bear grylls utlimate survival knife by Gerber

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dsol2434

Joined
Apr 16, 2011
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I was just curious. I got this knife recently and I can't find what kind of stainless steel it is. All it says is high carbon stainless steel. anyone know the exact type?
 
OP was only inquring about the steel, not the validity of Bear show. There're plenty of Bear threads out there so perhaps we can keep this one clean...


I don't think Gerber has specified the steel components but I've heard it is close to 440, not 440C good but somewhere within the performance range of 440 family steel. Please correct me if I'm misinformed.


I'm not a huge steel nerd but nameless steel is a big no for me.
 
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riderV3 said:
OP was only inquring about the steel, not the validity of Bear show. There're plenty of Bear threads out there so perhaps we can keep this one clean...
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Thank you. Good point. We are not here in the General Knife Discussion to critique entertainment.
 
high carbon stainless steel? I must be even dumber than I thought cuse I didnt know there was such a thing.
 
this thread overs both knives read for yourself and decide for yourself


this is the new version with reinforced pommel
PackDude said:
I finally broke down and got the BG Ultimate Knife. After reading some recent reviews on Amazon indicating they are now really selling the new & improved knives, I sprung for one.

It arrived today and I promptly took it out and banged the pommel on a thick steel structural beam so hard that it started cracking paint on the beam. I would venture to say that they got the pommel issue worked out.

Overall, I like it. The grippy (as opposed to "slippy" in Bear-talk ;)) handle material and pattern is a plus. As is the design and apparent durability of the sheath. It feels a lot like the LMF and Prodigy sheaths, and is better than the ones some of my more expensive knives came with.

The blade seems stout, and is pretty sharp even though I'll probably refine the edge eventually just because. Straight end of the blade seemed to handle carving up a decent blue spruce branch without too much trouble. I don't like serrations much, but I didn't see an option for a straight blade only, so I guess I'll live with them.

Haven't tried the firesteel yet, but I'm sure it will come in handy someday. As may the integrated diamond sharpener.

Time will tell, but so far it seems like $50 well spent in my book. Bear done good.
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in the end though i'd say get a becker BK2 and if you need convincing on that knife check out this thread its the second in a 2 part review but its more than enough http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/839944-BK2-test-the-final-part-(LOTS-of-pictures)
 
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I certainly hope so, because carbon content in stainless steels varies just as much as in carbon steels.

Gerber's notorious about not disclosing what steels they use in their knives, but since this knife is made in China, it's probably a pretty safe bet it's some kind of alphabet soup steel nobody's ever heard of.

But hey, it's not an expensive knife, they seem to have gotten most of the initial bugs worked out, and by all accounts you could do a lot worse. Which is not to say you couldn't do a lot better also.
 
IIRC, Equip 2 Endure and Cutlerylover both gave the 2nd gen version of the knife passing grades. If I were a teenager, I'd likely want one.
 
Gerber uses a lot of 420HC now. That's what the LMFII and the Prodigy are being made from, in addition to the LHR combat knife. That would be my best guess. They also seem to be using 5cr15 and 7cr17 in some of their folders now. It could be one of those steels as well.

Man, I really miss the old Gerber (before Fiskars bought them).
 
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No, he's not being sarcastic.

Once upon a time, we had a new member sign up who knew everything -- all about steels, all about grinds, all about handle materials, all about testing blades, all about selling ... it was a disaster, I tell you. The rest of us hung our heads in shame at our ignorance.

Since then, we insist that every new member lack at least one item of information about knives, so we won't look so dumb compared to them.

(That's sarcastic.)

Vaunripped, we often contrast high carbon steels with stainless steels. Of course, all steel has carbon, and the percent is small, the differences usually minor. Carbon steel won't have much if any of other elements alloyed to it, like chromium or vanadium, although a few otherwise (high) carbon steels do.

Stainless steels also have carbon and some of them have quite a bit -- high carbon stainless steels -- but they also have a lot of other elements, for various purposes, including corrosion resistance. We discuss a lot of steel questions here in the General Knife Discussion forum. Browse the forum list, search for "steel", or just ask. We have a lot of real experts here.
 
I have to think if they don't say what steel it is, it means it's whatever's cheapest at the time. Especially given it's Gerber.

It does seem to have some fun design features, maybe they have improved it but the reviews I have seen on the 1st release were uniformly terrible.
 
Esav,
If I lived near you I would supply the booze.
Your patience for BS is beyond measure.
Just sayin....
 
But is 440A or 420HC really high carbon? I've been reading a little on steels and found these to be low end steels when it comes to carbon. Although I know a good heat treat can make or break the knife I just didn't know they were considered high carbon.
 
in my personal interpretation, 0.50% carbon or higher is high-carbon. 420HC is about 0.45%, so it's right on the edge for me. 440A is about 0.65%-0.75% carbon, so i consider that high-carbon.
 
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