Gerbers BG knife loses the serrations.

Great to hear they're offering the mystery steel without serrations...

Are these supposed to be any good? I haven't bothered to look for reviews, maybe I'll see if any sane people also own the knife on youtube.
 
isnt a bad knife at all having handled one and my son beating around with it it's held an edge fairly well and the serrations work pretty well. Not my cup of tea for carrying, etc. but to each his own.
the fixed blade looks like a serviceable knife, certainly there are better choices, but gerber does make some decent knives from time to time
regards
gene
 
"Fans and collectors, however, clamored for a non-serrated version and we listened."
But they still refuse to listen to all of us who want an LMF or Prodigy without serrations. Come on Gerber!
 
D R E said:
"Fans and collectors, however, clamored for a non-serrated version and we listened."
But they still refuse to listen to all of us who want an LMF or Prodigy without serrations. Come on Gerber!
Click to expand...

...or to every person who's ever complained about them consistently using the crappiest steel on the market if they can get away with it. Man, back in the day the Mk.II used to be L6, the LMF used to be 12c27...now they're using 420 and still charging big bucks. :rolleyes:
 
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At least someone woke up and smelled the coffee.
Hope they sell a PE of the Prodigy next. Unfortunately if they do it probably won't be in anything better than 420hc with the toaster oven heat treat. :cool:
 
i'd buy a pe prodigy. i love that knife, i have one of the older ones with the sandvick steel.
 
hiwa said:
At least someone woke up and smelled the coffee.
Hope they sell a PE of the Prodigy next. Unfortunately if they do it probably won't be in anything better than 420hc with the toaster oven heat treat. :cool:
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They did not smell the coffee, else the rest of your post would be false. Unfortunately, it is true.
 
I like the Sandvik steel on my Prodigy. Serrations not so much. The threads I've seen on the BG knife show the blade steel to be holding up surprisingly well , but somehow I have reservations .

I'm not entirely sure I want to spend the $60 they're asking for the knife around here to find out.
I think it's the same steel as the BG scout knife I bought my son and all in all I wasn't very impressed , especially for the money.
 
Same here. The Prodigy is almost perfect for a medium size beater type knife you wouldn't cry over if lost. I don't mind the serrations if used as a dive knife but for most other uses - no need for them.

These days Gerber gets close at times but always seems to miss the mark. The Mark II should have a wasp waist blade with or without serrations. I don't mind the mediocre steel because it’s a stabbing blade. BUT, most of us like the Mark II for the "look" and history. Why not do both? Make it "cool looking" (read historically accurate) and functional. Throw in a QUALITY leather sheath as well. The ones they are selling for the Anniversary Mark II are pathetic.

Anyone remember the Cutlery Shoppe versions? With serrations, without serrations, with canted blade, without canted blade. Gray cats tongue handle, original width blade etc. Watch how much they go for on the BAY. Huge amounts of money for a collector piece. Why? Because thats the style buyers REALLY want.They are not Vietnam era blades but demand a premium. Obviously it can be done and has been done but the powers to be at Gerber have unfortunately gone the way of other manufacturers. Go cheap, go oversees, come close but let the dwindling fan base continue to melt away. Can they do it? Yup! Will they do it? NO.

I know, I know the standard line of defense for Gerber, you have to understand the knife industry. We are a small group here on Bladeforums. Gerber sells huge amounts of knives without us blah blah blah. Thats not the point in this rant. What bugs me so much is how some manufacturers listen to their customers (Kabar, Becker, ESEE, Bark River, etc) while Gerber turns a deaf ear. It could be easily done without killing their profits but there just isn't any interest. While I'm at it, has anyone noticed the newly designed and overpriced Mark 1? NO you say? Exactly.

Rant over. I feel better now.
 
The Prodigy seems to be quite popular. I've never used one myself. What is it about the Prodigy that you like DRE & hiwa?
 
The overall package. Its affordable, light weight, fits my hand well. No unecessary bells and whistles. The edge grind is close to the guard for better cutting control (Mora, Puukko). Pointy but not thin. The blade design falls somewhere between a drop and spear point. Grippy handle but solid on the guard and butt so it won't tear out like a full Kraton grip.

The stainless steel blade is blackened with a flat black appearance almost like the way parkerizing looks. No shiny TiNi like SOG. Not the best steel but for it's design application it works. We all like 1095 because it gets sharp and easy to get the edge back in the field. Gerber's 420 is like a stainless version of 1095. Won't hold an edge like the premium stainless but is easy to resharpen. Sheath for this price point is decent enough. I like Harsey's designs, very ergonomic. You can tell right away he had a hand in things.

I feel it is an almost perfect platform for a general issue field knife. Kind of like a modern Air Force flight knife. In fact, the Prodigy fits perfectly in the leather sheath provided with the Ontario Pilot's knife. I just like the concept of a product that is the right size and weight to be carried and not left in a drawer. The right price so when it comes up missing from its sheath I won't have a heart attack. Subdued, comfortable, readily available, just a good solid design.
 
I bought one as a back-up knife for the Jeep and roadside or other emergencies.( Mine's Sandvik 12C27) I keep it strapped to the roll bar in case of egress if I roll or to help someone else.

When I first got it , I though ,Meh..this is ok.But the more I used it I realized a few things. The handle fits my hand really well. The sharpening angle on the straight portion needed re-profiling but once done , cuts great.Sandvik Steel is very good. I like the sheath system , but not 2 straps ( cut lower one off) Punch pommel is effective. For $60 here it was a good buy.

But like the Bear Grylls knife ,if they made a straight edge it wood be a more versatile knife , at least for my uses. They are doing it with the BG knife...do it with the other popular models as well I say !

I think if Gerber sold the BG , Prodigy , and LMF all with straight edges in the first place they would have sold or be selling just as many ,or maybe more. At least that's what I think.

Knives2survive , If you can manage to get a Prodigy for a good price , I'd say go for it. Not a bad knife to have in your inventory as a survival knife , and my unit seems to be a very tough good size knife even if I have to work around the serrations sometimes.
 
hiwa said:
Unfortunately if they do it probably won't be in anything better than 420hc with the toaster oven heat treat. :cool:
Click to expand...

That's a pretty decent steel and Buck uses it in the venerable 110, as well as much of the rest of their line. If Gerber patched up their HT process it wouldn't be a bad choice. :o
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
That's a pretty decent steel and Buck uses it in the venerable 110, as well as much of the rest of their line. If Gerber patched up their HT process it wouldn't be a bad choice. :o
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I agree. I know Buck has the heat treat down pat with the 420Hc. The Gerber 420 seems to be doing well from what I've seen guys on here and on YT using it.

My Gerber Gator DropPoint ( same steel I believe) never kept a good edge for long despite my reasonably good sharpening skills. Maybe this run of it is better , I dunno.
 
Give me a plain edge Big Rock any day over that BG eyesore. Combo edge has never proven itself for me.
 
i got one as a gift...i like it and i use it...it's the biggest fixed blade i have that has serrations and i LOVE knifes that have serrations; it cuts/rips fast and that's all i care about when i use it...

i don't really care about what kind of steel it is; i just use it.
 
I have to say that I like the overall design of the knife. I'd probably buy one if it didn't have the BG and Bear signature on it, and it either had the same HT as Buck or a better grade of steel in the first place.
 
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