quality these days is all over the place, I'd be very careful when buying anything without trying it first.

Def

[Leatherman123]

I am not familiar with the lock, but I doubt it is as strong as a lock back..  

Def, the BM Axis Lock can support 5,000 pounds! IMO, the Axis Lock is the strongest lock out there..

[Grant Lamontagne]

Oh, and while locks may be helpful, never, ever rely on them.  Anything mechanical can fail for a variety of reasons, and you'd hate to lose a finger because a locking bar didn't engage, a screw was loose or a spring is worn out.

Def

[David Bowen]

I have an Osidian knife, not too bad overall for the price. Locks solid, lock is nice and very much like that found on most Autos. Blade stays reasonably sharp for that steel and open easily enough. The screwdrivers give me mixed feelings, the idea is quite ingenious and I thought it would be nice to have a screwdriver when I didn't have a tool on me. In reality they can have thier good and bad days; depending on the size of the screw they might grab or give you some trouble. They are not the best quality and very much like what you find on most Gerber's these days. It's a nice idea that the drivers ride on backsprings similar to slipjoints, or the juice if you will. Aside from the drivers I find the knife small for my hands and I wish I was a bit bigger for my average size hands. Pocket clip rides well but only in jeans. The clip is very wide and flat at the top making it inconvience for me when I wear slacks. If your looking for a cheap knife with some last ditch drivers on it then I say get a Leatherman! I do applaude Gerber's efforts and I like to see the new products they come up with every year (no matter how bad they get  ) If you want any pics I will post some for you.

[Libertarian Man!]

I think you make a good pointg about how any locking design can fail, to me, this knife looks pretty legit as it also has a safety that works both when the blade is closed or open, thus making it a quasi-fixed blade I suppose.

[Libertarian Man!]

Pics would be nice, I already carry a SURGE with the optional bit set on me, I just thought he screwdrivers would be a good backup, do you think they are on par with the drivers(non-bit type)on leatherman knives?

[Leatherman123]

No, the LM drivers are excellent and the Gerber drivers are crap! The "cross point" screwdriver sucks IMO!

[jzmtl]

I think safety when closed is more gimmick than anything. I've never had a knife open by itself while clipped to pocket, and I never use the safety on my kershaw leek because the only thing it does is making opening a lot slower (or hurting finger if I forgot it's locked).

[David Bowen]

No, by no means are they on par with what Leatherman produces. Better than a dollar store multitool but sometimes I wonder   I will post some pics in the next day or so. Even if I have to do it with my phone and send them to my email I will get time. I have not had the lock fail on me from the position of the lock but it has not been a hard use knife. Given some of the thoughts and feedback I have read on the internet a person should use the safety if the need arises.

[Libertarian Man!]

Well, what about the bottle opener and the file, are they any good?

[David Bowen]

Bottle opener like the drivers work ok in a pinch but the file is way to small to really be used for anything. You could not use it to cut through a nail or anything. Maybe take a burr of something maybe, but it's not used for anything serious. It's an interestingly designed knife but like alot of gerber products these days not much testing was done before it entered into the production phase. Hey guys is it me or am I being too hard on Gerber? I hadn't really thought about it, but the more I talk about the knife the more flaws I keep finding.

[Libertarian Man!]

Yeah, you're one unhappy baby.   I'm pretty sure the drivers will work good enough for college.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Hey guys is it me or am I being too hard on Gerber? I hadn't really thought about it, but the more I talk about the knife the more flaws I keep finding.

You can find flaws in anything if you really put it under a microscope.  It can't really be all that bad if you carry and use it, despite it's shortcomings.

Def

[David Bowen]

OK here are some pics, they are quick ones and I am sorry it took me a while.

[David Bowen]

here is some more

[Libertarian Man!]

Can it be opened quickly?

[David Bowen]

Not with my hands, I find the knife is too short for me and if I do open it quickly I have to flick the studs and use a snapping wrist motion.

[STik]

There's a Cabela's store near me, and I handled the Obsidian there before.  I also EDC an old LM e307x.  While I paid a lot more for the LM, I see absolutely no comparison between the two.  The simple fact that they've crammed so much useful stuff into a pocket knife format different from a SAK, plus the abbreviated bit kit that came with it was a huge factor in my decision.  The decision's yours, but there's my input.
STik