Looking for an awesome Gerber fixed blade knife? Then this Gerber Strongarm review is just what you need.
Whether you want a survival or a tactical knife, the Strongarm from Gerber is ready to meet any number of needs.
As we will talk about, there are a few different options to choose from.
What you need to know about the Strongarm is that it is a high quality knife available at a reasonable cost.
From its blade size down to its grippable handle, continue on to see how this knife can handle whatever you throw at it.
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About Gerber
So about that baby food...just kidding. The other Gerber makes knives, multitools, and similar outdoors equipment. They are probably most well known for their multitools, but their knives are similarly very high quality.
One of the best things about Gerber is that they offer a great combination of high quality and low cost, as we will cover in this article.
Gerber originally started about 100 years ago, when Pete Gerber made some handmade cutlery on a really small scale to give as gifts to clients of the family advertising company.
However, due to their quality, they started to grow, and have continued to do so in the decades that followed.
Gerber is owned by Fiskars, but they are currently headquartered in Oregon. They have made hundreds of different knives, and some of their products are used in militaries and law enforcement agencies around the world.
While this article is focused on one knife, we also recommend checking out their multitools if you are in the market.
Gerber Strongarm Review
This knife is a full tang, fixed blade knife with a blade that measures 4.8 inches long. The knife as a whole measures 9.8 inches long, and it weighs in at 7.2 ounces.
The blade is crafted from 420HC steel, which is the same steel used in Buck Knives.
When it comes to outdoors knives, this steel is one of your best bets. It is commonly used in machetes, as it won’t corrode very much.
It keeps an edge well, but is also relatively easy to sharpen.
This steel makes this knife great for a tactical or survival knife.
As for the handle, it is made from a glass-filled nylon, and then wrapped in a rubber mold with diamond-shaped texture for additional grip.
The glass-filled nylon is a very strong material, and the rubbery, texturized grip will make it easy to hold onto the knife and get some additional cutting power, even if you’re wearing gloves.
Similarly, if it’s wet or rainy out, you won’t have any issues.
The most unique feature of this knife is the sheath it comes with. It is a modular sheath that you snap together, so you are able to customize how you carry the knife.
The sheath can be attached to your MOLLE vest or bag, attached to your belt horizontally, or carried in a drop leg manner.
No matter how you plan to use this knife, you will be able to carry it appropriately.
One final good feature of this knife is the pommel at the end of the handle.
It has a lanyard hole, so you can carry it that way, but it also has a small spike which could be used for a multitude of things.
There are a couple different options for the knife. The standard version is available with a black handle or a coyote brown handle.
The blade is either plain edge or half serrated edge. This one is extremely affordably priced.
One version of the knife, which is called the tactical version, looks slightly different, but also has one improvement as well.
It has a silver blade with a matching silver and black handle. It is more expensive, but this is largely due to the upgraded blade steel.
The blade of the tactical version is made of BDZ-1 steel. This steel is not nearly as common as 420HC, but it is a very high quality.
It will hold an edge even longer than 420HC, so that may be worth looking into for you. It is a very strong steel, especially if you are going to be very rough on the knife.
Pros
The pros of this knife are the overall strength, quality, and usability.
Thanks to the steel and the full tang blade, this is a very high strength knife that offers plenty of cutting power.
You will be able to use this exceptionally well in tactical and survival situations. This cutting power is matched by the durable handle that offers plenty of grip strength.
The Gerber Strongarm sheath gives this knife an added level of additional uses that isn’t commonly seen in larger knifes. The fact that you can carry this on your belt, on your leg, or laced in with your MOLLE gear is an extremely useful feature.
Cons
There really isn’t much to talk about. There are cheaper fixed blade knives available, but they won’t offer the same quality as this one.
It is also a pretty heavy knife, but that is to be expected when shopping for a knife that is made for these purposes.
Conclusion
The Gerber Strong Arm a great quality knife that would excel for survival and tactical situations. It is a very strong knife that will have plenty of cutting power, thanks to the quality steel that the blade is made from.
The handle, which is made of glass-filled nylon is very strong as well, and the rubber coating gives plenty of grip.
The sheath allows you to carry this knife however you see fit.
If you are going to be extremely tough on the knife, the tactical version will be worth the additional cost.
However, for the average knife user, the standard version is more than acceptable.
Having this in your bug out bag or attached to your military plate carrier certainly isn’t a bad idea.
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