Gerber Legendary Blades of Portland, OR initiated a voluntary recall of about 3,000 Gerber Instant knives because the locking mechanism on the spring-assisted blade can fail to engage properly, causing the blade to fold during use, posing a laceration hazard. No incident or injuries have been reported.
The recalled knives are spring-assisted clip knives with a black retractable 3.18″ blade which can be folded into the textured black handle when the knife is not in use. The black handle has four diagonal slots on both sides. When closed, the knife measures 4.57″ in length and when open, it measures 7.75″. The Gerber “sword and shield” trademark appears in silver, on one side of the blade, close to the handle. The name “Gerber®” is written in silver on the knife's pocket clip. This recall involves model numbers 30-000435 and 31-001101. The different model numbers refer to the same knife sold in a box (30-000435) and in a blister pack (31-001101). The model number is printed on the original packaging underneath the barcode. It is not printed on the knife.
The knives, which were made in China, were sold at sporting goods stores nationwide from February 2012 through March 2012 for about $50.
