Gerber Collectible Vintage Factory Manufactured Fixed Blade Knives
Gerber is a cutlery company that has been producing factory-manufactured, fixed-blade knives for many years. Their vintage factory knives are considered collectible pieces and are available in a variety of types, styles, steel compositions, and handle configurations.
What types of vintage fixed knives are there?Vintage knives fall into several main categories. Some of the types of knives you can purchase from this company include:
- Hunting knives
- Survival knives
- Everyday carry (EDC) knives
- Boot knives
- Combat knives
Most knife models will incorporate stainless steel or a carbon alloy. A small amount of carbon is often used to make the edge more receptive to a sharpening stone. A few early factory-production models from the 1960s used aluminum in their blades. In some cases, the handles may also be a type of metal, or a knife might be forged from a single piece of bar stock with the handle and edge having the same material composition and similar shapes. Aluminum or stainless steel can be used for handle scales, and rubber, leather, and plastic are also common materials.
Are there different lengths and edges?The sharp edges of fixed knives come in different configurations to meet your needs. Plain, serrated, or combination edges are the three most common types.
- A plain edge is one fine, continuous line from the base of the blade to the tip. This type of edge is most common for general everyday use and tasks that require basic slicing motions.
- A serrated edge features rows of teeth all along the edge and may look like a miniature saw. This configuration allows the edge to grab or bite into the material you need to cut.
- Combination edges are a mixture of plain and serrated edges. One portion of the knife edge, usually the top half, retains the plain configuration, and the other includes serrations for sawing.
- Factory fixed hunting knives of any edge configuration vary in length from 3 inches to over 5 inches.
The tang is the portion of the knife that is unsharpened and connects it to the knife handle. The three main types of tangs you'll find on vintage knives are as follows.
- A full tang makes the knife one solid piece. The pieces of the handle are attached to the sides.
- A half tang is a partial tang that is pushed into the handle and secured with a type of epoxy.
- An encapsulated tang has the handle molded around it.