The Gerber Remix is a pretty unique looking knife. The Gerber Remix Tactical takes that unique design and beefs it up.
I remember seeing the Gerber Remix Tactical in a store, thinking it looked cool, and then getting it. Looking back, I probably should have done more research into it to see if it was actually a good knife and something I could use before getting it, but… oh, well.
If you’re like I was and you only care about the looks of the knife, then just go ahead and get it. It’s a cool knife, it’s fun to play around with, and it certainly can function (though, I wouldn’t expect too much out of it).
If you’re a little more skeptical as to whether or not this unique knife can actually do anything, then let’s dive in further.
Specs
First, let’s dive into the technical specs.
| Overall Length: | 7.36 inches |
| Handle Length: | 4.86 inches |
| Handle Material: | G-10 |
| Blade Length: | 3.0 inches |
| Blade Material: | 7Cr17MoV |
| Blade Coating: | Titanium Nitride |
| Weight: | 4.6 oz |
Off specs alone, everything is looking pretty good, but the blade steel isn’t exactly the best. From a budget knife, that’s not exactly unexpected, but 7Cr17MoV isn’t the best of the _Cr__MoV series of steel. It’s generally going to be weaker than a more improved steel in that series like the 8Cr14MoV.
Still, though, it’s not completely terrible. 7Cr17MoV is pretty good at corrosion resistance, so it’s unlikely to rust–especially with the titanium nitride coating on the blade, which helps even further with corrosion resistance.
Overall, it’s a budget knife with a budget steel.
Design & Functionality
The design of this thing is certainly unique. It’s got a ring near the blade that you can slip your finger into for extra grip. With the ring, it’s virtually impossible for it to escape your hand.
It also has a more open handle design, with several holes in the handle and a completely open edge around the sides (see pictures below). I can’t say I understand why they did this, to be honest. It looks cool, sure, but functionally, I worry about sand or dirting getting in the exposed circular pivot and jamming the action up. I haven’t had that happen yet (and I’ve had this thing for a while), but it’s still a worry.
There’s also a “chunk missing” out of the ring pivot that you’ll notice when the knife is closed (see picture below), but that’s just for the liner lock. If it didn’t have a straight part like that, the liner lock wouldn’t be able to work.
Another thing to note is that the pocket clip can’t be moved–it only stays on the right side of the knife (at least, that’s the way it is with mine–maybe they updated since then). So, if you’re left-handed, this might be a little weird to try carrying in your pocket, but this could actually be a blessing for you. I’ll go into that more in “The Action” section where I go into how the thing opens, but if you’re left-handed, don’t completely knock it because you can’t move the clip.
In terms of the functionality and what this thing was designed for, it’s mostly designed to be used as an EDC knife. With the tanto blade and “Tactical” in the name, it seems like it could be designed more for self-defence, but for a number of reasons (which I’ll get into more in “The Action” section), I don’t think I would advise even thinking you could use it for that.
Real-World Use
So, it’s a cool-looking knife… but how does it hold up in the real world?
The Blade
The blade, which I thought would be more problematic once I looked into it more, has actually held up quite well. It’s fine for the occasional tough activity, but I wouldn’t suggest repeated use on those more strenuous tasks (things like trying to cut steel cable ties or batoning, for instance). Something like repeatedly cutting plastic pallet straps could cause some blade nicks and burrs in the edge, but it wouldn’t be anything you couldn’t sharpen out. Basically, I wouldn’t use it for anything overly tough.
In terms of sharpness, out of the box it wasn’t too sharp (couldn’t shave hairs or anything), but it was still sharp enough to get most tasks done. And when the blade wasn’t sharp enough, the serrations were able to pretty easily take care of it.
Speaking of, serrations aren’t something I normally care for on a knife (they’re hard to sharpen and often replace the “sweet spot” for cutting with a lot of blade shapes), but for a tanto blade like this one, I don’t mind it. I’ve found that the “sweet spot” for cutting with a tanto is more towards the front, which, on this knife, is basically everything that doesn’t have serrations.
The second, smaller edge of the tanto is also great for precision cutting. You’re able to guide it a lot easier and even dig in if you need to (tanto blades were designed for piercing things).
Overall, the blade, well, does what it’s supposed to: It cuts. For the price point, I’d give it a 7.5/10 or an 8/10. I just would’ve expected a little bit better steel for the price point I got it at (which, again, is mostly my fault for not doing more research beforehand).
The Handle
The handle, I think we can all agree, is the main reason this knife is appealing in the first place: It’s really unique.
The handle is a lot of fun to play around with because of that finger ring. You can spin it around your finger and have a whole bunch of fun just screwing around with it.
In terms of actual functionality, it can be a little awkward to hold when you’re using that finger ring, depending on what you’re doing, how big (or small) your hands are, etc. If it does become a little bit annoying to hold, you could always swap to holding it below the finger ring in the little groove. I wouldn’t suggest trying to puncture anything without holding it with the finger ring, though.
