The truth about screen used survival knives?

[shotgunner11]

Bear Gryls started off using SOG and Becker, but then teamed up with Bayley to make this blade, which I think sold for well over $400. That relationship appears to have ended and it will be interesting to see what he has when the new season starts.

Bear has inked a contract with Gerber to use a version of their Prodigy knife that will be branded with his signature, special handle, color scheme and a matching firesteel.

In a 2008 interview with Dave Canturbury, he said the only knife he would carry is a KaBar or a Tom Brown Tracker, which, as you'll see, has the logo for Dave's company on it. Later he also marketed another TOPS model called the Pathfinder and, today, he uses a knife -- which also bears his company logo -- made by Blind Horse Knives.

Dave has evolved in his knife choices over time. He loved the tracker for a time but found it limited at alot of tasks and decided to drop it due to the need to carry a smaller, backup blade. The pathfinder is his idea of a perfect all-around knife. And thats not Daves logo on the tracker, thats Tom Browns logo, the designer of the knife.

His shoeless hippie sidekick uses dirt cheap Mora knives. My guess is that he is not getting paid to use these but chooses to use them to make some sort of statement -- perhaps that he won't sell out to the man or perhaps that you don't really need a $300 - $500 knife to keep your ass alive.

Or they just work for him.

My opinions are generally not sunshine and puppy dogs but they're the truth. That TOPS abortion is all about money and nothing else. I don't give a damn who designed it. I don't care if the guy was a Delta Operator for 25 years and taught Swimming, Basic, MkIII to SEALs. That's about money. That thing is ridiculous. :jerkit:

Going back a few years I would have agreed with this premise that it;s all about the money but over the past few years I've gotten to see the knife and survival industry from the inside. Guys like Dave and Myke are happy and honored to have their ideas of a perfect design put into steel. Sure, some money is made from it but I really don't think thats the driving factor. There's really not much in it for them. We are an exception for the most part and I think we kind of project our thoughts onto others as far as the whole knife industry goes. We care alot more than the average person and pay alot more attention to it all.

All I got to say about that knife is... Wow!!!

Yea, not my style. Kind of like the Tracker knife, trying to do it all and ending up not being able to do anything quite as well. Jack of all trades, master of none.

 

[Nuke_Spook]

Yea I saw that TOPS blade Myke is involved with...To be diplomatic, I'll say it's like nothing I've ever seen before..

It looks like it would chop okay, but other than that.............. Not sure I would even want to baton with it with that saw back, but I'm sure a lot of them will be sold to people who will probably never use them.

 

[eljugador]

It is my nature to accumulate more and more weapons and tools. It defies all reason and necessity.

You're not alone.

 

[eljugador]

Bear has inked a contract with Gerber to use a version of their Prodigy knife that will be branded with his signature, special handle, color scheme and a matching firesteel.




Dave has evolved in his knife choices over time. He loved the tracker for a time but found it limited at alot of tasks and decided to drop it due to the need to carry a smaller, backup blade. The pathfinder is his idea of a perfect all-around knife. And thats not Daves logo on the tracker, thats Tom Browns logo, the designer of the knife.



Or they just work for him.



Going back a few years I would have agreed with this premise that it;s all about the money but over the past few years I've gotten to see the knife and survival industry from the inside. Guys like Dave and Myke are happy and honored to have their ideas of a perfect design put into steel. Sure, some money is made from it but I really don't think thats the driving factor. There's really not much in it for them. We are an exception for the most part and I think we kind of project our thoughts onto others as far as the whole knife industry goes. We care alot more than the average person and pay alot more attention to it all.




Yea, not my style. Kind of like the Tracker knife, trying to do it all and ending up not being able to do anything quite as well. Jack of all trades, master of none.

Oh yeah, I remember seeing that new Bear knife somewhere. Not nearly as sexy as as the expensive custom. And you're right about the logo on the tracker. I was thinking about the TOPS Pathfinder. The Blind Horse Pathfinder looks pretty sweet. I hope it is because I've got one on the way. In the back of my mind, something still tells me that my ESEEs will see more use. Regardless, it is good to hear that the knives these experts promote are good ones.

