Gear STL 2.0 Knife, Black (2.6 blade length and 5.3 overall length)

Awesome keychain knife!! I have been using the little key-shaped fold out knives from Harbor Freight as my keychain knife solution and they have served me well, but I go through them so fast its just not sustainable. They are cheap cheap cheap so as you might imagine, they go dull after about the first three cuts and then the blade refuses to retract all the way into the 'key'. I searched to find a GOOD keychain knife and saw this one recommended on some review site and decided to check it out. It is considerably larger than my previous Harbor Freight knives and I was wary at first about its size/weight but after having owned it for a few weeks now... LOVE IT! I don't even notice the size or weight difference in my pocket. This knife is SHARP and feels very solid. Almost feels like overkill for the cutting jobs I use it for (opening boxes mostly) but it does its job well. I highly recommend this keychain knife! If i had any bones to pick with the knife so far, it would only be that the black paint is wearing off of it very quickly, revealing a brassy finish which is truly no big deal for me (the Harbor Freight knives were brass) but it did look very wicked in the all black finish, I will miss that.

I have been carrying this knife every day for a month. Razor sharp and its the lightest knife I own. The quality is nice. Its harder to close when compared to the classic buck style pocket knife but once you get use to it its not a problem. Update 08-21-19 Ok its been 4 years and I finally lost this knife yesterday. I was very frustrated with myself because I use this knife every day for something and I lost it! It was misery without it so I immediately ordered a replacement. I have owned many pocket knives in my life and this one is by far the best knife I have ever owned. The greatest feature is how thin this knife is. Its pretty much unnoticeable in your pocket. Seriously every human should own this knife. I loan it out to people at work and everyone pretty much asks me where I got it and how much did it cost. I have probably sold 30 of these just by letting people borrow mine. Its easy to sharpen and holds an edge for a long time even with daily use. Gerber - excellent knife. Let me know if this ever gets discontinued so I can buy 10 more for backup. The photos show the STL 2.0 on the right and the larger STL 2.5 on the left.

At first I was a little disappointed with this knife. I thought it was too small, not sharp enough, and hard to open. But then I sharpened it (not as razor sharp as I would like, but it always cuts whatever I throw at it) and started every day carrying it; its size makes it perfectly fit in my pocket and is always easy to retrieve. As for the one-handed operations, you just have to practice. I can easily open it one-handed now, and have learned how to close it one-handed now too. For me, I need to get my thumb tip/nail right up against the lock liner (I actually rotate my thumb so that it is a pull against the lock liner instead of a push) and press as hard as possible, the gently press the back of the blade with my index finger to close it (never press hard, it might close too fast). As soon it moves/gives, you release your thumb pressure and just close it normally. So in summary: - perfect size for EDC, I forget it is in my pocket, but am glad it's there (also fits easily in different pants/shorts) - blade is small, but very capable, for every day tasks it will cut just fine - with practice you can quickly access it, open it one-handed, and close it one-handed

Just recently got into buying these kinds of products for tool purposes (engineering student) and for self-defense. No permit needed, discreet, and quiet (no loud signaling when being used). I noticed that some people give me bad vibes since going onto campus (you never know), and especially whenever I'm out late at night walking through alleyways and such(I have characteristics that would appear at first make me "an easy target") I am no connoisseur, so this will be a basic review. Shape: I have small hands, so it fits nicely, sometimes hidden in my hand, build feels firm. Appearance: Slender; Discreet (it hangs on a keychain), can't even tell what it is unless you open it. However, the finish is easily worn: was next to a brass key and had to move it accordingly; Dislike logos, but doesn't bother me too much. There is no clip Sharpness: I honestly can't really tell between similar products, but it does what it does; had to sharpen it a little to where I was satisfied with its cutting action though. Convenience: A pain to open, a pain to close. I don't know if there are similar products that have a better open/close mechanism. Rating 4.0/5 ---- -0.5 for the easily worn finish, -0.5 for the difficulty in opening/closing. But it is pretty damn cheap. But it could be perfect, right? PROTIP: So I mentioned that it was a pain to open, but I figured out a fast draw method (takes practice). This requires it to be on a keychain. Take it out of your pocket, put your thumb and index into the little slot, with tip facing down/away from your hand. With a small radius (no need to throw a baseball pitch) and flick of the wrist, swing the keychain's center of gravity out, and the knife should open by weight of momentum; the handle will also open in the palm of your hand. You will bust a nail or two, but its either this or fiddle with the darn thing. I also noticed that for self-defense, you could leave the blade exposed, and swing the keychain a-la ball-and-chain/nunchaku; Of course, this would require some additional training for effective use in the real world (can hurt yourself obviously), but it does increase the reach distance. I tried it on the delivery box it came in, and I definitely wouldn't want that swinging near my head. Nice knife, but it does take some ingenuity to make up for what it is worth.

