GERBERGear Paraframe EDC Folding Pocket Knife with Safety Lock for Everyday Carry, Gifts for Men

I work in a commercial kitchen and use this knife 40+ hours a week. Usually I'm just slicing through postal tape to open boxes, but I also use it to open food packages. This brings me to my first pro - this knife is really easy to keep clean. It gets pretty grimey after cutting through dozens of bags of poultry, but the skeletonized scales make it a breeze to wash. I never have to worry about cross-contamination from a piece of food getting stuck in the liner. I've considered switching to a knife from CRKT's M16 series, but the Paraframe just has a more open design. Also they're considerably cheaper, which is actually my second favorite thing about the knife. I previously had this exact model and lost it. Losing a $100+ Benchmade or Spyderco would have been a real bummer, but losing a paraframe was more of a minor inconvenience. There is a peace-of-mind that comes with not actually caring about your knife. If I bend the tip or chip the blade... whatever, I'm out fifteen bucks. Whereas ruining some nice M90 or S30V steel would make me pretty salty.I guess that brings us to the blade steel and the first con. I was able to find a Paraframe on BladeHQ.com that was advertised as 7cr17mov. Now, I'm not sure if that was an indication that all Paraframes are made with that steel, but I can safely assume they're at least using something similar. I'm not gonna lie, sharpening this thing every single week gets old quick. It's not difficult. I'll watch some youtube while I absent-mindedly sit with my whetstone. But it is annoying when, after only a few days of use, your knife struggles to slice though cardboard. I often use the serrations to saw through boxes, but this introduces the problem of sharpening the serrated portion of the blade. Gerber, if you're reading this, make a limited run of Paraframes with some better blade steel.Some other cons:It takes a little effort to open the knife. Even when nicely lubricated, it takes a good flick of the wrist to deploy the blade. The skeletonized frame gives you a little extra grip for this, but it doesn't just fall open like some higher-quality knives.I personally like the tip-down design for the big, loose front pocket of a chef's coat. But I can see why some people may prefer a tip-up carry.On my current one, the thumb stud spins freely within the blade. This didn't happen with my previous paraframe which makes me think it's just a small QC issue. It's not at risk of falling out or anything. It's secured in the blade. But it just makes the knife feel cheap.The pocket clip isn't deep carry. I personally don't care if a half inch of metal is sticking out of my pocket. But some people are picky and will drop 80 bucks on aftermarket pocket clips, so I guess this is a con.Some other pros:It has a nice weight to it. Some knives are so light, they feel like a toy (I'm looking at you, Bugout). But when you hold this knife, you just know that you can throw it across the room and won't have to worry about any cheap polymer chipping or snapping. It feels like a sturdy tool, but it's not some 12oz monstrosity. You could still throw it in a backpack without worrying about the weight.Aside from the thumb stud, nothing is loose after months of continuous use. All of the screws holding it together are still snug after beating on it, and the action is still factory-fresh.The Paraframe has an unfair reputation of being a "beginner's knife", but there are plenty of reasons to carry this instead of your $500 auto with s35vn steel and gold-plated hardware. Gerber is a good company. I would urge anybody in the food service industry to use this as their EDC. But this is also great for anybody who wants a solid beater knife for less than 20 bucks.

Holds up for years

I absolutely love this knife! I’ve had many over the years. Problem with some is that the pocket clip gets loose because they’re screwed into plastic. This one is all metal. Although I’ve only had it a week, everything is holding up. I’m a fireman in NYC and use this for everything. Was originally looking at a leatherman skeletool because a friend at work has one but after looking at their reviews of broken blades and pliers because of all the cutouts to make it lighter in the pocket I decided to get this. This one is still very light in the pocket you barely know it’s there. Very sturdy, very clean looking in the stainless steel. An awesome price that I would buy another if I ever had to. It’s also not that hard to close with the frame lock design. It’s just right and doesn’t have spring assist open so that’s nice too!Update: months later it’s still my favorite and it’s holding up strong with daily use!

Lightweight! Slim design, the knife lock is excellent! I luv how it locks open

So I have tried a few different "inexpensive" knives on Amazon. They either fell apart, or had trouble locking out. This one works great! It is solid, locks out easily, and the tensioner clip is nice and snug.Will buy again if I ever need it!

I haven't used it in the field yet but, based on what I inspected the product out of the box, it looks well-assembled, lightweight and simply impressive with the price I paid for. All component fittings are in a good shape and the knife itself is good looking on hands. The handle shape is designed ergonomically so I am able to hold it tight very comfortably. I would carry it out wherever I want without giving a second thought on weight concerns.The design of folding/unfolding the blade is particularly innovative and smart in terms of production and cost. I personally love it but there are some drawbacks worth to be mentioned. Both hands are required to unfold/fold the blade. It just can't be ready to use with only one hand operated after picked up from your pocket. Folding the blade to keep it safe is also not friendly and prone to cause an injury to users in my opinion. To unlock a step of blade folding operation, I had to have some force around 4-5 Ib from the tip of my thumb nail exerted on particular surface of the handle structures and this could possibly cause some fatigue in the long term usage. As a thumb must be placed in the range of blade movement while folding, you'll encounter a moderate chance to cut yourself if you don't pay attention to it. I also wish the handle plates had a better finishing because I still could visualize some burrs on edges when looking at it closely.Overall, it is a good folding tactical knife on the market. Even though there are some difficulties in folding/unfolding the blade, I still would recommend this to others but with some safe practices and procedures.

Can’t go wrong with this Gerber. Easy to open and close with one hand. Super sharp blade. Perfect size for carry and work. The serrated blade will cut anything you put in front of it and the razor sharp tip will slice with ease. Delivery was fast and this seller is top notch. I’ll buy nothing but Gerber from here out.

An excellent knife. Nothing fancy, just an excellent knife. This is my third one as I keep losing them. My fault, not the knife's.