 

[eljugador]

Here's the Gerber Gryl's knife. Far less sexy than the Bayley.

 

[shotgunner11]

Oh yeah, I remember seeing that new Bear knife somewhere. Not nearly as sexy as as the expensive custom. And you're right about the logo on the tracker. I was thinking about the TOPS Pathfinder. The Blind Horse Pathfinder looks pretty sweet. I hope it is because I've got one on the way. In the back of my mind, something still tells me that my ESEEs will see more use. Regardless, it is good to hear that the knives these experts promote are good ones.

I like that Pathfinder from BH. Can't afford one, but I do like it.

Here's the Gerber Gryl's knife. Far less sexy than the Bayley.

It's surely not as sweet as the custom but it's more my style, I like cheap. ESEE are my "expensive" knives.

 

[Nuke_Spook]

Here's the Gerber Gryl's knife. Far less sexy than the Bayley.

The Gerber doesn't look half bad. If they would lose the serrations it might even be worth seriously looking at.

Shotgunner11, I'm like you, ESEEs are my expensive knives.

 

[eljugador]

I think it is the handle coloring that throws me off. It looks like a fillet knife or a cheap diver's knife.

 

[kmurray72]

I don't own a single knife with someone's initials or name is on it (at least that didn't MAKE the knife)... There is something inherently "corny" about owning a "Bear Grylls" knife knowing full well he don't know jack about MAKING a knife (I'm afraid the truth is evident in the design of the Gerber)... I'm afraid the same holds true with Myke's "Hellion 2020".

Just like John Rambo sold millions of absolute garbage, I'm sure Bear and Myke will sell a few of these "elite" blades with no practical purpose.

 

[shotgunner11]

I don't own a single knife with someone's initials or name is on it (at least that didn't MAKE the knife)... There is something inherently "corny" about owning a "Bear Grylls" knife knowing full well he don't know jack about MAKING a knife (I'm afraid the truth is evident in the design of the Gerber)... I'm afraid the same holds true with Myke's "Hellion 2020".

Just like John Rambo sold millions of absolute garbage, I'm sure Bear and Myke will sell a few of these "elite" blades with no practical purpose.

The Gerber isn't really all that bad.

I would want a plain edge for sure but I had an LMF for quite awhile and it was a decent knife. The Grylls knife is based on the prodigy, which is a scaled down version of the LMF.

I might try to score one and do a write up on it, see how it holds up and compares to others.

 

[Horn Dog]

I don't own a single knife with someone's initials or name is on it (at least that didn't MAKE the knife)... There is something inherently "corny" about owning a "Bear Grylls" knife knowing full well he don't know jack about MAKING a knife (I'm afraid the truth is evident in the design of the Gerber)... I'm afraid the same holds true with Myke's "Hellion 2020".

Just like John Rambo sold millions of absolute garbage, I'm sure Bear and Myke will sell a few of these "elite" blades with no practical purpose.

Haha. I understand. I don't wear clothes with other people's names all over them, either. But you know, Jeff and Mike don't "make" knives, but I like their designs. But then ESEE is not their initials, I guess. And while way over priced, my Bear Grylls Bayley is a fine knife. I bet the Gerber is a good knife. If most of the buyers will never set foot in a wild place, so be it. You never had a Rambo knife?

 

[Boats]

I like that Pathfinder from BH. Can't afford one, but I do like it.

I've spent over $450 for a single knife before. Damn near $300 for a simple steel 1095 fixed bladed knife with epoxied and bolted micarta slabs is beyond ridiculous, even when it comes with a composite kydex/leather sheath.

Yeah, I know, supply and demand, it'll serve a lifetime, and all that, but sheesh.

 

[Moosez45]

You never had a Rambo knife?

Yep, a bunch of em. That was the problem!! Moose

 

[PayetteRucker]

Discovery is an advertising station for products that they market that they recieve trademarked comission on. Period. I don't take anything they show as trustworthy or fact in any way. That said, serrations are useful for many applications, and their presence on someone's knife does not write off their capabilities as a survivor or outdoorsman.

