Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO Survival Knife

I read your whole sentence. So you're suggesting that the aforementioned whore themselves so they can sell their branded knives?

Also, pretty sure the ancients weren't using ferro rods, or matches either. Does that negate their obvious survival potential?

I would suggest it's the uneducated knife user that creates unnecessary limits for the knife's potential. I have used batonning techniques for 50+ years. Works for me but, as always, YMMV.

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
I read your whole sentence. So you're suggesting that the aforementioned whore themselves so they can sell their branded knives?

Also, pretty sure the ancients weren't using ferro rods, or matches either. Does that negate their obvious survival potential?

I would suggest it's the uneducated knife user that creates unnecessary limits for the knife's potential. I have used batonning techniques for 50+ years. Works for me but, as always, YMMV.

Doc
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No, been trying to keep this on topic to OP's post. As I've used said knife and didn't buy it for list of reasons.

To answer your questions.

No, I didn't even bring those names up.

No, didn't mention those things either. Nuff can't be said for a bic lighter.

I wouldn't disagree there. Precisely why I would tell someone whos never used a knife before to go split me some logs.
 
B34NS said:
Want a list?

Eyelets/Handguard removes the ease of choking up on the blade also not sure who would strap their only knife to a stick when you could just make a spear and spare losing or damaging your knife.
Choil closest to the blade is dangerous when the knife is wet. It's grippyish, when wet it's a little slicker feeling than G10.
Both choils give a hand placement of the thumb on top o the blade, not the safest knife control hand position, nor the most efficient.
I don't need another firesteel, but what they hell, more the merrier.
I don't need a field honer built into the sheath.
No need for a plastic sheath with a nylon retention strap with a TV show host's guidelines for survival.
3/16 at over 4.8" is not exactly the most efficient slicer out there.
Tip strength is better than the ultimate. But not as good as the heat treat on the LMF.
Don't need my pommel to be a hammer, this one has it, but the handle feels hollow and isn't the best new thing since the hammer.
No need for a whistle.
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All except your comment heat treat vs. the LMF are based on subjective preferences, which you are of course entitled too. And these types of knives are not meant to be slicing tomatoes...so can't really fault it from that aspect. Quite honestly, for the intended purpose, I'd have a hard time going with anything less than 3/16th, tho a slightly longer blade *might* offer a little more balance, but then it wouldn't be as portable...so its a trade off. I do find it interesting that you claim that a clearly full tang knife feels "hollow." I also find it interesting that it almost seems by your tone you find inclusion of things like a firesteel, sharpener, whistle, hammer pommel, and pocket guide, as being negatives "Don't need..." As I said earlier, these aren't just knives...they're a mini system, and from that point of view, a pretty decent value. If you don't want those additions, you shouldn't even be looking at this knife...


For someone who wants a knife with all those bells and literal whistles, than sounds like a deal for some. Certainly doesn't make this knife a necessarily cheap alternative to whats out there for under $100. A Faberware $8 knife is about the same spec and will do all the same tasks.
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Huh, what Faberware are you talking about?

Wow, 203 posts on a $65 Gerber...getting closer to buying one. Anybody want a ZT0566 at a fair price?

BOSS
 
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If $65 for a 4.8" 3/16 thick 9Cr19MoV blade is what gets you excited to use it and and get outdoors, get it.

It's a decent knife, so never fear mystery steel defenders, I'm not one of those brand fanboys who love or hate a brand. After handling one, I feel It'd be hard to beat the mora bushcraft if you want a beginner knife, sheath, sharpener, firesteel, etc combo package for just about the same cost at a fraction of the weight. To be fair, after handling and using the ultimate pro in the want for an all around backup blade to toss in the truck bag, I ended up going with Izula 2's kits instead. They fulfill the same need, and was able to get them on a great deal online for what this knife would have cost. I'd rather support US businesses and craftspeople over Chinese production whenever possible. It's worth the relatively little difference in cost to spend more on things made by good people here at home.

I haven't seen many ladies reviewing production knives. It's not just guys who get stuck in life or death situations, would be great to hear they're perspective as well.

