- Gerber Paraframe I reviewed by Coy Starnes
Gerber Paraframe 1 closed
Gerber Paraframe 1 opened
open showing clip
The Gerber Paraframe 1 features a 3 in clip point blade made of high grade surgical stainless steel. In fact, the whole knife is made of stainless steel. I am testing the fine edge but it is also available in a serrated edge. The blade is made of 400 Series stainless steel and the handle is cut from 314 grade stainless steel. I say cut because the handle has portions removed to reduce weight. The knife weighs only 2.6 oz which is light for a 3 inch folding knife.
The Paraframe 1 features a unique locking mechanism called the Frame Lock (not to be confused with a Liner Lock). Other features are the dual thumb studs for easy opening with either hand and a pocket clip. The pocket clip is not reversible but it is very sturdy. In fact the whole knife is very sturdy.
After marveling at the sharpness I grabbed the blade and did what I call a wiggle test. The blade barely moves when pulled sideways and also back and forth in the open and close motion. In other words the Frame Lock hold the blade in the open position very securely.
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What I really like about this knife is the size and weight. A 3 inch blade is a nice working sized blade but still small enough that it can be easily carried. In fact, I have already carried the knife on a pair of gym shorts without pockets by just clipping it on the waist band and had no trouble with it pulling down on my shorts.
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Another thing I really like is the price of this knife. The suggested retail is $32 but I did a quick google search and found it for around $20 on several sites but even better, I also saw the same knife in Wal-Mart for $18. The reason I like this is, I find I fell better using a knife for rough stuff when I don’t have so much invested in the knife. But I still want a knife that won’t close when pushed from the back side like so many of the cheap liner lock knives do.
And now for the knife review. I’ve only had the knife for a week but I have already used it quite a bit. In other words, enough that I feel I can make a solid evaluation. First is the blade sharpness. All I’ll say is it shaves the hairs on my arm like nobody’s business.
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Next is easy of deployment. The pocket clip is positioned so that when I put the knife on my right side, either in my pocket or on my gym shorts, and with the pocket clip facing away from my body, the knife comes out in my right hand in the position I would normally hold a knife to open it with the thumb stud. However, if placed on my left side I need to put the clip on the inside (facing my body) to get the same results. This is good for me since I am right handed. I also prefer the right side carry with the knife on the inside because all that is showing outside my pocket is the clip.
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I have noticed the knife is not all that easy to open but still very manageable one handed. I could loosen the tension on the blade but then the blade would have more play so I am happy with the tension as is. BTW, the center torx screw on the pocket clip is also the screw that allows the blade tension to be adjusted and if loosened it will also loosen the pocket clip slightly. In fact, I could also remove the pocket clip and leave it off if I prefer. However, the pocket clip is so handy for times when I don’t have a pocket so I don’t plan to do this.
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Closing the knife is a two handed job. The Frame Lock just does not lend itself to one handed closing. However, this is true with liner lock and regular lockback knives. And since this is not really a tactical knife I don’t see this as a drawback. And speaking of the Frame Lock, I don’t know quite how to describe it but suffice it to say, the handle is cut in such a way the part of it moves over behind the butt end of the blade and locks it in place upon opening.
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I’ve already mentioned it but I think it is worth repeating just how much I am impressed with just how sturdy this locking machanism is. I took the knife and opened it and tried to force it closed (keeping my hand in a safe position in case it did). I could not get it to even hint that it might close accidentally. I then took the knife and struck it pretty hard on the back side of the blade and again it remains locked firmly in place. The reason I am so impressed is I have several cheap liner lock knives that I have been able to close without mashing the lock bar over. In other words, they would close when not meant too.
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Summary for now
There are a lot of good knives out there and Gerber is one of them. In fact, I own several myself including my favorite, the Gerber Gator. However, the Gator is too big for EDC (every day carry). I think the Paraframe 1 knife hits the sweet spot in quality, aforadability and is also an ideal size for EDC. The blade is very sharp and the locking mechanism is fool proof. The cut out handle might even make the knife easier to clean but it does help reduce the weight of the knife.
