Gerber Bowie

T

Thrakandor

Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8
I currently have the opportunity to purchase one of the older Gerber utility Bowie Knives - 9.5", coffin handle, brass hilt - second-hand. Looks to be in pretty damn good condition; price is NZ$200. [Currently equates to USD$139 but the exchange rate is heavily in my favour at the moment, so this probably doesn't mean much.] I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them. I wouldn't suspect Gerber of making a bad knife, but I thought I'd ask all the same.

Essentially, I can afford it but I'm not sure if I'd be best to save my money for a new knife still in production. Are the Gerber Bowies worth going out of one's way to obtain if given the opportunity?
 
From what I`ve heard, the bowies had a so-so reputation for edge holding and the edge geometry did not permit a razor edge since the knife was designed primarily for heavy duty field tasks (chopping, prying, etc...). For the money there are probably better knives out there but it was generally considered a good knife.
 
Also be advised the Gerber coffin handled bowie is a blind tang that is only about 2 inches long. There have been a few instances of the handle comming off the tang.

Dave
 
I owned a Gerber Bowie for a couple of years when I was younger, and, frankly, I liked it. The steel was 425M (nothing special), and wasn't the best edge holder I have owned, but it was easy to sharpen. I had no problem getting a shaving edge on it. It was a very thick blade, but flat ground to a pretty thin edge. Actually, I always worried about the tip, because it seemed a little thin for such a thick blade, but I never had any problems. As far as the tang goes, I was always of the understanding that it was a full tang. What the Hell do I know...I could be wrong. I liked it for the 100 bucks I paid at the time. Never had any problems. Sold it to my buddy, and he still uses it.
 
Handle issues!! For that price, I would look at a something more expensive or less expensive, like a Swamp Rat or Becker or Ontario RAT.
 
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