GerberGear Hinderer CLS Tactical Pocket Knife, 3.5" Serrated Blade EDC Folding Knife, Survival and Camping Gear

I bought this knife with very high expectations, so, naturally, I was dissapointed when the knife did not live up to my expectations. One, the lock was loose(meaning the blade would wiggle the tiniest bit when in the open and locked position). So I took it apart, removed one of the thicker Teflon washers, left the paper thin washer in it, and put it back together. Just like that it was fixed. Two, I had bought 2 of these, one as a gift for my dad(who is a former firefighter), and the other for myself. The one with the faulty but fixable lock is mine, and the other is obviously my dad's. The fault with his is that the cutting edge was WAY off center! So I had to fix that too! So, although it is a great product put out by Gerber, I expect a little bit more out of their knives. But overall, past the faults and issues, the CLS is an awesome knife. It retains its edge pretty well, strong lock-up(once it's fixed), the seat-belt cutter is very sharp and works extremely well for cutting zip-ties and random things that a blade is too large for, solid frame, and fills the hand well and is very comfortable. Oh, and you CAN open and close the knife with gloves on...if the gloves fit and aren't too big. So would I buy another? Yes I would because if it doesn't work right, I know I can fix it.

I bought this knife to carry on duty as a police officer for one main reason - the glass break tip. I wanted a folding knife with a half-serrated blade combined with a glass breaker to free up some space since I was carrying a folding knife and a glass punch separately, so I bought this one. It turned out well because this is actually a great overall knife and not just an average one that they added a glass break tip onto. The knife's a bit larger than most knives I've carried before but with that comes a good sturdy feel and weight to it that gives me a little more confidence and it fills and fits in my hand nicely, whether I'm wearing gloves or not. When I use it to pry into something it doesn't feel like it's going to bend or snap. The glass break tip has proved itself useful and flawless when I've needed to get through vehicle windows. While I haven't had the need to use the seat belt cutter it is a nice option if I need it. The pocket clip is sturdy and doesn't come loose or bend away from the knife to where it doesn't stay tightly clipped in my pocket anymore. The knife and clip are smooth and snag-free and haven't caused any unusual wear to my pocket in my uniform pants, another nice bonus for wearing it in uniform daily. The blade itself seems durable and with the good size and good grip it's easy to use to cut effectively. Plus, in addition to being able to easily open one-handed, it is also almost as easy to close one-handed with the release switch and the bonus is that it keeps your fingers out of the path of the blade as it closes. Overall I'm very satisfied with the knife and recommend it to other officers as a good all around affordable knife for what we need.

Gerber is based near Portland, Ore., as are, it happens, several knife companies.(Need it be said that this is NOT the baby food brand?)So Portland is generally known for postmodern hippies and iron bridges (the latter of which are beautiful, if you ever get a chance to go).Turns out they also have knives. Who'd have guessed?One technical point to praise — aside from, you know, the sharpness. It has a strong and well-placed locking mechanism for once the knife is opened, and consequently a good and well-placed mode of *closing* the knife when it needs to be closed. Many of these types of knives have dicey (pun partly intended) ones, where your fingers are at risk every time you want to use them. This one's good though — you shd have no problem. Of course you are still to be wise with it.No need to get involved with the company unless you REALLY like knives. Their customer service is essentially non-existent. I asked about the right sheath for this good boy and got crickets. Still haven't heard back.Hinderer, incidentally, is the name of the designer.Though this is useful for hindering stuff, as well.

This is a well-designed knife and I depend on Gerber to do excellent designs and if i had not purchased the Buck Tops rescue knife (it did cost $35 more) at the same time, I may have given this one 5 stars.Gerber has been one of my favorite knife manufactures for the past few years with some great designs and pretty good quality, but not the quality of the products they used to make here in the USA. This is made in China from what I understand. It is good quality and should hold up for a number of years with normal use, but not a knife that would last long enough to pass down to your grandkids.This knife has a full steel lined frame and I have used the blade and cord cutter a few times. It was shipped very sharp and looks great as well. It feels good in your hands, but is very hard to open without gloves on. It wears the skin off your thumb if you work it more than a few times in a row. I understand the design for gloved hand opening and that is great too.On the plus side it is much lighter than the other knife I purchased at the same time, but that is good and bad depending on how you look at it. If you are looking for a knife that is a lower price with some excellent features and design and do not care if it is made in the USA this is a good choice. If you are looking for a knife that will last a lifetime and can be passed down to your grandkids, but is much heavier and costs more this may not be your first choice.