Gerber E-Z Out JR Knife, Serrated Edge [06551], Black

The one that is in my pocket has been there now for 6 years. I just used a Lansky Blade medic to re-sharpen the edge. This knife gets picked on, which is sad to the point of disappointing. First and foremost for the price it is a great value, (my subjective opinion of course). Yes the pocket clip is fixed and it is tip down situated (oh and stupidly right hand carry only...I'm left handed if you need a hint). This maybe the one issue I have with it. But it is light small so it sits alone in my back left pocket tip up (2 of 3 problems solved). The issue I allude to is sitting down will dig into my cheek muscle, which can eventually turn into a discomfort. Again a very simple solution, which is shift it to the outside (distal) area of the pocket, which creates the inconvenience of creating an impression that I'm scratching or digging my backside. So if you are a no compromise type of person that may be a deal breaker for you...yes lots of allusion to the fact that this is a $25 pocket knife (I thinks it's $35 now?); maybe I should just find a knife that I can remove the clip, and is made of S30V, and only costs me a dollar...I'm still looking for that unicorn rainbow knife, so until then, I just have to deal with it. Speaking of $25...my blade says "Gerber, Portland Oregon"...just saying.I have a smaller hand size for a man...I can get away with wearing "small" work gloves (If you are familiar with Hyflex: size 7 fits me like a...well perfectly). And I can just get my pinky snug on the back, so if you are looking for that fourth finger grip and you have a larger hand, you might be disappointed. No lanyard hole, so that could be a deal breaker for you.With that out of the way, let's get into why I decided that this knife deserves a review and mention. I have no idea what coating is on this blade, but what I do know is that I live is Hawaii. For some that means palm trees, crystal water, and coconut wahines, but it also means that any metal tools you own, rust. And they decide that they want to rust in the most ridiculously fast way possible. I included a picture and you can see...it's pretty rust free after 6 years. I have quite a few things in carbon steel and they are already an "antique" rust orange. Garden tools have decided that they want to chase the rust Olympic gold medal! There is a pin, which appears to be for the lock back pivot, that is orange (see photo), but the rest of the knife is in great shape. Speaking of lock back, mine has been great. There is a little back play on the blade, but no side to side movement. I have never tied to dangle a 45lb plate off the tip and lift it with a cherry picker, but as far as light to medium duty tasks that you would expect to use a pocket knife for, it has handled them very sufficiently. It is a 24/7 carry and if I have a pocket it will be in that pocket. Even running shorts.When I worked in catering (Hawaii is also so darn expensive that having a weekend job is almost a right of passage), I beat the crap out of it. it stabbed at balloon towers (made a 5 min job out of an otherwise 30 min grumble fest). I've used it to cut all sorts of cordage and ties, packages, wrappers, plastic, zip ties etc. I've used it for prying (chaffer pans can get stuck when in the steam bath pan and they get hot to touch...yes disclaimer: if you have a better tool then you should probably use it instead). I've even used it to cut through thin gauge craft wire that a florist decided to use as tie downs (overly bird nest kine wraps, with no systemic pattern, in a cro magnon fashion) [description added for emphasis. see disclaimer above] for a dozen flower bouquets to the arbor. Of course the bridal party then wanted the bouquets for the reception and when asked the florist just stood there with a blank look of "I didn't think that far ahead and I also spent an hour randomly tying them on, so good luck getting them down in any short amount of time...". You get my point.The blade is a simple clip point. the thumb hole works just fine (I have small hands but fat thumbs). Maybe mine has loosened up from when it was brand new, but I have no problem with one hand open with my thumb as intended. I can even wrist flick it open or pinch the thumb hole and open with the blade side. so it is definitely true to the "e-z out" moniker. There is also a small detent so the blade has a stop at close to 90 degrees. a small but very important finger saving safety feature. With respect to the serrations, on a small pocket knife I thin serrations are ideal and I agree with the reviewer that mentioned cutting hay bale wire...that's a serrated job not a fine edge job. If I'm wood or bush crafting then yes, I would enjoy a fine edge up close to the bolster for those controlled blade functions, but for everyday utility, the serrations come in very handy, to the point where I personally have a need for serrations more times then I find myself wishing I had a full fine edge...at least for my use anyway. If I need a fine edge then I just grab a fixed blade and make obvious and intentional gestures with it, so that I don't scare the natives of course.With respect to sharpening...I hope you can see in the photo, it sharpened easily and the edge came back very acceptably. it is paper sharp and can shave hairs, so I'm quite satisfied.And with that last bit...the reason why I'm here typing a review. Dog it, ignore it, pick on it all you want; say it is worthless or cheap . This knife has come through for me for 6 years now. It has been abused. The reason for that is because it's features and attributes make it an actual pocket knife. It is light and small so it goes unnoticed until its purpose is needed. It's purpose is to cut and slice...and even saw; when cutting or slicing is required...it is there. Sawing is only recommended when there is a desperate Bridesmaid and a hopeless florist, then for that scenario: in case of emergency break glass.It's not for show, it's for putting in work. It goes fishing,, it goes hiking, it goes into an office, it goes for sweaty workouts, and it goes to formal dinners...when forced to. It does this because it is is supposed to be "cheap" and it's supposed to be a "beater". Yet here I am 6 years later, as I'm sharpening it and inspecting the edge that just went back on it, that's when it comes full circle...this has been a workhorse of a knife for me and for all that I have put it through...Trust.That's why this is not just a good knife, it's a great knife.

