What Ultimate Survival Knife by Bear Grylls is Best?
Whether you’re going camping, or you are worried that you’ll come face to face with a wild animal or intruder, it’s quite possible that you’re in the market for an ultimate survival knife. But how do you select one? How do you judge which is best? And, what company makes the best survival knives, anyway?
Luckily, in this article, we’ll discuss some of the top survival knives you can buy, which will be made by the respected company Gerber. These knives will mostly be Bear Grylls knives because, well, if we’re talking about knives and we’re talking about survival, is there any better name and knife than a Bear Grylls knife?
Now, before we get into the specifics of the top Bear Grylls blades best fit for survival scenarios, we recommend that you take a look at our table below to see how Bear Grylls knife compares to other notable survival knives on the market.
| Photo | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Benchmade Griptilian | $$$ |
 | Ka-Bar Fighting Knife | $$ |
 | Benchmade Mini Griptilian | $$$ |
 | Mossy Oak Survival Knife | $$ |
 | Spyderco Tenacious | $$ |
 | Spyderco Para 3 | $$$ |
Ultimate Survival Knife: Who is Bear Grylls?
Gerber is a legend in knife and gear manufacturing, and Bear Grylls’ renowned knowledge of the outdoors makes owning their product an achievement as much as a purchase.
They do have strong competitors with products that inspire equally vocal loyalty, with animated discussions on forums and blogs, but knife owners would agree that a Bear Grylls Survival Knife stands first among its competitors.
Bear Grylls, who hails from the United Kingdom, is a British television personality whose programs are based on the themes of how to survive in the outdoors. His parents didn’t name him “Bear”—he’s born Edward Michael Grylls, but his passion for the outdoors makes the nickname a natural.
Grylls was the youngest Brit to climb Mount Everest. He formerly served in the British Special Forces Reserve. His skills have made him a legend in the British Boy Scouts; at the age of 35, he was honored as the youngest ever Chief Scout for the British Scout Association.
After Grylls used a Gerber knife on one of his television shows in 2010, the American knife manufacturer, which has been in the business for over 70 years, launched the product line that bears his name (no pun intended).
His fame as a survivalist, highly touted skills, popularity and credentials all join forces with Gerber’s stellar reputation to create a line of products that has proven to be successful for men and women all over who relish the chance to match their skills against the elements.
Below, please take a moment to view some of the best-selling knives currently on sale on Amazon:
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
1) Cold Steel Survivalist |
2) Ka-Bar USMC |
3) Kershaw Cryo II |
4) Mossy Oak |
5) Kershaw Knockout |
Key Features to Evaluate When Choosing a Survival Knife
Various forums, websites, and articles in outdoor magazines provide information on what you need to know when choosing a survival knife.
Always remember that the knife must suit you, so do your homework, and explore the options before making your decision.
Here are some things you need to research before choosing your knife:
- Blade Size
- Fixed Blade
- Full Tang
- Tip
- Spine
- Pommel
- Handle
Top Bear Grylls Survival Knives
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Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Knife
Dedicated full tang fixed blade survival knife disciples may dispute the effectiveness of a folding knife, but this rendition maintains the balance between compact size and ease of use. Its half-serrated blade gives it toughness and strength for outdoor tasks. One recent only buyer of this knife cautions that care would be needed if batoning wood with this knife, but spoke confidently of its prowess with other tasks. Batoning is a survivalist technique that splits wood by using a stick or mallet to drive the knife’s blade through wood. This is often used to make kindling in order to build a fire.
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Gerber Bear Grylls Paracord Blade
With its 3.25” serrated full tang blade, this knife is designed for someone who’s looking for a fixed blade knife that’s a little smaller in size to use as a reliable secondary knife. The handle is wrapped in 60 inches of paracord that’s available for use if rope is needed. The plastic sheath’s removable belt loop allows you to reposition it to your belt or pack.
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife
The Ultimate has all the standard features of quality that attest to the Gerber Bear Grylls mark, including a high-carbon stainless steel blade and a rubber handle that’s easy to grip. It comes with a knife sharpener and an emergency whistle, as well as the Gerber Priorities of Survival Pocket Guide. And best of all, not only is the pocket guide waterproof—which is a really smart innovation—but it shows the reader how to accomplish survival-style tasks such as how to build a fire, catch small game, navigate without the use of a compass, build a shelter, collect water, and signal for rescue. A good move on Gerber’s part, because someone who’s trying to survive doesn’t need another instruction manual unless it shows what needs to be done and how to do it.
