MONS Gear Box Product Review
Gerber’s Portland, OR/USA-made knives are well made, and the SHARK BELLY is no exception. The design includes a 3.2in 420HC High Carbon Stainless Steel Wharncliffe blade in a satin finish, flat top serrations (that are easily sharpened with a flat stone), glass filled nylon handles and lanyard hole (all in all 4.5in, at 2.3 ounces).
The blade’s steel is a 420 stainless steel that has been modified with more carbon with a plain edge. 420HC holds a higher carbon production rate than a stainless steel, making it very rugged, but easy to sharpen and durable even when in constant use. As long as one remembers to rinse, dry, and oil this knife after use, this material is less prone to rusting or corroding.
A reliable work tool this is a strong and reliable blade with a satin finish, reducing its reflective glare. This knife has been carved into a Wharncliffe blade shape, a standard blade shape that has been turned upside down, meaning the blade has a totally flat cutting edge, and the spine of the blade drops gradually until the tip forms a point. It is fantastic for opening and cutting boxes and the such, but not ideal for skinning as the lack of a belly makes it difficult for cutting soft tissue or using it on a cutting board.
The SHARK BELLY features a scratch-resistant wire pocket clip, granting it the freedom to be worn anywhere (statically designed for tip down carry only on the traditional side of the handle). Its sleek, low profile and ambidextrous design allows to really get creative with how one chooses to carry it. The handle is made out of Glass Filled Nylon (GFN, the same as Fibreglass Reinforced Nylon – FRN), making for very tough knife handle material and being able to take some serious continuous abuse!
Both GFN and FRN are a nylon based plastic, reinforced with glass fibre and injection molded for use in knife handles, optimised for large scale production making it tough and giving it great impact toughness. A major benefit is that it requires zero maintenance.
On the belly of the handle, there is a row of markings that do resemble shark markings, which is one of the reasons that this knife was named SHARK BELLY, providing a good amount of control regardless of the task at hand. This tactile SharkSkin Grip succeeds with unidirectional scales that provide additional traction when in hand – smooth in one direction and grippy in the other.
SHARK BELLY is a manual folding knife that features a lock back mechanism and a thumb window to assist you in the opening process. The thumb window is rectangular. The knife’s scratch-resistant wire pocket clip means it can be worn anywhere without worry of causing damage to a car, bike, or other valuables you might brush up against.
The lock back functions with a locking arm, which sits along the handle spine and is moulded with a hook that fits into a notch on the back of the blade, behind the pivot. This hook is dragged by tension from the back spring into the notch, therefore locking the knife with a snap. Because it is reliable and economical to construct, the lock back is one of the most common used in folding knives.
The skeletonised, wire pocket clip is statically designed for tip down carry only on the traditional side of the handle. It has a slight bend to it, which will help it stay snugly in one’s pocket.
Weighing in at just under 2.3oz, it has found its place in MONS Gear Box’ pack.
DPM