Going overseas? Carry ten. Use them, lose them, love them, leave them. Great for anything that needs cutting. Fabulous for impromptu bribes/gifts to local officials, their kids, or just the local logistics trooper to get yourself a new woobie. Don't get on a blackhawk without a few of these and a carton of marlboro reds, if you like getting things done! In all seriousness though, these little things have served me well since 2009, 3 tours, countless sorties. They're tough, tiny, sharp, cheap, simple, light, and you won't cry if you lose one. They're relatively soft steel, so they won't keep an edge forever, but you can get them scalpel sharp as a result. The locking mechanism is pretty bog standard and is decently effective, but the engagement of the lock isn't really as 'clicky' and sure as I would like. Sorry GREAT britons, this knife is too dangerous for you. It does lock open. Scary! Pick up a few for the shop, truck, or to teach Jr about knife safety and how to whittle his first poking stick.

Can't say enough about these great little knives. I'm on my fourth or fifth one, not because they break, but because they keep getting misplaced (equal fault lies with myself and my children). I decided to carry a small knife several years ago when I had to open a lot of cardboard boxes every day at work. Note that I am very picky about minimizing the weight and bulk of what I keep in my pockets. My phone goes in one pocket and my keys and knife go in the other. I carry only the keys I need on a daily basis, and even that much annoys me. So I require my daily pocket knife to be as small and light and unobtrusive as feasible. After trying all of the knives I had lying around the house, including belt-clipped and small pocket knives, nothing really suited me well. The belt-clip knives always seemed to be getting in the way or popping off. The knives I put in my pocket were always too big and heavy. I first found this knife in Wal-Mart for about $12 and figured I'd give it a try. It appeared to be thinner and lighter than anything I had tried, plus it looked pretty slick in all black. It was immediately clear that this was the knife I had been looking for. It is as thin and light as it looks. When it is closed, it has no sharp or pointy edges that poke me in my pocket. When it is in there with my keys, I don't even notice it at all. The locking blade is strong, but very easy to open and close with one hand. There is a little oblong hole on the top of the blade that functions well as a grip to help open it. Probably because the blade is so small and light, but I haven't ever been able to fling open this knife in that super cool way. You know what I'm talking about. However, it is very easy to open quickly with just one hand. Plus, it wouldn't be nearly as impressive to fling open a knife this small anyway. And I haven't yet been in a position where I needed to intimidate any rival gang members, so the lack of flingability is only a very minor issue. The blade is plenty sharp enough for anything I have needed it for, which mostly consists of opening taped boxes, opening envelopes, cutting tags off clothing, and occasionally cutting zip ties or string. It is also effective for sharpening pencils and trimming sharp corners off plastic. I haven't ever had to sharpen the blade, but I imagine it could get pretty sharp if that's what you needed. The knife is probably too small to effectively cut larger or tougher things. The short blade works better when cutting against an immovable object. I've tried to slice cardboard by holding it at the top and cutting down with the knife, but the blade likes to slip out. If your lifestyle requires cutting through thick or tough things such as wood, bone, or carpet, this probably isn't the knife for you. Out of the four or five that I've had, the blade on one of them was a little looser. If I had been really bothered by it, I probably could have tightened it with a hex or star key, but it was never that much of a problem for me. The only problem I've ever had with the knife is forgetting it was in my pocket when I go to the courthouse. Luckily, there is a small hole on the back for attaching it to a string or something. In a pinch, I have used the hole to put the knife on my key ring, and just toss it in the bowl to go through the x-ray machine. I haven't ever had the deputies give me any problem about it that way, but I wouldn't recommend pushing your luck. tl;dr — This is an absolutely fantastic knife that is very thin and light, making it comfortable to carry in a pocket. The blade is perfect for small, daily tasks.

First, as a relatively inexpensive, small pocket knife, the overall desjgn is OK. It is small, slips easily into a small pocket, and is very thin and lightweight. It's the details that keep it from being 5 stars. First, it's not easy to open. I saw the videos showing people opening it with one hand using a thumb on the blade cutout, but there just isn't enough clearance and the liner detent is too strong to enable me to open it that way. It's a two-handed operation. Second, once opened, it's very difficult to close, even with two hands. The liner lock doesn't project above the scales, it has no serration on the edge for grip and it's extremely stiff. Could break a fingernail unlocking it. Last, it was not very sharp out of the package. That at least was easily fixed. All in all, I guess I will keep it, but it's not really what I was hoping for.

This is an excellent little knife, very sharp, really comes in handy whether your dressed up or dressed down. So light weight I never leave home without it. Purchased my first one about 7-8 years ago, I'm so accustomed to popping it into my pocket, I accidently forgot to put it into my checked baggage prior to a flight. Big NO, NO... My bad. I quickly purchased a new one as soon as I got home.