Gerber Mini Covert F.A.S.T.

Score: 17/20 – Try it out!

BLUF: I’ve carried this knife for two weeks now and it feels comfortable and sturdy (though there is play in the blade when locked); it deploys quickly, retains a sharp edge, and looks sleek.

I’ve had Gerber knives since I was a kid – Gerber and Victorinox (the Swiss Army Sentinel[1]) were the knives of my childhood when going through the Boy Scouts of America program. When I was a little older, after joining the Army and going through one station unit training, I always maintained a Gerber Ridge[2] on me during runs and when I couldn’t carry anything larger. I have had a lot of good experiences with Gerber.

The company was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1939 by Joseph R. Gerber; while they once only dealt in knives, they now produce a myriad of products related to outdoors enjoyment[3]. In recent years they’ve removed their tag line, “Legendary Blades”, from their logo (which is a damn shame because it was cool as hell – along with that sword in the mountain logo) but they still live up to it. They back their products with a lifetime warranty to the original owners[4].

The Mini Covert bears two names on the blade, along with the new Gerber logo. The first being Rex Applegate (Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army, retired), and the second being W. E. Fairbairn (Lieutenant Colonel, British Royal Marines/Army, retired). Both men have major contributions in close combat history. Rex Applegate worked with the fabled O.S.S in WWII[5], authored the book “Kill or Get Killed” on hand to hand combat, and is one of the fathers of ‘point shooting’ philosophy. W. E. Fairbairn[6] was fabled for his police duties in Shanghai and his service after conscription into the British Secret Service in training Commandos and U.S. Army Ranger candidates[7]; he designed the commando knife used by British Special Forces.

You couldn’t ask for a heritage more rich and experienced. This knife is one of the many results of their experience, and their design concepts.

1. Functionality (8/10):

a. Blade (2/2): The blade retains a nice edge – with half the length serrated starting at the base and the other half flat grind going up to the tip. The knife is spear/drop pointed, with a flat edge on the backside. It’s advertised as titanium coated (meaning titanium nitride[8]) – so it’s very resistant to corrosion or rust, enabling a long lifetime for the blade. Measuring 2.9in/7.36cm and .75in/1.9cm wide at the base – it’s just big enough to handle a wide variety of tasks while not being too large for mundane daily use. The blade material is 7Cr17Mov – a Chinese variant of 440A.

b. Handle (2/2): The scales are G-10 high-pressure fiberglass laminate[9] affixed by five Torx[10] bolts on either side. It’s very similar to Micarta and if feels great. In wet conditions or dry the grip is good - the checkering on the scales is subdued, but just present enough to retain a solid grip. The scales are about .125in/.31cm thick, and 4in/10.16cm long, backed by what looks to be plates of stainless steel. There are ribbed finger choils on either side of the knife just under the blade, and a small hole drilled into the back end for a lanyard.

c. Lock or Tang (1/2): The lock on this blade is also its’ safety mechanism, and frankly – it’s the worst part of the whole knife. The button actuates what looks to be a piece of metal about .06in/.15cm to lock and release the blade. When folded the lock has enough play to let the blade move about an eighth of an inch. When open and locked the blade it is tight to the frame, but has movement laterally (sided to side between the scales). I would not test the strength of this lock drastically unless you wouldn’t mind buying a new knife afterward.

d. Emergency uses (1/2): As with the majority of folding knives – this one doesn’t quite fit the bill for emergency situations – but it’s better than not having a knife. It could be used for a variety of situations, but would not fare well for chopping or batoning. This knife could effectively clean, cut, and prepare small game or fish, and would be helpful to have for starting fires. I would be happy to have it on me if I were in a life or death survival situation, but I would be wishing for better alternatives. Its’ design is founded around self-defense philosophy.

e. Concealability (1/1): When folded the Mini Covert is just the right size to disappear into a pocket and not print. The clip on the opposite side of the safety is large enough to fit a decent width belt if worn on the hip. I would feel comfortable with this knife anywhere, and wearing anything.

f. Ease of deployment (1/1): Gerber’s proprietary F.A.S.T (forward action spring technology[11]) is actually exactly that – it’s fast! I’m not personally a big fan of folding knives (for a lot of reasons – self defense reaction time being only one), but with a deployment this quick, and this smooth it’s not an issue. Initially there was some resistance on the deployment, with a fair bit of pressure needed to get it to deploy (I chock this up to a break in period for the spring), but after a ten or fifteen times it loosened up substantially.

2. Durability (5/5):

a. Construction (1/1): This knife is well constructed. It’s fit and finish is mostly tight and sturdy – though there is a little play between the blade and handle. The single weakness of all folding knives will always be the locking mechanism, and while this one is not perfect, it also isn’t bad.

b. Edge (2/2): 7Cr17MoV is a Chinese variant of 440A stainless steel containing more Vanadium; it’s 7% chromium, 17% molybdenum, and 17% vanadium[12]. This is a good mid range steel that will retain an edge, and sharpen reasonably with little to no risk of chipping.

c. Hardness (2/2): 7Cr17Mov has an HRC of 57-59[13], meaning it’s right in the sweet spot of flexibility and rigidity. It may warp a bit when put under extreme stress, but it can withstand a good bit of force before chipping or shattering.

3. Price (4/5): This is an decent product for it’s price point – from their website it’s $54.00 – but the lock could be better for what you’re paying. For the utility and functionality, the Mini Covert is a good deal, and will satisfy anyone who needs a daily carry knife.

Steel1Actual, 20180331

[1]https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Large-Pocket-Knives/Sentinel/p/0.8413.3

[2]https://www.gerbergear.com/Knives/Folding/Ridge-Knife_45898

[3]https://www.gerbergear.com/Meet-Gerber/About-Us/Who-We-Are

[4]https://www.gerbergear.com/Meet-Gerber/Customer-Care/Warranty

[5]https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/27/us/rex-applegate-84-instructor-of-deadly-skills.html

[6]http://www.badassoftheweek.com/fairbairn.html

[7]https://web.archive.org/web/20120303050010/http://www.cqbservices.com/?page_id=59

[8]https://www.tincoat.net/TiN.html

[9]https://www.knifeart.com/g10-knife-handle-material.html

[10]https://web.archive.org/web/20070102194628/http://www.textronfasteningsystems.com/PDFs/torx.pdf

[11]https://www.gerbergear.com/Meet-Gerber/Product-Info/Glossary-of-Terms