[/quote] Man, I sent back their telescopic pruning saw 3 times to the factory for repairs and replacement. Finally, I gave up on it and bought a different brand.
I had a pair of Gerber hand pruners -broke.
I have a heavy duty Gerber hand saw -tip of the blade broke twice.
The Gerber Bone saw went dull after one season of use and, due to the hardening process cannot be re-sharpened. $20 piece of crap.
Gerber machete: absolute piece of crap, this miserable excuse for a tool. The blade doesn't even run the length of the handle. Factory sharpness is a joke and the blade is extremely flimsy. Certified piece of crap.
Gerber skinning knife with gut hook. I used it for two seasons with no problem, but it developed a snag at some point. I had to file the blade down and reset it. After reseting the blade and putting the final touches on it with a ceramic sharpener, a chunk of the blade crumbled into dust.
Its all cheap Chinese steel and often time poor designs. Spend the money on a Benchmade or other quality blades. -they'll last much longer and retain their sharpness. [/quote]
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Poser, you and I are the same type of guys. We use our tools as "man tools", and put them through the hard, tough work that we use them for. We expect our bladed tools to work hard and work well. Unfortunately, most of the lesser priced stuff is a case of "You get what you pay for."
I too have been disappointed in most of my Gerber products, but I temper that disappointment with the fact that they didn't cost that much to start with. When mine break or otherwise cease to function, I throw them away.
What I've found through experience is that there is a reason why some bladed tools are more expensive than others. That reason: Quality.
While some people will always be satisfied with inferior performance from inferior tools, those of us who use blades professionally, everyday, or as serious outdoorsmen know that there's somethings you can't skimp on. Quality blades and construction being two of them.
Yeah, I'll probably buy one of Bears knives just "because" (because it's a cheap new toy). But I'm expecting 20 dollar performance out of a $20 knife, so I shouldn't be disappointed.
But when it comes to the blades my life depends on, whether in the woods or the city, I ALWAYS go for quality steel and construction.
(As a side note, I don't buy fixed blade knives or machettes that don't have full-tang construction. I figure if the manufacturer is cheaping out a dollar or two by skimping on putting enough steel through the handle to guarantee support, then they are probably skimping on performance also. Full tang only on fixed bladed tools.)
