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Knives: Each Gerber knife comes with a special edge: An edge hand tested by knowledgeable employees with years of experience. Sure, it's old fashioned. But it's how we ensure that each knife arrives with the proper edge and sharpness. The high carbon stainless steel we use helps us achieve the superior cutting edge and standard of performance you expect. Exposure to wet conditions, however, corrodes even high performance steel. Proper care and maintenance of your knife will provide a consistent, dependable cutting edge. Use a cotton swab or toothpick to clean out the lock well and the inside of the handle. Allow your knife to dry thoroughly. Coat it with a light oil (3-in-1 or gun oil), making sure to lubricate the hinge area of the folding knives. Sharpen early and often.
Tools: A tool is an extension of yourself. The same rules apply: Stay clean. Stay sharp. Remove any salt water, dirt, fibers, etc. from the tool by rinsing it in fresh water. Use a cotton swab to clean the inside of the handle. Allow your tool to dry thoroughly. Coat it with a light oil (3-in-1 or gun oil), making sure to lubricate the hinge area of the tools and the slides for the one handed opening.
Sharpening
Modern stainless steel is quite hard and, when properly sharpened, will hold a good edge for many years. When maintaining your blade, use a quality sharpener featuring a stock removal surface of diamond abrasive, ceramic abrasive or hard stone. Diamond and ceramic materials, being much harder than steel, will easily hone the blade's cutting surface. A hard stone will also perform the task, but stone is only slightly harder than steel, requiring greater effort on your part. The most important factor in sharpening your Gerber knife is maintaining a consistent angle with the sharpening device. A varying angle will result in a rounded edge, which dulls quickly. Gerber knives are sharpened with a uniform 15° angle on each side for a total of 30°. Gerber has an extensive line of sharpeners designed especially for Gerber products.
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