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Gerber Paraframe 1 Continued
December 28, 2009
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I have carried the knife for around 2 months now and used it in some capacity almost daily. I liked the Paraframe when I first put my paws on it and I am liking it even more now.
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I remember wondering how good the frame lock design would work and if it would ever let the blade close accidentally. Fortunately, it has worked like a champ, and has never even hinted of letting the blade close, even during some pretty heavy duty cutting.
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I also wondered how sharp the knife would stay and it has not disappointed me there either. I have sharpened it once just recently when I noticed it would no longer shave my arm hairs but again, this is after opening a plethora of packages and lots of cutting on sticks and limbs while out in the woods. In fact, the number one use was probably cutting those plastic wrapping they seem to put on so many products these days which seem impossible to get off. The second most popular use was cutting offending limbs out of my way when I figure I will be using this same trail and it was posing a danger to my eyes etc.
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One other aspect I was looking at was rust resistance. I’ve noticed just a couple of small spots on the side of the blade but they are nowhere near the cutting edge of the blade. I suspect I left a little tomato juice on the blade after cutting a tomato but can’t say for sure. I know I used it several times slicing a tomato. Below is an image showing the specks of rust. Click on the image to see a full sized photo.
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Small specs of rust on the side of the blade
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I won’t say I’m happy to see those rust spots but stainless does not mean stain proof. It just means the blade steel is more resistant to rust then non stainless steel. I still feel this knife is an excellent bargain for an EDC knife. Stay tuned and in a couple of months I’ll have another update on how well the knife is performing.
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Last thoughts on the Gerber Parafreme 1
February 4, 2010
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I am still liking this knife. And the small spots I noticed have not gotten any bigger, so I’m not even sure they are rust spots but rather some kind of stain. I know that at work I deal with some chemicals like potassium permanganate which seems like it can get on me from just looking at it…but I degress.
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We had some rather cold weather in late December and early January and I pretty much had on some big gloves every time I was outside for long. And thus, anytime I used the Paraframe, I found it seemed much smaller when wearing my gloves. In fact I would usually take the gloves off to open the knife and of course it felt just right, but as soon as I put my gloves back on and it would feel too small again. So when I got home I tried out my bigger Gerber Gator and sure enough, the Gator felt much better with gloves on. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not fussing about the size of the Paraframe I at all. In fact, its size is a big plus when wearing it with slacks etc because the Gator is just a little big for such occasions. I just think I should point out how the knife feels to me when used with heavy gloves. And to be honest, even thought it felt small, I was able to do whatever I was doing with the knife just fine. Here is a photo showing both knives. It is pretty clear that the Gator is a lot bigger.
pic of both knives
Gerber Paraframe 1 (top) and Gator (bottom)
Summary
So what is my final assessment of the Paraframe I. Quite simply, I feel like a knife is an essential tool and the size of this knife is just about perfect for an EDC knife. The Frame Lock design continues to impress me with its solid lockup in the open position. I don’t even think about it accidentally closing. I also like the blade design on this knife. I just like a smooth edged blade better than serrated ones for most task, especially whittling a point on a stick as the serrated blades tend to dig in more and get stuck while a smooth edged blade seems to produce nice smooth slices. There is something magical about watching the wood curl up as I slice off a thin strip.
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I’ll close with a thought on value. As I said earlier, I consider a knife a tool. And while I can appreciate custom knives with fancy designs and exotic handle and blade materials etc. However, I don’t want a high dollar knife out in the field where I might loose or abuse it. The Gerber Paraframe does what I expect from a knife at a very reasonable cost. And with the economy such as it is, good value is maybe more important now than ever.
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About the Author: I am from northeast Alabama where I spend a lot of my time divided among several hobbies that include backpacking and day-hiking, canoeing and kayaking, and just getting out enjoying nature.
~Coy Boy
I have this knife for about 2 years now and like it very much.
Coy,
I have a similar Gerber model (slightly smaller) and I like your description of the Frame Lock and thumb studs. I have used mine quite a bit over the last 6 months or so (mostly cutting wood and rope) and it seems to hold an edge quite well.