Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated Review 2011/06/13
Gerber have released a new range of survival tools which I have been
testing out recently. They have been co designed by Bear
Grylls. This review is on the Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife
Serrated, which is their flagship item.
Introduction to the Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated
Once you open the bomb proof packaging you are presented with the Bear
Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated. In all its 'glory'. It comes with a
sheath, built-in firesteel, built-in diamond ceramic sharpening stone,
lanyard whistle and a folded piece of paper detailing some of Bear’s
survival advice.
Sheath
The sheath on the Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated is well put
together and has a good simple design. It is made of Nylon clearly well
stitched and mildew resistant. It holds the knife in a hard rubber case
which is connected to the sheath. The sheath feels well made and is one
of the better ones I have seen. The Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated
can be stored securely in its rubber case when not in use by an extra
velcro fastening. If you are using it frequently then you can simply use
the sheath clip on its own.The sheath clip does not grip the knife as
well as other Gerber knives I have. In comparison with the Gerber LMF2
it is a little easy to pull out. At no point did the Bear Grylls
Ultimate Knife Serrated fall out of the sheath however I prefer the
firmer grip of other sheaths I have used.
Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated
comes with a firesteel. This is a toy and is flimsy and superficial at
best.
Sharpening Stone
On the other side of the rubber case is a diamond ceramic sharpening
stone. Here I would have thought a V sharpener would have made more
sense (as seen on the Gerber LMF2). The ceramic plate would allow you to
keep the edge sharp but you won’t be able to sharpen the serrated
section and keeping a micro bevel true in the field is hard work. I
prefer V sharpeners for flat ground knives with a small secondary bevel.
They make sharpening the blade a lot easier as you don’t have to worry
about keeping the bevel angles maintained as the V sharpeners do it for
you. The Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated has a strong butt
which has a textured surface. This would come in handy in opening nuts,
preparing meat and building shelters out in the field. I really like
this feature and you don’t see it on many knives. There are three holes
through the handle that allow you to lash the Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife
Serrated to a piece of wood to make a spear. Something you would only
use in an actual survival hunting scenario.
Handle
The grip is very good, as it fits my hand very well and the rubber
grooves really help it to stop slipping. It also has well fitting
ergonomics that allow the index finger to sit comfortably behind the
blade and be protected too. One of the best grips I have used and a much
better fit than the LMF2 due to its slight larger palm swell. The blade
is sharp on the Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated and is designed to
be a survival knife with all round use in mind. As with the Gerber LMF2
the serrations are close to the handle and as a result make it hard to
produce feather sticks. On the spine of the blade is a small section for
striking the firesteel, this works well and produces a lot of sparks.
The blade is strong and managed to cope well with battoning a few small
branches in half.
Two small features are a lanyard with a
whistle and rescue instructions stuck to the back of the sheath.
Firesteel
The included firesteel is not the best I have seen. You may want to take
a spare with a stronger feeling handle. The firesteel slides into a
raised section of the rubber case when not in use but I would be worried
of it falling out as the opening faces downwards. The firesteel never
fell out of the sheath during my testing.
Conclusion
For the price the Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated has a very good
set of features. Above all you do get a completely usable blade.
Compared to some of my Helle knives of similar cost the Gerber comes out
on top. Certainly in terms of strength, functionality and bang for the
buck. The Helle are much sharper and more suited to bushcraft. However
they are not as strong as the Gerber and in my opinion would not hold up
well to being used as a survival knife. Once again the Gerber as a
survival knife comes out on top. If you are looking for a cheaper do
everything survival knife then the Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife Serrated
is the one for you. Don't mind spending a little more then get the
Gerber LMF2 Survival. It is one amazing piece of gear that I thoroughly
recommend it. Going to give this knife a go then I would suggest you buy
some accessories. Take a separate firesteel, a Gerber V ceramic
sharpener and a tapered pen style sharpening rod. Those will allow you
to keep every part of the knife sharp and start fires.
-Sunny
