Gaitor Survival King

J

jawilder

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
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What are your thoughts on the Gaitor Survival King as seen here -> http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=148442

I have had one for several years and really like even though it is a Made in Taiwan knife. I am very impressed with the blade. I say that because I used to cut a steal belted radial tire in half and it's still as sharp as when I got it. The saw on the blade is very effective as well.

Inside the handle is a very well planned kit that includes a fire steal among many other things.

My favorite part is the sheath that comes with it. It has an integrated sharpening stone, sling shot band that attaches to bars on the sheath, a skinnin blade with various tools incorperated into it, and some extra nylon chord. I forgot to mention the signaling mirror and signaling directions.

Overall, I know the construction is not full tang and that is a draw back for me, and I don't like the fact that it is foreign made, but overall I am pleased with this and I don't think I would hesitate to suggest it to anyone looking for a quality discount survival knife.

Has anyone else ever used one?
 
The Gaitor is a rip-off of the spanish made Aitor JKII. I own several Aitors and find them to be pretty well made. I would avoid the Gaitor......
 
It embodies all of the things that I avoid in a knife...sawback spine, hollow handle, lack of appreciable tang, nondescript 'stainless steel' blade, etc...
 
mneedham said:
The Gaitor is a rip-off of the spanish made Aitor JKII. I own several Aitors and find them to be pretty well made. I would avoid the Gaitor......
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I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

By the way, is there anyone who has actually used it that would tell their thoughts? I realize that it's easy to criticize it without ever using or even seeing it first. But would like to know if anyone else has one or used one.
 
Raskolnikov said:
It embodies all of the things that I avoid in a knife...sawback spine, hollow handle, lack of appreciable tang, nondescript 'stainless steel' blade, etc...
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Funny, this described my Kershaw survival system to a T. One of the best blades I ever owned. (Model 1005 i think). I cant tell ya how many times I used the saw back. Never had an issue with the knife. Combined with the sheath design, it was a complete system, that when push comes to shove just plain worked.


It is easy to criticize by appearance alone.

jawilder: look for a Kershaw Survival System if you are looking for a solid knife system.
 
It is a novelty item.

If you want a slingshot, get a wristbrace slingshot. If you want a saw, get a folding or wire saw. Instead of a hollow handle put gear in a small pouch.

This knife is not designed for functionality -- it is intended to be produced very cheaply, marketed to impressionable teenagers, and sold at a high profit. And yes, I have handled one.
 
MrCoffee said:
It is easy to criticize by appearance alone.
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I can assure you that my criticism comes from more than the appearance of that knife alone. I've found all of the features that I had mentioned to be undesirable through using knives that had them. Years ago I even had a clone of the knife pictured in the original thread, and I wouldn't even feel good about giving it to someone else.
 
mneedham said:
The Gaitor is a rip-off of the spanish made Aitor JKII. I own several Aitors and find them to be pretty well made. I would avoid the Gaitor......
Click to expand...


I have several Aitor knives, one of them is a JK I , pretty good knife
 
From experience I can say that with the exception of one piece hollow handles (chris reeve and others) they break. I can remember a fellow boy scout years ago showing off his hollow handle knife to everyone on a Jamboree camping trip. I remember wanting one looking at my lowly SAK. Then he stabbed it into a picknick table trying to demonstrate its stabbing ability and the handle broke off. That quickly eliminated my fascination. I actually didn't buy a fixed blade until almost 12 years later.
 
Hey, I say if you like it and it works for what you need it too do....what else is there? We all have our opinions, some people use knives harder than others.
 
Allex said:
I have several Aitor knives, one of them is a JK I , pretty good knife
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Yep, they are. I should have been clearer about what I am criticizing... The Gaitor is a copy of the Aitor JKII (hence the play on the name Gaitor/Aitor), I like the Aitor, it is very well built and I have used it for years. It certainly has novelty features, but I have never talked anyone who owned an Aitor that had anything negative to say about the quality of the construction. If you are interested in reading more about the Aitor JKII go to www.donrearic.com.

I own the Kershaw 1005, JK1 and JKII, all fine knives IMHO. I also own a Gaitor, a friend gave me a used one because he knew I like Aitors (I collect tech/gadget survival knives). The knife is so poorly constructed that I would not be surprised if one broke before it was removed from its packaging. If I can find it, I will mail to the man who started the thread....


BTW, www.cutlerytogo.com sells Aitors.....
 
I never owned the hollow-handle Aitors, but I do have a cpl of the two different skinning knives/harpoon/spearheads that came with the JK1 & JK2. Great little utility blades.
 
mneedham said:
If I can find it, I will mail to the man who started the thread....
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I may just take you up on that :D. Thanks for the advice everyone. I know when I was a kid I had those Rambo cheap $5 survival knives and was not impressed. When I got this, I collected knives but knew nothing about them. Now that I know it's a cheap replica, I will look into something better made such as the Aitor or the Kershaw.

Thanks for everyone's advice. I know nothing can outperform a well made full tang fixed blade. I, myself like RAT and ScrapYard knives and that is what I take in the field. I just find it convenient to have all these things combined in a small, carryable package. There's no harm in throwing one in a backpack when going camping.
 
I have done the same thing as you, friend. I would like to reccomend saving up and getting a Chris Reeve one piece if you like the hollow handle!
 
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