This is the knife that makes survivalists drool. Its 4.8” full tang fine edge blade is made of 9CR19MoV steel, which falls in the middle of 440B and 440C stainless steel for its chemical composition, toughness and ability to hold its edge. The sheath does its share of the work as well, with a vertically mounted fire starter and a pull-through sharpener. Unlike the Grylls Ultimate Survival Fine Edge, Compact Fixed Blade and Ultra Compact Fixed Blade, the Ultimate Pro doesn’t have a hollow-ground blade. One user was disappointed that when it arrived, it wasn’t sharp, and the bevel angle didn’t match the angle of the pull-through sharpener, which meant that re-profiling the edges took a long time.
But another Ultimate Pro owner commended the knife for the way it blended Gerber’s decades of experience in manufacturing knives with the survival savvy of Bear Grylls to create a survival knife that’s everything it needs to be. The stainless steel drop point blade is resistant to corrosion, and will maintain its edge longer. It has an updated full tang construction that one reviewer described as “sexy.” The stainless steel pommel serves as a hammer. The lanyard cord comes with a whistle that guarantees a loud signal in case of emergency. The protective pocket on the back of the sheath contains a waterproof version of the famous Bear “Priorities of Survival” Pocket Guide.
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Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series Knife (Serrated)
Even survivalists have to begin somewhere, and this popular, best-selling survival knife is a terrific starter knife. The original versions had problems which Gerber fixed, but that was in the past. The ultimate knife is particularly interesting, because it’s made knowing that you will need it for cutting, batoning, and maybe even breaking apart glass or hard surfaces. This knife also comes with both an integrated diamond sharpener, as well as a fire starter. You’ll even get an emergency lanyard whistle with this Gerber knife, so it’s truly an all purpose product and well worth the money.
How Does the Competition Stack Up?
Competition among knife manufacturers is as fierce as the quality is high, and the brand names all have their loyal followers who support them.
The company that you favor is going to be the one that has created products whose performance has consistently met your expectations and provided the best customer service.
For $40.36, the Schrade SCHF9 Extreme Survival Knife brings with it a 1095 high-carbon steel 6.4” blade and a solid-grip Kraton handle. The Camillus Survivorman Les Stroud SK Mountain Survival Knife boasts a 4.75” titanium-bonded 440 stainless steel, partially serrated blade for a $42.68.
Included with the knife are an integrated LED flashlight and whistle, paracord wrap, fire starter, signal mirror, trail map, and storage compartment. Other brand name survival knives include the KA-BAR Becker Companion, the SOG SEAL Team Elite, the Cold SRK, and other products from Buck, Fallkniven, Spyderco and others.
Other Popular Bear Grylls Products
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Serrated Knife: The serrated blade is made of high-carbon stainless steel and has a drop point blade. The handle is designed for comfort, which doesn’t just mean that your hand feels right holding it, but your grip is secure and your hand won’t slip. The nylon knife sheath comes with a fire starter, sharpener, land-to-air rescue information, and the Bear Priorities of Survival pocket guide.
Gerber Bear Grylls Scout Drop Point Knife: The Scout has a partially serrated, 3.3” blade that’s great for cutting rope as well as other tough tasks. The rubber handle is comfortable and designed to protect the user. An extra safety asset is the lockback feature, which keeps the blade locked in place even while the knife is open. The knife is lightweight at 4.3 ounces and comes with a clip.
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Fixed Blade Knife: It has a serrated carbon stainless steel blade that’s mildew resistant. Its stainless steel pommel can be used for hammering, and the sheath has a fire starter and a diamond sharpener. The rubber handle has a solid, ergonomic grip that helps you to retain control of your knife while cutting.
Gerber LMF II Survival Knife: This popular knife has a partially serrated, 4.84 inch blade made of 420HC stainless steel. The wide Kraton handle, which has a window breaker on its end, provides comfort, and that means control, for your hand.
Gerber 31-001270 Bear Grylls Field Sharpener: With all these knives, you’re going to need a knife sharpener. The Gerber Field Sharpener is praised by users for being one of the easiest sharpeners he’s ever use. But if this is your first go-round at knife sharpening, you’ll need to do some research first, because the sharpener doesn’t come with instruction.
So, do you feel you’re now better equipped to purchase a Bear Grylls Survival Knife? Well, hopefully so. And if you’re looking for information pertaining to knife sharpeners, be sure to read our in-depth analysis of manual and electric knife sharpeners.
For more on fixed blade knives, as well as folding pocket knives, be sure to return to our homepage.
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