Gerber Strongarm or BG Ultimate Pro?

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Nick22N

Joined
Aug 28, 2016
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Hello Everyone! Do you recommend purchasing the Gerber StrongArm or the Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro knife? Pro is costing me around 160 US dollars. I have only two options in India. Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro or else the Gerber StrongArm which is around 110 USD. Please advice. Also, if anything happens to the knife, tip breaks off while prying wood planks in an emergency, edge rolls over, I have to fix it myself as there are no service centers in India for either of the knives. so no warranty. I intend to use it for some occasional camping, survival and as a general purpose use knife around the house. :confused:
 
I'd vote for the Strongarm, I've only heard good things about it. It also has the bonus of being made in the US, and being Cheaper. Not to mention it doesn't have that garish Bear Grills logo on it.
 
I like the strongarm but the lack of a sharpening system on the sheath is a drawback! The Ultimate pro has an integrated sheath sharpener and seems to have a better grip. I'm soo confused
 
Nick22N said:
I like the strongarm but the lack of a sharpening system on the sheath is a drawback! The Ultimate pro has an integrated sheath sharpener and seems to have a better grip. I'm soo confused
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A sharpener on a sheath is very overrated, especially since pull through sharpeners can be so small and packable. Pull through sharpeners like on the BG sheath aren't the best option anyway. The best thing you can do is learn to freehand sharpen and if per chance you misplace your packable sharpener you could sharpen with any decent smooth rock off the ground. Go with the Strongarm and don't be sold by gimmicks.
 
I have a strong arm and its a surprisingly good knife. Ide go strongarm over Bg anyday
 
I agree with everything said already. The strongarm would be the best choice in my opinion. It has a very versatile sheath with multiple carry options. The steel is 420hc which isn't a wonder steel by any means but holds a good edge, isn't terribly hard to sharpen and is quite tough. A plus to me is it is made in the US. I don't believe the the Bear Grylls knife is as tough and I also do not like the BG all over it. To me the strongarm is a much, much better knife than the BG knife and I believe cheaper.
 
Another voter for the StrongArm. I haven't used mine hard (just kitchen stuff so far), but those who have give the knife high marks. The sheath is very versatile as well, as JTC said. Mine came with an edge that was about 25 degrees per side, so I resharpened it to 20 degrees per side. Sharpening is quite easy; very similar to carbon steel. I agree that most of those gimmicky integrated sharpeners aren't very good. I haven't tried the one specifically on the BG, but others have been pretty bad. I'd use the $50 you'd save on the StrongArm and invest it in another type of sharpener, like a combination stone or a cheap guided system, depending upon your sharpening skill.

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The strong-arm seems to be the better of the two, but since it uses 420hc I think you'd be better getting a buck.
Buck has the best 420hc ever and you can get a good buck knife like the 119 at a fraction of the cost ( don't know about there, but they're often had here for less than 50$ ) buck also has other options for even less that are less hunting oriented.

If your familiar with the world famous KA-BAR if they're available there , they cost under 100$ and use the more desirable 1095 blade steel.
 
Hickory n steel said:
The strong-arm seems to be the better of the two, but since it uses 420hc I think you'd be better getting a buck.
Buck has the best 420hc ever and you can get a good buck knife like the 119 at a fraction of the cost ( don't know about there, but they're often had here for less than 50$ ) buck also has other options for even less that are less hunting oriented.

If your familiar with the world famous KA-BAR if they're available there , they cost under 100$ and use the more desirable 1095 blade steel.
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The StrongArm has a full handle tang while the 119 has a rattail tang. If you're one with intents of using the knife like a hatchet, stick with the strongarm. However if you use an actual hatchet and a knife like a knife, then the 119 will be fine. I haven't come across any complaints about Gerbers 420hc on the StrongArm or their other survival type knives.
 
bt93 said:
The StrongArm has a full handle tang while the 119 has a rattail tang. If you're one with intents of using the knife like a hatchet, stick with the strongarm. However if you use an actual hatchet and a knife like a knife, then the 119 will be fine. I haven't come across any complaints about Gerbers 420hc on the StrongArm or their other survival type knives.
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I have to disagree some.

I've also heard no complaints about the strong-arm, but I've experienced Gerber's 420hc and bucks is still the best.
I'm sure hidden tangs ( it's not a rat tail tang on the 119 ) may not be as good as full exposed tangs, but the US military had no problems with issuing the mk-2 ( KA-BAR ) since ww2 .
I also don't believe that the strong-arm is a complete full tang as it has a break in it to insulate it in case a live wire is accidentally cut ( created with the military in mind )
I'm not saying the Gerber strong-arm is a bad knife, but buck has some true full tang knives ( that's why I mentioned them having some less hunting oriented knives ) using a Steel which is the best of it's kind, and sell at a fraction of the cost.
All the strong-arm has going for it over some buck offerings is it's particular features and design.
The buck 119 is just an example of a buck knife with a better version of 420hc steel that sells for a fraction of the cost ( not the most ideal survival knife as it was designed for hunting )
 
Strongarm of the two, but I'd really go Becker or ESEE if I were you.

Sent via pony express
 
Hickory n steel said:
I have to disagree some.

I've also heard no complaints about the strong-arm, but I've experienced Gerber's 420hc and bucks is still the best.
I'm sure hidden tangs ( it's not a rat tail tang on the 119 ) may not be as good as full exposed tangs, but the US military had no problems with issuing the mk-2 ( KA-BAR ) since ww2 .
I also don't believe that the strong-arm is a complete full tang as it has a break in it to insulate it in case a live wire is accidentally cut ( created with the military in mind )
I'm not saying the Gerber strong-arm is a bad knife, but buck has some true full tang knives ( that's why I mentioned them having some less hunting oriented knives ) using a Steel which is the best of it's kind, and sell at a fraction of the cost.
All the strong-arm has going for it over some buck offerings is it's particular features and design.
The buck 119 is just an example of a buck knife with a better version of 420hc steel that sells for a fraction of the cost ( not the most ideal survival knife as it was designed for hunting )
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The buck 119 and the KaBar are known to fall apart beating them on logs while batoning. I actually had a KaBar issued once to me when I was in. I even bought one but having not used it I gave it away. It's a great blade, but not something you want to baton with. The StrongArm is designed to handle the rigors of batoning for sure. I always hear that Buck has a superior 420hc and having owned a 110 for many years I won't disagree. But it's 420hc, not S30V or whatever super steel of the day is. Gerber's will do alright.
And yes, the StrongArm is a full tang. The fact you 'don't believe' won't change it. I have an opinion about batoning but if you're insistent on not using a hatchet, at least use a knife that's built to take it.
 
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I think that Strogarm is a full tang knife. It is similar to Prodigy as far as the tang is concerned (see also the following thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1246938-Gerber-Prodigy-review which is referring to the Prodigy's tang).
And I believe also that Strongarm is a really effective knife. Reliable, strong... I have used it for chopping, batoning and ALL the other (camping) activities. Without any problem…
 
My suggestion is to go for the Gerber. It is a workhorse of a knife, and it is Stainless Steel which works a little better than
carbon in humid or hot climates. Plus, all you really are paying for in the BG is his name. The Strongarm will last for years.
 
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Well, I've decided to go for the Gerber StrongArm. I'll post the pics soon!
 
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