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Gerber Legendary Blades

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

American maker of knives, multitools, and outdoors products

Gerber Legendary Blades is an American maker of knives, multitools, and other tools for outdoors and military headquartered in Tigard, Oregon. The brand was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber, and is owned now by the Finnish outdoors products company Fiskars. Gerber is the "largest maker of knives and multi-tools for the United States armed forces.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1939Founded1

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OLD GERBER
Photo: へまむし入道, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Gerber Legendary Blades is an American maker of knives, multitools, and other tools for outdoors and military headquartered in Tigard, Oregon. The brand was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber, and is owned now by the Finnish outdoors products company Fiskars.2

Corporate structure

Gerber Legendary Blades is part of a group headed by Fiskars. 10 entities, 6 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

In 1910, the Gerber family started an advertising firm in Portland, Oregon. While working for the family business, Joseph Gerber mailed twenty-four sets of kitchen knives to clients during the holidays. These handmade knives were very popular, with then catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch requesting more of these knives from Gerber to sell in their catalog in 1939. Gerber started Gerber Legendary Blades that same year.

In 1966, the company relocated to new headquarters in Tigard, Oregon. Finnish company Fiskars purchased the private company in 1987.

Chad Vincent was hired as chief executive officer in July 2001. By October 2003, the company employed three hundred people, and had revenues near $100 million and was the second leading seller of multitools in the United States, after Leatherman, another company based in the Portland area.

From Wikipedia’s article on Gerber Legendary Blades, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • knife

Listed on Wikidata.1

Models of Gerber fixed blade knives include:

the Gerber Guardian: A boot knife designed by knife maker Bob Loveless more than twenty years ago.

the Gerber Mark II: A fighting knife.

the Gerber BMF: A survival knife.

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the Gerber LMF II Infantry

the Gerber 31-001901 Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro

the Gerber 22-41121 Prodigy Survival Knife

the Gerber Blackie Collins Clip-lock Diving Knife

the Gerber Strongarm

the LMF II ASEK, or Aircrew Survival and Egress Knife

Models of Gerber folding knives include:

The Bear Grylls Folding Sheath Knife

The Flatiron, their only folding cleaver blade knife.

The Paraframe, a lightweight pocketknife.

The Kettlebell, a compact pocketknife.

The Gerber/Emerson Alliance: The first automatic knife made by either company is based on the profile of Emerson Knives, Inc.'s earlier Raven knife design and is an issued item to certain military units under the NSN (NATO Stock Numbers): 5110-01-516-3243 and 5110-01-516-3244.

the Gerber Gator: A single blade lockback knife with an ergonomic thermoplastic handle molded to resemble alligator skin.

Models of Gerber multi tools include:

The Center-Drive, known for its automatic opening pliers and bit driver

The Suspension Multi-Plier, a butterfly opening multi tool

The Truss, a butterfly opening multi tool and successor to the Suspension

The Suspension-NXT, a butterfly opening multi tool and successor to the Suspension

The Downrange Tomahawk, a versatile tomahawk made of 420 higher carbon (HC) steel with a corrosion-resistant Cerakote finish that features as a compact multi-purpose breaching tool, with axe head with beveled edge, hammer head and integrated pry bar for various tactical and survival scenarios.

Gerber recently announced several new knives and one multi tool at the 2019 SHOT Show.

From Wikipedia’s article on Gerber Legendary Blades, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1939Founded Founded in Portland1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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