Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Knife Review

[M. Sage]

It's to show people things that they CAN do to survive, not that he is trying to show up Survivorman. Bear does some crazy shit, and a lot of it is for ratings. But I wouldn't discount what he's trying to show people. For myself, I'll keep an open mind and learn useful things where ever I can find them.

Yes, he's been there, done that. I'm sure he'd be fine if he was really dropped off in the middle of nowhere. But the things he does on his show are not things you can do to survive. They're things you can do if you don't care about your corpse being eaten by wild animals in some odd land.

 

[TrailDust]

Yes, he's been there, done that. I'm sure he'd be fine if he was really dropped off in the middle of nowhere. But the things he does on his show are not things you can do to survive. They're things you can do if you don't care about your corpse being eaten by wild animals in some odd land.

I was just discussing this stuff about Bear with some friends at dinner, and everything you guys have said was the consensus as well. It would be nice if Bear would go back to covering honest to goodness survival skills instead of sensationalism that puts you a few steps closer to the grave.

 

[M. Sage]

I was just discussing this stuff about Bear with some friends at dinner, and everything you guys have said was the consensus as well. It would be nice if Bear would go back to covering honest to goodness survival skills instead of sensationalism that puts you a few steps closer to the grave.

LOL, I know. Free-climbing cliffs instead of going around? Death. Jumping off the top of a waterfall and trusting the water below to be deep enough (instead of going around again)? Death. Drinking your own (or anybody else's) urine? Death.

The show is a train wreck. I was over at my friend's house and he asked if I wanted to watch it. No way. I just can't handle that crap.

 

[Bithabus]

LOL, I know. Free-climbing cliffs instead of going around? Death. Jumping off the top of a waterfall and trusting the water below to be deep enough (instead of going around again)? Death. Drinking your own (or anybody else's) urine? Death.

The show is a train wreck. I was over at my friend's house and he asked if I wanted to watch it. No way. I just can't handle that crap.

+1

Bear goes to the buffet table after shooting and sleeps in a tent or hotel room. He has a crew to rescue him if one of his stunts goes wrong. The "skills" he demonstrates are irrelevant or dangerous. Les Stroud goes hungry and thirsty and puts himself at real risk of death.

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

My wife and I watch a number of those survival shows and always watch Bear Grylls. It's entertaining, doesn't annoy me. We just always laugh that he's doing the opposite of what he should probably be doing...."We can walk a half mile around the cliff and burn 200 calories, or we can scale the sheer walls burning 5,000 calories and risking death. I'll have to leave my water behind so it doesn't weigh me down; I'll just drink my own piss later."

I like Dual Survival with Cody and Dave. Those guys actually show some useful stuff and the risks you need to think about before attempting something stupid. We always watch the Man, Woman, Wild too. My wife commented that the episode where they were marooned on an island with crabs and coconuts, with no kids, looked like a freakin' vacation!!!


BTW, I have a Becker BK2 and those are pretty affordable and completely indestructible. 1/4" Carbon Steel for a little over $50.

 

[shipwreck]

Interesting thread - I just asked about this here:

Zombie Squad • View topic - Anyone have a Gerber Bear Grylls Parang Machete?

I am debating this or the Ka-Bar Black Kukri Machete or the Ka-Bar Black Cutlass Machete...

I just want a SHTF blade to throw in my bug out gear. I'll probably never use it, and the Gerber can be had for a good price online. I am leaning towards that. I like the longer blade over the kabar for self defense possibilities

 

[Mikewood]

If you want a machete i would buy an army surplus one. I would rather have a hatchet or short axe

 

[suhsjake]

CS Trail hawk would be my top pick if you didn't want a machete.

 

[TexMex247]

+1 on dual survival. Unlikely I will be completely alone in a survival situation. It's good stuff watching them delegate tasks and utilize their respective strengths. More real world survival and a bit less craziness. I would probably rather die than squeeze water from a rhino turd and drink it. Bear always over does it when it comes to being resourceful. I will admit, it was cool to watch him chomp on a yaks eye once and I got a good laugh when he ate it romping around the Scottish countyside. Still good TV in small doses.

