Gerber

Founded 1939 · Portland, Oregon, United States · Joseph Gerber

Gerber began by accident: a Portland advertising man sent his clients handmade kitchen knives as a year-end gift, and they went down so well that he ended up building a factory. Out of it came one of the best-known outdoor cutlery houses in the world, today owned by Finland's Fiskars.

History

The Gerber family had run an advertising agency in Portland since 1910. Working there, Joseph Gerber sent twenty-four sets of handmade kitchen knives as a Christmas gift to clients. They went down so well that in 1939 the Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue asked for more to sell, and that same year Gerber Legendary Blades was born. Joe brought his sons Pete and Ham into the business, and they took the house from kitchen knives to outdoor gear. In 1966 it moved to Tigard, Oregon. It was the first production knife factory to collaborate with a custom knifemaker. In 1987 it was bought by Fiskars, of Finland, which still owns it.

Iconic models

Mark II (1966)
The double-edged dagger with the unmistakable silhouette, the model that made the house's name.
Paraframe
An open steel frame with a liner lock: probably the Gerber folder most people have carried in a pocket.
Suspension / Suspension-NXT
An open-frame multi-tool with spring-assisted pliers.
StrongArm
A fixed blade for military use with a ceramic coating and a multi-mount sheath.
Zilch
The light, cheap folder in today's catalogue, with a plastic handle and a reversible clip.

Worth knowing

Gerber was not born from a cutlery workshop but from an advertising agency: the first twenty-four sets were Christmas presents for clients, and only became a business when Abercrombie & Fitch asked for more for its catalogue.