Bear Grylls Gerber Survival Ultimate Knife - bargain or not?

D

D2FB

Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
107
This purchase was at a local bricks and mortar establishment ( so if I mention a price, I assume it is not bargain spotting, especially since I will not mention store by name anyway). Not particularly a fan of Bear or of Gerber Knives. I have a few Gerber folders but no fixed blade knives. When I saw the referenced knife (plain edge version, at that) for $25, I decided to give it a try. I thought if nothing else a spare to keep in the car for this price (at or less than the bushcraft Mora series prices) was reasonable for a back up. Good purchase or waste of $25?

a82359ce761486b40cb0ad71b3b3d3e4.jpg
[/IMG]
 
More on the not side of things.
Look at Condor's offerings for a knife that can handle things at a reasonable price.
Lots of selection too.:)

Edit: sorry, didn't notice that you already bought it.
So, yeah, use it and tell us what you think. I always like first hand user input.
 
The Bear Grylls line of Gerber knives get a fair amount of bashing, especially here on a knife forum.

Unfortunately, no, they are not good knives. When first released, many failed immediately due to poor design and manufacture. Supposedly Gerber has busy redesigning the knives, but the types of failures (handle cracking, steel breaking at grip) are the most basic of failures and show that Gerber (and Bear) were more interested in making a quick buck than they were at creating & producing a supposedly "survival" or "ultimate" knife.

Even if they manage to repair every design & manufacturing flaw, why give them a second chance when they've demonstrated the lack of care for potential users in the first place?

Stick with Mora or Condors if you want well designed, manufactured and inexpensive blades that perform as well as almost any top-end knife.
 
Use it and see, for $25.00 you're not in for much anyway.

FWIW, Mine hasn't broken, failed to cut or caused a major earthquake yet................
 
to use as a "trunk knife" it should be fine. at $25, if it breaks it's not a big loss. use it, abuse it and then write a review.

my prediction is this: the blade is most likely a low-med carbon stainless that's not too hard. the blade itself should be pretty tough but don't expect it to hold an edge very well. the plastic handle will probably be the first thing to give way under hard use.


personally, depending on how hard you plan on using it, i would have bought either:

1. stainless mora companion ($13)
2. bucklite max fixed blade ($20)
3. condor rodan ($20-$25).

a fire steel cost about $5-$7 to buy separately.

.
 
I would stay away from anything with BG's name on it, and most things made by Gerber.
 
although the BG knife has had it's problems, it's a pretty good deal for 25 bucks especially after they noted and supposedly rectified the situation or at least they tried, which says something about them as a company... there is a lot of companies who never acknowledge a problem or ever attempt to fix it if one occurs. Agreed... Gerbers aren't "top notch" knives, compared to some, but they are a pretty good value for the money.
 
Well, I don't own one but I do see a couple of things appealing about that knife:
The handle looks like it could be comfortable.
The handle looks like it has a good grip, not slippery or hard.
The overall blade shape is much more appealing without the serrations.
I like the idea of a locking sheath.
The orange would make it easy to find if dropped.

What I'd like to know from an actual owner/user of the knife:
Does the fire steel work?
Is the handle as comfortable and 'grippable' as it looks?
How secure is the knife in sheath?
 
rustyrazor said:
but they are a pretty good value for the money.
Click to expand...

No, they're not... the BG knife in the first post usually goes for 30-40 dollars, or even more :rolleyes: It's a pretty good deal for 25, but I wouldn't even consider buying one at their usual price.
 
Bob W said:
What I'd like to know from an actual owner/user of the knife:
Does the fire steel work?
Click to expand...

Yes, the spine has a place that's squared off and sharp just to scrape the firesteel with, throws sparks perfectly. It also snaps into the sheath very tightly, it takes a deliberate effort to remove it from the sheath, "in theory" it could fall out, but it's in there pretty good.

Bob W said:
Is the handle as comfortable and 'grippable' as it looks?
Click to expand...

Yes, the ergonomics actually are really good and just about as "non-slip" as you can get.

Bob W said:
How secure is the knife in sheath?
Click to expand...

Just about perfect, it locks in at the hilt using the same system used on the LMFII, along with a velcro strap around the handle. I'd prefer a metal snap button over velcro, but I've intentionally tried to swing the sheath from the bottom hard enough to make the knife fly out, and haven't been able to.

One change that seems to have been made to the sheaths, is the velcro strap around the handle, used to be elastic, and newer ones are just a nylon strap, that does not stretch.

It is what it is, for it's price range, but I have to admit I actually like the USK fixed blade, especially the new plain edge one.
 
Why do people feel a "trunk knife" can suck? To me a knife in the trunk would only be used in a last resort situation, that's when I need quality and not a china crap gerber made grillis knife... Maybe I am wrong???
 
I suppose as long as it's an item that may never be used and as a backup, it's a bargain for $25... Still, I'd want to spend it on something useful to keep in the trunk!
 
Last edited:
Bear Claw Chris Lappe said:
Yes, the spine has a place that's squared off and sharp just to scrape the firesteel with, throws sparks perfectly. It also snaps into the sheath very tightly, it takes a deliberate effort to remove it from the sheath, "in theory" it could fall out, but it's in there pretty good.



Yes, the ergonomics actually are really good and just about as "non-slip" as you can get.



Just about perfect, it locks in at the hilt using the same system used on the LMFII, along with a velcro strap around the handle. I'd prefer a metal snap button over velcro, but I've intentionally tried to swing the sheath from the bottom hard enough to make the knife fly out, and haven't been able to.

One change that seems to have been made to the sheaths, is the velcro strap around the handle, used to be elastic, and newer ones are just a nylon strap, that does not stretch.

It is what it is, for it's price range, but I have to admit I actually like the USK fixed blade, especially the new plain edge one.
Click to expand...

Heck, considering all of that, I'd give it a try for $25.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
I would stay away from anything with BG's name on it, and most things made by Gerber.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. I think BG is a grandstanding fraud, and would never purchase anything with his name on it. For the same $25 (or perhaps a couple bucks more), I bet a solid used knife could be found on this forum.
 
Dan57 said:
No, they're not... the BG knife in the first post usually goes for 30-40 dollars, or even more :rolleyes: It's a pretty good deal for 25, but I wouldn't even consider buying one at their usual price.
Click to expand...

to correct that quote... i didn't say the BG knives were a good value (although, i've seen the folders take some pretty solid using and keep going fine)... I said "on the whole" Gerber knives are a "pretty good value for the money" meaning, yes, there are better knives (far better knives if you want to pay for them) but in general if you don't want to spend a lot on a knife, you can get a decent user from gerber and not spend too much money. when i didn't know any better and had less money to waste, i bought quite a few gerbers and have never had any real complaints... for the price i paid.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top