If you are looking for a small and compact pocket or tactical knife that can be used for various purposes when outside, or something that could come in handy while camping, then Gerber is the brand to go for. Gerber is an American knife making company that offers consumer knives and multitools in a compact and functional size. Gerber has a large variety of tactical, pocket, and camping knives available in the market made up of supreme quality steel and a military-grade handle. Gerber is known to make durable outdoor knives, which will last for a long time, and can be used from cutting to scrapping, chopping, and various other purposes, including self-defense. Here you will get to know about how to sharpen a Gerber knife. If you are looking for an EDC (Everyday carry) knife, you can get a lot of different options from Gerber.
Gerberas as a brand has included a lot of new technological innovations and techniques to make sure that they produce some of the best quality knives. Gerber is known for using Sandvik steel, like the LMF II, which provides durable blades with longer life.
Since these knives are made for external environments such as day to day normal use or for camping, a lot of attention is given to its durability while making them. These knives can be used for cutting branches, creating fire, bushcraft, breaking things with the rear end, scraping wood, self-defense, and a lot more. However, to make sure such a knife gives consistent performance all time around, you would always need to sharpen it. Constant sharpening makes sure that the blade can be used anywhere to cut down solid objects and increase the blade’s sharpness. Let’s have a look at different ways through which you can sharpen the Gerber knife.
Use a Diamond or Ceramic sharpening stone
Sharpening stones are prevalent in the market and can be easily bought. Using the stone, do the file up and down in each serration along the entire blade. You will feel a burr on the knife’s edge by passing a fingernail down the blade. Keep rubbing the knife on the stone till the burr is completely removed. Once done, you will have a much sharper edge than before. Although the steel used in the Gerber knife is tough and does not require regular sharpening for an extended period, sharpening is still essential to maintain the durability and long life of the blade. Using a Diamond or Ceramic sharper makes sure that the edge is intense as both Ceramic and Diamond are much harder than steel and perfect for sharpening them.
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Maintain an angle
Sharpening your Gerber knife while maintaining an angle is very important. If you do not hold the blade’s angle while sharpening it, it will lead to a rounded edge. Gerber knives mostly have an edge of 15 degrees on each side. Make sure that the knife is adequately angled while being sharpened.
Electronic or Manual Sharpeners
If you are not into sharpening your knife manually on a stone, then another popular option is using an electric blade sharpener. It merely needs you to put the blade in the machine while it shapes them. It is one of the easiest and hassle-free options. It will not sharpen the knife as good as a hand sharpening method but will do a satisfying job. Apart from the electrical knife sharpening tools, one can also prefer to buy the less costly manual knife sharpener, where you will have to move the knife back and forth in the knife sharpener to get a razor-sharp blade. Although it is a time-consuming process, the results you get are good.
Maintain the knife to retain sharpness
Apart from these knife sharpening techniques, many other useful tips can help increase the life of the blade and increase the time for which the blade remains sharp. These would include protecting the knife’s blade by covering it in a sheath, which protects the blade from coming in contact with any surface, while not in use. The sheath can substantially increase the life of the blade. Make sure you buy a sheath separately if you are not getting one with your knife. The second thing that a user needs to make sure is that the blade remains dry. Washing the blade and keeping it wet could increase the chances of rust and corrosion. Make sure that no matter how you wash your knife, it has been completely dried with a cloth after being washed. Also, adding a bit of oil to the blade of the knife will protect it from rust.
Conclusion
So here are a few tips and tricks that one can use to easily sharpen their Gerber knife. Although these knives do not require any kind of sharpening for a long time, one should maintain these blades to increase their life. Since these EDC or outdoor knives are not used on delicate objects, they would require a user to maintain the sharpness. Taking care of these small tips and tricks will make sure that you can quickly sharpen your Gerber knife and you get the same usability throughout.
