Knife used in "Man vs Wild' series on Discovery

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gud4u

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Jan 6, 2004
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Did anyone recognize the knife used by Bear Grylls in the 'Man vs Wild' survival series on Discovery Channel?

It's a fixed blade knife with serrated back, looks like about a 5" blade. It looks like nothing offered by KaBar, Ontario, etc.

The only really notable performance aspect of the blade was that it survived repeated spine-whacks, using a large stone as a baton to fell small trees. I'm not sure I'd risk fracturing my survival blade by batoning with a rock - but it did survive.

He also demonstrated an interesting field-honing method:
- Mash a softer aggregate rock into abrasive media between two harder rocks.
- Smear the abrasive material on a wet branch.
- Strop the knife on the abrasive-coated branch.
 
that's interesting on the strop thing... the only knife i've seen him use was half-serrated Gerber Gator (i still really like this knife)

of course he also drank the juice from fresh elephant crap in the same show, so i'm not sure if i like having the same taste in anything as this guy ;)
 
He definitely does some stomach-turning stuff.

He looks like a wimp, but he's ex-SAS, has climbed Everest, etc.
 
he pisses me off. If everyone lost acted like he did, 90% would die. He takes the path of most resistence, chooses to run through deep watered rivers just for camera effect, and in general is SO irritating. You'd think he advocates everyone lost running across unstable ground, scrabling as fast as possible across wet rocks, and taking risks that are completely unnecessary. He would go into new york city and say "the shops dont upen until 6am and I NEED food, so im going to wring water out of this prostitute's messrag and it will keep me alive until morning"
 
I gotta agree, if he was really trying to show "survival" techniques, he missed the mark. I've watched quite a few of his shows, he takes really unneccesary risks, jumping and climbing when he could more safely walk around. Pure entertainment, but on an irresponsible level. Seriously, if a novice beat his only knife with a rock instead of a baton in a real survival situation, and it broke, he'd be screwed. Unless he also had a cameraman handy...
 
I think that's the main thing....I think That's why man vs wild has a larger audience that survivorman....While survivor man seems to take a much more practical approach to survival, BNear grylls is just trying to sell entertainment....say what you want about his methods, the show is very entertaining. a nice feature feature about the knife you speak of is that the tang protrudes through the handle creating a usable hammer/pommel
 
David Schott said:
he pisses me off... He would go into new york city and say "the shops dont upen until 6am and I NEED food, so im going to wring water out of this prostitute's messrag and it will keep me alive until morning"
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That made me laugh...thanks.

He does some brazenly retarted things but, he knows his stuff and I have learned quite a bit from the show.

-Manzanita trees as natures toothbrush is brilliant.
 
I also am entertained by him failing. on one show he said "now watch, ill put this burning ember in this twig ball and when i get across this frozen lake, itll still be warm enough to make a fire with"....of course it didnt work....on another occasion he had been in the wild only 3 days and resorted to eating rotten animal meat...its entertaining but tough to watch. Id rather see someone teach me how to survive than teach me how to act extreme.
 
It's a fixed blade knife with serrated back, looks like about a 5" blade. It looks like nothing offered by KaBar, Ontario, etc.
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I noticed that it also had a guthook, just behind that serrations.
 
What I find funny is when he supposedely rafts down river for hours then when he is capsized the camera crew is already set up down river at the exact point he will crash so they can film his dramatic exit from the river. STAGED like pro wrestling is all I can say. I give him props for knowing what is edible and having an iron stomach. Something tells me if I dropped him deep in alaska above timberline he would run out of tricks quick.
 
I thought that show was a pathetic rip off of Survivorman. The guy couldn't use a Bow/drill right, and got sick with diarrhea the first episode I saw! And watching him beat his knife with a rock made me laugh and cry. Plus he has a camera crew, but Les Stroud has to film all his own stuff, and survive, and he does it better.

But the guy does know some interesting stuff, and the show is entertaining.

That knife is a dive knife or based on the dive knife design. The gut hook behind the serrations is actually a line cutter. The hammer pommel is for banging your tank or other hard objects to signal to your buddy underwater. I have used and seen many different versions of this knife, and all are low carbon, high cromium dive knives with rubber handles, but this could be a remake with better materials for survival scenarios.
 
It is entertaining, but the guy is a royal dumbass.

The last two episodes I saw, one in which he is doing the banzai down a river, soaking wet and trying to make it down before nightfall. The risks that he took going down the river were unbelievable. I could have busted a knee or ankle 100 times that day and he just lucked out. What gets me is that some poor sap who actually believes this guy is teaching real skills will try it and get hurt or killed.

At least survivorman has to survive all by himself for a week and has to carry an additional 60 lbs of camera equipment with no help and has to film himself and retrieve his equipment afterwards. That sucks and is much worse than just being alone.
 