 

[kmurray72]

Haha. I understand. I don't wear clothes with other people's names all over them, either. But you know, Jeff and Mike don't "make" knives, but I like their designs. But then ESEE is not their initials, I guess. And while way over priced, my Bear Grylls Bayley is a fine knife. I bet the Gerber is a good knife. If most of the buyers will never set foot in a wild place, so be it. You never had a Rambo knife?

I think you know what I mean... Sure Jeff and Mike don't "make" the knife.. but they aren't star's on TV trying to endorse or promote a product as "their own" either... they here, with us knife nutz, asking what WE think and what we, the end user wants.... I do respect Myke and Bear for their service each respectively and for their experience and knowledge base. But, I'm not going to buy a product of any kind just because it has their face on the packaging or their signature on item it's self...

Honestly no I've never owned a Rambo knife... I was sincerly too poor to own one when they were in fashion. A few of my friends had one of the swap meet variations but after watching them fall apart at the seams... by the time I was on my own and able to buy one of my own I knew better. I've seen so many fall apart that I can't bring my self to own a quality Randall that is a hollow handle now.

Discovery is an advertising station for products that they market that they recieve trademarked comission on. Period. I don't take anything they show as trustworthy or fact in any way. That said, serrations are useful for many applications, and their presence on someone's knife does not write off their capabilities as a survivor or outdoorsman.

Discovery doesn't market, advertise, or even promote, nor endorse the knives used on the shows. It's apparent that the stars of these shows each have their own discretion on what knife they use...

 

[eljugador]

My mom has some Captian Sig tartar sauce with a picture of him on the label. She has no idea who he is but it cracked me up.

 

[sparkem]

That Gerber looks pretty cool. I have owned a LMF2 for a couple years before I found Rats. It is a nice knife. It is a little heavy with the big chunk of metal at the bottom. Over all I like it. I wonder if Gerber will make an all black non BG edition?

 

[wolffbite]

Discovery is an advertising station for products that they market that they recieve trademarked comission on. Period. I don't take anything they show as trustworthy or fact in any way. That said, serrations are useful for many applications, and their presence on someone's knife does not write off their capabilities as a survivor or outdoorsman.

I've never seen any survival show, or really any show on discovery i can recall that blatantly placed products in screen with their logos easily read. We really only catch flashes of the logos on their knives, and we have discussions on here because we are sometimes trying to guess what they are and why they are using them.

 

[Don Rearic]

Remember that Spetznaz Survival Machete? I always wanted one of them things. It looked like a pretty tough tool! When I remember seeing them in ASG and other rags, they were like $50.00. I don't know why I would ever have to bend certain diameter steel bars, but by damn I'd be able to do it utilizing the crafty holes in the blade! And it could do two dozen other things as well. Probably some of them rather badly. But if you understand the Soviet way of thinking, it was probably a decent tool for $50.00. You know, the conventional wisdom about the AK-47 bayonet was that Soviet conscripts would have tossed a heavy, but extremely useful, pair of wire cutters at the first opportunity but they would never gank a knife! So, they disguised a pretty cool pair of wirecutters as a knife. So, as long as they made this bizarre multitool appear to be a knife more than a multitool...

Pretty interesting for $50.00

If someone gave me that "Hellion," ( ) I'd sell it on E-bay to someone that watches too much cable and then I'd try to get a deal on one of them old Sovietski things and then spend the rest on other survival gear.

 

[tarditi]

I had a Gerber LMF II ASEK for about 1.5 weeks - sent it back as the overmolding was peeling back every time I re-sheathed it. Design or manufacturing flaw - not sure. Got an ESEE (Rat Cutlery) RC5 instead and never looked back (have since bought several other ESEEs).

I just came back from Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School a couple weeks ago. The instructors carry... wait for it... Frost/Mora knives. Tom carries no knife day-to-day at the school.
Cody carries a Mora, likely because his mentor, Mors Kochanski, carries and endorses them heavily. Cody will also select a rock and knap it in about 3 minutes to serve as a chopper, skinner, axe, whatever. He IS the AboDude.

I like the Tracker knives, but they take quite a bit of getting used to - their combo-blade is NOT for everyone, and the notch on the draw knife portion is VERY difficult to sharpen in the field. They are balanced for throwing, if that is your forte, but I would NEVER prefer to throw my knife in a survival situation.