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Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Utensils > GSI Outdoors Tekk Cutlery Set > Owner Review by Andrea Murland

GSI Outdoors Tekk Cutlery Set
Owner Review by Andrea Murland
May 25, 2012

Tester Information

Name: Andrea Murland
Email: amurland AT shaw DOT ca
Age: 26
Location: Elkford & Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight: 125 lb (57 kg)

I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent two months backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on 2 to 3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically 500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk, Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider myself a lightweight backpacker.

Tekk Cutlery Set

Product Information

Manufacturer: GSI Outdoors
Manufacturer's URL: www.gsioutdoors.com
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Model: Tekk Cutlery Set
MSRP: US $2.95
Colours Available: Eggshell, Blue
Colour Reviewed: Blue
Listed Weight: 23 g (0.8 oz)
Measured Weight: Total - 22 g (0.7 oz)
Spoon - 6 g (0.2 oz), Fork - 4 g (0.1 oz)
Knife - 7 g (0.3 oz), Ring - 1 g (0.05 oz)
Listed Dimensions: 6.3 in (16 cm) x 1.5 in (6.4 cm) x 1.0 in (2.5 cm)
Measured Dimensions: Spoon - 5.7 in (14.5 cm) x 1.3 in (3.4 cm) x 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
Fork - 5.7 in (14.5 cm) x 0.9 in (2.4 cm) x 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
Knife - 6.0 in (15.3 cm) x 0.4 in (1.1 cm) x 0.1 in (0.3 cm)
Ring - 1.4 in (3.5 cm) x 1.0 in (2.5 cm)

Description

The GSI Outdoors Tekk Cutlery Set is a cutlery set made of acetal, a plastic characterized by, among other things, good rigidity and heat resistance. The set comes with a knife, fork, spoon, and ring to keep them together. Each of the utensils has a hole near the end of the handle for the ring, and the handles are roughly oval in shape. The spoon and fork have “GSI Outdoors” raised text on the underside of the handle. The surface of the utensils is slightly rough.

The bowl of the spoon measures approximately 3.4 cm (1.3 in) x 4.5 cm (1.8 in). The fork has four tines which are 3.2 cm (1.2 in) long. The knife is serrated from the tip for about 5.3 cm (2.1 in). The ring snaps closed and can be opened by pulling perpendicular to the plane of the ring. Only one end of the ring fits through the holes in the handles of the utensils.

Field Conditions

The GSI Outdoors Tekk Cutlery have been my backpacking utensils since I purchased the set in the spring of 2009. I have used at least one of the utensils for about 20 meals since then. The knife has been used to slice sausage and cheese, the fork to pilfer bits of fresh fish from backpacking companions, and the spoon for the bulk of my use, for oatmeal, soup, pasta dinners, rice dinners, and a few other meals. I have occasionally taken only the spoon with me on trips and left the rest of the set at home.

Review

I have been very happy overall with my Tekk Cutlery Set. I find the handles comfortable to hold and the utensils feel sturdy when I’m using them. I have also found them easy to clean when I’m done (assuming that I don’t just lick them off...). I like the ring to keep them together, and also that they can be taken off the ring for use, though I would prefer being able to take them off either end of the ring. They still look as good as new.

Oatmeal The knife works well for things that require a “sawing” motion to cut, like sausage. The serrations cut through the skin and into the meat of the sausage with no trouble. However, the knife kind of squished my cheese (softened considerably after a couple of warm days in my pack) when I tried to use it on that. I have also used the knife for spreading, and it works fine. The fork I’ve used very little, but on a friend’s fresh-caught trout it picked up some pieces with no trouble. I haven’t really tested the sharpness or durability of the tines just due to the nature of the food I take with me into the backcountry. The spoon I generally use for morning oatmeal and dinner meals, which are usually either pasta, rice, or mashed potato-based, or soup. I have a fairly small mouth, so the spoon is a perfect size for me. It’s not quite as round as a soup spoon, but not pointy like many table spoons, so it strikes a good balance in shape.

The spoon has also been used to stir cooking dinners, and it has done just fine in this application. I have not experienced any softening or burning of the plastic, and the spoon doesn’t scratch my pots.

Summary

The GSI Outdoors Tekk Cutlery Set is a basic set of plastic backcountry utensils that can be kept together with a plastic ring. I have been happy with them and look forward to continue using them in my future travels.

Thumbs Up:
Heat resistance
Don’t scratch pots
Separate utensils that can be kept together with the ring

Thumbs Down:
Only one end of the ring fits through the holes in the handles
Knife squishes soft cheese


Read more reviews of GSI Outdoors gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland

Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Utensils > GSI Outdoors Tekk Cutlery Set > Owner Review by Andrea Murland



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