Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO Survival Knife Test 2019

Summary:

The classic Survival Knife in the low price range has been improved and upgraded by Gerber again in every corner. The knife without quirks.

testing and experimentation, we will dig deep today and look at the knife from every angle and see how good the knife really is.

After we passed the test for the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival knife and gave the good piece a 1+, let’s see what his successor has on the box. Expectations were high for me as tall Bear Grylls sympathizers.

First, the product information for the very urgent:

Total length 25.4cm
Blade length 12.2cm
Weight together with the scabbard 388.4g
Steel type 9Cr19MoV
Handle material TPE polymer

And of course the Comparison Bear Grylls Ultimate vs Ultimate Pro:

steel	blade length	cut	Erl
Bear Grylls Ultimate	Cr17MoV	12cm	combi cut	3.4
Bear Gryll’s Ultimate Pro	9Cr19MoV	12,2cm	Smooth	Full-tang

So then, let’s go!

The blade

Since every knife is just like his blade .. Let’s start here …

The Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO knife uses a 9Cr19MoV high carbon stainless steel, which is a nice upgrade over its predecessor made of 7Cr17MoV steel.

The 9Cr19MoV steel is somewhere between the 440B and 440C steels for chemical composition, hardness and the ability to hold a sharp edge. Compared to the 7Cr17MoV steel of the predecessor Ultimate Survival knife, the PRO version should be a bit harder and better able to hold the sharp edge.

A full (full tang) – at last!

Now for the big, serious difference between the original Ultimate models.

Fuller means that the blade runs the full length of the knife, from the blade tip, over the handle, to the knob at the handle end.

A full-scale construction is considered by most experts to be the strongest, most reliable and most fracture-proof variant of knife making. The full load is accordingly what makes a real survival knife !

To test the hardness of Ultimate PRO’s Steel, Erl and Pommel, I woke up one night with a crazy idea … I decided to hammer the knife into a piece of hardwood with a sledgehammer to see what happens.

To be perfectly honest, I thought that the knife might endure a maximum of 30-40 strokes before something breaks .. NEVER, I would have thought that I had to hit the knife softly at first, then 72 times and from different angles with full force … before I could not ram it one more cm into the trunk …

Accordingly, I think that one can say with certainty that it has been a rather tough Erl and Knauf upgrade.

Let’s talk a little bit more about the blade

The Ultimate PRO has a drop-point blade … which simply means that the back of the blade falls slowly towards the blade tip.

Drop point blades are typical for survival and generally for universally used knives, because they form a strong point and a powerful knife over the entire length of the blade.

The tip is high on the PRO and not centered, resulting in loss of control when drilling precisely with the blade. On the other hand, the big belly allows better cutting and theoretically better carving. Theoretically, because the 5mm thick blade is less suitable for finer carving.

In general, the drop-point blade is a not surprising design choice and meets the expectations of a survival knife.

The edge

The Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO has a 100% flat finish all over the cutting edge. That means – no serrated edge. The original Survival knife came in both a flat-cut version, as well as a partial serrated version.

Serrated edge is great for cutting through things like ropes or a paracord cord … and thus the use of the knife over time, when the flat ground is dulled.

However, a serrated blade is a hindrance to many survival, bushcraft, and hunting tasks. So she makes fine cutting, moulting and filleting to a patience sample. Damaged serration is also difficult to grind and repair …

For most consumers such a smooth finish is just the thing.

How sharp was my knife?

When unpacking, the knife came out sharp enough to shave the hair on the back of my hand and prick small branches (see photos) … almost like a razor.

And if you pull it off properly on the strop, then the knife gets even sharper.

To learn more about sharpening knives, related tips and techniques – take a look at the article “sharpening knives like a pro – even on the go”.

During my tests, I was surprised at how well the knife could hold the sharp edge while I had tried to throw it and dropped it on rocks and frozen earth a few times.

However, these types of knives are not necessarily suitable for throwing, you should use specialized throwing knives, such as the Kunai from Expendables.

