**Item: **Gerber AO F.A.S.T. 3.0 Pocket Knife
Price: $9.99
Shipping Options: $5 Standard OR $9 Two-Day OR $12 One-Day
Condition: New
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Poopie, just bought this last month for $15.
Hey woot, send me a monkey and we’ll call it even…
Ps: not a bad knife. Not sure why people knock it…
I do not own this exact knife, but I own a similar one from Gerber and I can vouch for the quality.
The spring assist is a cool feature and I believe it is a loophole in some “switchblade” laws because you’re still considered to be manually extending the blade (vs. a button).
One thing I’m not crazy about is the “retract” mechanism. That black “slide” on the side needs to be pushed up with a decent amount of force to unlock the blade and allow for it to close. It’s nothing major, but it isn’t my favorite design.
For this price, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick one up.
Is this knife for righties only? I’m lefthanded, and I need to know if I’ll be able to operate the opening mechanism with my left hand, or will I be forced to carry this knife on my right?
Yes, when you say knives, I think of baby food right off the bat! And 3.0 - what was wrong with 1.0 and 2.0, too slow open speeds? Was that Gerber AO S.L.O.W. 1.0? Perhaps a good cutting instrument - but man I love me some humorous marketing ploy!
If the blade material is just listed as “Stainless Steel” it is likely the lowest grade of SS used for knives.
A good knife will use 440C SS and above average is 440B
440/440A SS tends to dull quickly.
In general, the Japanese equivalent for SS is AUS8A = 440B and AUS10A = 440C
AUS8A is a very good steel for pocket/folding knives and is used by extensively by knife maker Cold Steel. They also use a sub-zero quench which gives their steel extra strength and durability.
I bought my first Cold Steel knife here on Woot and have since purchased several more.
IMO, Cold Steel makes the best bang for the buck knives, but don’t buy direct from them as they are overpriced. You can find them for less on eBay/the Internet.
There are dozens of types of steel and even Carbon is used for knife blades.
Here’s a brief sample of some of the more common steel used on knives:
And more here:
There are dozens more, but these are the most common and a good starting point.
Another important factor is how the steel rates on the Rockwell Hardness Scale - too hard a steel and it will be difficult to sharpen and may be prone to chipping.
Too soft and you will end up with a butter knife.
A rating between 57-60 on the Rockwell scale is ideal as it will hold an edge and will take one as well.
If you just want a knife to open packages, boxes, etc…this knife would be fine for that but not for any heavy use.
Put it on your key ring and you’ll be surprised at how often it will come in handy.
This knife has a “birds eye” opening built into the blade, so you can flip the blade open with your thumb on either hand.
The belt/pocket clip doesn’t appear to be reversible though.
Hey doubledragon,
I just now openned mine with my left hand. "Scouts honor ".
Now closing it…is a whole other story…
No, really.
A monkey. Just one.
Even steven I swear…
I can’t tell if there is a lock to prevent unintentional opening.
Can anyone describe the safety mechanism?
I leave mine unlocked most of the time and it opens easily from the left or right. If it were locked, you would have to unlock it using your fingers instead of your thumb. However, the lock is not hard to manipulate and I can’t imagine it would be difficult to do.
The black slider/switch can be left up or down at any time. Up is unlocked and you can swing the blade out with your thumb or finger. If the slider is down, it is locked and will not open. You also have to push the slider up to close the blade if it is already open.
Everytime i see these knives they they have been sold out when i get to it. This time i was happily surprised it was not. Added to card only to find it sold out at 12:00 on the dot? The weird thing is i can still go back and add it again, just adds sold out… help woot, i really want one of these! and my card is getting fuller 
I ordered one of these the last time they were here. It’s a nice knife, but much bigger than I expected - good for keeping in the car or something but not great for a daily carry.
This is a discontinued model, but info still available at http://www.gerbergear.com/Outdoor/Knives/AO-FAST-3.0-Knife_31-000352.
And a pretty thorough review at Woods Monkey.
I bought this knife last time it was on sale, and I’m not a big fan. Main reason is that the knife is HUGE. I wish they had a photo for scale, because I didn’t realize the thing was so big. It’s barely small enough to be a “pocket” knife.
I’m with you on this one. I bought the knife but found it to be far too large to use as a daily carry. I keep it in the garage hanging on the peg-board.