For better or for worse, I live in a conservative city in Virginia. I have become accustomed to some of the cultural affordances, like being able to acquire a concealed handgun license or carrying a pocket knife in public without people thinking I’m a terrorist. As such, it’s weird when I go to places in the city that don’t follow the same train of thought. My employer is pretty squeamish when it comes to pocket knives. I may be in technical violation of their “no weapons” policy by carrying a utility knife. I can’t really help it: I was taught by my father at an early age that a real man always has a cutting tool on hand. Even if I could help it, I wouldn’t. It’s a stupid ordinance, and until someone says something, I will do as I please.

That being said, I don’t want to wave my disregard for the rules in everyone’s face. I typically carry an X-Blades folding razor blade knife, but it is fairly conspicuous. No reason to raise any hackles if I can avoid it. I do, however, like the idea of using disposable razor blades instead of a standard permanent fixed blade. I own a few traditional pocket knives, but I am too lazy to sharpen them at the end of every day like my father.

I had been carrying my old Spyderco Cricket knife until I found the Gerber EAB Exchange-A-Blade razor folder on sale at Target. Would it be discreet enough to take to work, and effective enough to handle day-to-day cutting tasks?


Here are a few things I like about the EAB besides the whole disposable blade aspect:

1. It’s small. It is slightly thicker than a pack of Wrigley’s gum, and about as long. I’ve put an SD card next to it as reference.
2. It’s discreet. I think the stainless steel gives it a bit of class. I know this sounds stupid, but I believe people are less likely to be alarmed by the appearance of this knife versus a more “tactical” looking folder. I see the same thing in firearms … for some reason a black stock makes a rifle a lot more ominous than a wood one.
3. It has a clip. I don’t like digging around in my pocket for my knife. I keep a fair amount of other shit in there, like two sets of keys in one and my mobile phone in the other. If I spend any more time rummaging through my pockets my manager might think I’m playing with myself again.
4. Did I mention you can throw the old blades away?

Here are a few things I dislike about the Gerber Exchange-A-Blade:

1. The clip is too tight and the tension cannot be adjusted. It is hard to put the knife back, no matter if I am wearing thin khakis or carpenter-thick jeans. I don’t forsee this loosening up any time in the future.
2. There is no real easy way to open the knife with one hand. There is a tiny screw on the side of the EAB can’t safely be used to open the knife with the thumb. I guess Spyderco has spoiled me.
3. You have to use a screwdriver to replace the razor blade. This is REALLY inconvenient. I have switched out blades on my X-Blade knife a few times “on the fly” when I was in the middle of a job and needed a sharper edge. I guess I could carry around a pocket knife and a screwdriver, but then I am dangerously close to multi-tool territory.
4. The top of the knife is “flat” when in my pocket. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the sharp edges cut my sensitive baby-skin when I reach into my pocket. Gerber rounded the pivot-end of the knife, they should have rounded the ass-end corners, too.

Despite being small when folded, the EAB has enough length for steady use. It’s a nice design, except for the blade replacement screw.

I bought the Gerber Exchange-A-Blade for $8 on sale at Target. At that price, I can overlook the design flaws. However, in researching this review I noticed some online retailers have it for $10 – $15 plus shipping. I think that is way too much to pay for this blade. Check out your local Target (they’re sold out online as of this posting). If you can find it on clearance, it might be worth your while.

Recommended at $8, not recommended at more than $10.