Survive! Knives GSO-4.1 - comparison to BRKT Bravo 1 & Swamp Rat HRLM

Thomas Linton said:
How about we wait and see before speculating.
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Nothing wrong with foresight or speculation in general, or when dealing with a $200 knife in particular.


jdm61 said:
Actually, if it does have scale or oxides from HT in those "grooves" it may reduce the chance of rusting on those areas. I am not sure if Guy "passivates" or etches his 3V knives, but that wouldn't hurt either.
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True, good point!
 
Sounds like someone may want to order the stainless version. Why would we have expectations of stainless properties on a non-stainless steel? I'm confused. Do not most item, even stainless rust if exposed to prolonged moisture? There are some threads out there on steel types and their properties in the forum.
 
TrojanSteel said:
Nothing wrong with foresight or speculation in general, or when dealing with a $200 knife in particular.
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Oh, some might regard it as unfair to speculate about a defect in a product without actual data. But I suppose it just the Internet. A certain level of WAG'g is par far the course.
 
No need to criticize my post as mere speculation - most threads on within this forum contain some sort of speculation or conjecture for the purpose of deliberation. My concern was over a possibility that the moisture might settle in the etchings and cause rust. I like the knife, and I'd prefer if my concern is without merit. The forum benefits from responses such as jdm61's which provide useful information to dispel/correct unfounded concern.
 
TrojanSteel said:
It looks like the lack of finish on the GSO 4.1, while reducing costs, may create crevices and an opportunity for rust, esp if in 3v. I know the dark color in those grooves is due to the heat treat process, not rust, but it looks like they could be problematic in the future if exposed to prolonged moisture.
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jdm61 said:
Actually, if it does have scale or oxides from HT in those "grooves" it may reduce the chance of rusting on those areas. I am not sure if Guy "passivates" or etches his 3V knives, but that wouldn't hurt either.
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The laser marks do NOT lend themselves to corrosion, even in the 3V models. This is not speculation, though I think jdm61 is correct about the scale anyway. I recently posted a video and photos of my rusted, well used (in winter snows, spring rains, and humid summers around salty soil) CPM-3V GSO-10. Here is a shot of the spine of that blade new:

IMG_0408.JPG


At exactly 3:32 you get a shot of the spine of the knife still free of any corrosion, I hadn't wiped it with the steel wool at all:


The only corrosion is present along the bevels, and that is a LARGE 3V blade. The GSO-4.1 is much smaller (i.e. easier to maintain clean) and also offered in CPM-20CV (previously M390), very resistant to corrosion, i.e. stainless.

AFAIK, Guy does not passivate any of the knives, but he has offered coatings for most models, including the GSO-10 and 4.1, and now he is offering coatings for the stock (non-preorder) GSO knives:

 
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I'm sorry to revive an older thread, (incredibly useful OP, thank you!) but i haven't been able to find a definitive answer, despite searching, and Survive! has not yet responded to my email, and i'd really like to purchase ASAP.

Are the GSO spines sharp enough for sparking a firesteel and scraping tinder? This is important to me, especially the scraping of tinder. Because of that, i prefer the sharper spine to a notch, (besides, i don't like removing steel from the blade unnecessarily.)

I'm also considering the Fallkniven F1, but worried the handle is too skinny and small for my hands. I'm looking for a lightweight, tough hiking knife, and the GSO is a nice design. It'd be perfect with a convex grind and a sharp, or partly sharpened spine!

Thanks in advance for your help, guys!
 
g.macdonnell said:
So i wonder how much much a PITA it is to square up a 3v spine...
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Wouldn't a half inch "squared up" do? Since I use a separate scraper, I am happy with the spine as is.

Then there's the notch just before the sharp part of the edge. Haven't tried that, but my Light-My-Fire fits.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Wouldn't a half inch "squared up" do? Since I use a separate scraper, I am happy with the spine as is.

