The Gerber Gator Machete has been on my radar for quite a few years now. Not in a “I want to test it” kind of way, but rather, the reviews I’ve read of this tool have been so piss poor that with any sort of common sense, I should really avoid this one. Nonetheless, for you, my readers, and realistically for my own twisted sense of wanting to understand whether the hatred revolving this tool is actually warranted, I will be giving a fair shot to this tool, and getting to the meat of the matter.
Essentially, the question I wanted answered at the root of all the poor review madness is this: Is the Gerber Gator Machete a good tool, or is it no more than mass produced garbage conceived by marketers to fill a slot (the machete slot) in the monolithic Gerber product range?
Gerber Gator Machete Fixed Blade Outdoor Knife – Amazon / REI
Right off the bat, you can tell this thing is a Gerber. Its aesthetics are stereotypically over the top, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in my eyes, as diversity is the spice of life and all that. That being said, the Gerber Machete is 100% not your South American “Latin” Machete (they aren’t going for the same type of machete that Cold Steel was after with these behemoths). It’s definitely from the same ancestor, based on the lines of the blade, but it got drunk along the way, and here we have it, the kooky offspring.
Heavily molded handle with lots of “ergonomic stuff” and a (mediocre) saw back, it is garish, but in my opinion, in a fun kind of way. Much like the Gerber BG Parang that I reviewed 2-3 years ago, this is definitely a love it or hate it aesthetic. I can’t say it’s my kinda thing, but I own so many “standard knives” that when I handle something off key I automatically pay more attention. Your mileage of course may vary.
From the distance and holding it superficially, have to say, I was quite excited to test this sucker out. The handle appears super comfy and the blade, whilst featuring some rough machining marks, is aesthetically pleasing with its matte-ish, black oxide coating.
So, dimensions are pretty standard for a Latin machete. We have 25.7 inches of overall length, of which 18 inches is the blade. Total weight is 18 ounces. Pretty unassuming stuff, and similar to most machetes in this category.
The oversized molded handle does lend the Gerber Machete the appearance of size beyond its dimensions though. It feels larger than its actual size suggests.
The grip has the now ubiquitous Gerber “Gator” pattern. It’s quite pleasant in a tacky, tactile sorta way. A soft rubber over-mold on top of a plastic frame; if I had to guess, I would say it’s ABS or something to that effect. If nothing else, it’s interesting. I can’t think of any other machete with such a unique handle and ergonomics.
You can also notice the 2 hex screws. Their purpose is confusing, as I do not see replacement blades as being available, and for such an inexpensive tool it’s not like the bulk of the investment is in the handle. Should you unscrew it, you will find an almost embarrassingly weak construction with regards to the tang. An object is only as strong as its weakest point and, unfortunately, with the Gerber Gator Machete, the lack of foresight with regards to toughness is pretty shocking. The tang only extends 1-2 inches beyond the hex screws, which gives the tang a total length of 2.5 inches. Why they would cheap out like this, I do not know. But if you spend some time Googling or on the Amazon.com product page, you will see that this is (predictably) a common point of failure.
Regardless of any pros it may have, this rules the Gator Machete out completely as a viable survival tool in my opinion.
The stock is suitably thin, like a machete should be. Sadly, the edge is quite obtuse, but at that price point I did not expect a light saber. The serrations are the standard cheapo type (unlike the extremely high performance Bahco Laplander I recently reviewed) that predictably produces a subpar end result (more on this later).
Hole in the blade? I don’t think its viable as a fulcrum, so frankly I am flummoxed as to its existence. With that said, I have seen this on other machetes, so perhaps I am missing something. If you understand why it’s there, please let me know in the comments.
Saber grip is quite comfortable. As you can see below, the guard forms a nice ramp for your thumb, and prior to swinging it for the first time, I expected that comfort would be second to none as far as machetes go. I wasn’t disappointed, as garish as the design may be, the ergonomics are quite pleasant. Sadly, they don’t make the machete perform any better.
One of the (many) reasons I don’t like saw backs is due to the inherent difficultly in using the knife/chopper/machete as a draw knife. For debarking, I find that technique to be very useful; the serrations, however, get in the way, and, in my opinion, provide very few benefits.
Thankfully, the serrations are of poor quality so they won’t pierce skin. Not sure if this is a dismal failure or a marketing feature. At this point, I was becoming more and more skeptical.
So yes, draw knife is a no go, but before I write it off as a negative, let’s test out the saw and see if the trade off is worth it!
