Gerber LMF

Will York

Will York

Joined
Jan 21, 2000
Messages
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I have a Gerber LMF (Lightweight Multi-Functional) Serial No. 003842. Can anyone tell me anything about this knife? Such as:
A. When did Gerber start making the LMF;
B. What year manufacture might this be;
C. How many LMF's have been made to date;
D. What's the steel;
E. Anything good or bad about the steel;
F. Any particular value to the serial number?
Thanks, guys.
 
I dont know anything about it but I have handled one and it is an awsome knife and I think that you made a good decision on that...
 
I understand that pre-Fiskar's steel was different. Better? Worse? Does anyone know what this steel is?
 
The knife first came out about 1985-86. The steel was 440A with an average RC of 54-55. I have one dating to 1988.

You should be careful when cutting hard substances like bone. The soft blade combined with the deep hollow grind causes it to chip badly. Its a good general purpose knife for the money - but get the BMF model if you want to do any chopping.
 
Thanks, Not2. I've used the knife to skin and butcher elk with no ill effects. Holds an edge very well. But haven't gone through bone with it.
 
Actually, Not2, I guess we're talking about different blades. Mine is flat ground, not hollow. Will.
 
Will,

I am fairly certain that the edge grind on my LMF is hollow. Jerry Youkins, also refers to the edge grind as a hollow grind in his review of the LMF (see Field Knife Evaluations, Paladin Press, ISBN 0-87364-610-X). Jerry adds "I recommend that you avoid chopping through deer bone or dried knots with a blade in this Rockwell hardness."

When I first got the knife I attempted to chop through deer bone and ended up with 3 very well defined half-moons the largest of which was about 3/4" long and 1/8" deep. I have since manage to reprofile the edge and it has worked very well. But, I have an old copy; perhaps you are right and Gerber has managed to rework the edge?

 
Double post - wierd?

[This message has been edited by not2sharp (edited 02-04-2000).]
 
Not2--thank you. I'm pretty sure my blade is flat ground. I can lay a straight edge from spine to edge bevel on my LMF with no gap showing. I purchased it from a gentleman at a show in 1987. He informed me that he had special ordered it from Gerber, and for that reason the blade doesn't have a saw back, which was standard on that model at the time. Perhaps the flat grind was an option--I just don't know. But it is flat. Thank you very much for your interest and for your comments. I don't find it a good practice to chop through bone with my knives when dressing or butchering animals. In fact, in most cases I bone out the carcass in the field without cutting bone at all. It's a procedure my father and I developed over about 25 years of preparing whitetails, mule deer, elk and feral hogs for the freezer. Will
 
Not2--I notice from your profile that you are a collector. Any collector value to this piece, or is the serial number just a curiosity? Thanks--Will.
 
Will,

Both versions were produced in large numbers. Value will remain in the $100-125 for minty examples for a few more years. It will eventually begin to climb as this is a well documented and well made knife.

p.s. The incident permanently cured me of the need to chop through bone with a knife (any knife).
 
2Sharp--Thank you for your comments and advice. I think you managed to answer all my questions. Best2U--Will
 
Hmmm... I had always read that the BMF/LMF family was 440C. I know that every place that I looked at before buying my BMF listed it as 440C. Oh well, live and learn.... I like my BMF, and it seems to be a pretty tough steel (even though I haven't used it THAT much
redface.gif
).

------------------
"Absolute safety is for those who don't have the balls to live in the real world."
 
I had the same impression, but its 440A. Back then 440 implied 440C to most of us.
 
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