Gerber Legendary Blades is a maker of consumer knives and multitools headquartered in Tigard, Oregon, United States, within the Portland metropolitan area. Currently Gerber is a sub-division of Fiskars Brands Inc, owned by the Fiskars company of Finland. Gerber was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber. Gerber was the first production knife company to collaborate with a custom knife maker when it collaborated with David Murphy.
History
Knife History - Gerber Legendary Blades - Phil Rodenberg - Interview with Gerber knife expert Phil Rodenberg at the Oregon Knife Collectors Association show in Eugene, Oregon April 2008. Phil talks about the origin of Gerber, the association with...
In 1910, the Gerber family started an advertising firm in Portland, Oregon. While working for the family business, Joseph Gerber mailed 24 sets of kitchen knives to clients during the holidays. These handmade knives were very popular, with then catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch requesting more of these knives from Gerber to sell in their catalog in 1939. Gerber started Gerber Legendary Blades that same year.
In 1966, the company relocated to a new headquarters next to Interstate 5 in what is now Tigard. Finnish company Fiskars purchased the private company in 1987. Chad Vincent was hired as chief executive officer in July 2001. By 2003 the company employed 300 people and had revenues near $100 million and was the second leading seller of multitools in the United States, after Leatherman, another company based in the Portland area.
Designs
Designers who have since designed knives for Gerber include: Bob Loveless, Paul Poehlmann, Blackie Collins, William Harsey Jr., Fred Carter, Rick Hinderer, Brad Parrish, Ernest Emerson and Matt Larsen. Former Gerber employees who have started their own successful knife companies include Al Mar and Pete Kershaw. Gerber built a line of folding knives based on designs of Rex Applegate. Bear Grylls has also helped design and promote a line of survival knives and tools.
Models
Models of Gerber knives include:
- the Gerber Guardian: A boot knife designed by knife maker Bob Loveless more than twenty years ago.
- the Gerber Mark II:A fighting knife.
- the Gerber LMF II Infantry
- the Gerber 31-001901 Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro
- the Gerber 22-41121 Prodigy Survival Knife
- the Gerber Blackie Collins Clip-lock Diving Knife
- the LMF II ASEK, or Aircrew Survival and Egress Knife
- the Gerber Gator - A single blade lockback knife with an ergonomic thermoplastic handle molded to resemble alligator skin.
- The Gerber/Emerson Alliance - The first automatic knife made by either company is based on the profile of Emerson Knives, Inc.'s earlier Raven knife design and is an issued item to certain military units under the NSN (NATO Stock Numbers): 5110-01-516-3243 and 5110-01-516-3244.
Gallery
- Gerber
See also
- List of companies based in Oregon
- Knife making
- Buck Knives
References
- Birds and Bees: How Businesses Are Really Born (Section on Gerber)
External links
- Official website
