- Gerber Fastball · Wharncliffe3″ blade · 0.11″ spine · 2.7 oz · ~0.9″ tall
Gerber Fastball
The Gerber Fastball is a 3" wharncliffe folder in CPM-S30V, flat ground. The handle is Aluminum, secured by a liner lock. One of only 3 wharncliffe blades in the catalogue, out of 140.
- Blade
- 3″
- Weight
- 2.7 oz
- Steel
- CPM-S30V
- Price band
- Mid
Everyday carry and general utility
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Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against knifecenter, knifeworks.
- Spine thickness
- 0.11″
- Blade shape
- Wharncliffe
- Grind
- Flat
- Steel
- CPM-S30V
- Overall length
- 7.1″
- Closed length
- 4.1″
- Weight
- 2.7 oz
- Lock
- Liner
- Deployment
- Flipper
- Handle material
- Aluminum
- Country of origin
- USA
Why a wharncliffe
A straight edge with a spine that tapers to the tip in a straight or near-straight line. The whole edge contacts a flat surface at once, so it cuts cardboard and rope on a bench better than any curved blade, and the fine tip is excellent for detail work.
Every wharncliffe here →About CPM-S30V
The long-time American benchmark. Holds an edge far longer than 420HC and still sharpens on ordinary stones. Chippy if you pry with it.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All CPM-S30V knives
What owners say
Drawn from 30 owner discussions of the Gerber Fastball since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- It holds a place in daily carry for years: one owner posted their gun, pen and Fastball setup after two years of carrying it, a warehouse worker cut boxes with theirs for about two years and says it served them well, and another owner ranks it a close second to their Benchmade 945 as a favorite carry blade.
- At about $50 the S30V blade is a bargain: one owner bought theirs for 50 bucks on eBay, skeptical because of Gerber's reputation, and decided it is a damn good knife, another paid 50 bucks for theirs, and a third calls their eBay auction find a decent knife they are keeping.
- Owners treat it as a tool they will not baby: one owner who carries theirs a lot likes its size and low price enough that they are not afraid to stab it into the ground to pull up a weed.
- Gerber's custom builder adds options such as the cleaver blade and G10 scales: one owner carries a custom Fastball every day, and another whose introduction to knives was a Fastball came back for a 20CV cleaver version and loves the sound it makes opening.
- Deep-carry clips fit with little work: one owner reports a Benchmade deep pocket clip fits with longer screws, and another found a short Flytanium deep carry clip for Benchmade and Spyderco fits much better than the Benchmade clip, which they had to grind slightly.
What owners flag
- Out-of-box action can need tuning: one owner who carries theirs a lot had to adjust lock bar pressure and smooth the detent hole before it would fire open smoothly and reliably.
- The edge can get thick: one owner found their S30V Fastball getting quite thick behind the edge, reground it to a full-height slight convex, and says only then did it cut like a beast and return to their rotation.
- Custom-build pricing draws pushback: when a buyer priced a custom Fastball at $178, the answers were that far better knives exist at that money, one warned of a high chance of disappointment, and one pointed to the Kershaw Leek as a similar knife for half the price.
- The stock clip sent one owner looking for a replacement: they asked where to find a deep pocket clip, and the fixes offered involve longer screws, grinding, or cheap clips modified to fit.
- Some owners move on: one owner who carries a Fastball they found calls it meh and bought a Spyderco Native 5 Lightweight instead, and the warehouse owner was looking at Zero Tolerance knives after two years with theirs.
- Gerber's name works against it: knife users describe strong distrust of Gerber, and one owner admits they hesitated to buy because of the brand's issues before trying one.
A 3 in S30V wharncliffe flipper, made in the USA, the Fastball is the Gerber that one knife user answering Gerber criticism held up as one of the better ones, and that a skeptical buyer came round to. Owners carry it for work and daily cutting: one used theirs to cut boxes in a warehouse for two years, and another has carried it in the same everyday kit for two years.
At about $50 it won over that skeptic, while owners who keep it in heavy use describe tuning it themselves: smoothing the detent for a reliable flip, regrinding a blade that got thick behind the edge, or fitting a Benchmade or Flytanium deep carry clip. Gerber's custom builder adds a cleaver blade and G10 scales, and one owner carries a custom build every day.
The price comparison is the main debate. One buyer pricing a custom Fastball near $178 was pointed to the Spyderco Manix 2, a Kizer crossbar lock and the Kershaw Leek, and one owner moved on to a Spyderco Native 5. Bought cheaply, it is the knife one owner who carries it a lot is not afraid to stab into the ground to pull a weed.
Is a custom Gerber Fastball worth about $178?
Most answers to that question were no: at that price buyers can get a Spyderco Manix 2 or a Kizer crossbar lock, and one answer called the Kershaw Leek a similar knife for half the price. One answer did point out it has S30V, a stonewashed wharncliffe blade, an aluminum handle and bearings, and judged it a decent knife.
What deep pocket clip fits the Fastball?
One owner says a Benchmade deep pocket clip fits if you use longer screws. Another had to grind a Benchmade deep carry clip slightly and found a short Flytanium deep carry clip made for Benchmade and Spyderco fits much better.
Are there fake Fastballs on eBay?
One buyer who found an unusually cheap listing was told it was very likely fake and warned off buying knives on eBay, while a knife user answering a similar question said they had never seen a fake Fastball. One owner did buy an S30V Fastball on eBay for 50 bucks and calls it a damn good knife.
Does the Fastball need any work out of the box?
One owner had to adjust lock bar pressure and smooth the detent hole before it flipped reliably. Another reground their blade to a full-height convex once it got thick behind the edge and says it now cuts far better.
Features
- Flipper
- Liner lock
- Flat grind
- Made in USA
- Stainless blade
Compare the Fastball
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