Bear Grylls Survival Gerber

[Bobson]

Is this thing just a novelty, or is it worth buying as a hunting knife? I figure I can use it for skinning and general purpose, along with the extra "survival" tools, if need be.

Seems like a good knife to have with me, but idk if I'd just be spending $40 bucks for Bear Grylls' name on a mediocre tool.

Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Fixed Blade Knife

I handled it in the store, and it's very sharp, and feels really solid and well-made. What do you think?

 

[ojsmoothy]

A year ago I would of liked the looks of it, but after using my Moras I can't recommend a serrated blade in the woods. They are useful enough for cutting straps and rope, but the serrations are in the "sweet spot" that I would be using.

 

[dayhiker]

IMHO there are better options knife wise in the same price range ,and just as easy to find at "The Big Box Stores"....ie the Buck 119 special.

If I HAD to rely on the BG Gerber I could make it work. But I sure would like something better suited to my tastes.

From what I have heard the placement of the sharpener on the sheath makes sharpening difficult. The ferro rod is decent and usable.


I carry a Fallkniven DC-4 in my pocket for edge touch ups and a Light My Fire ferro rod for fire starting. They would add to the overall cost of your knife set up. About an extra $40,I just prefer them.

 

[R H Clark]

Save your money.There was a review at bladeforums and it basically fell apart with normal use.

For around $100 a Fallkniven F4 is one of the best survival knifes you can buy and nearly indestructable.At around the same price as the Grylls,the Buck 119 mentioned above,is a much better knife.If you are on a tight budget,the Mora will serve fine,as long as you use it like a knife and not a wood splitter or pry bar.

 

[mes228]

Survival

His "Survival" kit has some unusable junk in it. The Magnesium Fire Starter in the kit is so bad it would be a miracle if you built a fire with it. Don't know about the knives. On the opposite end, you can trust "Les Stroud" to put his name on things that work. Les's survival knife is made by Helle out of Norway and is a "Bush Craft" design, high carbon, with a "working" handle that won't blister you in 5 minuets use. I think Bear just sold his name to people.

 

[R H Clark]

The Les Stroud Helle is a much better knife than the Gerber Bear Grylls but it is a little overpriced at $170 considering other helle models are under $100.It is full tang but if you need the extra strength a Fallkniven F1 is still a much stronger knife and costs less.If I was going stick tang,I would just save the cash and get a Mora.

 

[RugerRon]

The "Bear Grylls" tag removes it from the list of possible options for me. The guy is a flatout poser.

 

[janobles14]

i have to disagree a bit with the above posts. i was given one by a dealer to put to some normal to hard use. its not all that bad! the blade is a bit soft for my taste (i think its 440A) and the serations are too long (and a bit delicate). But for a knife thats under 60 bucks or so its not a total loss. sharpens up well, the fire starter throws a good spark, and the sheath is well done.

 

[R H Clark]

That stainless steel pommel made for hammering is glued on.

 

[sigarms228]

Personally I would look to get something from the ESEE line. They cost a little bit more but I hear a lot of good things about them. Kabar has a lot og great fixed blade knives also.

http://www.knifeworks.com/ratcutlerymodel4kydexsheathwithmollelocksplainedge.aspx

 

[451 Detonics]

I too would much rather spend the extra scratch for the Les Stroud knife.

The Gerber is made in China using 7Cr17MoV steel. I am sure it is a decent enough knife but I would hate to put any money in that poser's pocket. For the same money you can buy the Gerber Prodigy which is made with Sandvik 12C2...in my opinion a superior steel.

I own a Helle Fire, great knife and great steel, the Stroud Helle should be just a good as the Fire.

 

[Gordon]

You won't break this hand forged knife:
http://www.grecoknives.com/mst_with_stone_washed_finish.htm

 

[conw]

That looks like a great deal Gordon.