Hah, the farberware. Yea those things are beasts. They were a favorite beater of mine. Since then I've upgraded, but All hail cheap mystery steel http://amzn.to/1pSmPoY
 
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will i buy it? no. my personal preference wouldn't lead me to buy a knife with these specs and design. nor would i let myself "pay for a name" aka endorsement.
would i suggest a friend buy it? no.
will it get the average user through average tasks, of course! if i was in a plane crash and survived with this knife along side me, would it do everything i needed it to? yep. just about any full tang knife would in a pinch.
As for bear himself. i don't know, i don't watch, and don't care.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
I can't believe you're calling
• Ray Mears - page23 of 'Bushcraft - An Inspirational Guide to Surviving the Wilderness'
• Chris Janowsky (R.I.P.)
• Mors Kochanski
• Ron Hood (R.I.P.)
• Les Stroud (as per his new book)
• Jeff Randall (as per page 77, November 2000, Tactical Knives
• George Jasper - Six ways in & 12 ways out (USRSOG page 110
• Cody Lundin (as per page 175 of 98.6)
• Ethan Becker (as per his Machax article)

uneducated knife users.

Doc
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All of the men you just named know their stuff. As to the "Batonning wood is not a survival skill comment B34NS made, hes very misinformed. Batonning wood is quite useful for things like "Making a bow drill set (for example), or harvesting wood to use for a fire in a wet environment when everything is soaked. Also, whats the chances of being in a bad situation with a axe in your hand? Highly unlikely unless you get lost while camping, hiking or something. Most people carry some kind of knife, which is why I feel its important folks learn how to use their blades to maximum effect. Now these comments were not aimed at you DOC-CANADA, but to B34NS.
 
Survival Solutions said:
All of the men you just named know their stuff. As to the "Batonning wood is not a survival skill comment B34NS made, hes very misinformed. Batonning wood is quite useful for things like "Making a bow drill set (for example), or harvesting wood to use for a fire in a wet environment when everything is soaked. Also, whats the chances of being in a bad situation with a axe in your hand? Highly unlikely unless you get lost while camping, hiking or something. Most people carry some kind of knife, which is why I feel its important folks learn how to use their blades to maximum effect. Now these comments were not aimed at you DOC-CANADA, but to B34NS.
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You're more than welcome to elaborate on how fashioning a bow drill with a bear grylls knife is more efficient than this for starting a fire (Just do so in a new thread):
d4s7tCf.jpg


Without further delay, this is still a Bear Grylls knife post. :thumbup:
 
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B34NS said:
You're more than welcome to elaborate on how fashioning a bow drill with a bear grylls knife is more efficient than this for starting a fire (Just do so in a new thread):
d4s7tCf.jpg


Without further delay, this is still a Bear Grylls knife post. :thumbup:
Click to expand...


Nothing wrong with having a Bic Lighter in yours kit, in fact if you don't, its a kit i'd consider incomplete.The only issue is if you was stranded for a very long time, sooner or later your fluid will run out, and making something to start fires with more "long term" would become important. --> Bow Drill. Now as for the BG PRO Knife, i've had it for awhile, but I also have other knives like my ESEE 5, KA-BAR Becker BK-9, Mora Bushcraft Survival, and my Ontario Blackbird SK-5, so I have good knives IMHO to compare the Pro to. Am I a BG Fan? I think the man sells more entertainment value on his shows then actual advice I would follow, but I respect what he has done for the survival industry, and I respect his accomplishments, and above all that, hes actually a very nice guy. IMHO the PRO is something I would toss in your B.O.B and forget about.Would I depend on it? Sure, Gerber did a hell of a job on its heat treat, and i've personally tested the knife with hard use and abuse, and it batoned great, held its edge well, and the protective coating held up nicely.Im also a fan of the drop point non serration blade, plus that pinned and welded butt-cap to the tang is durable as hell, 300% better then the original knife that thing sucked.I don't make any money talking about this knife, but I refuse to let people talk others out of something cause they hate the celebrity behind it. This is BLADE FORUMS, not HATE FORUMS. We are here to talk about the blade, and if it works or not. 99.9 percent of the people bashing have ZERO experience with it, never held it, never took it to the woods for a true test. I have, I test all of my gear as anyone should, so that if it breaks it does so nearby the house, not out 40 miles from civilization.Now comparing it to my ESEE-5, well, the ESEE is a great knife that's virtually indestructible. At 1/2 inch of 1095 High Carbon with a Rowen Heat Treat that makes a Becker-BK 2 jealous, it means business, plus lets face it, it looks a MILLION TIMES more awesome then the Ultimate Pro due to all the BG letters and the orange. The PRO does cut better, but the blade is thinner then the ESEE-5. As for durability im sure the ESEE-5 would be stronger, but I have yet to break either knife, and I've tried hard. Gerber has a great heat treat for its blades, my only issue is the steel they use sometimes, however they made a good call using the 9cr19mov here due to corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening, and edge holding ability. The 9cr19mov steel is a premium metal in china, used in allot of their hospitals for surgical equipment such as scalpels and stuff.Gerber took that metal, gave it a wonderful heat treat, making is a durable beast of a knife. I have of yet to see ANYONE break this blade on Youtube, and trust me if someone did, it would be on there due to the BG hate crowd. So to you folks intrested in this knife for something to toss in a B.O.B, get it, feel confident in its ability to do the job, and ignore the haters making uninformed remarks. It does not have to be a SURVIVE GSO 5.1 to get the job done. - Stay frosty, stay safe.
 
