Gerber Paraframe
The Gerber Paraframe is an excellent knife. Over the years, I’ve owned 4 different variants of this knife. The overall design is well thought out, with many great features
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| Top to Bottom: Paraframe Mini, Paraframe I, Paraframe II. Photo Credit: www.campman.com |
The Good: It has an open handle design that cuts down on weight, allows for easy cleaning, and makes the knife well balanced. Some models are coated in thin film of Titanium Nitrate, applied through a process called Physical Vapor Deposition (More info in a later post). This coating protects the knife from rusting and scratching. Since the coating is a non-reflective black, it also helps prevent the knife from reflecting light(could be good or bad, depending on the situation: good if you’re trying to stay hidden, bad if you’re lost and need an improvised mirror to signal aplane).
The Bad: The steel that this knife is made from (a form of Stainless Steel) is easy to sharpen, but doesn’t hold an edge. When I was still using this knife, I had to sharpen it weekly to keep a usable edge on it. In addition, the hinge joint isn’t strong enough for prying (broke one of these this way), but that is to be expected with any folding knife. Finally, I would recommend against throwing this knife. As with most folding knives, the Gerber Paraframe II isn’t designed to be thrown (I broke 2 of these knives while throwing them).
Cost: The Gerber Paraframe II has always been relatively inexpensive. I picked mine up for around $15 each, although now they cost about $25. It is available in several different models, with both serrated and straight edges, coated and uncoated blades, and varying lengths. The Mini has a 2.25" blade, Paraframe I has a 3", and the Paraframe II has a 3.64" blade. I personally like the largest blade the most, but each has their benefits.
Overall: If I didn’t own several other knives, I would probably buy another Paraframe II, with the 3.6” serrated blade. The last one I had served me well for about a year, until I lost it. Despite the fact that it doesn’t hold an edgevery well, this knife still makes a good utility knife. Since the Paraframe is inexpensive, I really don’t mind using it for things I would never do with a nice knife, such as cutting fiberglass or metal, as a screwdriver, or a bottle opener. The bottom line is: as long is this knife is used as it is designed, it will give many years of service.