 

[Ken Brock]

Greco is good, Mora is another good brand

I've heard several stories about the Gerber falling apart

 

[19-3Ben]

For a knife in the $60 and under price range, my vote would go for a Becker BK2. You can get it for $58 delivered from Amazon.com.

If you can manage to break one, you've done something terribly wrong.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Name Dropping

Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Fixed Blade Knife

When it comes to tools, I have a problem with "name dropping" and hyperbole.

I don't believe I've ever bought anything serious with "extreme" in the name.

I bought something with "tactical" and "Blackie Collins" in the name, but I knew exactly what I was getting, and had no elevated expectations. Besides, Blackie was no poseur.

"Ultimate" anything? Bleh.

Tool named after someone with a "cool name" pseudonym? Bleh.

Wanna impress me? Show me a decade of performance and call it "classic." Show me two or three generations of performance and call it "legacy" (or "classic").

Of course, there's always the geek factor, and if you have something new that kicks butt, then post up the stats and steel. Gimme the facts, man. Spare me the "raw mountain meat, extreme untamed wilderness, Icelandic jungle proven, tactical backyard survival, sharpened crowbar of doom" that's starring in a reality TV show.

For me, credibility declines with every outlandish adjective and adverb, to the point where, once we get to the ". . . of doom" part, I'm ready to pay to not own one.

Of course, marketing is all about verbal pheromones and visual cues to bypass critical thinking and short circuit directly to the seduction-by-consensus-of-awesomeness centers of the brain, just like it has always been.

Naturally, I, personally have never been snared by the as-seen-on-TV attraction gambit. At all. No, really, it was someone else who looks like me.

 

[John Wilder]

I just bought this Gerber Bear Grylls Fixed Blade Knife for $34 with coupon code FALLSALE

 

[Austin97]

It's OK, I would get a little better quality knife though.

 

[The Highlander]

I kinda dig the BG Parang, but it's got crap steel and the Orange/Grey Bear Grylls color scheme puts me off. Before you say I shouldn't expect so much from a blade that cheap, the ZK line from Kabar comes in SK-5 and there are plenty of larger machetes made of 1085/1095 for a third of the price.

 

[Wangmuf]

I could be mistaken, but I don't recall ever seeing him carry one on his series. That should speak wonders for the knife.

 

[shiftyer1]

I've handeled a couple a little bit, never put them through any work. I think they would make an ok knockaround kinfe but I just don't think they'd hold up in the long run.

 

[atomchaser]

Save your money.There was a review at bladeforums and it basically fell apart with normal use.

For around $100 a Fallkniven F4 is one of the best survival knifes you can buy and nearly indestructable.At around the same price as the Grylls,the Buck 119 mentioned above,is a much better knife.If you are on a tight budget,the Mora will serve fine,as long as you use it like a knife and not a wood splitter or pry bar.

I think you mean the F1. The F4 is more of a fillet knife. The F1 is a great knife without all the hype and worthless Ninja features.

 

[R H Clark]

Yes,I did mean F1.One of the best survival knives available IMHO.Thanks for the correction.

 

[dayhiker]

Yes,I did mean F1.One of the best survival knives available

Agreed. Not the perfect choice for everything you would need a knife for.

However it can do many of those jobs well. Great general purpose knife , I use mine everyday.

 

[Dnaltrop]

I'm with Arfin, 95% of the time if a product has an endorsement, they're selling the endorsement, and the product is incidental. I find myself unable to remain true to the strictures of THR by continuing commentary on this item especially with the particular celeb in question.

So many good basic knives out there, anything more than a plain 'ol pocketknife, I find myself between my stag handled Case knife (thin and wickedly sharp, my Grandfather's deer knife) and my KA-Bar Kukri.

Kukri still holding a great paper-cutting edge even after going through a few 6" rhodedendron trunks. A few small nicks, but I've yet to do more than pass an Arkansas stone over it to maintain it. It DOES get used as a wood-splitter on blocks with a clean grain... hitting a Knot when you're going for a splitting stroke still numbs the arm. One of the best $50 I've ever invested.