If we slowly move to the handle …

On the back of the knife gives an uncoated notch, which serves to make a fire as a stop.

On the sharp side of the blade is the Schor.

Schor, Fehlschliff or Wrong cutting edge is called the area between the cutting edge and the hand protection. This Schor provides enough surface, so that I have with my index finger a better grip and better control over the knife during fine cutting and filleting. If you do that too, please be careful.

The BG Ultimate Pro cuts well into the flesh – I tried it myself when I cut off guts for my dog.

But the real purpose of the shave or the false cut is that the blade can be ground all the way to the point, without the handle or the hand guard getting in the way.

Whistle for your life!

The Ultimate Pro knife comes with a freshly designed emergency whistle that looks a bit more resilient than the old one in its predecessor. It is quite loud and is attached to the knife with a lanyard cord.

A very useful tool, but I wonder if you should not have integrated the pipe better in the fire starter. More on that later.

The knob

Well, the pommel or hammer called, was both infected and welded to the Erl (Tang), what its strength and stability comes to the good (the predecessor he was infected only). I can almost certainly say that you should not have any trouble with this Knauf or Erl, even in emergency situations.

The handle

The handle consists of just that full (full-tang) and two TPE polymer handle halves. The handle halves are attached with turn screws, as well as 2 metal inserts, which were inserted at the upper end of the handle and there form 2 openings.

Grip comfort and balance

Most of the handle is coated with a material that feels like just about every other knife or tool in this series.

The only noticeable difference between this knife and the original version is the weight of the knife. It does not feel heavy, but the weight does help the knife provide more substance in the hand. The knife is well balanced, with the center of gravity just behind the area where the index finger encloses the finger recess.

A convenient spear

In addition to the opening for the lanyard cord, as already mentioned, there are two more holes in the hand guard of the knife. These penetrate the halves of the handle and the tang (Tang) and are strategically placed to bind the knife to a wand to create a convenient spear.

I tied my with a paracord cord and it was really bombproof.

The scabbard and the clasp

The openings for bar bonding also serve another important purpose: they are part of the closure system that relies on friction and holds the knife in the scabbard. These holes are aligned at a height with the 4 pimples (2 on each side), which are found inside the vagina, at its upper end. Together, they prevent the knife from falling out of the scabbard.

The scabbard

As with the predecessor of the knife, we have here again a carrying handle with a kind of Velcro, to keep the knife safely stowed in the vagina, when it is not needed.

The scabbard is suitable for both right-handed and left-handed and has a hole in the lower compartment, so that water can drain, in case you should go swimming (Attention: pun!) Or should get into a storm.

The insertion and removal of the knife is a bit tough, which is advantageous in this, since the blade sits securely in the vagina and is plugged in again with a slight “clack”.

The Pocket Survival Guide

The Survival Guide is waterproof and of all the bag guides I’ve seen in my life so far, this one of the best, in my opinion. For the simple reason that he not only speaks about something, but also PREVIEWs it, such as, for example, survival essentials such as:

build a shelter,
make a fire,
to navigate without a compass
Collecting rainwater
The sun uses to distill drinking water
Traps builds to catch small animals
An emergency signal sends

One should be mentioned, although understandable to the layman, the Survival Pocket Guide is in ENGLISH!

The belt loop

On the back of the scabbard, at the top, there is a vertical belt loop, which fits very well into belts with a width of up to 5cm (see photos).

By nature, not MOLLE compatible

I’ve noticed that there are no horizontal MOLLE compatible straps on the scabbard, as they had Gerber mounted on the sheath of its predecessor. Therefore, if you want to attach the knife to your MOLLE equipment – you have to get creative.

An alternative attachment method is, for example, a belt-mounted D-ring, which can be attached to a rucksack or belt with a carabiner. So you do not have to take off your belt every time you want to put down the knife.

