Designed for watch pocket carry, the Gerber US1 Folding Knife offers a 2.5 inch locking blade made of 420HC steel and a handle made of glass-filled nylon (gfn) with rubber over-mold. Since it lacks a pocket clip or provision for one-handed opening, it does not qualify as a modern everyday carry (EDC) knife. But with the addition of an aftermarket deep carry pocket clip, I found the knife to be quite useful as a daily companion.
The US1 is made in the USA as its name suggests, and it cost just $23.95 at www.bladehq.com at the time of this writing.
Although it is reasonably priced and American-made, the US1 would not be my first choice in a folding knife. But even though I don’t believe that the US1 is the best possible knife choice, it is by no means a bad choice, especially for those who do not particularly value one-handed opening.
Background
I have a special soft spot in my heart for American-made knives and for knives that cost less than $50. So when I ran across the US1, a knife that checked both of those boxes, I was interested. I placed my order, and the knife arrived less than a week later.
First Impressions
The plain edge blade has a black oxide coating that proved quite durable throughout the testing period. It opens with a nail nick. Thumb studs or a thumb notch would definitely improve this design. Generous jimping on the back of the blade allows for excellent control during precision cuts. The rubber over-mold on the gfn handle also helps to provide an excellent grip.
A lanyard hole in the handle is not quite large enough to accommodate paracord.
The knife is “designed and engineered in Oregon.” This led me to wonder once again how so many fine companies can survive in a political environment that seems hostile to so many basic human freedoms and to common sense.
The limited lifetime warranty on the US1 covers defects in material and workmanship for the original owner only. Quite reasonably, this warranty does not cover damage due to misuse or abuse. The list in the product box that describes misuse was quite detailed and extensive. It includes such items as chiseling, ice picking, awling, and prying. I have actually used knives for all of these tasks, so my status as a bad knife owner is firmly established.
The knife was shaving sharp right out of the box. It is nice and light. The lock back fastens solidly and releases easily and reliably.
My Testing
I slipped the knife into the watch pocket of my jeans and carried it during two separate testing periods separated by almost a year. During my testing, I used the knife for a wide variety of different tasks:
My wife, “Kari”, used it to trim Christmas wrapping paper to the correct size for wrapping presents.
I cut a bad spot from an apple while eating lunch.
I trimmed a box to a more convenient size for wrapping a Christmas present for Kari.
I opened packages of mozzarella cheese to shred for pizza.
I cut pieces of fruitcake for Kari and I to enjoy as a Christmas snack.
I opened the packaging for several rifles that I was testing.
I spread peanut butter on a mousetrap bait pedal.
I opened shipping packages of Christmas gifts that the Elders of our church would be delivering to our widows, widowers, and shut-ins.
I opened shipping packages of Christmas gifts for our grandchildren, “Cicero”, “Ernest”, and “Ginger”.
I opened a package of padded envelopes so that I could mail birthday presents to a couple of our missionaries.
I used the knife to cut seams so that I could flatten a box. The box was to protect the work bench in the pole barn from blood stains while I was skinning a rabbit.
I opened a shipping box containing a Christmas gift for our youngest daughter, “Rivka”.
I opened a package of thank you notes so that I could thank people from our church family who had given me Christmas gifts.
I opened a box of chocolates that the church staff received from a ministry partner so that it could be shared in the break room.
I opened the shipping and packing boxes for a watch that I was testing for a review on SurvivalBlog.
I removed the o-ring from the oil filter cover on Rivka’s car so that we could replace the o-ring with a new one during an oil change.
I opened a bag of rock salt for de-icing our sidewalk.
I opened Christmas presents from Rivka.
I cut small branches that I had missed with the chainsaw from rounds that I was preparing to split.
I cut cardboard to use as tinder for starting a fire in the fire pit. The fire was to roast hotdogs for Cicero, Ernest, and Ginger.
I cut a piece of string and a piece of twine so that I could tie a couple pair of gloves together. Then I hung the gloves on the pegboard in the pole barn for future use.
I sharpened a carpenter pencil to mark wooden blocks for cutting. The blocks would be used to mount sliders on the island in the kitchen.
I opened the dog’s monthly dose of heartworm medicine.
I opened a package containing a boat quick-snap that I purchased at a thrift store for $1.00. We don’t have a boat, but I thought that the snap might be useful for other purposes.
I cut chunks of chocolate from a giant Hershey Kiss that Kari gave me for Christmas.
I opened a package of devotional books so that they could be distributed in the church foyer.
I opened three cases of Bibles. Our church gives a free Bible to anyone who comes to our church and needs one. These are real Bibles, unlike the Sharp’s rifle “Beecher’s Bibles” ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beecher%27s_Bibles ) that were distributed in Bleeding Kansas prior to the American Civil War.
I opened a package of flyers from the local crisis pregnancy center to be distributed with our church bulletin on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
I cut electrical tape to repair a damaged vacuum cleaner cord.
I opened a case of mini-books from New Growth Press. We are planning to make these mini-books available in the church foyer. They deal with a host of contemporary issues from a biblical perspective.
I opened a bag of deer corn to feed a crippled, pregnant deer that was visiting our property along with her friends.
I opened a box of snow and ice melting mats for our side porch steps. Water drips onto the steps from a valley on the roof, so the steps are often icy.
I opened a bag of bird seed.
I opened the package containing my new SurvivalBlog archive stick for 2005-2024.
I cut the tape that was holding the lids shut on a couple of boxes of drill bits.
The knife handled all of these tasks well along with a host of others.
The Deep Carry Pocket Clip
I quickly discovered that the watch pockets in some pairs of jeans are larger than the watch pockets in other pairs. In general, the cheaper the jeans, the skimpier the watch pocket. The US1 fit well in the larger watch pockets, but not in the smaller ones.
During the time that I carried the US1 in my watch pocket, I was also able to carry my Leatherman Skeletool in my left front pants pocket. Since the Skeletool is my favorite EDC blade, I was happy with this arrangement. The problem was that even in watch pockets where it fit well, the US1 tended to dig into the palm of my hand when I reached into my right front pants pocket for my car keys. This was bothersome enough that I eventually attached an aftermarket deep carry pocket clip to the lanyard hole of the US1, and then clipped the knife into the back corner of my left front pocket. Although I could no longer carry the Skeletool, this worked amazingly well. If you have a folding knife that does not have a pocket clip but it does have a key ring loop or a lanyard hole, I highly recommend adding a deep carry pocket clip to the knife.
Conclusions
The US1 is a decent, inexpensive, American-made, folding knife that is hampered by the lack of a pocket clip or any provision for ambidextrous one-handed opening. As such, I cannot really recommend the knife for everyday carry.
If you have a favorite folding knife that lacks a pocket clip but that has a key ring loop, lanyard hole, or some other attachment point for a deep carry pocket clip, I highly recommend that you consider the addition of the aforementioned clip. I was amazed by how much the clip increased the accessibility and carrying comfort of the US1.
Disclaimer
I did not receive any financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
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