Gerber Big Rock Surprise

GrinderMcgee

GrinderMcgee

Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
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I had written Gerber off many years ago after they hit the big chain stores and a couple of the combo edge flavors of the month let me down. I come to BF and they get very little love here apart from the Fiskars Finland made axes.

So life goes on...

Then earlier this month I see a Big Rock Camp knife at the Indy 1500 show. I picked this knife up and was immediately infatuated with the pattern. William Harsey is the guy behind this design.

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The knife itself is around 6.5 oz. Balanced right in the dip of the index finger choil on the grip. The blade is a drop point pattern. Thickness is just a hair under 3/8" on my ruler. Fairly wide for the overall length nearly 1 3/8" at the widest(not counting the thumb ramp) and the flat grind follows suit. Blade steel is 440a(meh), full visible tang construction and SoftGrip rubber handles with torx fasteners. There is five grooves on the spine leading up to the thumb ramp for an inch or so. Very comfy. Layed out spec wise looks like this.

Gerber Big Rock Camp Knife

- Full-width tang fixed blade
- Nylon logo belt sheath w/ protective insert
- Overall Length: 9.5"
- Cutting Edge 4.25"
- Weight: 6.5 oz.
- Blade: 440A stainless steel
- Handle: SoftGrip
- Blade Style: Drop point
- Flat Ground
- Straight Edge
- Bead Blast Finish

So I am stuck in the house today and what is stuck in here with me. Chores! Forget cleaning, but I got trash to take out and got some cardboard to break down too. I got four kinds, the beer box kind, regular brown, some white, and some really nasty stuff with glossy pictures printed all over it.

The factory edge came pretty even and almost arm hair shaving so I let it do its thing here. After the whole shebang I touched up the edge Sharpmaker style and it went very quickly, shaving sharp now.

Foot wise I dunno, but it filled a 15 gallon trash bag so 200 ft mabye?

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Here's most of the pile from overhead. You can see my son's foot in there too, he helped daddy scatter the strips all over the floor just after this shot.

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Not even a scuff on the finish, and once I got into the rhythm, the strips got cleaner and came with little effort.

The edge held up pretty good here, the wide blade and high grind were excellent for slicing, and the grip has got to be one of the most comfy I've held for as thin as it is. Here's some other cuts after the cardboard, a toilet roll I quick cut off the edge of the counter, pop bottle, and some pretty clean strips of copy paper still too.

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An apple for fun, not the thinnest slices, but handles very well for the point work.

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Anyway, I had all but given up on a knife in this range. Not impressed with the BRKT Bravo-1 for this type of thing although I love the A2 steel, I found the design much thicker and more clumsy throughout. Got an RC-4 waiting patiently but after today, it may be waiting a bit longer for a good workout.

Going based on my indoor testing today, the Big Rock seems a very good value for the approx $30 these are going for. Here's a fuzzy comparison shot for ya.
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A couple negatives. The sheath, although not pictured, is pretty mediocre belt loop nylon with a plastic insert. I plan on making a kydex rig for it, but that too is going to take some thought, because if you were to do retention in the standard click variety, the soft rubber will get all chewed up real fast. Any suggestions here would be appreciated.

Got a good pic after honing up the knife waiting for friggin' photo bucket. Not too shabby.

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Thanks for reading along and tolerating the fuzzy pics. As always, comments and questions welcome.
 
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Nice review. I have one of each (serrated and plain edge) and really like them both. Only complaint I have is the cheap sheath, I had a kydex one made for mine, both fit really well.
 
Looks like a pretty nice knife, especially for the money. As to the sheath, you might try more of a split pinching style instead of a really tight mold all way around. I'll PM you some pictures later of what I mean--Bill Siegle did a sheath for me a few years back that has a lot of surface area holding on with a little tension instead of being really tight right up front, and it's done very well.
 
I really like mine. Of the fixed blades I've owned, it's the only one I haven't sold off. She's getting a pair of Lignum Vitae handle scales :D

Great review! Great pics, especially.
 
didn't they make a limited version of these in S30V? I held a pre-production version at a knife show last year I think, and it was great but they wanted too much for it. That knife really does feel fantastic in the hand.
 
I agree with the main points of the review that this is a very good knife and a good one at any price. Good weight, useful design, good for slicing and can be pressed as a skinner, good for damp environments, etc. Gerber offers some good blades in this class.

