bear grylls stuff fad or functional?

DosOne said:
Uses a custom, doesn't use his knives. (Did he ever use his on the show i dont know) Ive handled most of them, was not impressed. The folder had the action of a flea market special. He should endorse the knives he used its kind of a slap in the face to those who supported him. Early on i was very interested in his knife (on the show ) just what i wanted, thick spine 3or 4 inch blade. Then i finally got mine per say, a busse b4 magnum. Endorse the knife you ACTUALLY trust your life to give them business, dont ask them to change it and make it gaudy with his name all over it, maybe a run with a subtle signature. Much more credibility. But money talks.
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I haven't seen the show in a while but I thought I saw him using the new stuff. Maybe I'm wrong. That knife he had made for him was pretty nice but IIRC it was north of 700 dollars. Busse is cheap by comparison. Not much marketability to the folks who typically watch the show. Busse's are better anyhoo.
 
DosOne said:
Uses a custom, doesn't use his knives. (Did he ever use his on the show i dont know) Ive handled most of them, was not impressed. The folder had the action of a flea market special. He should endorse the knives he used its kind of a slap in the face to those who supported him. Early on i was very interested in his knife (on the show ) just what i wanted, thick spine 3or 4 inch blade. Then i finally got mine per say, a busse b4 magnum. Endorse the knife you ACTUALLY trust your life to give them business, dont ask them to change it and make it gaudy with his name all over it, maybe a run with a subtle signature. Much more credibility. But money talks.
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He did use the Gerber knives on the show. In addition, all the contestants on his NBC show used the knives and his gear for the entire season. He only used the custom in the first couple seasons before he had the Gerber deal. The Pro Knife is actually really nice imho... great erogs, full tang, decent steel, nice sheath, firesteel, and bright orange colors so you don't lose it. $66 is not bad for that package.

If his gear ultimately motivates kids to turn off the video games, tvs, and computers and get outside I'm all for it.
 
During the NBC show he used the BG Folding Sheath knife for every episode I saw. I don't see anything wrong with that blade either.

I agree with getting kids interested in getting out but adults too. He has peaked a world interest in knives, outdoors, exploring, and not giving up in bad situations. Icouldn't pull that off. Oh one more thing my son is a cub scout and Bear does a lot to promote scouting. Not bad in my book.
 
I've used Gerber for years, since I was a kid and the multi tools and knives and they always broke. The sad part was I thought it was normal until I got a swiss army knife that did the same tasks without breaking. True story...
 
I'll never buy anything that says Gerber on it again, they can keep there over priced China junk! I always enjoyed Bear's shows but I'm not buying Gerber..
 
DosOne said:
Uses a custom, doesn't use his knives. (Did he ever use his on the show i dont know) Ive handled most of them, was not impressed. The folder had the action of a flea market special. He should endorse the knives he used its kind of a slap in the face to those who supported him. Early on i was very interested in his knife (on the show ) just what i wanted, thick spine 3or 4 inch blade. Then i finally got mine per say, a busse b4 magnum. Endorse the knife you ACTUALLY trust your life to give them business, dont ask them to change it and make it gaudy with his name all over it, maybe a run with a subtle signature. Much more credibility. But money talks.
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More like Ray Mears and his $719.58 woodlore knife. :D

or his everyman's bushcraft knife at $527.45.

A person selling you something on TV should be your first indicator something's fishy.
 
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Stand Straight said:
I like Bear Grylls. If I remember right he flew an ultra light over Mt. Everest. Amazing!
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So what exactly is amazing about flying a plane over a mountain? I'd be amazed if he landed it on the peak. :)



BG gear: Plastic marketing gimmick. I don't buy things that have an msrp that is double the street price. (It's a 120 dollar knife man!)
 
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ev13wt said:
So what exactly is amazing about flying a plane over a mountain? I'd be amazed if he landed it on the peak. :)
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Have you ever flown a ultra light over Everest? The conditions at the peak (altitude 29,000 ft) are typically -20 to -80 degrees, oxygen levels below the sustainable zone, and wind gusts up to 200 mph. The jet stream sits over the peak requiring perfect timing to climb it, much less fly a fragile ultralight in those conditions.

FYI, he has climbed it too...

I'm no BG fan but when the couch commando brigade starts to strut their stuff its time to put things in perspective.
 
retzius said:
Have you ever flown a ultra light over Everest?

FYI, he has climbed it too...
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Bully for him. If I ever need ASN ultralight I might consider his.

But, that and his support of the Boy Scouts, etc, all has nothing to do with the quality/value of the knives he shills.
 
marcinek said:
Bully for him. If I ever need ASN ultralight I might consider his.