 

[suhsjake]

If any of you guys are looking for the Gerber LMF, LA Police gear has them for ~50% off

 

[espy59lc]

I was gonna get this knife last week before we went camping in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but I went with the SOG Aura 6 1/4" and I love it. the BG knife though does look nice.

 

[deadasslast2004]

got one of thhese for Christmas as a gift....................wish I had the receipt.................piece of crap. definitely shows it is made for television NOT real use. edge like butter. forget it and buy a benchmade instead.

 

[M. Sage]

got one of thhese for Christmas as a gift....................wish I had the receipt.................piece of crap. definitely shows it is made for television NOT real use. edge like butter. forget it and buy a benchmade instead.

It's more of a chopper and hacker than a slicer. IMO they make a decent light-weight replacement for a hatchet. The steel is mild (1095, IIRC), so it's not going to get razor sharp or stay that way. But that mild steel means it takes impacts with things like rocks a lot better and you can pry hard on it with a lot less risk of the blade snapping (it should bend quite a bit before it breaks).

It's not the knife I would choose if I was only going to get to carry one knife (that would be a Mora), but if I have my "personal" knife and get to carry something to handle heavier chopping, I'd grab a Grylls knife or one of its slightly bigger brothers like the Prodigy or LMF II.

 

[grasshopperglock]

MHO....

I had a strecth of being homeless. Yep, a no good homeless person. With no bills, I banked. Well anyway, what Id learned out of a "survival knife".

ATS34 dulls like hell when you dig in central Texas dirt. If I had to chop wood, I found chunks already busted to length. Forget cutting a pecan tree or oak down with a knife. Find trees you can break to length. Who cares what it looks like. This aint a TV show. As for using any kind of knife to hammer? No way would I take the chance of either breaking my knife or cutting the crap out my hand. I used a rock, stump, or the thousands of pounds of metal chunks that litter our great state. I never lost the understanding a knifes meant to cut. Not build a house with. The most you want it to do, is open a can of wolf brand chili with out breaking yet still able to cut paracord. ATS34 will do it in a heartbeat.

Folders clog up quick. Forget one hand open after getting black dirt in it. Knock it on a tree to get most the dirt out, you still can forget one hand open. Fixed just look cool. But you have to keep track of the sheath, cause they will walk the hell off if its dark and not on your belt. Then you get to store an open knife in your back pack. Not cool. Any length of blade will work when you HAVE to cut something. The serration blades....there an ass to resharpen (your not gonna do it without a tool for it), crumple, cutting a pelvis bone on a deer(440C), but work good cutting large rope or fabric, ugly and fast. With a smooth blade you can get the whole thing sharp without having to stop at the serrations. With a gritty rock or flint. Plus Benchmade, if you have one, will resharpen only the smooth part of the blade if you jack it up or cant do it yourself. Your out of luck on the serrations. A sharp edge is a skill, so don't fool yourself into thinking its easy. But it aint so hard you cant do it.

I use only Benchmade, and only the American made ones. Ive had the springs bust on a Benchmade auto, which is slower to open then the same knife with no auto. Having no spring pressure closing the thing ( so you can pop it closed with one hand, not using a surface). Tanto blades? Try keeping that angle at the end, resharpening out in the woods. That tanto gets drop point real quick during the rain. The black coated blades get uncoated during heavy cutting. They look purty at first, then end up looking like the paint on a farm truck.

My fav metal: ATS34, Pain to get it back to razor sharp in the woods. (shaving the hair on your forearm). Tough as hell even with the edge it takes. It will speck rust in a sweaty pocket. Itll punch metal, but you can chip the very edge punching tempered glass. The very tip, as in less then 1/16 on the point.

D2? use a lawn mower blade, it takes a better edge and looks better. (Im not talking making one out the mower blade, use it right off the mover.) People mean it when they say a loosy edge forever. More like a sharp butter knife edge, right after you cut cardboard. And as you try to resharpen, its "What the hell?, why isnt it getting sharp like it was???".

440C? Skin a deer, cut his arse up, resharpen and shave your face with it. Then resharpen, and resharpen....

Being out in the woods or anywhere, comes down to field craft. "I got a survival knife, so Im good!" will get you jacked up in hurry.