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Survival Solutions said:
Nothing wrong with having a Bic Lighter in yours kit, in fact if you don't, its a kit i'd consider incomplete.The only issue is if you was stranded for a very long time, sooner or later your fluid will run out, and making something to start fires with more "long term" would become important. --> Bow Drill. Now as for the BG PRO Knife, i've had it for awhile, but I also have other knives like my ESEE 5, KA-BAR Becker BK-9, Mora Bushcraft Survival, and my Ontario Blackbird SK-5, so I have good knives IMHO to compare the Pro to. Am I a BG Fan? I think the man sells more entertainment value on his shows then actual advice I would follow, but I respect what he has done for the survival industry, and I respect his accomplishments, and above all that, hes actually a very nice guy. IMHO the PRO is something I would toss in your B.O.B and forget about.Would I depend on it? Sure, Gerber did a hell of a job on its heat treat, and i've personally tested the knife with hard use and abuse, and it batoned great, held its edge well, and the protective coating held up nicely.Im also a fan of the drop point non serration blade, plus that pinned and welded butt-cap to the tang is durable as hell, 300% better then the original knife that thing sucked.I don't make any money talking about this knife, but I refuse to let people talk others out of something cause they hate the celebrity behind it. This is BLADE FORUMS, not HATE FORUMS. We are here to talk about the blade, and if it works or not. 99.9 percent of the people bashing have ZERO experience with it, never held it, never took it to the woods for a true test. I have, I test all of my gear as anyone should, so that if it breaks it does so nearby the house, not out 40 miles from civilization.Now comparing it to my ESEE-5, well, the ESEE is a great knife that's virtually indestructible. At 1/2 inch of 1095 High Carbon with a Rowen Heat Treat that makes a Becker-BK 2 jealous, it means business, plus lets face it, it looks a MILLION TIMES more awesome then the Ultimate Pro due to all the BG letters and the orange. The PRO does cut better, but the blade is thinner then the ESEE-5. As for durability im sure the ESEE-5 would be stronger, but I have yet to break either knife, and I've tried hard. Gerber has a great heat treat for its blades, my only issue is the steel they use sometimes, however they made a good call using the 9cr19mov here due to corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening, and edge holding ability. The 9cr19mov steel is a premium metal in china, used in allot of their hospitals for surgical equipment such as scalpels and stuff.Gerber took that metal, gave it a wonderful heat treat, making is a durable beast of a knife. I have of yet to see ANYONE break this blade on Youtube, and trust me if someone did, it would be on there due to the BG hate crowd. So to you folks intrested in this knife for something to toss in a B.O.B, get it, feel confident in its ability to do the job, and ignore the haters making uninformed remarks. It does not have to be a SURVIVE GSO 5.1 to get the job done. - Stay frosty, stay safe.
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I usually have a couple floating in my pack, truck, etc. I'm not worried about fire as much as some are. Friction fire methods are a fun way to stay in touch with history, but in most emergency situations injury is big factor. Bow drill isn't survival advice. Sure it could save you if you were playing fantasy survival in your head, but in the real world people have died from being fans of Bear Grylls. Can the process be used in a pinch, sure, but this is 2015. A box of 50 bic's is still cheaper than the BG knife, at its current price which is half of what it was being sold for $100+ not that long ago. Same goes for the very expensive sharpened prybars you mentioned. Mankind was able to take down mammoths 10,000 years ago with sticks, without an ESEE or BG knife, you only need it if you lack skill, knowledge, and determination. I think we did just fine without a survival "industry" as a species so far, or at least we're not extinct.

