Hi everybody,
I'm just curious to know your opinion on the new version of the Gerber MarkII.
What do you think about this knife in regards of other modern daggers (Taipan, XSF-1, Applegate-fairbairn, ...)
What about the new serration, the 420HC steel, the sheath ...
Is it a full tang construction ???
Thanks in advance !!!!
I have one of the new MarkII as well as: a repro V42, a Camillus M3 Trench Knife, Nowill F-S, Cold Steel Peacekeeper I and II, A Blackhawk XSF Partially serrated steel, and 3 Applegate Fairbairns- a Desert Camo, an Urban Camo, and a regular one. I obviously like stilletto/dagger type blades and I collect them. I am not a soldier and I do not use them for self defense.
I do not have an original Gerber, so I can't compare the new to the old. I was pleasantly surprised at the new Mark II. The sheath was the biggest surprise- I thought it would be junk. It is cordura type nylon over a plastic inner liner. The knife has a good friction fit and there are 2 retaining straps. The back of the sheath is a MOLLE strap from top to bottom plus a belt loop. It also comes with a leg strap with fastex type buckle. The knife feels good in the hand, balanced more to the blade than handle. The knife is not shaving sharp and I have not tried to sharpen it yet. I have not used it yet so I can't tell you how good the slashing/cutting ability is. I do not think that it is full tang, but I can't tell for sure.
Comparing it to my other daggers. My F-S is a newer production and it did not have much of an edge when I got it- I sharpened it a bit and then just didn't bother when I couldn't get a very sharp edge. It is heavily weighted to the handle and I generally like the knife but more for its historical significance than practical. My Camillus M3 trench knife came sharp, in a leather sheath, and I really like the overall aspects of the knife, also for more historical reasons. My V42 is a reproduction, not much of an edge, handle heavy, very nice knife but also historical. My Applegate-Fairbairns are very nice. All came sharp and handle heavy and feel very good in hand. I thought I would prefer the kydex sheath but the cloth ones are much quieter. The XSF-1 does not impress me and I would not buy it if given the chance again. The blade is quite thick, it is full tang, I can't really decide if the blade is sharp or not. It is very clumsy overall. The Cold Steel Peacemakers are both very nice and I would really like them if they were not the Krupps steel, which sucks. They fill the hand and balance well and the blade itslef is very large and broad and they seem to not be as prone to tip breakage.
How does the Gerber compare? I like it except the metal handle when it is cold. Otherwise I really like the knife, although you have to keep in mind that I am not using it for killing. I am going to buy the SOG Daggerts and I'm looking at the Cold Steel Taipan. I would really like the Peacekeepers if they were available in a better steel. I like the Applegate Fairbairns a lot as well. So, I think the Gerber is good for my purposes- collecting- I need to do some cutting with it to see how the edge holds up- I think it goes without saying that it would work well for stabbing.
Hope this helps.
