Gerber Gear Strongarm Fixed Blade Tactical Knife - Survival & Outdoor Knife with Sheath - Black Plain Edge for Camping, Hunting & Emergency Preparedness

This is the first Gerber knife I've purchased in many years, and they really knocked it out of the park. It's not my favorite knife. It's not even in the top three. And yet, it's probably the one I'd grab when I want something dependable, that'll perform in just about every imaginable application, or that I can afford to abuse or lose. It looks and feels more like a combat knife design than a survival knife. Though, it works great for both. There are lots of videos online of people putting the Strongarm through its paces, extolling its virtues and virtually proving it performs admirably at just about anything. For all it's simplicity the design is remarkably unwanting of anything. It's few perceived weaknesses in bushcraft applications and other select areas, are in fact strengths of the design for other applications, particularly military ones - which, if I was serving and didn't want to invest several hundred bucks in a knife destined to get abused or lost, this is probably what I'd want.Being a Gerber, it's a knife that's still made in the US, yet it can routinely be found for near Chinese or Taiwan made prices. Many, rightfully so, ascribe additional worth for items that can still claim "Made in the USA" labels, like this Gerber. Personally, I care more about getting a reliable, expertly designed product for my money, which just so happens to coincide with being American made it so often seems. And such description fits this blade perfectly. But some of my favorite knife designs are Taiwan made Schrades, like the SCHF42. But, the SCHF42 costs over twice as much once you pair it with a well designed and made sheath, like what already comes with this Gerber from the factory.The Strongarm is a very lightweight, yet amazingly durable fixed blade design. You can find well qualified video proof of that online, among volumes of rather silly examples of stabbing through hollow-core doors (which even a case knife could do), or more absurd tests like striking the blade against masonry to test edge retention (roll-eyes). I was instantly taken with how comfortable this knife felt to hold. While this analogy should be viewed as an obvious exaggeration, the weight felt almost toy-like - extremely light and well balanced. You wouldn't know it's full tang by the handle design, which completely encases the handle in a very grippy rubber reminiscent of dive knives. The grip also flails out to help prevent your hand from sliding down the blade - again an extremely desirable feature for a combat knife, less so for wood processing. A pointed tail-end further exemplifies the designs purpose being optimized more for combat, which also makes a decent glass breaker for rescue applications. The handle doesn't fill your palm quite as well as most knives designed more for bushcraft. This no doubt helps with balance, grip retention and lower profile of the knife. But for carving activities, like making feathersticks, it might feel a tad awkward, especially for those with larger hands.The Strongarm's use of 420 steel makes it more resistant to rust than the 1095 steel, popular with with bushcraft blades. Again, making it more ideal out in environments where you might not be able to keep the blade clean, dry or oiled as much as may be ideal. Being more appropriate in or around water is one of the reasons I bought this knife. Not only would the steel be better to take in the water than 1095, but the sheath can easily be attached to the webbing on a lifejacket. You still don't want to stick a wet knife in the sheath and forget about it, but with the Gerber it should be able to withstand such for a considerably longer time than 1095 steel can. Another upside to 420 is the blade hardness helps hold it's edge longer. Of course the downside to that, and possibly the main reason bushcrafters usually prefer 1095, is that it's easier to re-hone the blade back to razors edge, as any steel is going to dull with use.Another example of the Strongarm's combat design: where bushcraft knife spines tend to remain flat all the way to the point, the tip of the Strongarm, while not dual-edged, is tapered at the end for better stabbing penetration. So between the flailed grip and the tapered tip, there's only about 3 inches of flat spine, which isn't going to be as ideal for wood processing chores like batoning firewood. It's more than enough for striking a ferro rod though, and Gerber made the spine angle a sharp 90 degrees, even with it's ceramic coating. So the spine sparks great without needing any modifications, unlike Kabar blades, which must be striped and/or filed and sanded before they'll throw good sparks from a rod.The Strongarm comes with one of, if not THE best designed sheathes I've seen from the factory. It's a hard plastic sheath, or whatever exotic name they may be calling it, but it's still essentially molded plastic. It doesn't have the fit of custom Kydex and probably isn't as durable. And's going to make more noise than Kydex, fabric, or leather will. But it's the most versatile design I've seen, accommodating all manner of both vertical and horizontal carry, including inverted. The sheath comes set up for vertical drop leg carry, but is easily converted to scout-style belt carry. And, while not as snuggly fitted as Kydex, it securely holds the knife even with the strap removed. Violently shaking the knife by the sheath did not dislodge it. There is a little more play (rattle) in the sheath than many plastic knife sheaths, which isn't completely correctible just by sticking a piece of foam inside, as part of the rattle is between the belt attachment and the sheath itself. But, I've never understood some people's hangup with sheath rattle - even if you're in the military, odds are you're already carrying something that rattles a lot louder than this. But, once again, it's less of a flaw than a necessity of the sheaths ambidextrous, absolute utility. Unlike most knife sheaths, the blade can be inserted edge up or down, which makes it easier to switch to different mounts without having to unscrew or flip anything, as well as making it a little quicker to insert the blade under pressure.One of the best designed and made combat knives you'll find. This thing offers a very well rounded package in terms of durability and versatility. It's an extremely functional knife that often sells at budget prices of fifty bucks or less. Gerber really put some thought into this one. Even if it's not your very favorite, it's hard not to be a little wowed by the utter utility of the design. Definitely a knife worth keeping around.