Saturday, December 19, 2009

Gerber Caping Knife

Here's that Gerber Freeman Caper, out of S30V steel. This is a comparatively new stainless that is all the rage these days, as is the Gerber Freeman series.

This knife comes with either stag or cocobolo grip panels and I wanted the cocobolo. It looks almost black in the pic but is actually a very dark brown with high-quality checkering.

The knife has a 2-1/4" blade, .115" thick at the spine, with a generous finger choil and "file-work" top and bottom for a good grip. The file work is also on the top and bottom of the full-tang within the handle area. It's 6-1/2" overall and a hefty-seeming 2.6 ounces. The sheath is better than it looks and weighs almost as much as the knife. I'd rather have had a full pouch, but maybe I'll just have to cobble one together for myself.

The blade is super sharp and a keen, long-lasting edge is supposedly one of the features of S30V steel. We shall see. The knife feels very good in the hand, with good heft and control, and the fine, deep checkering on the very dark cocobolo handle scales plus the file work make for an extremely secure grip. While the knife may look small, it feels very good and capable in the hand.

I like small knives, finding them more useful than the bigger, more dramatic blades. So far it looks like this one may become a regular companion on days afield.

3 comments:

Ryan said...

Unless you are talking about fighting bigger knives aren't particularly useful. Even then they are just good if you can't carry a pistol and need something for up close.

I find knives in the 4 inch blade range to be the most useful in general.

Anonymous said...

Nice looking knife. I probably should think about adding a few to my stash of equipment.

You are not frozen out there are you?

Rich Barnes said...

hi Rio, Its a nice looking knife. As its been a good few years since this review, How is it still going for you? or have you replaced it? I recently bought the Gerber Myth Knife and so far I am loving it. Rich