I think this knife is great. I've had a couple different ones in the past that but this is the smallest one I've gotten so far and it's also my favorite. I'm a petite woman with little hands and I appreciate having a knife that I can easily maneuver and fits in my hand easily. I keep it in my pocket almost 24/7 and use it constantly at work and for everyday stuff. Thankfully I haven't had to defend myself with it but I think it could hold its own in that respect as well, should the need arise.The clip is secure and not bulky. It has a little angled bit at the end of the prong which makes it much easier to slide over the pocket edge, but it does sometimes hit stuff like if I brush up against a wall with my side. It hasn't done any damage that I've noticed.It stays closed very well- even though it doesn't actually lock shut, I've never had it open by itself and I've had it bounce around in luggage and various backpack pockets during trips. You have to physically pull the blade out and the locking mechanism to keep it open is very secure.I'm also left handed and, while I think it would be better for me to have the clip on the opposite side, I haven't found that it impedes the use or makes it uncomfortable - I've never had that feeling of "ugh this was NOT made for lefties" like I do with a lot of scissors and other tools.

I have bought this knife multiple times - sometimes to keep in different places and sometimes because I lose them. I find it to be the perfect pocket knife, as it is sharp enough for most tasks, and small enough not to be intimidating to people. The serrated edge works great for cutting string and rope. The only problem I have encountered with these knives is that the pocket clip gradually loosens up and pivots somewhat. However, it still works.

I got this knife for my fifth grader. She has been wanting a knife for a while and I have been letting her use a few of my knives until she got a feel for what it meant to carry a knife.So a few things about this knife...- it is a lot smaller than I would have thought. One of the reasons I picked this knife was due to the fact that it was the first knife I had purchased on my own. The Gerber EZ out knife was the first knife I ever purchased for myself. So the JR seemed fitting to purchase as my 5th grader's first knife.- it is well made, it's made in the USA, which lends to some great quality. With that said, I was left feeling like the action was a bit stiffer than my original ez out knife.- good sharp knife, no complaints thus far - in terms of quality

Difficult to say much after having it for only two months, especially as it is replacing a knife (from another manufacturer) I had for 35 years before the spring finally corroded and broke! The good points: easy to open and close (but not one-handed), convenient to carry in a pocket (though it also has a spring clip), good grip considering its small size, and a sharp blade that so far gives the impression that it will retain its sharpness well. Just a warning - it is small, which is great for a pocketable knife for occasional use, but check the dimensions carefully and consider what you expect to use it for. Seems well made, so I expect it to last a long time.

The pic's are bit misleading in that there's nothing to compare against to show how small they really are. Enclosed is about 1/2 finger long and locked out is barely longer than your palm. The belt clip is ridiculous in that too small to really clip and clip adds almost double width to handle so pain to keep it in your pocket. Quality built Gerber knife but VERY small.