Gerber STL 2.0

Product Description:

Brand: Gerber

Weight: 1oz

Length Open: 5.1"

Length Closed: 3"

Thickness: 0.2"

Blade Type: Drop point, Fine edge

Blade Material: 440A stainless steel

Handle Material: Stainless steel with titanium coating

Opening: Manual, Thumb slot

Pocket Clip: No

Locking: Yes, Frame Lock.

Lanyard Hole: Yes

Price: ~$14

Opinion:

Pros:

This knife is very small and light, hence the L in STL (Strong-Tough-Light). Due to its thin frame it is very easy to slip this into a pocket and forget about it until it is needed. It also has a lanyard hole, which normally does not matter to me but without a pocket clip I carried this knife on a key-ring for a couple of years. I also really like the frame lock as it feels very secure. One last thing to go over here is the blade, obviously it is short due to the overall size, but it is just right for most of your small tasks and it won't take up too much room or be uncomfortable to use.

Cons:

My biggest gripe is that this knife isn't the easiest to open. Instead of studs or a similar design the STL utilizes a small notch at the top back of the blade. This layout forces you to open with two hands. For most people this may not be a problem, however I have just gotten used to the ability to open with a single hand. I guess I got a little spoiled on that considering for years most of my knives required both hands. I do want to point out that Gerber does say the notch makes it easier for one-handed opening but this is not the case for me. It would also have been nice to have a pocket clip, however I understand that this design may not have really fit a clip. In addition the small size makes it easy to carry other ways.

General Thoughts:

Unfortunately, I don't really carry this knife that often anymore. Like I said for a while I carried it on a key-ring so that I could always have a small but sturdy knife available. However, now that I do not use that set-up it doesn't find its way into my EDC very often. It is slightly to long to rest in my coin pocket but doesn't have a clip to hang in my pocket and I don't like loose items at the bottom of my pocket. The STL is still a good knife I just wish I had a better way to carry it. I want to point out one last thing, I have had this knife for years and don't know if it is the exact same knife that is offered now but I cannot find any earlier version so I am listing it as the STL 2.0 version. Even if it is not the correct match, the specs were correct so I can't find an actual difference. Just a small disclosure there.

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