Gerber Gear StrongArm - Fixed-Blade Camping & Hunting Knife with Striking Pommel & Sheath - Premium Survival Gear - Made in USA - Black, Plain Edge

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.

This is My 2nd Gerber Knife (The Other one is a Gerber Ultimate which I got from my work 1 day before this arrived), My 3rd American Made Fixed Blade Knife, and My 5th American Made Knife in General. My other American Made Knives are an OKC SP1, General Cutlery M7 Bayonet, A Kershaw Switchblade, and a Kershaw Spring Assisted Pocket Knife.All of My Knives are for Opening Boxes and Defensive Knives.Pros:1) Arrived Sharp.2) American Made.3) Size (Not really small and not to big).4) Comfortable Handle.5) Mount it to a Belt Sideways (Horizontally).6) Mount it to anything with Molle.7) Stays in Sheath without Retention Strap.8) Arrived 2 days after I ordered it and at a Great Price.Cons:1) Vertical Belt Mount.2) Unless you are Overweight; Forget about being able to Conceal it if you're Mounting it Horizontally.

This is an extremely hefty blade, definitely designed to handle all the rough work you can throw at it. I hit it with my stones first thing and put a mirror finish on the edge and it holds it decently. Comes with the ability to mount in multiple configurations, on a belt, molle, strap, etc ... I'm a fan of this blade.

I received this knife as a Father's Day gift, and all I can say is WOW!I normally don't expect very much from Gerber ever since they came out with all the lousy Bear Grylls knives that virtually break if you breath on them too hard! But after watching all of the very positive YouTube reviews on this knife, I decided I would add it to my wish list and see what all the hype was about. I must say, after using this knife for a while, I'm very pleasantly surprised! I think my opinion of Gerber may finally be changing!The knife:This knife is extremely solid in the hand! I would put it up against my ESEE4 and ESEE6 everyday of the week as far as durability goes! The diamond textured rubber overmolded grip is fantastic! Wet or dry, there is no way this knife is slipping out of your hands! The pommel of the knife sports a nice glass-breaker/attitude adjuster, that can be used for a multitude of tasks and is a handy feature to have. The black ceramic blade coating is not overly rough like the Becker and ESEE knives, which is a plus in my book! The blade looks as though it's about 3/16" thick, but Gerber did a very nice job with the saber grind and as a result, this knife cuts like a beast! Despite what some people have said in their YouTube reviews, this knife is PERFECTLY capable of making some beautiful feather sticks (as you can see by my pictures!). The grip shape is very neutral and extremely comfortable in the hand! It easily allows for a multitude of grip options which is awesome! Just a very well thought out grip! Nice job Gerber! The blade is constructed from 420HC stainless steel and holds a great edge! Gerber did an excellent job with the heat treat. The blade also came from the factory with a beautifully, symmetrically ground and very sharp edge! I'm also really happy to see that this knife was made right here in Oregon, USA! The folks over at Gerber did a very nice job finishing and sharpening this knife!The drop point blade does have an unsharpened swedge for combat and piercing applications. Sure, it will be a bit harder on your baton for bushcrafting purposes, but by no means a deal-breaker! Besides, it's nice to know that I have a knife that can handle combat and self defense roles as well! You never know when you might have to fend off a wild animal. The spine of the blade also comes ground to a very nice 90 degree angle suitable for striking a ferro rod! Another welcomed bonus! Finally, and probably the most awesome feature about the knife....NO SERRATIONS!!! FINALLY! It's about time Gerber finally produce an outdoor fixed blade knife without serrations! So enjoy this one folks because it may be a while before Gerber makes anymore plain edged knives! LolThe sheath:This sheath is probably one of the most well thought out and well executed sheaths I've ever received on a production knife! I definitely prefer this sheath to the over-praised ESEE sheaths! The sheath is constructed from a high quality thermo-plastic with plenty of rivets and lashing points for molle and paracord lashing options. The sheath also sports a detachable clip for scout-carry and can also be adjusted for another molle type carry on the back side of the sheath using a removable clip. If this weren't enough, the sheath also comes standard with high quality and well finished, thick nylon webbing for standard drop-leg belt carry options. The button snaps are very strong and quality made! I don't see this sheath having any issues whatsoever, but in the event that you ever do, Gerber has a sterling reputation as far as their customer service and warranty goes, so I don't think you'll have any worries! And for the lefties out there, this sheath is also designed to allow the user to insert the knife into the sheath in either left or right handed orientation. Great job Gerber! It's excellent to see a company finally showing us lefties some attention!Bottom line:Buy this knife! I'd certainly buy this knife again in a heart beat! This knife is certainly worth it's exceptional price point of $47 as of June, 2016. For that price, I would pick up two and put one away as a backup! I'm a strong believer of the "two is one, and one is none" motto! Highly recommended! Hopefully this knife will change a lot of people's minds about Gerber!

Nothing but great things to say about this knife!Perfect length!Very formidable blade!Sharp as heck!I've been carrying it daily outdoors on my right side for my work as an Aquatics Technician.My only negative is the sheath.There's a snap underneath that would keep coming undone so I added a couple if zip ties for security.Aside from that, its great!Oh yeah.......the handle is FANTASTIC!It really sticks to your hand wet or dry!