Gerber Obsidian Knife / Multi-Tool

The blade is stainless steel. What part of it is obsidian?

I have it. A little bulky, but good. Key feature for me is the safety lock. I have three boys - 7,3,18 months. I need a knife that takes an extra step to open.

Sam The Slayer

I also carry the serrated version of this upon my person, and find it to be a high quality knife product, especially for the price. It maintains an edge fairly well, and the screwdrivers are handy in a pinch. The bottle opener is crap, but is easily made less so with a little dremel work.

The knife is made in China.

I’m with you 100%.

I wish they (woot) would include that information on the posting.

Good Review and tells the type of metal composition of the blade. I just might pull the trigger on this one, not too bulky to fit in the pocket along with everything else like keys, Car Fobs, Cell Phone, Water Piks, etc etc.

Although I am a bit of a knife snob, preferring US made S30V steel knives when possible, I do have this exact model in my collection. I needed an inexpensive knife while on a business trip and found this one for $25. The blade is sharp and has so far held a very nice edge. The screwdrivers also work quite well.

At this price I do not think you can go wrong. This knife now sits in the center console of the SUV along with a flashlight and some other oh-crap items.

+1 on Woot stating country of origin as it can be a plus or a minus.

Anyone who deals in foreign manufacturing will know that some countries vary from spec much more often than others. China is one of those countries, but not the only one.

I bought the same knife for $35 6 months ago, and liked it so much I bought another for a friend as a gift. Great knife - very sharp and very solidly made.

Starts Slow Clap

Lots of love on display on today’s thread.

I’m in for a couple, and am sure I and my Dad will love them.

I didn’t say I wasn’t a knife snob or that I didn’t take a stand on buying good steel - I was making the point that most of us drop $15 without thinking about it and for $15 it really is disposable - you roll the dice. Maybe you get lucky and it works out, if not, well, it is a knife that costs about the average price of a sit down lunch with the guys from the office. Why sweat it? I don’t get people that agonize over spending $15 for a Gerber, regardless of where it is made. In fact, I don’t get anyone agonizing over $15 for **anything **unless you just are that broke, in which case what are you doing on woot! other than trolling???

IMHO - Caring about where this knife is made (for your apparently very hard earned $15) is like scoring a b a g of crap in a woot! off and then b i t c h ing and moaning when you didn’t get the flat screen TV and you actually got . . . crap. In other words, it’s a gamble at this price. If it works out, great - if not, well, if it is that big of a deal at $15, skip lunch at McDonald’s for two days and call it good, you rolled the dice (or skip the deal altogether and leave it for those that will appreciate it). I bet that it works out, though, and the quality is most likely a lot better than you might imagine. If I am wrong and it really sucks, you could always complain to Gerber. They take care of people pretty well IME.

The smell…

Hey Owners and daily carriers of this particular knife: How wide is the handle? I bought a couple Kershaw KAI 1655s from woot a while ago and I love it- it’s slim enough that you hardly feel it. I could use a knife with basic screwdrivers on it, but I don’t want to feel like I’ve got a flashlight in my pocket. (cue the “…or are you happy to see me?” jokes)

Actually it says “All Gerber products are designed and engineered in Portland, OR where many are produced” so that means more than 0 products are manufactured in the US and an indeterminate number are manufactured elsewhere.

While I won’t refuse to buy something made somewhere else, I at least would like to know the country of manufacture so I can make an informed buying decision.

That’s fine but use some common sense. If it’s that cheap, then it’s going to be Chinese. When did you ever see a knife made in US, Japan, or Germany that cheap?

Translation: you get what you paid for.

Alternate definition: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Always true. Always. Thats not saying you cant get a functional item for cheap from china. I procured two of the kershaw blades a while back on woot for cheap and they are excellent blades for what I gave for them. If you’re financially well off I highly recommend, nay its your duty, to keep your dollars for made in the USA. If you’re crushed by the economy and poor like the rest of us, we buy the most we can get for as little as possible. That means cheap crap made in foxconn like sweatshops from china.

You should get some knives for your boys and teach 'em how to whittle. Or, have them join the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Who taught YOU how to handle a knife properly?

I agree with you that country of origin is irrelevant. Gerber has made bad knives though. I own a “Bear Grylls” pocket knife and it is one of the worst knives I owned. I similar model from Vitorinox or Wenger, which normally cost less, is far superior.