Gerber Steadfast Field Test

C

cgusek111

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I know how a lot of people dislike Gerber now because of Fiskar, but I just recieved my Gerber Steadfast, a knife designed in likeness to the original LMF. I have only handled the original LMF, never used one. In comparison to the feel, the Steadfast feels much like the original LMF that I remember. The blade is slightly shorter and the handle is made of the gator rubber. Out of the box the 1/4" blade comes hair shaving sharp and oiled. If I were to compare it to another knife I would compare it to the Buck Nighthawk, the only difference is that I believe the steadfast can take more of a beating by the way it's designed (the guard and butt are steel). The Steadfast feels like it weighs a little less than the Gerber LMF II, if not the same. The sheath is heavy duty nylon and is ok. You can hardly find a good nylon sheath. I have already thought of getting an Eagle sheath for it or making my own tactical leather sheath like I do for most of my other knives. As for the field test, I am taking the knife out on Labor Day and I will update this thread.
 
I think there a two ways to answer your question. First, if I were in the woods and I still had all of my gear, before even testing the knife I could say that this knife, because of it's weight and considerable balance I would use it for minor chopping chores, skinning, gutting fish and of course there are the small duties (cutting rope, etc.). Second, if the Steadfast was the only knife I had in the woods and nothing else, then I would be forced to do more of the major chores like building a shelter. I will be able to tell you more after the field test. The Steadfast, like many other "tactical" knives like the LMF and LMF II are design to kill in combat and help you to survive. This knife has the qualities of a combat knife and the strengths of a survival knife. I hope that I was able to answer your question.
 
The Gerber Steadfast's chopping exceeded beyond what I expected. I was easily able to make a throwing stick, spear, and a figure-four dead fall. The largest pieces of wood that I chopped through ranged 2" - 3" in diameter. The knife had a very comfortable grip and feel. Not only did it feel good in my hand, but it felt good on my belt as well. It has the same steel as the Gerber Freeman Hunter (440A) which I carried for two years and was very pleased with. The Steadfast held a good edge all the way through and wasn't hard to sharpen. The lean to worked, easily constructed. The Steadfast has a good balance and didn't tire out my arm as some other knives do (the Buck Nighthawk, the SOG Seal Pup, the Ontario Pilot Survival knife and the CS Bushman for example). I have had all of these knives and ended up selling them. They were all good knives, but they just didn't suit my hand. I don't know about you, but I think the performance is better when a knife feels good in your hand. Overall the Steadfast did everything I needed it to do. I would gladly take it out again. I still have a few more tests to run so keep watching for more updates.
 
The Bushman tends to get solid praise as an inexpensive field knife, but the handle does not have much going for it. Did you try and modifications to the grip?

How often did you sharpen the Gerber? How long (time) roughly did it take to chop through the wood?

-Cliff
 
Bushman is a great knife for the price. As far as modifications, I didn't try anything, but you could probably cord wrap the handle for some extra comfort. I sharpened the Gerber one time at the of the day, but that was out of habit. I sharpen all my knives after good use whether they need it or not. The blade held a good edge all day. Chopping through the wood, best guess, 45 sec. to a minute.
 
I didn't time the sharpening session, but I do know that 440 SS does lose an edge faster.
 
Just a rough answer, like a few passes on a stone, or full reset so 5-10 minutes of honing.

-Cliff
 
Here's a pic of the knife after use. Cleaned up good.
P9040031.jpg

P9040030.jpg
 
Nice pictures, not familiar with the origional steel. How do you feel about guards for such knives in outdoor work in general? Do you prefer handles with such prominent indexing with finger grooves and the like?

-Cliff
 
This is actually the first that I've used with the finger grooves like this. I don't think I could stand it if the handle was a hard plastic. The rubber helped a lot, feels just like the Gator handles. The only rubber handles that I like are the Gerber's. Buck's rubber handles tend to slip in my hand when I get them wet. The guard didn't get in the way of any of the chores. As I recall, all the knives that I used that had guards the guards didn't get in the way.
 
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