Three Gerber "Paul" knives. These were first generation Paul knives that were made from 77 through 86. This was a collaboration with Paul Pohlmann, who invented and patented the Axial Locking Mechanism in 76. You simply squeeze the button on the pivot and rotate the knife to the open position and reverse to close. If the pivot is adjusted correctly, one can easily open the knife with one hand. The beauty behind this design is that the blade locks open and closed, and when it is locked, it's locked like a bank vault. These remain highly sought after today. They ain't cheap. There are also models with micarta scales and scrimshaw. There is a second version (Paul II) that came out in 96. Lonewolf knives made them after Gerber and Paul Pohlmann made his own custom knives. Since his passing, his knives generally start in the $1.5-$2k area and have gone north of $4k. The first time I saw one of these was at the old Kesselring gun shop when I was a kid and I was determined to get one. It only took me thirty or forty years.