Saying that because someone is a celebrity gives them credibility to suggest products or process is dangerous. Especially when their motives are more concerned with sponsors, ratings, or bottom lines. Sadly some people believe in these personalities and look what happens

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ge-man-dead-remote-Scottish-mountain-hut.html

I don't own a 5.1, but survive! knives have some great options.

I was gifted one of these BG knives a while back as other threads on the same subject have come up. It does as advertised, cuts. Aside from that there are better options for the money out there now. If given one again, I'd still categorize it as a "beater" or ice chipper.

In the real world, a simple text message telling someone your itinerary and where you're going is more important to survival than any knife you can buy. If no one knows where to look for you, they won't find you. Thinking you'll be living like Robinson Crusoe is fun, but not the best advice to give someone who might want to come home instead.

I certainly wouldn't want to buy a knife to trust my life on because it looks cool.
 
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Bear Claw Chris Lappe said:
People have died trying to imitate Les Stroud also.

http://www.backpacker.com/news-and-.../survivorman-fan-dies-in-canadian-wilderness/

Who's fault is it when this happens? The "celebrity"...Nope, the moron that watched a TV show and got in over their head.

"anyone who bases their preparedness program on a television show should probably leave the gene pool anyway" Cody Lundin
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I don't disagree per se, but these people wouldn't have died recreating something they saw a celeb doing that inspired them whether it be tv, the Internet, books, etc.

Although this guy puts them to shame

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/10/13/sf-man-rescued-wilderness/
 
I <3 this thread! :D

By the way if I am ever stranded alone in the wilderness long enough for a new Bic lighter to wear out I have worse problems than the lighter. :eek:
 
B34NS said:
I usually have a couple floating in my pack, truck, etc. I'm not worried about fire as much as some are. Friction fire methods are a fun way to stay in touch with history, but in most emergency situations injury is big factor. Bow drill isn't survival advice. Sure it could save you if you were playing fantasy survival in your head, but in the real world people have died from being fans of Bear Grylls. Can the process be used in a pinch, sure, but this is 2015. A box of 50 bic's is still cheaper than the BG knife, at its current price which is half of what it was being sold for $100+ not that long ago. Same goes for the very expensive sharpened prybars you mentioned. Mankind was able to take down mammoths 10,000 years ago with sticks, without an ESEE or BG knife, you only need it if you lack skill, knowledge, and determination. I think we did just fine without a survival "industry" as a species so far, or at least we're not extinct.

Saying that because someone is a celebrity gives them credibility to suggest products or process is dangerous. Especially when their motives are more concerned with sponsors, ratings, or bottom lines. Sadly some people believe in these personalities and look what happens

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ge-man-dead-remote-Scottish-mountain-hut.html

I don't own a 5.1, but survive! knives have some great options.

I was gifted one of these BG knives a while back as other threads on the same subject have come up. It does as advertised, cuts. Aside from that there are better options for the money out there now. If given one again, I'd still categorize it as a "beater" or ice chipper.

In the real world, a simple text message telling someone your itinerary and where you're going is more important to survival than any knife you can buy. If no one knows where to look for you, they won't find you. Thinking you'll be living like Robinson Crusoe is fun, but not the best advice to give someone who might want to come home instead.

I certainly wouldn't want to buy a knife to trust my life on because it looks cool.
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Honestly I think if people prepare, and they are not the type to go camping or hiking, to keep natural disasters and stuff in mind, and stylize their supplies around a urban environment.A very slim chance your gonna be out in the middle of the woods, or stuck on some tropical island like you mentioned.Honestly if I had to pick 1 knife out of all the blades I had to go survive with, I would want my Blackbird-SK 5 because its small enough to bushcraft with, 154cm stainless is tough and has good corrosion resistance, the micarta handles are nice, and I can still chop firewood with it if need be.The spine is sharp as well, and strikes a firesteel to wicked effect.Whats your go-to knife guys?
 
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