Gerber Gear Fastball - Slim, Lightweight Folding Knife with Lock Release - Pocket Knife with 3-Position Clip - EDC Gear - 3", Urban Grey

This knife was as perfect as I could imagine. From the first opening, it was as slick as they come. Quality was excellent. Assembly was perfect, as was blade centering. The knife was so good, it's boring. I'm not fan of (dirt-magnet, soon-to-be-scratchy) ball bearings, but at least they were greased from the factory. Generally they are not!It's slightly on the small side, which surprised me. It's in the mid-size category I guess, but only barely. But because of that, it carries discretely. It has only the essentials. I'm not a fan of flippers or liner-locks, but the ergonomics of the controls on this knife are such that they don't get in your way. However this depends on your hands. I have long, skinny fingers. If you have big hands, this knife may not be for you.Unfortunately it has pocket clip, which I loathe. It least it's a deep pocket clip without multiple bends. And the edges were radiused and polished, but it would probably still stratch the paint on cars.So how pokey, slicey, or choppy is it?Very pokey (for a sheepsfoot profile!), somewhat slicey and not good for chopping.My sharpness scale, from dull to sharp: Wooden Dowel > Butter Knife > Letter Opener > Dollar-Store Razor > Utility-blade Sharp > Usefully Sharp > Dangerously SharpThis knife: Level 1 Letter OpenerComments: Typical grinding-wheel factory sharpening. Sort of annoying, since it's S30V and takes more work to fix. But it was consistent in both angle and edge, from end-to-end.Overall, it's the most well-executed knife I have in my collection.

I'm a knife fan/user but I've never purchased a $100.00 pocket knife before so I wasn't completely sure what I was going to get. This Gerber opens like butter - super smooth and without much effort. I like the flat aluminum sides, although some additional texture wouldn't be missed. The blade is razor sharp out of the box so I don't have to do any work there. The QC on my knife was fine - no issues with edge grind or blade alignment. I guess if Gerber really wants to get back into this market they may need to do a little QC on fit/finish to make sure only the best product leaves the building. At $100.00 you're getting a S30V (premium) steel blade that out performs most of the knives typically compared to the Fastball. It's really a discount compared to some of the competitors putting out knives with similar level steel and features. I'm very happy with what I got. Glad to see Gerber stepping it up!

After a couple weeks of use, I have come to really enjoy this knife. It's well balanced and I like the weight.. The handle is simple, clean and modern (no extraneous BS). Out of the box it is very sharp and the action was smooth. After using it, it has gotten even better. I am thoroughly impressed with the way the blade actuates, a simple detented manual flipper, with no additional moving parts, so less possibility of broken parts.I like the way it carries in my pocket (not bulky at all), tip up and just sticking out enough to be able to grab it with my gloves on. The blade is strong throughout it's length (And I know that from use, not cutting Kleenex in the air).100% American designed, developed and made! And, for $100.I'm beyond pleasantly surprised, I am very happy. Good job Gerber.

If you want a Flipper/liner lock that's made in the USA, at a price that wont make you feel guilty, this is what you want. The action is great and there's no slop in the pivot. The blade is a functional shape, sturdy, and arrived sharp.The belt clip provides good retention while not being obtrusive, but I feel like it could be designed to provide a deeper carry. The screws retaining it came loose but I re-tightened with some loctite and so far it has held.This is a good knife.

Very nice fit and finish knife. With ball bearings operates smoothly and fast. Sharp out of the box.Thanks to GERBER for making a 100% made in USA knife for a change. I also bought a BUCKknife advertised as made in USA and when received box said made with imported parts. I only seeMade in USA on the Gerber box the Fastball comes in. Not sure why the black one is $5.00 morethan the silver or green but I suspect it's just marketing. I like the silver since it would be easier to see on the ground if dropped. Thanks again to GERBER and other companies that make stuff in the US.

I gave it one star for EDC, but it is a pretty good knife if you don't mind having a very heavy weight clipped to your pocket that takes up a lot of room inside of it. BTW, it is made to spring open with a very light touch but doesn't have a safety. I'll keep the one I ordered just because I like the way it looks, and because I like Gerber knives, but I don't think that I'll use it much. IMHO, for EDC you can't beat the Benchmade Mini-Bugout or the Spyderco Para 3.Oh, it did arrive SHARP!

I use the knife for personal protection and for BAD DOG OWNERS. I got the Urban Gray. The blade and handle are shinny and when held open,...it is intimidating! I stress this is only for defensive purposes; but I do use it to cut open boxes or to substitute as scissors. I do not use the pocket clip and I do not put a rope or string on my knife and hang it out of my pocket; that is tacky and not proper attire for an office setting. The blade is sharp, it is feather lite and is easy to deploy/open. My intent is to take care of this knife and keep it for at least 20 years,...

At the moment, this knife checks the most boxes for me compared to any other EDC pocketknife that I have considered. Size, weight, blade shape, steel, grip, made in the USA. The price is maybe $10-20 higher than ideal, but that is okay since it's made in the USA and it's still within my budget for an EDC. Easily 5-stars from me.