EDITOR'S NOTE: This weeks posts are all devoted to a topic that is near and dear to every Gear Geek but is hard to quantify and verify--quality control. This first post is about quality control gone bonkers.

Everything in this post has been verified by use of the Consumer Protection Safety Commission website. Where possible, links are provided so you can "see the work" and follow along.

Here is the quote from Consumer Protection Safety Commission:

"The locking mechanism on the spring-assisted blade can fail to engage properly, causing the blade to fold during use, posing a laceration hazard."

That sounds bad, right?

How about this one:

"The Uppercut sheath does not hold the knife securely, allowing the knife to come out of the sheath unexpectedly, posing a laceration hazard."

Or this one:

"The Parang machete can cut through the stitching of the sheaths when the blade is taken from or replaced in the sheath, posing a laceration hazard."

Or this one:

"The knife in the axe handle can come out when the axe is used for chopping or hammering, posing a laceration hazard to the user."

Or this one:

"During use, the back of the blade of the knife can slide past the blade support, posing a laceration hazard to consumers."

Or this one:

"The saw side of the machete can stick in wood during use, and if the user's hand slips off the handle and slides forward across the machete blade, this poses a laceration hazard."

Or this one:

"The latching mechanism for the knife's interchangeable blades can unexpectedly fail and release the blade. This poses a laceration hazard to consumers."

Or this one:

"A weakness in the area where the handle meets the blade can cause the handle or the blade to break during use, posing a laceration hazard."

All of these recalls affect one brand of gear--Gerber. Do you know how many recalls Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw, and Cold Steel had combined in the history of the CPSC database? ZERO. Buck Knives has one. Since 2007 Gerber has 8.

In order from above those are recalls from the Instant (no actual injuries reported, unit must be replaced), the Uppercut (one actual injury reported, unit must be replaced), the Bear Grylls Parang (eight injuries, unit must be replaced), axe/knife combo (five injuries reported all requiring stitches, unit must be replaced), the EAB (eight injuries, some requiring stitches, unit must be replaced), Gator machete (five injuries, all requiring stitches, units must be replaced), Winchester Hunting Knife Set (no reported injuries, unit must be replaced), also the Bear Grylls Parang (one person injured requiring stitches, unit must be replaced).

Gerber's track record is so bad--they release this brand new flagship knife, run a huge commercial campaign, perhaps the largest ever for a knife (the "Hello Trouble" ads spots, which appeared in TV broadcasts of major sporting events and were brilliant), and then a month or so later they had to recall the knives. Ugh. Since 2007 they have had 8 separate recalls (search results for "Gerber Legendary Gear" found here). Its safe to say, I am not buying anything from Gerber other than a Shard for a good long while.

But it is worse than all that. They have fallen from lofty heights. The Covert was a great design. In the early to mid 80s Gerber was hitting it out of the park. They were the first US company to use ATS-34 (I believe). They were just on a roll. But this Gerber and that Gerber have very little in common, other than the name. This isn't just a company that doesn't pay attention to details or has gotten unlucky. This is a company that cuts costs to the point where they make unsafe things. One recall is bad. Two is terrible. Eight over a span of 7 years, two of which involve the SAME PRODUCT is crazy. A fixed blade knife AIN'T complicated. Its not a car. How can they screw it up so bad that it had to be recalled TWICE? And this wasn't just some cosmetic flaw either:

Image courtesy of Bushcraft Romania

The recalls impacted hundreds of thousands of units--all of which were inexpensive, all of which were sold at large retailers, and all of which were made in China. This is not an indictment of Chinese made goods. There is a lot of good stuff being made in China, but just like everywhere else in the world, you get what you pay for. You pay crap, you get crap.

Gerber has been adrift for a long time. Since they were bought out by Fiskars, Pete Gerber, the founder of the Legend, is basically the landlord and that's it. They have a few legacy models that are still well regarded, but they are exorbitantly expensive, given their materials and fit and finish. Jeff Freeman, one of their lead designers, was on Episode 30 of the podcast and he believed that Gerber was in the midst of a turnaround. The turn radius of the Seawise Giant was three miles. Given the size of Fiskar/Gerber and just how far they have to go back to get to respectable, its going to be a long haul. Without folks like Jeff Freeman on board, that turnaround is going to be even more painful.

Gerber is a lost company, a withering brand, and a punchline at this point. They are done as a serious gear company. They have been for a while, but its taken me this long to see it. They will release things like the 39 and get coverage on shill sites (because who doesn't?). They will continue to populate the shelves at Dick's and Wal-Mart and Target. But its over for us. They aren't a gear company. They are what the CPSC labels them as in their reports: an importer. They make ads (or more correctly they get ads made for them). They MIGHT design stuff. Maybe. But they aren't something folks like us need to pay attention to anymore.

The legend is dead. Gear geeks are worse off for it. Hopefully a phoenix will rise from the orange and gray ashes.