Here is another comparison opinion review of sorts. This time, it will be the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Knive versus the Camillus Les Stroud Mountain Ultimate Survival Knife. You can tell from the name tags that both endorsers think highly of their name branded products. I tend to agree. In fact, you will find that both men's ideas of the best survival knife out there is eerily the same across the board. In fact, I think you will find there are more similarities between these two offerings than differences.
Camillus Les Stroud SK Mountain Ultimate Survival Knife• Ultimate Survival Knife & Ultimate Sheath.
• Titanium Bonded 440 Stainless Steel, Non-Stick Drop Point Blade with Partial Serrations,
• Knurled Steel Pommel,
• Integrated Ceramic Sharpener,
• Para-cord wrap,
• Integrated LED Flashlight & Whistle,
• Fire Starter,
• S.O.S. Signal Mirror,
• Storage, Compartment,
• Trail Map Mesh Pocket
Decked out in the series bright yellow/green trappings, the Ultimate SK Mountain Survival Knife is quite the looker. The sheath is highly functional, with injection molded body, there are a lot of features hidden in there. The back of the sheath once again holds a small mesh map pocket that contains Les Stroud's mini survival guide along with a Camillus white paper on how to take care of your new knife. The same pocket is also found on the Jungle Machete, however due to the lack of real-estate, the pocket had to be smaller. As you can see, not sure what type of map it can contain, as it barely holds all of the small instructions sheets that come with the knife.
Les Stroud takes a, er, well, Stroud method of information giving. The Guide is more holistic and big picture compared to that of Bear Grylls which tends to focus on individual scenarios. There is a lot of good info found therein, and I like that the guide can also be used as a signal/spotting device.
The sheath also has a built in knife sharpener. This is the two graphite rod type sharpener. This is simple and about as idiot proof as it gets for sharpening a blade. Now there is more to this than meets the eye. It also acts as a water drain to help dry your blade. It also acts as a sight to aim your mirror flashes.
Built into the sheath front is a signaling mirror. Nestled beside the knife are two removable tools, one being the fire starter, and the other being a combo whistle and LED flashlight.
Behind the mirror, which opens on a pivot hinge is a tiny small storage space. Just enough I think to put a small fishing kit, and a band aid or two. This storage is small, but shows that the designers maximized all the space available to them.
If that wasn't enough, you have some paracord well protected and wrapped around the sheath.
The knife has that silly bit of serration. I have no clue why they add this. I would rather have a full straight blade than a partially serrated one. The only plus is that it isn't as long as that found on the Bear Ultimate Survival knife. The handle has a hammer pommel, soft rubber where it counts , and feels a tad large for comfort. Mind you, comfort is a highly personal opinion, and your mileage will vary. Much like the Jungle machete in the series, you do not get a lanyard, but you can add one to the convenient hole offered for just that purpose. on the backbone of the blade, is a first starter notch.
Interestingly enough, both knives have a single Velcro retainer strap. Both also feature some sort of sheath feature that sort of locks theblade home. This way, you shouldn't lose your knife if you forget to close the Velcro strap.
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival knife• Open length: 10.0"
• Blade Length: 4.8"
• Weight: (with sheath): 14.7oz.
• Weight (no sheath): 11.2oz.
• Knife Features:
o ½ Serrated High Carbon Stainless Steel Drop Point Blade - Ideal for edge retention and cutting rope
o Ergonomic Textured Rubber Grip - Maximizes comfort and reduces slippage
o Stainless Steel Pommel - At base of handle for hammering
o Emergency Whistle - Integrated into lanyard cord
• Sheath Features:
o Fire Starter - Ferrocerium rod locks into sheath, striker notch incorporated into back of knife blade
o Nylon Sheath - Lightweight, military-grade, mildew resistant
o Land to air rescue instructions
o Diamond Sharpener - Integrated into sheath for on-the-go sharpening
o Priorities of Survival - Pocket guide contains Bear’s survival essentials
The BG knife follows the whole series look with gray textured handle and orange trappings. Of course both products have their endorsers names on it, but Gerber takes it up a notch by plastering Bear Grylls name on everything.
Oddly enough, and this is an issue I would think...they placed the fire starter upside down on the sheath. It is held in by a weak compression, and I can imagine this falling out eventually. When it does, it will just fall and you probably wouldn't notice it until later.
I do find the ergonomics of the handle on the BG fire starter to be easier to use compared to the lopsided design of the Camillus.
The back of the sheath contains a little hidden and weak pouch behind the air signal info. This little pocket contains Bears signature mini survival guide. The problem here is that the material that the air signals info is printed on is not all that stretchy, meaning that the small pocket feel like it will un-sew with the removal or addition of the small guide.
Un-Velcro the top and the whole sheath pivots downwards to reveal the diamond sharpener. With this setup, you can ruins your blade if you don't know what you are doing. The diamond sharpener is generously sized and placed on an angle as seen in this next photo.
I thought long and hard on this and although I may be wrong, there is my theory. The sharpener is angled like that to accommodate the thickness of the blade retention flaps on the sheath.
In the above photo, you can see the two blade retention flaps holding the blade in the sheath. On the Camillus, these are smaller and less obvious if equally capable in function.
Looking at the side, you can see how that blade retention is large, Interestingly enough, even with the angle of the diamond sharpener, it still presents a relatively flat surface towards your body.
The knife has an overly long partial serration. Longer than that found on the Les Stroud.
The whistle is attached to the end of the lanyard.
Both knives feature a fire starter striking zone in practically the same location. On the Les Stroud, it is a half moon notch. On the Bear Grylls, it is a rough cutout above the fire starter symbol on the blade.
SummaryAs you can see, both offerings are very similar in style, functionality, and type. The major differences are minor in many respects, which boils down to the way each did their thing. Both even have striking hammer pommels...
From personal opinion...
1. I like the feel and shape of the BG knife over that of the Les Stroud.
2. I like the features and shape of the Les Stroud sheath over that of the BG sheath.
3. I do not like serrated blades on survival knives. Not sure why they both included them on these. At least the partial serration on the Les Stroud is shorter than that found on the BG. I know for a time, there was supposed to be a non serrated BG Ultimate knife produced. I do not k now if they ever made it. I know I looked for it but couldn't find one at the time that I was in the market for one.
4. I like the simplicity of the sharpener found on the Les Stroud to that of the BG. On the other hand, you could sharpen other things on that Diamond hone of the BG...like hooks , etc. I guess this one is a tossup.
So there you have it. I know plenty of folks have besmirched both blades. I think for the price point, they aren't all that bad. In a survival situation, having either of these by your side is a lot better than not having anything at all. The extras that are included add much value. Despite what is being said about them online, these are far superior to those no tang hollow handled monstrosities of yore that Rambo made popular back in the early 80's. Which one meets your needs is entirely up to you.
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