Gerber Gear
TypeCorporation
IndustryManufacturing
FoundedPortland, Oregon
1939 (1939)
HeadquartersPortland, Oregon
Key people
Pete Gerber, Founder
ProductsKnives, multi-tools, tools
RevenueUS$100 million
Number of employees
300
ParentFiskars
Websitewww.gerbergear.com
Gerber LHR Combat Knife designed by Matt Larsen, Bill Harsey and Chris Reeve
These are two of the most popular Gerber knives. The smaller is the Gerber LMF II and the larger is the Gerber LHR Sheath knife

Gerber Legendary Blades is an American maker of knives, multitools, and other tools for outdoors and military headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Gerber is owned by the Finnish outdoors products company Fiskars. Gerber was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber.

Gerber is the "largest maker of knives and multi-tools for the United States armed forces."[1] The LMF II Infantry Knife, features a partial tang blade instead of a full tang blade, ostensibly to avoid electric shocks because the knife was designed to free pilots from downed aircraft.[2]

Gerber was the first knife company to collaborate with a custom knife maker when it collaborated with World War II knife maker David Murphy.[3]

In 2010 Bear Grylls designed a line of Gerber survival knives, including the best selling Ultimate knife. The Bear Grylls range from Gerber progressed to including items such as a water bottle, survival kit and tinder grinder. By 2019 the cooperation between Bear Grylls and Gerber ended.

History

In 1910, the Gerber family started an advertising firm in Portland, Oregon.[4] While working for the family business, Joseph Gerber mailed twenty four sets of kitchen knives to clients during the holidays.[4] These handmade knives were very popular, with then catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch requesting more of these knives from Gerber to sell in their catalog in 1939.[4] Gerber started Gerber Legendary Blades that same year.[4]

In 1966, the company relocated to new headquarters in Tigard, Oregon.[4] Finnish company Fiskars purchased the private company in 1987.[4]

Chad Vincent was hired as chief executive officer in July 2001.[4] By October 2003, the company employed three hundred people, and had revenues near $100 million and was the second leading seller of multitools in the United States,[4] after Leatherman, another company based in the Portland area.

Designs

Designers who have since designed knives for Gerber include: Bob Loveless, Paul Poehlmann, Blackie Collins, William Harsey Jr., Fred Carter, Rick Hinderer, Brad Parrish, Ernest Emerson and Matt Larsen.[3] Former Gerber employees who have started their own successful knife companies include Al Mar and Pete Kershaw.[3] Gerber built a line of folding knives based on designs of Rex Applegate.[3]

Models

Models of Gerber fixed blade knives include:

Models of Gerber folding knives include:

  • The Bear Grylls Folding Sheath Knife
  • The Flatiron, their only folding cleaver blade knife.
  • The Paraframe, a lightweight pocketknife.
  • The Kettlebell, a compact pocketknife.
  • The Gerber/Emerson Alliance: The first automatic knife made by either company is based on the profile of Emerson Knives, Inc.'s earlier Raven knife design and is an issued item to certain military units under the NSN (NATO Stock Numbers): 5110-01-516-3243 and 5110-01-516-3244.
  • the Gerber Gator: A single blade lockback knife with an ergonomic thermoplastic handle molded to resemble alligator skin.

Models of Gerber multi tools include:

  • The Center-Drive, known for its automatic opening pliers and bit driver
  • The Suspension Multi-Plier, a butterfly opening multi tool
  • The Truss, a butterfly opening multi tool and successor to the Suspension
  • The Suspension-NXT, a butterfly opening multi tool and successor to the Suspension

Gerber recently announced several new knives and one multi tool at the 2019 SHOT Show.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gerber Defend Collection". Gerber Gear. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  2. ↑ "Gerber LMF II Infantry Black - Fixed Blade Knife". Gerber Gear. 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pacella, Gerard (2002). 100 Legendary Knives. Krause Publications. p. 126. ISBN 0-87349-417-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Williams, Christina Dyrness. "Inside Oregon Business: Gerber sharpens edge on growth, marketing". The Oregonian, October 9, 2003, Business, p. D1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.