The plastic lined nylon sheath is not bad for this type of sheath, better than many. But it does lack versatility. It is an afterthought sheath, an inexpensive thing thrown in by the manufacturer. Far from a deal breaker on what is a good knife.

Benchmade also offers some sheaths and other accesories I'll have to take a look at what is available for my Big Rock.

Made is the US from good steel with a good guarantee. A general purpose camp/hunting knife.

Not impressed with the BRKT Bravo-1 for this type of thing
Click to expand...

Here did you mean the CRKT?

tipoc
 
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tipoc said:
Made is the US from good steel with a good guarantee. A general purpose camp/hunting knife.
Click to expand...

Nay! This knife hails from China. Although I can't fault you for making that mistake - Gerber concealed that fact by neglecting to stamp it anywhere on the knife itself...

On the box, though, it says the knife is made in China.
 
tipoc said:
Here did you mean the CRKT?
Click to expand...

No, talking about a Bark River Bravo-1 fixed blade.

Fishface, I dunno if there were limited runs in other materials or not. I just discovered this bargain last week. You find that S30V version somewhere gimme a shout, I would be interested to compare.
 
With such a price point I've considered this knife for a beater. My current tool box gremlin is a Buck short nighthawk, which, in it's own right is a pretty solid little knife. The only other Gerber I still own is a Silver Trident and it does'nt see any use.
 
This one seems to be a sleeper.
I've had the plain edge version for a little over 1 year and it has far surpassed my expectations.
I've considered getting a pouch type leather sheath made for it but I'll probably wait till the factory sheath wears out.

With the right sheath set up it would also make a decent but cheap self-defense piece.

Ten
 
Would love to see the wear on your user Ten. I've had only positive experience so far with this one any negatives you encounter using this one?
 
Yep, I was mistaken, made in China for Gerber. Most all the U.S. knife companies have some of their product made in China or Taiwan. Gerber stands by their knives with a guarantee and this knife is worth looking at IMHO.

tipoc
 
Gerber's overall so-so to poor rep and the blade steel had kept me from ordering this knife but the positive reviews in this thread tipped me over. It arrived today and I'm impressed. Aesthetically, it's extremely pleasing. It's shaving sharp out of the plastic clamshell and incredibly ergonomic - I really love the handle. The sheath is dorky looking but it does hold the knife securely even without the keeper strap. I'll probably ending up making a new sheath but no hurry. If it will hold an edge for a reasonable while and resharpen easily, it will definitely be a great value. Thanks for helping me make the decision.
 
I love mine, It see's a lot of use, I don't care where it is made, it is a pretty darn good knife.

I don't know of any other steel that this one has been made with, BUT the Gerber Gator fixed blade is available from Cabelas in s30v, about 70.00. I have one of those too, Gerber still does some good stuff. They certainly are not the only knife companies importing some of their knives.

Kershaw also makes a few pretty good low cost fixed blades. I dearly love finding good knives priced for the working Joe.
 
Glad that I could help 45 Shooter and thanks for the comments.

Thanks for pointing me to the Kershaw, utdjim, looks like they have an AUS8 drop pt worth checking out that I've never seen. I already have an Outcast and an integral boot that seem great values too.

Looks like $30 dollars can still get you a decent blade these days after all. Still carrying the Big Rock in its new sheath. It did some ice picking the other day with gusto!
 
That Gerber looks very good to me and I don't care if it is made in China. I just wish it came with a kydex sheath. Just goes to show how silly it is to write off an entire line of knives just because they make some products ,that some people think, aren't all that good.
 
I've heard good things about Gerber knives being a good value. anyone knows who makes kydex or better sheaths for them?
 
I held one of these knives at Campmore, its very comfortable and secure. I think I need to pick one up some day, they are cheap as hell...
 
Thanks so much for the review, I have really wanted to try one of these for a while but because of how terrible a job I have read Gerber has been doing on knives and HT's I wouldnt buy it. I am going to Bass pro tonight and plan on getting one to feed my knife need. I'll take it to the farm this weekend and give it a solid workout.

Its good to see Gerber has some decent stuff out there still and for $30 dollars its well worth giving it a try now I know the edge wont roll after a few passes through cardboard.
 
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