Bear Grylls ultimate knife... or ultimate failure?

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Paratrooper06 said:
So the heat treat? Steel quality?
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Does it matter?
But since you asked - yes.
Cheap steel is fine with me, but this knife seems to be both soft (poor edge retention) AND it still seems to break readily (which is a HUGE problem for a SURVIVAL knife).
And the handle seems fragile.
And the tang seems weak.
I don’t have first hand experience with it so I can’t say any of this for certain, however with this many folks demonstrating that it’s a POS, I have no interest in even touching one.
Do you like the knives? How come?
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Pretty sure it's the easily breaking. I don't particularly care how good the heat treat or steel quality is in my survival knife if it breaks in normal use.
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I 100% agree. Something heavily marketed as survival knife with a name of survival icon on it should be damn near indestructible.

Blade shape is OK, if it was executed as Boker Plus Outdoorsman - there would be 0 complaints. And 50-60 or even 70€ would still be acceptable, especially if it comes with sharpener, ferro rod and manual in the sheath pack.

Plain carbon steel or Sandvik would be the way to go with that knife at that price range.
 
Probably an unpopular opinion but it is a cheap, entry level knife. I would put it up against the basic Mora or any other fixed blade you can buy at walmart, aside from the Buck.
 
DMG said:
Probably an unpopular opinion but it is a cheap, entry level knife. I would put it up against the basic Mora or any other fixed blade you can buy at walmart, aside from the Buck.
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Yeah, just Mora will actually hold an edge, and seems to be pretty sturdy for what it is.

And is less than half the price (here in Europe).
 
EatingSarma said:
Yeah, just Mora will actually hold an edge, and seems to be pretty sturdy for what it is.

And is less than half the price (here in Europe).
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The mora is definitely cheaper. I have not been impressed with their edge holding but it isnt terrible. i think the grind helps.

The BG is the knife you give to the teeneage outdoorsman that will abuse it and lose it. Like I did in boy scouts. I think your point is valid about BG putting his name on it. Then I remember him drinking his own piss.
 
DMG said:
Probably an unpopular opinion but it is a cheap, entry level knife. I would put it up against the basic Mora or any other fixed blade you can buy at walmart, aside from the Buck.
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Sorry, but hard disagree. From the same retailer, the Bear Grylls Ultimate knife is about $50 and a Mora is about $9. I also think the Mora is a much better design overall, that's proven to be surprisingly durable while still being exceedingly inexpensive, lightweight and compact. Or if you want something that's built more like the BG, you can get a Cold Steel SRK in SK-5 for a bit less than the Gerber, and it's insanely durable. Heck, you can get a Mora Bushcraft in orange for only a dollar or two more and get a much better knife with most of the same bells and whistles.
 
Bob Denman said:
So what exactly is wrong with the " blade steel, geometry, materials or design,"?
What would you have done to improve the knife?
For the record: I'm not defending Gerber: I'm just looking for a factual reason for the diatribe...
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A few years ago I was on a camping trip and a fellow in the next spot over had a fixed blade BG and a folder. He said it was his second time out using it. I asked to see it and it was dull and thick behind the edge, the blade coating was coming off. Later he was batoning a 4 inch log that had a knot and the blade bent. He tried hammering it straight and it broke, the handle cracked in the process. His folder didn’t fare much better as it lost the pivot pin the next day. Both knives dulled quickly and he was very disappointed and I don’t blame him.
 
From the Gerber Website re: the current iteration of this knife:

“When you’re braving the great outdoors, it’s about working smarter not harder. That sentiment is reflected in the knowledge you possess but also the tools you choose to bring along. Operate like an expert with the Ultimate Fixed Blade, it’s specifically designed to address your needs in the wild.
Corralling multiple tools into one useful design, this durable knife also acts as a fire starter, an emergency whistle, and a sharpener. The no-nonsense blade has a utilitarian drop point blade and is partially serrated to address a multitude of tasks. Starting a fire is no problem with a fire striking edge along the spine and a ferrocerium rod that is housed in the sheath. Take control of your reality in the outdoors with a tool optimized for your survival.”

This is garbage marketing of a garbage knife.

DMG said:
The BG is the knife you give to the teeneage outdoorsman that will abuse it and lose it.
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NOOOO!!!
That’s the point - DON’T give this knife to anybody who might actually try to use it as a tool in the woods - ESPECIALLY a teenager or someone without much experience.

Best case scenario - they learn how a bad knife performs.

Worst case - they actually perish because they thought they could rely on your gift.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Sorry, but hard disagree. From the same retailer, the Bear Grylls Ultimate knife is about $50 and a Mora is about $9. I also think the Mora is a much better design overall, that's proven to be surprisingly durable while still being exceedingly inexpensive, lightweight and compact. Or if you want something that's built more like the BG, you can get a Cold Steel SRK in SK-5 for a bit less than the Gerber, and it's insanely durable. Heck, you can get a Mora Bushcraft in orange for only a dollar or two more and get a much better knife with most of the same bells and whistles.
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It looks like the BG is discontinued but they were $30 when I looked at them. I havent seen a mora for $9 in quite a while. Last time I did, I bought a few.
I agree if the price difference is as big as you say.

I still have the SRK in carbon V i bought as a kid in the late 80s. It took a serious beating but the sheath wasnt great.
 
DMG said:
It looks like the BG is discontinued but they were $30 when I looked at them. I havent seen a mora for $9 in quite a while. Last time I did, I bought a few.
I agree if the price difference is as big as you say.

I still have the SRK in carbon V i bought as a kid in the late 80s. It took a serious beating but the sheath wasnt great.
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BladeHQ BladeHQ has the Basic 511 for right about $9 right now. The BG was out of stock because they're DCed, but I went with 'our price' on it.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Pretty sure it's the easily breaking. I don't particularly care how good the heat treat or steel quality is in my survival knife if it breaks in normal use.
Click to expand...

scdub said:
Does it matter?
But since you asked - yes.
Cheap steel is fine with me, but this knife seems to be both soft (poor edge retention) AND it still seems to break readily (which is a HUGE problem for a SURVIVAL knife).
And the handle seems fragile.
And the tang seems weak.
I don’t have first hand experience with it so I can’t say any of this for certain, however with this many folks demonstrating that it’s a POS, I have no interest in even touching one.
Do you like the knives? How come?
Click to expand...

“Normal use” is subjective.

Why something breaks is important to know. If your car kept breaking because of something you did to it, would you:
A.) Keep taking it to a mechanic to get fixed
B.) Buy a new car
C.) Figure out if there is something you’re doing to the car you shouldn’t be doing

So yes, knowing why the knife broke is important to know. For me, in any case. I just don’t subscribe to the “it doesn’t matter why it broke if it broke” simplistic thought.
 
Lee D said:
Friend asking for advice: “Im looking for a knife to take camping, and I have a $50 budget, what would you suggest?”

Would ANYONE here suggest a BG Gerber?
That’s probably all that needs to be said.
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A question should be asked: "What will you be using the knife for?"
Whittling marshmallow sticks; is a lot different than building a log cabin...
 
Lee D said:
Friend asking for advice: “Im looking for a knife to take camping, and I have a $50 budget, what would you suggest?”

Would ANYONE here suggest a BG Gerber?
That’s probably all that needs to be said.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
 
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