Gerber is a well known brand famous for its wide range of field ready chopping tools. Should a zombie apocalypse somehow come to pass, you would probably want to have a Hummer with a plow in front, a half a ton of ammo and a dozen Gerber Gator Machete Pros for you and your boys. Billed as Gerber’s premium machete, the Gerber Gator Machete Pro is reminiscent of the classic Woodsman’s Pal, which has been the outdoors man knife of choice for decades.
It’s not just another big blade on the market, but a high strength, corrosion resistant, and multipurpose tool that you can use as a machete, knife, brush thinner or even an axe. You may already be familiar with this machete, as it was featured on the popular AMC TV series The Walking Dead. The character Glen can often be seen carrying and using the Gerber Gator Machete Pro in the show.
The machete is shipped with a military grade plastic-lined mildew and mold resistant nylon sheath and a sharpening stone in its holding pouch. The Gator Machete Pro offers great balance; when holding or swinging it, you get a strong feeling of control over the blade and it sort of whips through the air with a nice whistle when swung. Below is an overview of the features that make the Gerber Gator Machete Pro standout from other blades in this class.
Materials and Build Quality
This multipurpose tool is only able to offer the advanced durability and multipurpose capabilities as a machete, axe, brush thinner and knife thanks to the selection of materials that make up various parts of the tool. The blade is made of superior high carbon steel that was designed for enhanced strength and corrosion resistance while still being easy to sharpen. The uniquely shaped blade is seated in the sturdy, newly designed Gerbers Gator tactile handle that was specifically designed to offer optimal grip and comfort when the tool is in use. The sheath is made of high strength military grade nylon, and holds the blade in a 90-degree pivot that makes it easy to get the knife out fast and with ease when it is attached to your belt hoop. Moreover, A lanyard is included to ensure that your hand keeps grasping the tool securely even if it becomes slippery in the wet
Blade Characteristics
Although the Gerber Gator Machete Pro’s blade is unusually designed, it looks and performs like a decent multipurpose blade. The blade is 10.5 inches long and has a slight curve to it that flattens out to a blunt edge at the end. The tool has an overall length of 16.5 inches when the handle is included. The blade is coated with a non-stick material to reduce friction so that you wont have to remove residue from the cutting edge too often. The knife/cutting edge, however, does not go all the way down the length of the blade as seen in the photo below.
The fact that the tip of the blade features a hook with an extra knife edge kind of makes up for this. The hook is good for removing leaves from branches, debarking branches, sharpening spears and puling and cutting away brush with ease. The un-sharpened bit can also act as some kind of hammer or blunt weapon at the end of the knife, therefore increasing the tools versatility even further.
Gerber Gator Machete Pro Ergonomics
Apart from its many functions and unique appearance, what makes the Gerber Gator Pro stand out is the ease with which one can use it. The tool comes with Gerber’s superior rubberized Gator handle that was specifically designed to be grippy while offering optimal comfort for the user. Moreover, the lanyard can be used as a safety restraint that you can wrap around the hand during chopping to increase control and comfort as well as minimize the risk of the machete slipping. The weight of the hook and extra thickness from the un-sharpened edge at the tip of the tool increases the blades balance and makes it front heavy so that you can easily use it as an axe without expending too much energy.
Stats, Weight, and Overall Dimensions
- Overall Length: 16 inches
- Blade Length: 10.5 inches
- Weight: 18 0z.
- Blade Material: High Carbon Steel
- Handle: Gator-Grip
Final Conclusion
Overall, the Gerber Gator Machete Pro is a very impressive tool. In hard chopping, the handle won’t slip thanks to the tacky rubber overcoat and the edge doesn’t dull easily even when subjected to rough use. The sheath is just adequate, although a bit awkward when suspended from the belt and the sharpening stone always does the job if used correctly to maintain and prevent the edge from dulling. Probably not ideal for an already dull blade, but good enough to keep the edge sharper for longer durations without requiring a complete resharpening. There is no reason why this shouldn’t be part of any outdoor lover’s carry gear, as it can effectively replace a hatchet, large survival knives, hammer and axe. It also comes with a full Lifetime Warranty when purchased in North America (25 years everywhere else).
That said, if you have the extra coin and need a high quality machete, I would actually recommend going with the Woodman’s Pal. The build quality of their blades and overall functionality is superior. But for half the price of the Woodman’s Pal ($35 vs $80) the Gerber Gator Machete Pro is a great value machete and multipurpose tool that gives you the same iconic blade shape; if you just happen to be a die hard fan of The Walking Dead and don’t actually need a machete, then the Gator Machete Pro would make a great display piece to further show off your fandom.
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