NEW Gerber Bear Grylls Knife What Are Your Opinions?

piece of crap . Gerber is owned by fiskars. They know how to make scissors not knives. If seen some funny vids of that knife breaking when batoned lightly!!!
 
I think that it's a step in the right direction making the knife straight edge rather than serrated. That being said, the knife is still overpriced for what you get compared to its competitors. A Becker BK2 can be had for a few more dollars and is infinitely more stable. It's an interesting "all-in-one" system, with the fire steel and sharpener on the sheath, but the most important part of a knife rig is, well, the knife, and I think the knife itself isn't good enough for a survival situation of any kind.
 
I wouldn't buy it. I think the full straight edge will work a hell of a lot better than those damn sh@#y serrations. I wish they would do this for the LMF II. Then it would go from a good knife to a great knife and you wouldn't need to buy this gimmick.
 
I would never own one of these unless it was given as gift. Its not that I dont like the knife, I never even held one so how would I know if its any good. I dont have anything against BG either but I always try to avoid knowingly buying anything made in a communist country, especially China. That knife maybe fine for some but its just trash to me. So many other USA made choices out there on the used market for the same price.
 
The overall package is interesting. I like the fact that a firesteel and sharpener are included, and the whistle is a good idea if it works okay. The question is whether the accessories are any better quality than the knife. If they were to switch to a decent blade steel, and if the accessories were quality items, I'd consider it. I assume the price would be higher, but it would be worth it if you could be assured that the equipment would do the job.
 
I spotted one of these in my stepdad's gun safe a few weeks ago. He likes to buy stuff like that to put away never to be seen again and only the SASS three guns ever get used. I actually like the handle shape and color as well as the diamond sharpener in the sheath but all the specs I've run across just say "high carbon stainless steel" and you know what that means. "We're not going to specify the steel because it's either not worth mentioning or we really don't have any idea, probably both."
 
bushidomosquito said:
I spotted one of these in my stepdad's gun safe a few weeks ago. He likes to buy stuff like that to put away never to be seen again and only the SASS three guns ever get used. I actually like the handle shape and color as well as the diamond sharpener in the sheath but all the specs I've run across just say "high carbon stainless steel" and you know what that means. "We're not going to specify the steel because it's either not worth mentioning or we really don't have any idea, probably both."
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From other the experience of other people on this forum, Gerber's customer service is actually quite forthcoming about the specifics of their products if asked:
I can think of two reasons why Gerber doesn't name the steel in their cheaper products:
  1. The target market does not care what steel it is. Most kitchen knives do not specify anything beyond "stainless steel", so their market does not expect it from outdoor knives.
  2. They are manufactured and sold in such high volumes that Gerber needs the flexibility to change the steel without having to incur the costs of reprinting the packaging.
As for the BG Ultimate knife, I think I read in Blade Magazine that it is made with 7Cr17MoV, which appears to have replaced 420HC and 440A as the "mystery steel" in Gerber's newest products since 2010 or so.
 
If you are really going to use the knife - stay away.

Like others have said, get a BK2 or a couple of Moras. You'll be happy you did.
 
jwolf90 said:
piece of crap . Gerber is owned by fiskars. They know how to make scissors not knives. If seen some funny vids of that knife breaking when batoned lightly!!!
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:confused: I've only seen videos of the precise opposite, i.e. the knife performing very well... Also, the other Fiskars products that i have owned and used have performed quite well, including scissors, hedge-clippers, axes (big :thumbup:), other Gerber knives, reel mower, and trowels...

What video are you talking about?

marcinek said:
Why would anyone do that? You have a knife. Sharpen a stick. Boom. Spear.
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I agree with this, but I have actually found the holes on my LMFII very useful for a lanyard (here is a review of another knife employing the style I mean), and also for lashing to a stick as a means of clearing brush - gives you better reach, acts like a scythe, very handy.

KevinOubre said:
I wouldn't buy it. I think the full straight edge will work a hell of a lot better than those damn sh@#y serrations. I wish they would do this for the LMF II. Then it would go from a good knife to a great knife and you wouldn't need to buy this gimmick.
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I really like the serrations on my LMFII (great for sawing, carving, etc. no problem), but it is neither designed nor intended as a woods knife (much too heavy and has other features unnecessary/useless to such a specific purpose).

If you want a BG "Ultimate" knife for general woodcraft, I'd certainly choose this one over the serrated blade.

Hiro-kun said:
From the experience of other people on this forum, Gerber's customer service is actually quite forthcoming about the specifics of their products if asked:
I can think of two reasons why Gerber doesn't name the steel in their cheaper products:
  1. The target market does not care what steel it is. Most kitchen knives do not specify anything beyond "stainless steel", so their market does not expect it from outdoor knives.
  2. They are manufactured and sold in such high volumes that Gerber needs the flexibility to change the steel without having to incur the costs of reprinting the packaging.
As for the BG Ultimate knife, I think I read in Blade Magazine that it is made with 7Cr17MoV, which appears to have replaced 420HC and 440A as the "mystery steel" in Gerber's newest products since 2010 or so.
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This is very insightful, but do they not include a new model# when they change the steel type? I thought that this happened at least with the LMFII when they switched from 12C27 to 420HC?


Anyway, my conclusions about this knife are, for a general survival tool serrations are a great bonus due to their increased cutting ability and edge durability. However, for general woodcraft and the manner in which most people would use such a knife on a regular basis, plain-edge may make more sense. However, I strongly support those who prefer to pay even a few bucks more for USA-manufacture vs Chinese, the extra gimmicks notwithstanding. I'd recommend a Gerber Prodigy over the BG any day of the week. As for the BK2, that is a very durable but non-stainless very heavy tool available at the same price-point, USA made. Choose what you want based on the features you need/prefer.
 
chiral.grolim said:
This is very insightful, but do they not include a new model# when they change the steel type? I thought that this happened at least with the LMFII when they switched from 12C27 to 420HC?
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I wouldn't count the 12C27 LMF II as it was not a mystery steel Gerber (the steel was printed on the package). According to the LMF II link I provided, the first change was to 440A then to 420HC. It was these models that did not specify the steel. I would be surprised if there was a model number change between 440A and 420HC. I would not be surprised if there was one from 12C27 to 440A.
 
jwolf90 said:
piece of crap . Gerber is owned by fiskars. They know how to make scissors not knives. If seen some funny vids of that knife breaking when batoned lightly!!!
Click to expand...

fiskars makes pretty good axes. that don't break easily.
 
Why bother? For $50 you can pick up some really decent knives that there is no question about. Kabar or Ontario that are right around that price, maybe even a used ESEE or TOPS if you're lucky or if you like Gerber a Gator or Prodigy are proven to be great knives.
 
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