Gerber Legendary Blades‘ “Answer” is an assisted-opening tactical folder incorporating Gerber’s “F.A.S.T,” or “Forward Action Spring Technology.” At first glance it’s a fairly typical folding knife with a black-coated, partially serrated Americanized tanto blade. The handles are aluminum. The official specifications, as cited on Gerber’s website, are as follows:
Blade Length: 3.30 inches
Closed Length: 4.55 inches
Overall Length: 7.85 inches
Width: 0.70 inches
Weight: 4.90 ounces
On closer examination, the Answer is unusual in that its locking device and relase incorporate a safety that is part of the release itself. There is an ergonomic, grooved switch in the handle that, when pushed towards the blade pivot, reveals a recessed red dot. This indicates the knife is “off safe,” so to speak, and with the switch in this position, the blade can be opened with a flick of the thumb. The F.A.S.T. mechanism assists the blade open reasonably quickly; its speed is comparable to the SOG assisted openers I’ve handled, like the Flash II. To release the blade lock, one must push the switch forward again (it is forced into the rearward position when the blade opens) while pressing the blade closed against the pressure of its assisted opening spring.
The result of this arrangement is an assisted-opening knife that can be carried in the “safe” mode and then opened with two flicks of the thumb. Even if the safety is not deployed while the knife is carried routinely, it moves easily enough that it is very likely to engage in your pocket anyway. This means you must become accustomed to flicking the safety forward as you draw the knife, before flicking the thumb studs/blade stops.
The handle is very comfortable and incorporates textured inlays that are almost exactly like the first stair tape I ever applied to a stainless steel grip. There are scallops for the last two fingers near the tail of the knife, by the lanyard hole. A nice, long section of thumb grooves is cut into the spine of the knife (though I wish the blade itself incorporated these too). Traction is great; the knife is very comfortable in my hand. I did find the knife to be much more comfortable in a forward grip than in a reverse grip.
The knife flicks open under spring power and locks positively. There was no lateral play in my sample; there was a very small amount of vertical play. There’s no way to see the locking mechanism itself, and thus no way to know precisely how it engages, unless you look very closely inside the handle. There’s a bar that moves into position when the lock is engaged, and this blocks the tang when the knife is open. There was no way to capture this on camera.
The blade steel was not specified. The card that came with the blister-packed knife called it “surgical stainless steel,” which is of course a marketing term and not a specific alloy. It is not chisel ground, however, which was a pleasant surprise. The nicely sharp serrations are ground on only one side, but the primary and secondary edges of the tanto blade are ground on both sides. The primary tip was needle-sharp; the secondary tip, by contrast, was not particularly severe.
The knife cut test media, including plastic, cardboard, and paper, fairly well. Because it is not chisel ground it is not biased to one side as so many of these tanto-style blades can be. The serrations were so sharp that they shredded cloth and cardboard easily, producing fine debris. The blade held up decently but neededto be resharpened after I dulled it substantially during the test cutting.
The large pocket clip had good tension out of the packaging and allows me to carry the knife comfortably. It is securely affixed to the handle by two Torx screws. The clip is removable, but the knife is configured for right-hand, tip-down use only.
Interestingly, Gerber has made the conscious decision to market this knife as a self-defense tool. At least, that is the implication. The slogan on the packaging reads, “Fend for yourself,” and the marketing copy on the card indicates the tanto blade is “for thrusting and picking.” The card bears a sternly worded warning that says it is a dangerous tool, to be kept out of the reach of children.
Calling this knife the “Answer” begs the question of… er, well, what question it is begging. What I mean is, the knife is clearly an “answer” to something; what is the problem for which it is the solution? I would guess this is one of Gerber’s attempts to address the self-defense market with an innovative approach to both safety and fast deployment. It’s well made, ergonomic, and incorporates features specific to a “tactical” blade.