Home / Knives / Gerber Launches G1 Series with Super-Premium Propel Automatic

Gerber Launches G1 Series with Super-Premium Propel Automatic

May 31, 2017

Gerber is providing KnifeNews readers with an exclusive first look at their brand new G1 Series of limited edition, high-end knives. The Portland, OR company envisions the G1 lineup as an annual limited release series. As the series evolves, there may be line-exclusive models but for now the plan is to elevate existing designs with top-shelf materials and hand-crafted finishes. The pilot for the new line is the G1-001, a premium version of the company’s popular Propel automatic knife.

Each American-made G1-001 is built by Gerber’s Prototype Team, made up of four skilled artisans with many years of knife making experience. For the 3.5-inch spear point blade Gerber implemented a laminated steel configuration developed exclusively for this knife. A Hitachi Blue core sandwiched between 410 stainless steel cladding allows for high cutting performance at the edge and better stain resistance and toughness on the outside. “We thought it was really important to step into a different type of steel,” says Karrson Koivisto, Product Manager at Gerber. This is the company’s first ever laminated steel offering. “Going into a bi-metal steel was exciting for us.” The G-10 handle scales have been replaced by milled and chamfered titanium ones. “Putting out this caliber of knife we wanted to make sure we looked after every detail,” Koivisto says.

Gerber G1 Series G1-001

Almost every knife Gerber produces spends some time in intensive R&D with the Protoype Team, but the G1 series gives them a real opportunity to strut their stuff. “We’re trying to create some transparency about the incredible craftsmanship that goes on here,” Gerber’s Andrew Gritzbaugh tells us. The company estimates that a single G1-001 takes around 60 hours to produce. “No two of them are exactly alike,” Koivisto adds. “This is as ‘custom’ as Gerber has ever been.”

Koivisto goes on to say the series is the culmination of the company’s renewed attention to the enthusiast community. “We’ve become the people who know a lot about knives and know a lot about everything that goes into them. The natural outcome of that is creating products that are more discerning.” The pressure was on in elevating this well-regarded user design. “It’s easy to cut corners and make a pretty looking knife but this needed to be totally thought out.”

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The G1-001 is limited to 20 pieces and will be available for purchase at booth #736 on day 1 of Blade Show. 2017 marks Gerber’s first appearance at the custom knife show in seven years. The G1-001 costs $500, with all proceeds given directly to the American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI). Each knife comes with a custom Pelican case and a serialized tag made from the same steel as the blade.

Knife featured in image: Gerber G1 Series G1-001

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