I have seen those knives in drug stores and department stores. They are really cheap. They used to be made in Japan, but now are probably made in China. I believe the saw back is actually for scaling fish and the hook is a bottle opener. I have seen the same blade with a cork handle for use on a boat. You might be able to find one someplace like K-mart.

I am really impressed that it doesn't break when Bear pounds on it with a rock. That's probably because the blade is pretty soft.
 
gud4u said:
......
He looks like a wimp, but he's ex-SAS, has climbed Everest, etc.
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Funny, he doesn;t look like a wimp to me...looks like a regular Joe who could probably take care of himself allright.

Cobalt said:
It is entertaining, but the guy is a royal dumbass.
........What gets me is that some poor sap who actually believes this guy is teaching real skills will try it and get hurt or killed.
At least survivorman has to survive all by himself for a week and has to carry an additional 60 lbs of camera equipment with no help and has to film himself and retrieve his equipment afterwards. That sucks and is much worse than just being alone.
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I don;t worry one iota about someone pulling off some of Bear's stupid tricks. The world is full of idiots. Common sense people survive and idiots who run down a canyon because Bear does it don;t survive ...usually. By the same token, I don;t worry about people who spill hot coffee on their laps while driving away from McDonald's either.....

I agree that Les Stroud in Survivorman is a true survival series. Bear Grylls is a slap-stick comedian who doesn;t yet know it. Someone asked what kind of knife he carries. I hope I never find out it's a Benchmade, because I probably won;t ever want to buy one again.

I'm sure I could learn alot from Bear...plus, he seems like a pretty good guy. But I'll probably learn very little from his little sit-com "Man vs Wild".
 
why doesnt he never wash his face?? or hands?? is it for dramatic effect, or what?? he had elephant dung on his face for 1/2 the show lol.
 
I've seen him carry a Gerber Gator in a couple episodes; a large-sized Wenger locking SAK in another; and what appears to be a Boker clip-pointed, black-bladed folder. He seems to prefer semi-serrated blades on his folders. And of course I saw the fixed-blade knife.

As mentioned already, Les Stroud's Survivorman may not be as exciting, but it's actually solid information on survival. I think some of the reasons Bear Grylls takes such stupid chances are:
1. He travels with a camera crew who can help him out if things really do get FUBAR. Les Stroud does everything himself for the 7 days.

2. He (Grylls) is in far better physical condition than the average joe. A typical person, or someone who's injured, couldn't even think of trying half the stuff he shows off, and would probably die trying.

3. Ratings/flamboyant entertainment.

4. It seems some of the scenes are re-shot; I could be wrong, but it could be like that Survivor show.

In one rain forest episode, he gets sick, probably from drinking water straight from a river. Considering the silly chances he takes, I was surprised that he seemed surprised he was sick. He said it could have been the water he drank, or he could have *accidentally* touched some animal poop. I've actually seen him stick his hands in poop on purpose time after time, and of course he doesn't have handy wipes on him (maybe his crew does).
Jim
 
About the stropping incident: when I saw that, it seemed like more hassle than it's worth. I've always been of the understanding that you can sharpen a blade on a smooth, flat stone. It may not get it razor sharp, but it seems like it would work alot better than what was demonstrated. Of course, I've never had to resort to something like this, because if I'm going to be anywhere where I may be put into a survival situation (hiking, camping, etc.), I always carry, at least, a pocket hone.
 
i would think a flat stone would work better myself vs the stick w/the chips on it, i have used a flat stone to hone my knife when nothing else was avalable a few times, sometimes it worked ok, sometimes not so great, depended on the stone, would always put a working edge on it though, just took longer with some than others..
 
This is a posted observation on the Discovery Channel website for Man vs Wild. Posted by a fan. I can't verify its accuracy but no ill comments were made against it at all on the site. So I guess it could be close or he'd have gotten pounced on by the forum rats.

Africa/Mount Kilauea:
Gerber Gator combo edge.

Moab Desert/Alaska:
MOD ATFK

Costa Rica/Desert Island:
Scuba Max Titanium DIve Knife (model KN-200 in black)
http://www.escubamax.com/.sc/ms/dd/KNIVES/260/KN-200

European Alps:
Wenger serrated Mountaineer

Africa/Mount Kilauea:
Gerber Gator combo edge.

Moab Desert/Alaska:
MOD ATFK

Costa Rica/Desert Island:
Scuba Max Titanium Dive Knife (model KN-200 in black)
http://www.escubamax.com/.sc/ms/dd/KNIVES/260/KN-200

European Alps:
Wenger serrated Mountaineer

Below is the Discovery channel link:

http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2161971848/m/4701962468

Peace.
 
StretchNM said:
Bear Grylls is a slap-stick comedian who doesn;t yet know it. sit-com "Man vs Wild".
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I mentioned Man v Wild in another forum. Big mistake. I really got taken to task for it. It really must be a comedy. Leslie Neilson started out being a straight actor, them wham, Naked Gun. There is always hope. Then again, there is always the chance that something might happen in the upcoming stingray swimming episode.
 
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