45 Years Later, Gerber Updates an Icon: LST Ultra Review

Back in 1980, Pete Gerber teamed up with knifemaker Blackie Collins to rethink the classic lockback folder. Their goal was simple: build a lighter, more useful everyday knife. The result was the Gerber LST — a synthetic-scaled, lockback pocketknife that helped define modern EDC.

The LST quickly became an American staple, right alongside the Buck 110s and Case slipjoints favored on porches and in tackle boxes across the country. Its formula was straightforward: durable steel, featherweight handles, and a no-nonsense profile that just worked.

Forty-five years later, that blueprint evolves into the new LST Ultra. Still made in the USA and still under $50, it modernizes the original with 420HC steel, improved geometry, and a range of colors — a thoughtful refresh that keeps the spirit of the LST intact while preparing it for the next half-century.

In short: The Gerber LST Ultra is an evolution of the iconic Gerber LST. It replaces 440 stainless steel with more modern, hard-working 420HC, tweaks the handle geometry, and adds a pocket clip. In doing so, it created a similar knife that’s ready to face the next 45 years.

Gerber LST Ultra Review

Design & Features

Aside from being lightweight and durable, the original LST design was to keep it simple. It was a slow-going, two-hand opening and closing knife meant for utility and task work on the go. That still rings true with the LST Ultra, with some changes that improve upon the original to make it more appealing for modern times without veering too far off the path.

Where the blade shape and lock mechanism remain unchanged, the handle has a greater arc toward the butt for increased comfort and blade control. Additionally, where earlier versions of the LST had stippled handle scales, the Ultra uses alternating geometry on the surface of the scales to give the knife a modern look and ultimately increase your grip.

For steel, Gerber adhered to the classics and went with 420HC. Having been around longer than most of us have been alive, 420HC is a high-carbon stainless steel that gives you the best of both worlds. The steel is tough and abrasion-resistant as well as corrosion-resistant. If you recognize the name, this is the same steel that Leatherman has been using in its tools for as long as I can remember.

First Impressions

When I was a teenager, I worked in a camping store in my hometown. We sold a ton of the original LSTs. In fact, it’s the knife I carried when I was breaking down boxes or unwrapping canoes and kayaks. It’s small and efficient. Fast forward to now — the Ultra brings back a lot of great memories.

Two things that stand out as improvements, aside from the addition of a pocket clip, are the reshaping of the handle and the geometric enhancements on the scales themselves. The Ultra is small and tucks into your hand without getting lost. Part of that is due to the pronounced arcing of the handle toward the butt — the other is the grip.

Small knives like this can be real workhorses. They really show up when you need them to. But if it’s swimming around in your palm and you can’t get a good grip on it, you might as well throw it in the trash.

The Ultra sticks in place and allows you to put in demanding work. In an era where there’s a focus on lightweight knives for EDC, they often fail to meet the demands to be considered hardworking. I’m stoked that the Ultra does.

Out in the Field

As I said earlier, this knife forces you to slow down a bit. You’re not going to whip this out and deploy it all in a single movement — and you don’t have to. This is the knife you carve up an apple with. It’s the knife that you shave kindling to make a tinder bundle with. It’s the knife meant to take on tasks you come across during the day.

So, I did all of that with it.

I needed to cut a bunch of shrink wrap off of some load bars and unwrap a few bundles of hardware for my day job as an engineer at Rhino-Rack. The blade on the Ultra swam through the numerous layers without getting hung up. It was small enough that I could be a little more precise so as not to scratch the powder coating off the finished parts.

Additionally, with testing ramping up on knives and other outdoor gadgets, I’m receiving boxes delivered to the house daily. I must have broken down half a dozen boxes just yesterday alone; maybe 30 in total since I started using the Ultra. Aside from some tape gunk on the blade, it’s yet to get dull enough for me to think about rehoning it.

In an unintentional test of the overall corrosion resistance of the steel, I accidentally had the Ultra in my pocket when I did a Polar Plunge into my favorite lake this weekend. It still looks new to me — after leaving it a pair of wet jorts, in a bag, until I got home later that night.

In Conclusion

I’m happy that in designing the LST Ultra, Gerber didn’t stray too far from the original. Where EDC knives have changed quite a bit in form and function in the last few decades, the transition from the LST to the LST Ultra didn’t need to be drastic. Subtle design and material changes are both an homage and a path forward.

I like that the LST Ultra forced me to slow down. It’s hard to take a pause in the modern world, but you’re not flicking this knife out of your pocket. You’re taking it out with one hand and pinching the blade with the other. I think that makes it a shoe-in for kids, as well as being well-adapted for anyone else looking for a smaller task master that rides easily in your pocket.

It’s also nice to see that the knife is still being made here in the United States and only costs $40. Something about that plays into the historical significance of it all, as well as the experience.