Apparently Home Depot launched an exclusive topography graphic version of the Gerber EAB compact EDC utility knife.
The Gerber EAB is about as minimalist a folding utility knife you can get.
It features a screw-based blade clamp, liner lock, pocket clip, and all-steel construction. Opening the knife requires two hands.
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The EAB is advertised as being:
Great for any hunter, tradesman, and the everyday carry consumer; perfect addition to camping essentials, backpacking gear, your toolbox, work wear, and fishing and hiking gear.
It folds closed into a miniscule size.
The knife measures 5.1″ long when open, and 2.85″ when closed. It weighs 2.4 oz.
When the blade dulls, you can reverse it, or replace with a standard utility knife blade. That’s why this is called the Exchange-A–Blade.
The knife locks open via liner lock, works with off-the-shelf utility knife blades, and the Home Depot exclusive topo graphic pattern looks pretty cool.
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What more can you ask for from an EDC knife that’s priced at just under $13?
Price: $12.97 with free shipping
I would have thought a Home Depot exclusive would have an orange finish, or similar, but the black finish with topo design looks alright.
Amazon has the silver-finish Gerber EAB for over $20 right now. Amazon and Walmart have “EAB Lite” versions with handle cut-outs for around $13. While you save some weight with the “Lite” version, the standard might collect less pocket link.
Also See: Gerber EAB Pocket Utility Knife is a Teeny Tiny and Very Popular EDC Tool
BigTimeTommy
The lite version is better, if you lubricate the joints on these you can flip them open like a fastback knife and the cutouts make it easier to grip. Handy little knife worth picking up when they’re around $10 online.
Blythe
I have the EAB and EAB lite. While the EAB is sleeker and better looking, it lives in the junk drawer because the liner lock is impossibly stiff. I usually have to use a house key to or something else to pry it over, basically impossible with just your fingers. .
EAB lite doesn’t have this issue, and I carry it frequently when wearing dress clothes.
Hopefully this was fixed prior to release of this version
Stuart
I’ve found Gerber to be inconsistent about things like lock stiffness.
If you bought your EAB first, and then your Lite, and both are a few years old, there’s no guarantee modern models will be the same or different.
I can’t work the blade change of the Prybid, but others have an easy time with theirs. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/gerber-gear-prybrid-utility-knife-early-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Jim
I’m with you on the prybird being difficult to change blades.
BigTimeTommy
I’ve had a few EAB knives and the quality control is non-existent, which seems to be the case for every Gerber product I’ve owned.
Randy
The third one I ordered had that issue too. I’m willing to pay double for a good one and the fourth was fine so I can live with it.
JD
I bought this exact knife at HD a couple of months ago. It looks amazing, but the machining tolerances are terrible. The liner lock was so tight, you’d have to use a flat head screwdriver as a pry bar to close the knife without ripping your fingernail off. I fixed this by carefully filing down the pivot point with a thin diamond file. It works fine now, but even at this price point, you shouldn’t have to finish the metal shaping that should have been done at the factory.
Brad
I’m just not a fan of this style knife.
I bought the EAB OG back in 2017 and really tried to like it but 9 out of 10 times I’m going to grab a Benchmade or Spyderco over a utility blade style knife. There’s nothing wrong with mine it works perfectly but stays in my extra’s box in my dresser.
My Bugout stays in my pocket most days and I have a couple of Tenacious’s(?) in the Jeep. If I really need a utility blade I tend to grab a cheap box cutter with snap blades.
KokoTheTalkingApe
I much prefer the Coast DX126, which Stuart discussed here:
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/coast-dx126-knife-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
It’s about the same size, probably slightly thicker because of the handle scales. It costs about the same. But it has tool-less blade changes, so there’s no tiny screw to drop and lose, which makes the knife unusable. It has a double lock, which I don’t use but it doesn’t get in the way.
My first copy of the Coast felt rough when opening, because the liner spring was pressing against a matte coated section of the blade holder. But my second one is much smoother.
KokoTheTalkingApe
I forgot: there’s also the Workpro, which also has tool-less blade changes but is just as thin as the EAB. It has a straight-ish handle which might be more comfortable than the EAB. And it costs about a third of the EAB. But the action can be a little stiff. Not a heavy duty knife of course, but it disappears in your pocket.
Jared
I heard the pocket clips were famous for breaking off of these. I still bought one because a minimalist utility knife seemed like a good idea. About 3 or 4 days into carrying it – off fell my pocket clip.
Maybe they’ve fixed that since. This was about 6 years ago.
I would recommend the Screwpop utility knife instead. No pocket clip, but it’s good on a keychain and so light you wouldn’t notice it in a pocket. Cheap too.
Jp
Similar in some ways to the one coastal tool released 5-years back.
Stuart
You mean the Coast model? I reviewed it, here https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/coast-dx126-knife-review/%3C/a%3E .
The Gerber came out at least 18 years ago. There was a recall in 2007, covering products manufactured from September 2006 thru August 2007.
The Coast is still available for around $12. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091M5FFWJ/?tag=toolguyd-20
Dave P
I’ve had a few of these, no good at all if you’re hard on blades. Screw gets dropped/lost… that is, IF you have a screwdriver to begin with. Might make a nice compact, light emergency knife; that’s about it.
DRT42
I have two EAB lites – like ’em a lot. Maybe I got good ones, but no problems with clips or screws or anything. The small size and light weight are nice, and I don’t worry about dulling the blade of a good knife. I don’t really need another one, but the black is pretty cool.
SG
I prefer carrying the low profile utility blade style knives but wasn’t a fan of the EAB and EAB Lite. The liner lock was stiff and the knives were so slim that I felt like I a second away from cutting myself.
The knife that I carry is Crescent’s compact folding utility knife because it is a more comfortable, feels safer, and doesn’t need a tool to change out the blade.
Jon
I’ve owned both the EAB and Lite. I would not recommend them. Needing a tool to replace the blade is a deal breaker. That tiny screw gets lost or stripped. I now use a Screwpop Ron’s Utility Knife instead. It’s fantastic.
JoshtheFurnaceGuy
I’ve never seen the appeal of a folding box cutter. (I’m old enough to remember when it was a novel idea.) They make slide out versions just as small that are easier to open with one hand. It just seems they add complexity without adding utility.
Stuart
Compact slide-out utility knives are increasingly rare. I won’t part with my older Stanley because they don’t seem to make it anymore.
Slide-outs require certain size or a different handle shape, otherwise it’s hard to reach for the advancement button.
The EAB is a compact model designed – in my opinion – for casual and not work-based tasks. But folders such as the FastBack and chunkier older models are convenient and do tend to have better ergonomics compared to similarly short slide-out knives.
It all comes down to preference.
Jeremiah McKenna
Meh, other than the finish, I’m not impressed. But the more I look at it, the “topo” look seems like fake Damascus Steel.
There are so many other folding utility knives that are better because you don’t need another tool to change the blades and are designed to open and close with one hand. In fact, Husky makes one in aluminum (different colors) or a composite handle that is black. They come with a lifetime warranty and a small package of blades. Or I’ll stick with my Milwaukee knives, and if I’m being real, working with the Milwaukee slide out with onboard blade storage is the better knife, especially with large hands.
Terry
Bought and returned to HD for exactly the reasons mentioned. I strongly ‘DO NOT’ recommend this knife.