Nope. Absolute garbage. It’s not a saw, it’s a notch maker, and that’s me being generous. If you think this is a viable saw, please go try a Silky or Bahco, and then come back to me.
Preemptively: you’re welcome.
Tiny notch. Not worth the physical exertion it took to create. Not impressed at all.
Now on to chopping. For a relatively thin branch (2.5 inch diameter) it wasn’t useless. The edge was obtuse and the blade liked to bounce, but it could make (some) chips fly. No where near as good as the Gerber Bear Grylls Parang, though.
The thickness of the edge meant that I had to really hammer down. It actually wedged itself pretty darn good, as you can see below.
Whittling is never going to be ideal with an 18 inch blade, but sadly the Gerber Gator Machete has a primary hollow grind with a piss poor edge on the secondary bevel. On another note, the guard gets in the way and from a bushcraft perspective, its applications are limited.
In theory you can choke up, but once again that guard just digs into the palm of your hands. This is designed for traditional machete use only.
The ergonomics throughout my little tests were up to par. I find the slight hourglass contour to be comfy and the rubbery tacky overmold to offer plenty of friction for a sure grip. Even if my hands were soaking wet, I think I would be fine.
The Gerber Gator Machete does feature a lanyard hole, but I never felt like I needed it. With that said, it’s a good option to have.
After being thoroughly annoyed during most of the tasks I performed with it, I decided to step it down a notch and go for super thin branches and kindling. In that scenario, the Gerber machete excels, but then again so does any other knife, as well as my hands (I could snap the teeny branch just as quickly).
Oh wait, I was wrong. Its overly thick edge did not penetrate fully. Congratulations Gerber, you have created a machete that can’t compete with my two bare hands.
Not even halfway through. What in the hell?
Now, before you chastise me and say perhaps my technique was poor or that I didn’t put enough power behind it to prove a point – I try a lot of different knives, some of which are considered gimmicky, but still fell in love with them… like the Cold Steel XL Voyagers (Tanto & Vaquero), and some knives that are acclaimed, like the Spyderco Urban don’t strike my fancy at all (the Urban sadly had such piss poor machining that I had to give it a negative review).
I am not in the business of shilling. If you own this machete and you love it – awesome! I am not here to convince you, I am just sharing my thoughts for free and you can make your own minds up.
Sadly, I have to add this disclaimer because some people get so attached to brands that any attack on a single product is tantamount to blasphemy. Here’s the deal people, I have no loyalty to any brand, I simply judge the product at hand and make up my own mind.
The Gerber Bear Grylls Parang is not popular in the survival community, and yet I am smitten by it (and promote it as a great tool – again, my opinion only!). This particular machete, from the same company, is absolute garbage compared to it, and frankly I shan’t make excuses for it.
My axe has a thinner edge. I really wish I was exaggerating, but I am not. It’s a slab of “forged high carbon steel” (what does that even entail?!) with the most laughable stock to edge transition I have ever seen in a machete thus so far. A comparatively priced $15 Tramontina has superior cutting properties and is far more flexible with its neutral handle.
Speaking of this “forged high carbon steel,” it barely feels hardened. If I had to guess, I would say the hardness is in the low 40s on the Rockwell scale.
Weirdly, after a few swings at some wood I noticed a chip on the edge (as you can see below). I don’t even know how this happened. High carbon steel? Pot metal more like.
Dry wood that I can snap with my hands, blade can’t cut cleanly through. At all. I did 4 chops in a row and nope, no cigar.
I don’t even know what to add at this point… Is this a cutting tool or a wall hanger?
Guys, don’t waste your energy and snap the branch manually instead of swinging away with this thing. It’s just not worth the effort, and based on other people’s experiences with catastrophic failures of the blade, it might even be a safety hazard.
Can it at least cut down super thin green saplings?
Yes, but once again, not cleanly. My Spyderco Military would have gone through that like butter and the Cold Steel Rajah II could have gone through a sapling three times the thickness in one fell swoop.
Utterly dismal performance.
On a positive note, the sheath is excellent and I shall keep it to use for a real machete. It’s made out of nylon and features a plastic sleeve to protect it from the crappy serrations on the back.
Surprisingly overbuilt, I think the sheath is better than the machete it holds. Velcro retention strap and generally decent quality aesthetic and construction. Good job there, Gerber.
Big belt loop; will fit pretty much any belt, including those 2 inch tactical webbing belts that are fashionable nowadays.
