If you’re a fan of the Man vs Wild show on TV, then chances are you would have definitely heard of Bear Grylls. He is one hell of a star and keeps you amazed with the techniques and skills he uses to survive in some of the roughest and toughest environments known to mankind.
And all this with a handful of tools and his brain! However, if you notice closely, the one thing that he always keeps with himself is a sharp survival knife that doubles as a handy tool and allows him to create fires quickly. In my detailed Bear Grylls knife review, I’ll tell you how he uses this one tool to do so many amazing things and survive in the wild.
How the Bear Grylls Knife is Designed
The Bear Grylls knife sports a high carbon, stainless steel blade that has been oxidized to prevent any corrosion. Not only is the knife beautifully balanced, it features a fine edge toward the drop point and a serrated edge closer to the handle which allows you to cut harder and faster.
One of the most important aspects in a survival knife is how much strength it possesses and this Gerber knife passes with flying colors thanks to the three-quarter tang construction. I’ve found the longer tang to be of more help during cutting and hammering situations so I can vouch for its effectiveness.
If you want a pommel that can stand all kind of abusive treatment, then this knife will get your vote thanks to the stainless steel built. Initially when this knife was launched, there were concerns from some early users with regards to the durability but thankfully Gerber responded pretty quickly and the pommel was beefed up sufficiently. So whether its pounding nails or breaking open nuts, the stainless steel pommel will not disappoint you one bit!
The knife handle itself is made via injection molded polymers with a coating of rubber on the top. While I personally like the feel of it in the hand, the main advantage of the rubber coating is that it provides good adhesion which means the knife will stick on to your hand better. Now this may not sound like a big deal but in a survival situation, your hands are likely to be sweaty and one slip could prove to be the difference between life and death. So hats off to Gerber for this great innovative thought!
The handle has three holes in it; one near the pommel and two near the blade. As it ships, a lanyard is threaded through the hole near the pommel. If you remove the lanyard, you can thread paracord or your own cordage through the holes to lash the knife to another object. This is a great help especially when you attach the knife to the end of a long stick to make a spear for fishing in a stream.
Accessories that Make the Difference
If the Bear Grylls knife wasn’t such a star performer on its own, you also have certain superb accessories that come along with the package that make this knife all the more worthwhile and value for money. Not only do these accessories add functionality to the knife, they also increase the odds of wilderness survival.
I personally love the nylon sheath that comes along with this knife because it’s both durable and resistant to the elements. Also you don’t need to worry about the knife falling off from the sheath because it comes with a functional lock that snaps into place as soon as you put the knife into the sheath. And there’s also a small nylon strap at the top which holds the pommel end of the knife close to the body.
The makers really did put a lot of thought into making this knife and realized the pain points of the user. One of the key challenges I find in the wild is that my blade goes dull and there’s no good sharpening stone available but thankfully, Gerber has built a sharpening stone into the sheath itself. This is something really cool and a very useful accessory that comes along with the Bear Grylls knife.
And for those unfortunate times when you lose your way in the forest, there’s a small whistle that will definitely help the searchers locate you easily and swiftly.
In Conclusion
One of the key learning’s that you should take away from my detailed Bear Grylls knife review is that it is extremely essential to have this solid survival knife with oneself. Not only does it offer the best quality available in the market, it has a whole lot of additional features that are not found in other comparable knives.
And the best part is that it costs only $80 on Amazon so that’s a real bargain at the end of the day!
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