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Gerber 22-01629 LMF II Black Infantry Knife | List Price: $136.06
Discount Price: $67.50
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Brand: Gerber
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Features: - Partially serrated blade
- Plexiglass punch
- Can be used as a hammer
- Converts to a spear
- Sheath has integrated sharpener
A Well-Designed Survival Knife [Posted on 2008-09-18]
For those not interested in details: "It's a great knife."
For those interested in details: The blade steel is 12C27 - comparable in toughness (durability in rough use) and hardness (edge retention) to 440A. It's a good blend of both qualities.
The construction is not full tang but push tang; however, this does not appear to affect its structural integrity. The LMF II is constructed in this manner in order to give this particular knife an insulated handle. This means that you can cut an electrically "live" wire without fear of injury. The story you might have heard already about this knife is a true one - this is the knife that allowed an advanced marksman team to cut a live electrical line in Afghanistan powering insurgent search lights that would have given their position away.
Since 12C27 is a stainless steel, maintenance is minimal as is the probability of corrosion. The blade takes quite a good edge and shows good edge retention also. As a matter of fact, I was quite surprised at the edge retention. I recently spent near three hours outside doing some hacking on some light, but woody, brush. When I had finished, the blade had dulled only slightly. The blade coating also held up very well and showed no flaking, chipping, scratching, or dusting.
As to sharpening, this steel was very easy to sharpen, and it takes a decent edge too. The sharpener built into the sheath works very well on the blade and will restore the knife's edge with only a few strokes. NOTE: Since part of the blade is serrated, this sharpener is limited in its ability - it can only sharpen the non-serrated part of the blade. Sharpening the serrations should be done using a diamond rod or a similar sharpening tool.
The handle design looked funny to me a first - didn't seem like a good design, but, thankfully, it's only looks. For starters, the grip is made of Kraton (rubber-like) and offers a very secure and solid grip. As to comfort, my hand only started hurting after the first two hours of cutting, and that was minimal pain... but I'll admit after three, it was plum tuckered out. :) In other words, it was a very comfortable handle.
The "skull-crusher" butt (steel projection below the handle) is also insulated, so don't worry about getting shocked though there either. It is also designed to function as a make-shift hammer by using the top side of the butt as a hammer head.
The three holes in the knife (two in the guard, one in the butt) are intended for lashing the knife to a rod for use as a spear. The hollows or concave indents/depressions in the handle are also designed for this purpose and allow a lashed pole to fit snugly against the knife handle.
The blade performs well at light chopping (provided you make contact with the non-serrated part of the blade). Light chopping accounts for a large portion of outdoor/survival work with a knife. Heavy wood cutting should be done with a saw of some kind (wire saw, folding saw) or an axe. The serrations also function very well and are useful in many ways - cutting rope being a big one. The serrations do seem a bit more "aggressive" than some other knives and seemed to make the work go faster.
As was already mentioned, the sheath has a built-in sharpener that works well and is easy to use. All you have to do is stick the blade in and pull it back out a couple times - you don't have to worry about the blade angle, because it's all taken care of for you. Overall, the sheath is very well made. The different carrying options are very nice and allow you to carry the knife on your thigh (using the leg straps - "drop-leg" style), on your belt (disconnect the leg straps), or on a MOLLE vest or pack.
This is a great knife for utility/survival purposes at an affordable price. Though I would love to buy a Fallkniven A1 or Odin or a Busse or a Randall, etc., the Gerber LMF II is a much more budget friendly knife, and it still exudes quality while serving its purpose very well. You really can't go wrong with this knife.
Another note of import, Gerber's customer service has a good reputation overall. I have heard numerous accounts of professionalism in regards to their customer service - paying for shipping, replacing an item, etc.
A knife for all reasons and seasons [Posted on 2008-11-14]
The knife is definitely for Outdoor survival. With the attached scabbard it is very heavy. Could be used as a hammer, spear, or light axe.
You could chop through almost anything with the help of a rock.
Knife Review [Posted on 2008-11-17]
This Knife is awesome ! Very durable and extremely well built ! Knife comes with a really nice sheath. The sheath is a bit cumbersome although I do not believe there is any other sheath out there with the adaptability that this sheath has. You can literally attach it to anything you can imagine. The leg straps that come with it are very nice as well, they keep the knife in place while hiking. I use this knife as my hiking/survial knife and it has proven to be very good for that. I used to just carry a pocket knife, after seeing what this knife can do I will not leave home with out it. The sheath has a retension clip in it that keeps the knife extremely secure, you don't even have to use the nylon button straps that are near the handle. The knife stays in place no matter what kind of activity you are doing...trust me. The knife it self has a very nice feel to it, it fits in my hand very well. My only gripes about it are; I do wish the blade was about an inch longer, this could come in kinda handy. And I think that the factory could have put a slightly sharper edge on it. Don't get me wrong...this knife is sharp, but I thought it could be a little sharper...although that may take away from it's durability...not sure. Other than that I would definately purchase this knife again. There are several extreme durability tests that you can search and find on the net(youtube) that swayed me to buy this knife. It proved to be very tough !!
Great knife [Posted on 2008-12-01]
This is a great knife. Very heavy and well balanced.
What I don't like is the sheath. It is too busy and complicated, yet, barely useful. Friction clip is too tight and way too many straps and ties. A simple sheath with a belt loop would have been worthy of 5 stars.
Gerber LMF II Knife [Posted on 2008-12-21]
Props.
Upon receiving this brilliant tool (wouldn't really consider it a knife really... it has SO many uses), i was very impressed with not only the quick shipping by amazon (thanks boys), but also the amazing sheath and harness straps that came with the knife!
The ONLY REASON i did not give this knife 5 stars is because: one - i just got it and have not made it to the wilderness yet (its below freezing out there... ill wait till spring thanks), and two - i do not know its true durability.
I can say however that this is one of the finest pieces of equipment for its kind. I am going to be living in jungles in central and south america in the near future for a long duration of time. With this knife + my survival skills... anywhere is my home.
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