With the finger ring, it’s virtually impossible for you to lose your grip. Even if you don’t use the finger ring, it’s still pretty easy to hold with the G-10 handle scales and their textured grip.
When open, the thumb lift acts almost like a little rest for your thumb. It’s not really jimping–it’s too easy for your thumb to move compared to regular jimping–but it does provide a little bit of extra friction to help you grip the knife, and it’s more comfortable than resting your thumb solely on the blade, I think. With the finger ring, though, you don’t really have to worry about anything like jimping since it’s nearly impossible to lose your grip.
Really, I think the handle fulfills its function, which is to allow you to grip it. It’s not always the most comfortable to hold when you use the finger ring, but it makes it a whole lot harder to lose your grip. And if it’s too uncomfortable for you, you can always not use the finger ring and drop your grip below it, to the little groove.
Overall, a 9/10 on the grip. You can hold it super easily and it’s unlikely to fall from your grip at all, but it’s not always the most comfortable to hold.
The Action
The action is where things start to get a little iffy.
You’re supposed to be able to open the Remix Tactical with one hand, but that’s not always the case. If you have your index finger in the ring (or any finger for that matter), you can’t open the knife one-handed. You just can’t move your hand enough to be able to open it one-handed. At least, I couldn’t. If you have super hand flexibility (or really big hands), maybe you could. Otherwise, you can only get your finger into the ring to about the first knuckle, otherwise you can’t open it.
The only time you can open it one-handed with your finger in the finger ring is when you’re holding it with the blade facing you (the thumb lift faces you when it’s closed, the knife edge faces you when it’s open–see the picture below). When you do that, then you can get your thumb on the thumb lift to be able to open it–and pretty easily.
This brings us to the part where I said if you’re left-handed, it may be a blessing for you. Because of the way the knife will sit in your pocket (because you can’t move the clip), when you pull the knife out, it’s automatically in the easiest position to open the knife. You can slip your finger into the ring and open it right up, ready for action.
The easiest way to open the knife (when using the finger ring) isn’t exactly the way that most people would like the knife to open, since the edge isn’t facing downward (which is the position that most cutting is done)–which is a downside. It takes quite a bit longer to open it and get your hand into position on the handle to be able to use it. It’s annoying, but then again, I don’t think there’s any other way you could do it with this design. It’s just kind of a fact of life.
The other annoying part of the action is just how tough it can be to open it. I’m not talking about when trying to open it with your finger in the finger ring (which I’m pretty sure is impossible), but just opening it. The action is stiff. You can even feel the pivot grinding when you open it.
If you break it in enough, it could certainly become super smooth to open, but out of the box (and even after using it for as long as I have), it’s still pretty stiff. If you’re looking for a knife that’s super quick and easy to open, this isn’t going to be that knife–at least, not without some serious work put into it.
As for the liner lock, that works just fine.
Overall, it gets a 5/10 on the action. The action is stiff, it takes a while to open up with the knife edge facing down, and the easiest way to open it is in a semi-unfamiliar grip. The liner lock works fine, though.
How It Sits in Your Pocket
The clip on the Gerber Remix Tactical, like the action, is also kind of stiff and hard to slip onto the lip of your pocket. The clip doesn’t have enough of a lift at the end to be able to easily slip onto the lip of your pocket–certainly not if your pocket lip is on the thicker side. It almost always takes two hands to be able to clip it into your pocket.
On the bright side, you won’t have to worry about it falling out of your pocket. It’s long enough, once you clip it onto the lip of your pocket, it’s unlikely to go anywhere. But it’s not so stiff that it’s hard to take out of your pocket.
I have had some knives that had a really short pocket clip (but were really big knives). Those felt like they were going to fall out of my pocket. This one doesn’t.
The clip also isn’t a deep carry one. Whether it’s deep carry or not is usually more personal preference, but it’s something to note.
Once you actually get it into your pocket, though, it’s pretty hard to notice. It’s thin and wide enough that it just kind of disappears once you put it into your pocket. It also doesn’t rip up your pocket. I’ve been carrying it for a while and I haven’t noticed any damage to my pockets. Your mileage may vary on all this, depending on the pants you wear, but my pants tend to be pretty rugged and tough, so that’s been my experience.
Overall, it gets a 8/10 from me on how it sits in your pocket. It’s a little tough to slip onto the lip of your pocket, but I’d rather have it harder to put into my pocket than have it feel like it’s going to fall out.
Conclusion
Overall, the Gerber Remix Tactical is a decent budget knife. It’s unlikely to slip out of your grip and the blade holds up well, but the action is a little stiff and slow.
If you’re looking for a budget knife that you’re unlikely to lose grip of, then this will work really well for that. You can get it here on Amazon or here on BladeHQ.
If you’re looking for a flashier, quicker, higher quality knife, then you’ll probably want to look elsewhere. The SOG Flash AT could be a good option for you if you’re looking for that, though. You can check out our review of it here.