Gerber’s Best Pocket Knife Now Has the Best Blade Steel

Already damn near perfect, the award-winning Assert just got a very welcome upgrade.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published May 20, 2025

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Updated May 20, 2025

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By nearly any measure, Gerber’s launch of the Assert pocket knife a couple of years ago was a monumental achievement.

In business for 86 years now, the Portland-based brand’s bread and butter is well-made but wallet-friendly knives, multi-tools, camp cutlery and backcountry blades.

gerber assert magnacut hero — Even with its shiny new blade steel, the Assert remains just as lightweight and balanced as ever.

At $180, the Assert represented a huge price jump, but one seemingly justified by its meticulous craftsmanship, sub-2-ounce weight, fidget-friendliness and above-average S30V blade steel.

All these qualities added up to its inevitable inclusion in our annual compilation of the year’s best products, the GP100.

When it comes to the long haul, MagnaCut boasts a blend of edge retention, corrosion resistance and toughness that — until adamantium becomes real — is basically unbeatable.

Having used this knife hundreds of times with unfailing satisfaction, I’ve often thought there’s no way itcould be improved.

Yet Gerber just did it one better, as a new edition of the Assert boasts a blade steel worthy of its excellence: the mighty MagnaCut.

Super steel is real

So what’s all the fuss about MagnaCut? While there are a bevy of premium knife steels that qualify for the term “super steel,” this one has been all the rage for a couple of years now.

Its inclusion has formed the basis of many a Gear Patrol knife story, and with good reason.

gerber assert magnacut offside — Gerber has always printed the blade steel material on the knife’s offside, but perhaps with a bit more pride this time.

When it comes to the long haul, MagnaCut boasts a blend of edge retention, corrosion resistance and toughness that — until adamantium becomes real — is basically unbeatable.

In a move that feels true to the brand, Gerber has introduced it without hugely jacking up the price. The MagnaCut edition costs just $25 more than the now $185 S30VN-bladed original.

Or, in Gerber terms, roughly one LST more.

Greatness sustained

Wisely and efficiently, Gerber has otherwise adhered to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra, which means everything else that makes the Assert rock is blissfully intact.

The blade remains a 2.98-inch drop point that deploys via a fuller and adjustable thumb stud.

gerber assert magnacut offside folded desk — The pocket clip, adjustable thumb stud, handle material and pivot lock all remain the same, in a good way.

That action is augmented by a super-smooth pivot (aka crossbar) lock that doubles as an additional deployment option.

It also enables easy one-handed retraction into the textured GFN (glass-filled nylon) handle, complete with a strong, durable honeycomb interior.

gerber assert magnacut top view — This rare top-down angle shows just how streamlined the Assert is — all killer no filler, if you will.

There’s also a reversible deep-carry pocket clip and a lanyard slot, both of which are handy for keeping track of a knife that, at 1.87 ounces, is so crazy light you might forget about it.

That is, if it weren’t so freaking awesome.

Availability and pricing

The Gerber Assert MagnaCut is available now for $210.

Gerber Assert MagnaCut

$210 at Gerber

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.