When you are out in the wilderness or even out in a combat zone your knife may just be your best friend. It is an old saying, but true nonetheless, that knives do not jam, do not run out of ammunition or batteries and do not stop working when they are wet. Few other survival tools out there are as versatile and important as a good blade.
The simple truth is that with a blade you can build a shelter, light a fire, cut yourself free from wreckage or cut a path through impenetrable jungle. You can defend yourself or clean a fish. It is hard to think of any task that you may need to do to stay alive that does not involve a blade. Sure you can try to construct one from bashing a flint and making blades or spear-heads (I’ve tried and it is possible, but you could spend all day gettin nowhere unless you’ve been taught) but you vastly improve your chances of surviving if you have one with you at all times.
Now a lot of people will try to sell you blades for hundreds of dollars. I’m sure that beautifully crafted hand-made knives are hard to beat. But if you are on a budget, what you want is a good, solid hunk of steel with a decent metallurgy and good design from a reputable firm that doesn’t force you to mortgage the house. And on that front, most Gerber survival knives deliver. Gerber’s LMF II is no exception.
The sheath offers plenty of attachment points.
About the Gerber LMF
Gerber makes pretty big knives and the first thing you will notice about this knife is its size and heft. It is a full 10 inches so you have a lot of blade. In fact, for some it may be too much blade. Luckily Gerber’s little brother to this Big MF Knife is also great (check out our review of the Gerber Prodigy).
This is a solidly styled survival knife that will stand up well as a utility tool as well as in combat situation.
Its tip is solid so you can pierce drums and other hard objects with it, should you need to do so. Its Buttcap is also pointed and hardened and will allow you to smash your way through glass or perspex should you need to break out of a downed chopper or light aircraft. I’m not a huge fan of serated edges on combat knives but they do have their uses, and this will both cut through webbing as well as saw through aluminium and other thin metal such as the roof of an automobile. What makes the buttcap esspecially smart is that it is mounted separately from the tang, so you can hammer away without the shock going right up your arm. This makes the Gerber LMF knife a lot more useful for hammering than most other ones with a ful tang that goes all the way up through the buttcap.
It has a really solid handle that won’t slip, even if your hands are wet or muddy or covered in gore, should you be butchering game animals. The sheath doesn’t stand out too much and has a built-in sharpener so you won’t get caught out in the field. It also has lashing holes so you can make a spear.
What don’t I like about the Gerber LMF
Gerber generally makes pretty good knives so there is not a lot to fault. The only thing I can say against it is that it is pretty big and heavy. You may want that and in some circumstances you need the heft of a tool just such as this. Personally I prefer slightly smaller blades that can be tucked away more easily.
Gerber 22-01629 LMF II Black Infantry Knife- 4.8 inch blade The Gerber 22-01629 LMF II Black Infantry Knife was designed for survival during even the worst conditions. This 10-inch survival knife was engineered… $65.25
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Gerber 22-41121 Prodigy Survival Combat Knife GERBER Prodigy, Serrated Edge, Designed cues for the new Prodigy were inspired by the award-winning LMF II, another knife engineered by Gerber’s Jeff… $43.14
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Gerber LMF 2 Tactical Recon Knife with Sheath The Gerber LMFII was designed in conjunction with military and military instructors to be used in any survival situation. The blade is 3/16″ thick, 12C… $99.99
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Papajon,
I like you review and thought it was informing. I agree that the LMF is a bit big for any survival situation and personally prefer the Prodigy for that reason.
My biggest issue with this knife is the metal used, 420 stainless steel. While this steel is good around water, it is a very soft steel and not great for the backwoods. I have little doubt that is why Gerber added a sharpener. Users and potential buyers beware, if you try to cut through some metal with this blade, you will mess up the edge and need to reshape and resharpen the knife. But that is also one of the reasons it is so beefy.
Also, unless you are concerned that you will be in a downed helicopter (which is a valid concern for someone in a warzone) you should NEVER use a knife to pound. I have been doing backcountry adventures for years and that is a hard rule. If you are in a survival situation and likely not all there because of dehydration and hunger, the last thing you should be doing is pounding anything with an object that has a blade pointed at your body. If you lose your grip you can slit open you hand and if you lose your footing you can stab yourself. Be smart, find a rock, branch, bone, etc.
After seeing this knife and reading several reviews I would have to pass on it for camping / survival purposes. If this is for hiking it would be too heavy. As for a survival blade, that is whatever blade you have around you when things go to shit.
My advice is to buy a few blades to have around. One in your pack, one in each car, etc. For any readers on a budget out there looking for good survival knives go with the Mora Bushcraft Triflex with the laminated steel which goes for around $20 or the Condor Rodan which goes for $30.