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The Gerber Highbrow Knife is an assisted folding EDC knife with a clip, lanyard hole and ‘safety catch’. It has a range of blade finish and serration options and offers an easy to sharpen decent blade given the price point. This EDC knife punches well above its weight/price and could be used in most camp craft scenarios as well if you opt for the onyx PVD coating and serrated blade.

Full Review

The Gerber Highbrow knife arrived on the market without any fanfare or hype. It was suddenly just spotted in stores with no launch date and I found at least one person that bought this knife BEFORE it was showing on Gerbers website. This knife is very much the ‘Model T Ford’ of knives. No hype machine, simply a solid good knife that speaks for itself that’s very aggressively priced for its features. I have a few minor gripes about it but overall I keep returning to its price and reminding myself its only $52 giving it huge amounts of ‘cut for your buck’.

This no hype, no fanfare knife has a Model T Ford approach delivering just what you need but no more, with loads of cut for your buck

The Blade

The blade measures around 3 3/4 inches meaning it’ll be legal in probably all USA states. Its a drop point and I chose the option with the serrated area for ‘Im out of patience chopping’ and the PVD onyx coating to add an additional corrosion protection.

I’m going to avoid the huge rabbit hole and 27 page ‘armchair expert’ online threads debating the ‘right’ steel for a knife and slap down my own personal view here. The USA is the largest importer of steel in the world and China is the largest exporter of steel in the world. The fact that we are seeing more Chinese steel in products in the USA should not come as a surprise. We are driving cars powered by Middle Eastern Oil. Get over it.

I’m well aware that there are a wide range of steels suitable for blades but one thing I know is there is no perfect steel for a blade. The choice of material depends on intended useage. Steel is a constant trade off between the ability to maintain sharpness and its resistance to corrosion and how brittle it is and likely to break. Tweaking other metals in the blend can get you an improvement in one of those areas but it usually comes at a cost to another.

My Dive knife I use in the sea is vastly different from a camp survival and skinning knife I use to cut food and split logs. They are both made from vastly different steel. When I see endless debates online about steel quality and the idea that imported steel is vastly inferior I tend to ignore them. I also tend to not take seriously anyone that says there is a ‘perfect steel’ for knives. There isnt.

The Highbrow blade has a steel that does a reasonable job in all three areas of sharpness retention, corrosion resistance and flexibility. When you include the fact that they do a superb PVD coating option on the blade ( that instantly protects you from corrosion) and that it is priced very competitively you appreciate the difficult design task Gerber have had to navigate. Yes there are better blades out there on better knives but they cost 2 or 3 times the price and I’m not convinced they are 2 or 3 times better. I also like how easy the Highbrow knife is to sharpen.

On my ‘cut through paper’ test I got about 40 slices before it got blunt which really isn’t bad at all. I’ve tested much worse from other companies. In fact this is the second ‘Chinese’ blade I’ve tested that impressed me.

Spring Assisted Unfolding

The Highbrow has a very good spring assisted unfolding system that locks off brilliantly. In fact the spring is slightly too strong because folding it back away one handed requires a bit of concentration and pushing.

How does it Handle ?

The handle is made from Aluminium and has an anodized coating to give it slightly more grip. I noticed that this coating seems to scratch easily so if you are prissy about how a knife looks you’ll need to be careful where you put it down when its not in your pocket.

That Safety Catch

OK so I sort of understand the thinking behind a safety catch but I’ve literally never had a folding knife unfold in my pocket. The safety catch does a great job of locking off the knife but it feels incredibly flimsy and cheap. I actually tried to break it for an hour fiddling with it and it stood firm so although it feels like its very thin it seems to stand up to the job. Honestly Gerber could save a buck or two on cost here and leave it out. More is not more.

Lanyard Hole

The handle has a hole in it for lanyard attachment.

Belt Clip

The belt clip works great and has an ambidextrous set up for right and left handers but it has a very small ‘upward bit’ at the end that sticks out way too much and doesn’t seem necessary. Although you don’t notice it in your hand it does stick out a bit in your pocket. I don’t really understand why a slightly more flush clip couldn’t have been used.

Gripes

I’ve already had a little moan about the clip and safety catch but my final gripe is a silly one. The knife comes inside a box attached VERY WELL to a piece of card with a STRONG cable tie on it. My first challenge with this knife was hunting for another sharp knife to free my sharp knife.

Verdict

The Gerber Highbrow Knife is an assisted folding EDC knife with a clip, lanyard hole and ‘safety catch’. It has a range of blade finish and serration options and offers an easy to sharpen decent blade given the price point. This EDC knife punches well above its weight and could be used in most camp craft scenarios as well if you opt for the Onyx serrated version.

PURCHASE $52

Specs

Pivot Lock

Assisted opening

7Cr17MoV blade

2-tone anodized aluminum scales

Sliding blade lock

Drop point serrated edge blade

Detailed backspacer

Lanyard hole

2 position pocket clip

Ambidextrous

About Gerber

Decades of innovation and dedication have put us here. Renowned as a master of knives and tools, Gerber’s problem-solving, life-saving products are designed with the unique needs of specific activities in mind. Today that includes much more than a blade.

Founded in 1939 and based in Portland, Oregon, USA, Gerber is an American brand whose products have global reach and relevance. Carried extensively by hunters, soldiers and tradesmen, Gerber’s heritage runs deep. And we are now looking toward the future, where tomorrow’s problems will be solved by the next generation of innovations.

All Gerber products are designed and engineered in Portland, OR where many are produced. We also tap our global supply chain to create a wide range of activity specific gear for wide variety of consumers. And no matter what, every product that bears the Gerber name is backed by our famous lifetime warranty.

Quality, reliability, innovation. For over 70 years this is what our customers have expected from us. And whether our products are used to save time, save the day, or save a life, Gerber always delivers.