Then there's the notch just before the sharp part of the edge. Haven't tried that, but my Light-My-Fire fits.
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I certainly wouldn't need to square the whole spine, but i'd like 1-1.5". You can use the choil, sure, (i sharpened and stripped the one on my ESEE 6 for that reason.) the thing is, i use the spine to scrape tinder and other things quite often, so using just the notch, or the choil isn't optimum for me.

I appreciate everybody's different, and certainly, it makes supporting the spine and certain techniques more comfy, not being sharp.

I have a bushcraft knife on order with Sargent Edged Tools, but i'm specifically looking for a lightweight, modern knife for backpacking, which i do a lot. I like the design of the GSO,)
(No finger choil!) the price is good, and Guy seems cool. Gotta feed the little wooden stove i carry!
 
I'm glad you found what you were looking for in the review :thumbup:

As already mentioned, a dedicated scraper always works best, the choil (notch at transition from cutting edge to ricasso) doesn't really work all that well, however Guy DOES offer to mill a fire-steel notch in the spine as part of the order options, and dealers will have some of those models (whenever they are in stock again), so if you want to use the spine for a fire-steel striker and don't want to grind the knife yourself, there is indeed a factory option.

Hopefully these knives will show back up on the website or dealer-sites soon, they sell out far too fast as Guy hasn't scaled up sufficiently to meet demand as yet. You may occasionally come across a GSO-4.1 with firesteel notch on the exchange HERE
 
Thanks again- the pictures were most helpful! It is funny how something so simple, like the GSO designs, could be so popular and unique. There just aren't many affordable, US-made knives in CPM steels. Good design goes a long way.

The truth is, for bushcrafting, i usually have my scraper/whistle from LMF with me. But when i hike, i really cut down the gear. I like to go far, for as long as possible, so that means many things get left at home, (like a tent, axe, ipod, GPS, women,;) etc.)

I don't want to skimp on a good, tough and comfortable knife, tho, (currently i use a Mora Bushhcraft Black,)
But everything's gotta be versatile as possible, hence the sharp spine for scraping bark, tinder, sometimes foodstuffs, and often the ferro rod. I'm pretty sure the GSO will be the knife, even if it means a little modifying, (that Falkie still looks nice, tho.)

the 4.1 simply gets a lot right.
 
Squaring up a spine is one of the mods I always to for a woods knife. 3V is no big deal, but I usually use a belt sander, takes 2 or 3 min. A file would chew through it pretty quick, most 3V knive are only around 57 or so HRC.
 
sodak said:
Squaring up a spine is one of the mods I always to for a woods knife. 3V is no big deal, but I usually use a belt sander, takes 2 or 3 min. A file would chew through it pretty quick, most 3V knive are only around 57 or so HRC.
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Another man after my own heart! Thank you, sir!

This forum is a great resource, especially for a youngster like me :)
 
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sodak said:
Squaring up a spine is one of the mods I always to for a woods knife. 3V is no big deal, but I usually use a belt sander, takes 2 or 3 min. A file would chew through it pretty quick, most 3V knive are only around 57 or so HRC.
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Careful, this knife is NOT a mere 57 Rc. You'd be better off using a diamond rod or a dremel. The spine of my Survive! knives would wreak havoc on most hardware-store files...
 
sodak said:
Squaring up a spine is one of the mods I always to for a woods knife. 3V is no big deal, but I usually use a belt sander, takes 2 or 3 min. A file would chew through it pretty quick, most 3V knive are only around 57 or so HRC.
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IIRC, th 3V version is supposed to be RC 60. That hardness would defeat most steel files.
 
Thomas Linton said:
IIRC, th 3V version is supposed to be RC 60. That hardness would defeat most steel files.
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chiral.grolim said:
Careful, this knife is NOT a mere 57 Rc. You'd be better off using a diamond rod or a dremel. The spine of my Survive! knives would wreak havoc on most hardware-store files...
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I have a set of DMT diamond benchstones- would the course stone work to square it up? I realize it may take awhile, but i did this to some Moras that are 60, 61 HRC, but UHB 20 isn't 3v...
 
As hard as vanadium carbides are, diamond is over 250% as hard. A few other materials would work, but diamond would be fastest.
 
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