Thinking about a knife for a buddy shipping out

EmsRescueGuy

EmsRescueGuy

Joined
Oct 21, 2006
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Im thinking about picking up a gerber LMF or a similar sized Knife for a buddy heading to the sandbox this month, he is a corpsman attached to a marine unit. During his last deployment I got him a leatherman and a spyderco Salt, both of which saw alot of use.

Anyway I was looking at afew diffrnt things but the LMF seems like it might be good for him. I have had good luck with gerbers but have been told they have gotten kind of cheap as of late does anyone have experience with this knife and would you recomend it.

I was also looking at Ranger RD4 and SHIV as well as the SOG Seal PUP.
 
Get him something short & light enough so it'll fit his rig comfortably. Since he's a Corpsman, he'll want something that can cut webbing quickly.
 
Bark river bravo 1 and a leatherman. Bravo1 was designed w/ the marine corps force recon. Convex edge is super easy to maintain in the field. A Ranger knife will also serve him well....
 
I actually just gave my gerber lmf asek II to my brother in law who was home on leave from afghanistan. He took it with him. He did fairly well on knifetests. For 89.99 cant really complain or beat if for that matter. Have some pretty nice features and an excellent sheath. He'll use it more than I did. The sheath includes a sharpener which actually works. As well as a webbing cutter with a sheath of its own. Has lots of nice features geared toward military use that I didnt use. Like I said for the price you cant really beat it. You'll either have to get him something cheap enough that will work but wont mind if he loses or beats the crap out of. Or something more expensive that will definetly last. You're probably looking at something in the busse tree at that point. I'd probably just get the gerber.
 
I'm not in the military and never have been, but from what I hear from soldiers serving in the Middle East they don't really need large fixed blade knives. Sounds like he's pretty well sorted with a Leatherman and a Spyderco. Perhaps the money would be better spent on morale boosting stuff like hygeine kit, magazines, cds etc., or some good moisture wicking tshirts/underwear. Anyway, just a thought.
 
A fixed blade is important. It's the only type of knife that won't fail in the sand.

Take your folder to the beach and see how times you can open and close it full of sand.

Get him the gerber. It's the right size and it has the features he'll use.
 
Get him a RC3 from RAT Cutlery, a good sized knife to use as an alternative to a folder and the new sheath system has a multitude of attachment options. I carry my RAT3 on my drop leg holster because it is next to impossible to get into my pockets with all the gear on. Good Luck on your search.
 
LMF would be my choice - great sheath, webbing cutter, sharpener and a good beater knife that he wont be afraid to use.
 
Well it depends what you need the knife for, but there certainley is a case for larger fixed blades out there, certainley Prince Harry thought so!
 
If you're interested in Ranger's, check out the Ranger Afghan!

I agree with what's been said about moisture wicking clothes, socks, etc. Good luck!
 
Several of my friends are over in the Sandbox, and a few just returned. They're mostly Army special forces. Apparently they don't really use the fixed blades too much, but they do sometimes need something simply for cutting. Most of the ones I've talked to (independently) say they just keep a pair of shears (like the medical type) on their chest.

I imagine that, plus a compact & strong fixed blade like the RC3/RC4, Fallkniven F1, etc. would be more than enough for him. To my mind, they have enough huge pieces of gear lashed to them.
 
Hook him up w/some ems shears, if your like me you have 20 or so pairs around. A multitool and small fixed blade as well. The multitool will see the most use, but a small fixed blade is rapidly deployable if needed. Dont send him w/ some 12in killin blade, it just isnt practical, and might not be able to carry it. I have never been to happy w/ any of my gerber knives, but have never owned the lmf. I would say rat, ranger, or a bravo1 will hold up great if they arent aquired by sticky fingers while over there. Tell him to be safe, and watch his a**.
 
Thanks for the advise I may Look into the bravo 1 or the Rat 3,

Im sure he has shears we were EMS Partners for Several Years.

The moisture whicking clothes is a good idea too. Im thinking under armor, does anyone know any other good brands ?
 
EmsRescueGuy said:
Thanks for the advise I may Look into the bravo 1 or the Rat 3,
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Speaking from experience, I had both the Bravo-1 and a RAT 3 over there. A decent fixed blade is very useful; make sure the blade isn't much over 5" and it has a decent sheath system. Long blades are hard to attach to your IBA and if you go with a drop-leg sheath, you'll get hung up in vehicles, helo's and fixed wing aircraft. Follow up with a good sharpening system. Thanks for supporting your buddy...

ROCK6
 
My nephew was over in the sandbox last year with a Marine infantry battalion. Getting ready for another "D" later this year.

Your get enough suggestions for knives so I will leave that to others. One thing they really liked were cooling bandanas. They are cloth strips, about 2 inches wide, with water absorbing cyrstals sewn inside. Soak them in cold water for about 5-15 minutes and tie it around the neck to help keep cool. They are inexpensive and come in a variety of colors and design, including desert camo.
Widely available online. A good thing to get some for yourself too.

We were told that they couldnt have underarmor tshirts as they can melt in a fire and stick to the body.
 
The Bravo 1 is a great knife, a good tough utility blade that is easy to keep sharp. It comes with a rugged Kydex sheath system.
 
Yoshi said:
Well it depends what you need the knife for, but there certainley is a case for larger fixed blades out there, certainley Prince Harry thought so!
Click to expand...


You must be talking about this.....
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