My new fave survival knife; Gerber Ultimate

[The Heretic]

I have a Prodigy and an LMF II also. Previously the Prodigy was my favorite, then the LMF II - the latter was on the heavy side for my tastes, but it had the sheath with the built-in carbide sharpener, the blade was thicker and longer, the two holes in the hilt for lashing and the handle is a bit grippier.

But the Ultimate combines what I consider are the best of the two: The hilt has the two holes, the handle is grippier and fits my hand better than either (most of the knives I like have grippy rubber like handles), the pommel is more useful (IMO) as it is flat and serrated to serve as a hammer instead of a glass/skull breaker/etc. - the blade is the same size as the Prodigy and the knife is about the same weight, lighter than the LMF II.

The spine has a slight notch ground in it to use with the included ferro rod (the notch is a sharp 90* edge that works well) - the blade (7Cr17MoV) is the same pattern as the Prodigy and LMF with slight differences (I prefer serrated for this kind of general purpose knife - I carry more than one knife - a Morakniv with a plain blade is usually one of them - serves as a "camp knife" for food/game prep and carving).

The sheath has a sharpener steel on the back of it (more useful than a v-notch carbide sharpener IMO) and a ferro rod fits in a slot on the end. There is a whistle on a lanyard. The one thing I don't like about the sheath is it doesn't have slots around the periphery like the Prodigy and LMF sheaths do - less options for wearing/attaching it. Also, it doesn't seem to hold the hilt as positive as the others (the LMF is very positive).

I got it on sale from SMKW for $37 shipped - which, IMO, is a decent price for a useful knife like this. I like good value knives and IIRC have never spent more than $100 (that for a Fällkniven) for a knife - yet.

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[HaveGun]

Looks like a winner. I wonder how good of steel it is made of.

 

[The Heretic]

Looks like a winner. I wonder how good of steel it is made of.

IIRC somewhere I read it was Chinese steel, but I can't find that right now. It is 7Cr17MoV which Gerber often sources from China. I believe Gerber does have decent quality control on their knives made in China. My folder is a very inexpensive BG made in China and I purposely abused it because someone reviewing it claimed the steel was brittle. Batoning and twisting/bending it embedded in wood and otherwise abusing it, I was unable to even chip it much less break it.

IIRC the Prodigy and certainly the LMF are made here in Portland.

 

[HaveGun]

IIRC the Prodigy and certainly the LMF are made here in Portland.

I guess it depends on which communists you want to give your money to...

 

[The Heretic]

I guess it depends on which communists you want to give your money to...

Well, Tigard actually.

 

[Medic!]

''Let He who has no china in His house, Cast the first bag of rice.''

 

[Stomper]

''Let He who has no china in His house, Cast the first bag of rice.''

Are you referring to China white, by any chance?

 

[revjen45]

1) Info on the steel:

Is 7cr17mov Stainless Steel Good for Knives? [Complete Steel Guide]

This complete guide covers all the important aspects of 7cr17mov steel. Find out if it is good steel for your knife!

knifeuser.com

2) Looks like a good value for the $.
My favorite outdoor knife is the Glock M81, which also offers great performance for what you pay.

And it's not made by the Chicoms.

 

[The Heretic]

1) Info on the steel:

Is 7cr17mov Stainless Steel Good for Knives? [Complete Steel Guide]

This complete guide covers all the important aspects of 7cr17mov steel. Find out if it is good steel for your knife!

knifeuser.com

2) Looks like a good value for the $.
My favorite outdoor knife is the Glock M81, which also offers great performance for what you pay.
View attachment 761060
And it's not made by the Chicoms.

I have one, but I don't find it to be a very good general purpose knife.

Also, am I the only person who struggles to remove it from the sheath?

 

[revjen45]

I carefully trimmed the latch on the scabbard to reduce the amt of engagement with the guard.
Easy to draw now.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I have one, but I don't find it to be a very good general purpose knife.

Also, am I the only person who struggles to remove it from the sheath?

Don't have one but some silicone spray should help.. it penetrates the pores of polymers and slickifies it.

 

[Bill Siegle]

Back when this design was being sold under the Bear Grylls logo my Son and I bought one to beat up. It took a good beating and just kept working. We did not try to destroy it but we did stress it through some tests that you might encounter during camping or a survival situation. We used a baton on it, drove in some stakes with the hammer, and did a lot of carving and chopping. Even started a few fires with the ferro rod. A lot of folks were anti Bear Grylls but the knife does work even if Bear did spend a night at the Holiday Inn Express

 

[Ura-Ki]

I have the very first 2 of the Bear Grylls Versions released to the public, they were a trial to test and use and abuse, and I was impressed enough to keep them, one in my GHB, the other in my Truck Bag! The only difference between the pre productions and the actual production was the size of the fire starter cut which is much smaller on mine! Having been issued the LMF, I prefer this version with the hammer hilt vs the pike. The blades hold up well, hold an edge well, and are well balanced!

 

[The Heretic]

Huh.

Apparently I bought an original BG Ultimate (orange trim) for $27 almost 4 years ago on Amazon. I will have to dig it up to compare it with the one I just got. Shows how disorganized I am. I vaguely remember now buying that knife. I remember the folding knives much better because I carry one of those every day.

Other knives I really like are the Cold Steel Master Hunter San Mai and the Fallkniven F1 (also laminated). Both are similar, but the Fallkniven has a poor sheath that does not hold it securely.

BTW - I have found that there are counterfeit BG ultimates out there. Found one at some outlet site I never heard of, and noticed the pics that REI has show it being a counterfeit too. Worth noting:

Counterfeit Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knives | Consumer Alert

How to identify fake Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knives

thecounterfeitreport.com

 

[Ura-Ki]

 

[Tarawa86]

I have one of its little brothers. Great knives.

 

[CLee0507]

I've always been a fan of Gerber. Own a Prodigy, StrongArm and GhostStrike fixed blades along with an LST and Gator folder.

 

[Member 5605]

Interesting. I'd pay good $$ for one in S30V.

 

[revjen45]

1) "I've always been a fan of Gerber."
I have a MkII Survival (made in 1973) I bought used in ~ 1981 for $20.


What a foxy blade! Seriously, I don't consider it to be a "survival" knife because that requires versatility that the Mk2 just doesn't have. It's a great dagger and not much good for anything else. I guess if I was carrying a knife in Mad Max Land I would have a purpose made weapon and something else that's actually useful for everyday knife chores.

2) The SOG Agency Model could be my Mad Max Land blade that's a great weapon and still useful for camping/outdoor use.

Also a most sexy knife! In the absence of high adventure every day, it's the kitchen meat slicer.

 

[The Heretic]

While I have a few "fighting" knives, including a dagger or two, I don't think I would ever place much importance on them in a SHTF situation. If I get into a knife fight then I am very likely to lose - at best I would maybe get a slice or a stab in before being killed, if I am lucky.

Much more likely is that I would not run out of ammo, but would be killed by gunshot long before someone got close enough to engage me with a knife, and if they did get that close, I would probably have run out of ammo and they did not, again, with me dying by gunshot.

More probably is my having to defend myself against some wild/feral animal who catches me by surprise while I am processing a game animal in the field, in which case I would either have time to use a sidearm or not and only have the game processing knife in my hand.