Good choice in a light weight belt knife

[BLM4L]

I have been considering a Gerber Guardian, or Backup. Any good alternatives
to this with about a 3 inch blade, comes with a belt sheath, and is in the under $150.00 MSRP price range? Looking for plain edge primarily.

 

[KFLEISIG]

The Guardian is a nice little knife. Great balance, thin profile, light weight, and a comfortable feel in the hand. My only, but significant, complaint with it is the sheath. It has a hard plastic sheath with a quick release type mechanism to retain the knife and a slide-on belt clip. The problem is that the sheath is a very loose fit around the blade and results in a lot of rattling, not so good for a concealed carry knife. If you are willing to get an aftermarket sheath, go for it, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[BLM4L]

Do you know of a production knife which has a much better sheath?

 

[fudo]

The Benchmade Outbounder is a nice, lightweight belt knife. I like mine.

 

[Jos]

Check out the Fallkniven G1 Garm. Same general style as the Gerber Guardian. Good quality.

 

[james_bond]

I have one of these it is simple and simular to the gerber I always wanted the gerber but this is a fraction of the price, the steel is less but is it your backup or primary user? the sheath is ok.

http://www.knivesplus.com/smith-wesson-sw-hrt3.html

 

[RedEdge77]

Check out a fallkniven F-1. I have had one for about a month now and it is one sweet knife! :thumbup:

 

[sherlockbonez]

Most sheath are crap from the factory, ranging from ok to use all the way to down right sucky.

For a SD type blade, might want to look at some of the SOG as well, a few to choose from in your price range.

 

[spyder10]

For $150 I would browse around the for sale area, both for production knives and custom ones. I would also take a look at the Ontario RAT3.

 

[T.K.C.]

Check out the Fallkniven G1 Garm. Same general style as the Gerber Guardian. Good quality.

1+ on the Fallkniven Garm G1 Fighter!! It is of far better quality than the Gerber!! I have one, and it is an excellent knife.

 

[Elen]

Fällkniven F1 or WM1 might please you. There's also a lot of traditional scandi knives with the blade length you seem to be looking for, so look around. With a budget in the $ 150 range you could get a very high-quality hand-made one if you so desired.

 

[Mick R.]

Check out Bark River Knives - Top quality knives with a great fit and finish and a multitude of styles and handles to choose from. Customer service is second to none. (knife below is a BRKT Hedgehog with black ash burl scales)
http://www.dlttradingcompany.com/index.php?cPath=24&osCsid=2423947f973871a820e32b5a68bc9133

 

[Gramps]

I'll just throw this one out there because it doesn't get much mention on the forums, yet gets high praise from some very knowledgeable folks.....the Gryphon Teruzola M-10 boot-utility. It comes with perhaps one of the better production sheaths. You are asking about the Gerber Guardian, so I though I would suggest something in the same "family", but in my relatively worthless opinion much more utilitarian than the Guardian, and I think, more ergonomic.

Also, I very much admire the Spyderco Kumo, and although there have been some complaints about the sheath, the one I examined seemed to fit the knife and work fine. The handle on the Kumo is very "grippy", the knife over-all light and "fast". It is made from thin stock however, so if you were looking for a fixed blade to "abuse", this would probably not be the best choice.

- regards

 

[eyeeatingfish]

Ive been looking at the guardian and the website just says high carbon stainless... Is this new or haw gerber started producing the gerber as a cheaper knife? Are the older ones better?

 

[Bob W]

If weight is a primary consideration, you should check out the AG Russell Bird and Trout. About the same sized blade as a Guardian but much lighter, available in better steel, and with a thumb-release locking sheath.

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_...s/a_g_russell_bird_trout_with_vg10_blade.html

Other good choices already listed, like the Bark River and the Fällkniven.

You might even look at some inexpensive custom knives. I've seen several offered in the For Sale by Maker section of the forum that meet your criteria.

Happy Shopping,
-Bob

 

[BLM4L]

I appreciate everyone's feedback. Now I will check out these alternatives.

 

[Will Power]

I go for Bark River as well:thumbup:

Check the Classic Lite Hunter in stainless. Good blade-SHARP-and an excellent range of handles to suit all tastes. The knife is light but hard as nails, a looker too.