Completely ridiculous to walk around with due to the constant flapping on your thighs and the general proportions, but it’s technically viable.
In conclusion, sometimes when everyone says a tool has a lot of failings, it’s not because of brand snobbery or elitism, but rather because a tool actually has a lot of failings.
I do not recommend purchasing the Gerber Gator Machete under any circumstance; I cannot think of a single instance where this would be a viable option compared to a Tramontina, higher end Condor El Salvador (what a lovely machete that is, I shall review it), or even the notorious Gerber Bear Grylls Parang that I personally love.
I know this will be a divisive review. Please keep the comments section civil, as I do not like to moderate (free speech and all that) other peoples opinions.
well it worked for me the saw was great, edge sharp but the edge did kinda get a little ruined when I used it very hard. Im actually thinking of buying a new one.
Check out a Condor machete- it will blow your mind.
Just used this machete from new for 10 minutes or less on inch thick bush branches and was horrified when I checked the cutting edge on the blade after and found it had bent and left it kinked in two places even sharpening can’t sort it. Super soft steel. A wet branch wins over it.
Yup, basically pot metal.
Well sir, after over 5 years of owning one of these garden hoes and less than 5 minutes of actual use, I have finally found someone who is ditzy enough to actually try to cut something with one of them!! [Does anyone even remember what a garden hoe is these days???] Just prodding a rib, my young friend. I inherited one of these paper weights from my late brother and it didn’t look like my brother had ever used it for anything at all. One day I took it hiking with me just to see if it was worth the carry and I can agree first hand with everything you found wrong with this silly excuse for a useable blade and then some additional negative points to go with your assessment.
When I said I had less than 5 minutes of real useage out of this piece of metal, I probably have erred on the high side. We have entire wooded stands of Southern Yellow Pine down here in Florida where I currently hang my watch cap. This pine is very resinous and pitchy and it smokes like a chain smoker when you light a fire with it but it burns hot and, on a windy day, if you watch your wind direction, you can keep the smoke rolling away from you while still enjoying the peace and tranquility of a nice open fire after a day of hiking. I began chopping up smaller branches, less than an inch, to build up a small fire I had going. I was processing a small dead fall and had been knocking branches off when I felt a dull and very solid “THUD” on the business end of this plastic handled metal dirt digger! I had just taken a healthy swing into the base of a 1″ branch and this so called machete was stuck in the cut! When I raised the grip to remove it, it almost fell out of its incision but that blade had a half moon bend in its cutting edge that extended back into the bevel almost a half inch and was almost the width of the branch I was removing!!
I took photos and sent them to Gerber via email with a not so complimenting note to the
cuss-tomer service reps about what I thought of their product. This was last February the 12th and I have yet to hear a word back from them! Since this blade shaped Jello cutter was sort of a adios gift from my late younger brother, I didn’t feel the urge to press them for a refund and I also did not want to throw a rant on someone’s blog where knives weren’t the main topic of conversation. But you finally came through for me. And to top it off, I read the publishing date of the “review” [I used that terminology very lightly!] and found out that, somehow, I missed the review by about a year and a half!! Oh well, better late than ……
I would love to post a photo of this abomination on your blog but suffice it to say that this is a major bent blade, not a rollover, not a knick, but a majorly bent soft steel edge. I know that SY pine is very hard in certain areas and they are well noted for “wood spirits” living in the branch crotches but this is ridiculous. I use a lot of “fatwood” whenever I take to the woods and I know that it is very hard but usually it is found more often around a damaged area of a yellow pine and not so much at a normal junction of trunk and branch. But that is what killed this “gator” like a one shot one kill of a sniper’s bullet!!
So, to finalize the highlight of this lazy sunny Sunday afternoon for me, let me say that I really don’t give a red rat’s patooty what that hole in the blade is for, it would not convince me that this is anything I would like to straighten arrow shafts with or even hang on my garage wall. I may take it out somewhere in a bayou and nail it permanently to a tree and let it hang there and suffer a bit. It sure was a pain in the neck for me. Luck would have it that it would hang on a tree for another 80 years until some fisherman stumbled on to it and figure he really found something valuable!! I would give anything to see his face when he notices the blade has a humpback!!
Thanks for the review, ….. deview?, or whatever one can say about possibly the very worst use of a piece of steel that I have seen in over 3/4 of a century on this planet!!
Agreed mate, I am glad to hear that I am not alone though. At least the community at large recognises garbage when it sees it & says as much.