The sharpener

Next, let’s take a look at the carbide pull-through grinder, which provides better field sharpening capability than the original Ultimate Survival knife. Simply because it is easier to sharpen the knife with this sharpener, regardless of the previous experience in knife grinding on the day.

The great thing about this pull-through grinder is that it’s designed to sharpen the entire edge of this knife so that the flaw will “provide” a corresponding area between hand guard and edge..

Thus eliminates the need for an external sharpener, because the thing does on the road what it should.

The fire starter / Zündstahl

Last but not least, on the front face of this scabbard, we find a cleverly stowed ferro bar that has been positioned right side up instead of being placed upside down like its predecessor.

But this change will ensure that the Ferrostab does not accidentally fall out of the vagina and loses itself in the thicket, which could very well have happened in the previous version of the scabbard.

The ferrocerium used in this bar seems to be of good quality, because starting a fire was really easy.

Supplement from 22.08.2016: Some users had problems with the fire starter: the rod falls out of his plastic socket. Whether this was so intended by Gerber, so that the rod can be replaced easily, is an open question. For those who see this as a problem, there are two alternative solutions: ask Gerber for replacement or simply fix the rod itself with good adhesive in the socket.

How do we rate Bear Gryll’s Ultimate Pro Survival knife??

I give the new Gerber Bear Gryll’s Ultimate PRO Survival knife 4 out of 5 stars, even though it actually earned the full 5. Read on why.

Gerber has really taken a big leap forward: they’ve taken their bestselling knife, missed it, and dramatically improved it in almost every area:

A better steel: 9Cr19MoV
With full-tang construction, it can now play with the big ones
A better solution for sharpening in the field
Better storage of Pocket Survival Guide and Fire Starter
And more well thought-out changes

I deducted a star because to justify all these changes, the price of the knife went up tremendously.

This prize catapulted the Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO into a quality war zone, where it competes against such high-performance competitors as the Ka-Bar BK-2, the Cold Steel SRK, the SOG Seal Team Elite and the big brother: the Gerber LMF II got to.

And honestly, in a competitive category like the Survival knife – 4 out of 5 stars is pretty darn good.

In addition, to be quite fair with the Ultimate Pro knife – it is in the lower price segment for knives under € 100 settled and the knife was brilliant in my tests.

In addition, it is important not to forget that the Ultimate PRO knife should rather be seen as a kind of survival kit. With the integrated field sharpener, lanyard whistle, a good firestar, and the best Pocket Survival Guide I’ve seen so far – everything safely stowed in the scabbard.

But if I compare this knife offer with the original Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival knife, there is really nothing to compare – the Ultimate PRO wipes the floor with the Ultimate.

UPDATE: The price for the Ultimate PRO has fallen! For under 90 € (at the time of writing), the knife is now available at Amazon! Now I can give the knife a clear conscience and the full 5 stars. Lucky.

For whom is the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO knife suitable?

With the improved steel, full-tang and all the (useful) bells and whistles included in the box, this knife is a great choice for those ready to switch from their original Bear Grylls Survival knife.

It’s a fantastic choice for camping, backpacking, hiking, emergency rucksacks, hunters, bushcraft or as a generally very reliable utility knife for home or business, for everyday use or handy when you need it.

“>

Spyderco manix 2 im test – rambos second knife, survival knife guide

Spyderco Manix 2 in the test – Rambos second knife Summary: A very good penknife of the slightly heavier gait. Since 2004, the American manufacturer…
The rambo knife in the test – the manliest knife in the world

The Rambo knife in the test – The most male knife in the world Summary: For collectors and fans of John Rambo an absolute highlight with a high collector…
Sanrenmu 7010luc-sa – the sebenza knife for arms, survival knife guide

Sanrenmu 7010LUC-SA – The Sebenza knife for the poor? Summary: Successful Sebenza copy to the blast price. Today I introduce you to the one-hand knife…
Best Combat Knife 2019 – the deadliest knife in the world

Best Fighting Knives 2019 – The deadliest knives in the world And as a knife connoisseur, you certainly have this question already heard or even asked a…