But, that and his support of the Boy Scouts, etc, all has nothing to do with the quality/value of the knives he shills.
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I didn't say it did.. the poster before said "So what exactly is amazing about flying a plane over a mountain? I'd be amazed if he landed it on the peak."

Its fine to question the knives. Its America; vote with your wallet and don't buy them. But to belittle his achievements from the comfort of your couch is silly.

I don't like his knives either, but I'm not gonna pretend the guy hasn't done some amazing stuff because I don't like the product his name is on.
 
lzeplin said:
I'll never buy anything that says Gerber on it again, they can keep there over priced China junk! I always enjoyed Bear's shows but I'm not buying Gerber..
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I am no fan of the BG stuff either but to say Gerber is China junk is factually incorrect. They still have some acceptable stuff made in Portland, Oregon. I have a couple Prodigy fixed blade that I got on the cheap. They are good for what they are: inexpensive low grade steel fixed blades.
 
retzius said:
Have you ever flown a ultra light over Everest? The conditions at the peak (altitude 29,000 ft) are typically -20 to -80 degrees, oxygen levels below the sustainable zone, and wind gusts up to 200 mph. The jet stream sits over the peak requiring perfect timing to climb it, much less fly a fragile ultralight in those conditions.

FYI, he has climbed it too...

I'm no BG fan but when the couch commando brigade starts to strut their stuff its time to put things in perspective.
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Climbing it is cooler than flying over it. A high performance ultralight can easily clear Everst with a couple thousand feet to spare, so with oxygen I'd say its about as hard as flying over a cornfield. Of course conditions must be perfect. Goes for the climbing too.

I'll watch a bear show and report back about how I feel. Is the guys hame actually Bear?
 
I will say that, for what it's worth, I have seen at least 3 of the products released in the BG Gerber line recalled. Saw one in a Walmart, and the other 2 online.
They had to recall both of the machetes that they made because, if I recall, "the blade is prone to separating from the handle when in use"......uh-huh...

And they had to recall one of the folders (I think) because it was structurally flawed as well. I believe the blade was prone to fracturing and fragmenting when in use. It was a while ago, and I will look around to see if I can find the actual recalls, but I thought that was at least worth mentioning, since "quality" was a question on this.

EDIT: found this from Gerber themselves:
http://www.gerbergear.com/Frontpage...oduct-Notifications/Bear-Grylls-Parang-Recall
 
retzius said:
Have you ever flown a ultra light over Everest? The conditions at the peak (altitude 29,000 ft) are typically -20 to -80 degrees, oxygen levels below the sustainable zone, and wind gusts up to 200 mph. The jet stream sits over the peak requiring perfect timing to climb it, much less fly a fragile ultralight in those conditions.

FYI, he has climbed it too...

I'm no BG fan but when the couch commando brigade starts to strut their stuff its time to put things in perspective.
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Meh. I admire thrill seekers about as much as you admire "couch commandos" I suspect. :D



Like Charr said. It's hard to trust in survival anything when it falls apart in your backyard.LOL I went on a hike with a guy once. He had the "BG super survival whatever fixed blade" and had the BG parang strapped to his side. I was glad to have my mora and a sak on me. Tools I could trust. :D
 
Well, let's look at a few things here.

1) Gerber's reputation is trash at the moment (especially people who are into knives more than "I need to go buy another folder under $50, don't care about it really except that it doesn't break). The blades they have been putting out for the last 10 years or so are not up to quality of other options in the same price category. Gerber used to put out well thought out blades with quality construction for reasonable prices. They built their name on it. But now, their build quality is overall, sub-par compared to equally priced knives.

2) By adding additional marketing (which Gerber has obviously put money into, since their packaging, etc has become prettier), they have increased the potential customer base, but their product is still, IMHO, lacking compared to equally priced competitors.

I haven't bought a gerber product in years. Now, they do make a few models that have potential. I don't recall what they are, but I'm sure that they aren't BG labeled.

Additionally, I have no opinion about Bear Grills (or whatever his name is). Don't like or dislike him. Plus, he didn't make the knife.....he licensed his name. Big difference.
 
My wife has a ultimate and a pro. Both bought second hand, she uses the pro on camping trips, and keeps it in her trunk during the week.
My mother has the similar Les fixed blade in her trunk.
If they are needed in a last ditch effort that I myself can't get to them to help with or triple A can't help them...so be it. It got both of them a little more ininterested in knives and over all survival. I see it as a win/win.
 
I got back into camping, backpacking, and eventually started my knife addiction after watching a Man vs Wild marathon. I never bought one of his knives after doing some research, but I did pickup one of his saws originally. I haven't really used it because after doing some additional research I ended up getting a Bahco, Silky, and Corona. Much better saws for about the same money. I'm assuming the knives aren't much different as some have already posted. There are much better products out there, since you aren't paying for the name and advertising costs.
 
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