My 13 year old nephew has one and I thought he was hitting steel with it because the blade had several rolled bends in it. I cut 1/4″ to 1 1/2″ soft trees and thorn bushes with it, when I finished I had to grind the blade to get all the roll over on the blade out
. I agree 100% there junk. I will have to buy him another and it wont be gerber
Hey Thomas. I’ve had some experience with this one.
I was on a backpacking trip in Angeles Crest Forest and one of my buddies brought the Jr version of this machete along for cutting down firewood and whatnot. Keep in mind he had bought it just for this trip – it was brand new.
So we start hacking away with it. I got through a couple branches about 2-3 inches thick, and then I notice its not chopping at all and the machete is just bouncing right off of the wood. Unbeknownst to be while I was going at it the very edge of the blade began to BEND BACKWARDS about a couple millimeters deep into the blade.
You’d think steel would be harder than that wood? Not this. I suspect it was made of gold.
Aye, never understood the appeal- what really bugs me the most are the “serrations” on the spine. They could have saved money on the machining and instead spent it on the steel/heat treat. Cold Steel makes very inexpensive machetes that eat up wood for breakfast so I don’t see what Gerber’s excuse here can be.
T X,
I also believe the hole that you refer to is used for straightening bent arrows by bow hunters. My 2 cents worth.
Great to know, sadly I have very little experience with Archery so I can’t comment on its usefulness.
Thanks for sharing!
Incredibly useful review. I’ve been considering getting another(better) machete, but having a difficult time deciding. I have a cheapo, five dollar machete that works better than that thing. It was supposed to just be for weeds, but I ended up using it to split kindling (don’t ask). Needs a different handle, as the one it has is the cheapest plastic possible, but it’s held up so far. That Gerber sheath looks pretty sweet, though. Wonder if you can get just that?
The sheath is pretty decent and it would be nice to be available aftermarket as an option. When it comes to inexpensive machetes that are reliable I tend to go for Tramontina’s.
I really liked the candidness of your review. I maintain a fair amount of “farm” tools including various blades that absolutely must work first time, every time. We don’t hive the inclination or the energy on a sweat-hot day to discuss things like Gerber’s “almost a working machete”, thus your review(s) becomes important.
We keep our old tools because 1) we’re too cheap to get new ones, and 2) because they work very reliably well. Newer tools that fail on the job get quickly thrown away in disgust. I do wish manufactures had more pride in their products (Ref. the Gerber saw/machete) to do more than fill a market slot with cheap junk. We find that it’s the cheaper tools that get us hurt.
Thanks.
Exactly Mike, I much prefer an older, dependable tool rather than a flimsy gimmick- even if it is new and shiny! Thanks for the support.
I thoroughly agree with your conclusions. I was gifted this thing 3-4 years ago and the limited use it has endured showed in repeated rolled and chipped edges which were fixed easily because the blade is made of the softest garbage steel they could find.
Though it’s a terrible tool I have repeatedly bead the shit out of it over many camping trips and walks in the bush. I’m quite surprised it has yet to snap at the tang since I am very, very rough with it.
The plan has always been to keep it until it breaks and use the sheath for a better machete, which got me to chuckle as you came to that same thought.
Keep up the good work, love the site.
That sheath is rather nice indeed, thanks for dropping by Al. I am glad (and surprised) your machete didn’t implode. Do you know what you will replace it with?
Sadly, I own a Fiskars machete, and it came with the same hole near the tip of the blade. It’s for hanging the thing in your shed wall on a nail. It’s much more convenient and safe, since you can grip the tool by the handle to store and retrieve it versus holding it by the blade and using the lanyard hole. However, my $14 Fiskars machete didn’t come with a sheath. The sheath renders the hole in the Gerber blade useless and nonsensical.
I’m also pretty sure that the Fiskars machete blade and this Gerber blade are identical. The handles are different, but since Gerber is owned by Fiskars, it’s a safe bet that both machetes are made at the exact same factory in China. My Fiskars version also came with a terrible edge, useful for tenderizing meat, perhaps. It took considerable time on the bench grinder to make it mildly functional at cutting woody things.
So thats what the hole is for! Thanks for sharing Bill. Glad to hear we had similar experiences.
Love the review… I laughed out loud a few times. Thanks Thomas and thank you Gerber for the laughs… And for the record, I own a Gerber Gator pocket knife and it is a good knife and I also like the Gerber Improptu tactical pen. The photos tell the story well… Crap product.
Thanks Todd, glad you liked it!