It's a good military knife, it served me very well overseas, I busted locks open used it as a pribar, a pummel and I trusted it with my life. But it's not the best bushcraft knife no. Fun fact though the reason the LMF 2 isn't full tang is so you can cut live wires in a downed aircraft, hommie of mine pried a hmvee door open with his
Same, great knife to get stuff done overseas. Not surprised at it's poor performance in bushcraft though. Mine looks like it's been through hell, but I'll keep it forever.
I was camping in the mountains of West Virginia earlier this week when the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia came through and drenched everything. I needed a fire and all I had was my Gerber Strongarm. There was no dry wood to be found. I actually HAD to baton a log into tinder and kindling to get a fire started. The Strongarm did great, and was still sharp after much batoning. The black coating wasn’t even damaged. I quickly got a fire started. True story. Not a joke.
Gotta say. That video really went how I thought it would. The Gerber definitely did what I expected of it, since it was designed to be indestructible, because a dull knife can still kill better than a broken one. It definitely wasn't made with bushcraft in mind, but as a combat/last ditch survival knife it makes sense.
From a bushcrafting standpoint the Mora will definitely win. The Strongarm is a general purpose knife, can do everything decently well enough to get work done, but not necessarily a master of any one thing. It can start a fire like a mofo though and the basic indestructability of it makes it a top pick for me. You may need to maintain the edge a little more than some, but with the availability of all sorts of easily packable or otherwise carryable maintenance items that's not really a problem. I've never had to do more than use a ceramic rod or strop on mine. Because of the thicker grind other knives will beat it out in the "shaving sharpness," but I've never come across a real situation where I need to shave hair off my arm on the double. It cuts and basically cannot be broken makes it one of my absolute reliable favorites and go-tos.
The destruction test put to it several years ago did it for me. I ordered two of them back when they were around $50 and have never regretted the purchases once.
@@hannahmay5461two different types of knives. The strongarm is way stronger, but the 119 is a better cutter. I wish buck made more full Tang knives other than the 124
420 HC, properly heat treated, can be surprising. Buck and Boss Brothers have been producing the 110 folder for many decades with ho hum steel brought to another level by good heat treating.
I've had a Strongarm w/420 for quite awhile now, just never thought of it's place in my collection. Now, thanks to your video, I know it is a very good tool and will go into my truck box for any hard use duties that might arise. Enjoy, guys.
Had a strong arm I kept on my plate carrier while in the army. Was a good tool when I used it. Definitely wouldn’t use it as a bushcraft knife. But it was good as a “tactical” knife.
Why "definitely" wouldn't use it? It doesn't seem ideal, but far from unusable. I'd take an indestructible "do-it-all" blade over a "perfect" bushcrafting knife. Granted, I'd take both, but I will always have my Strongarm with me.
Brought one for my son to take on his first Afghan tour. Half way though he got me to post him his Fallkniven F1 and he gave the Gerber away. He then Carried the Fallkniven F1 on the rest of his tours (four in total)
@@Xander_Park plenty of people do 4 tours, I know a guy who did 6. The most tours in recent history was Kristoffer Domeij who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011, the deployment on which he was killed was his 14th combat tour. 4 isn't unusual at all.
I considered buying one of these for months as my main bushcrafting knife, bought a Fallkniven F1 instead, and after watching this boy am I glad I did! Good job guys!
I have had mine since the Original Gauntlet series where a Strong Arm was sent to multiple UA-camrs for abuse. It isn't a bushcraft blade at all but I trust having it tucked away in my truck bag.
I love the USA Gerber Prodigy and Strong-arm.. The thing about their steel is like most factory knifes there is burnt steel. All of my reprofiled Gerbers feel more like 1095 once I've worked the edge. Honestly a good heat-treated knife in the woods will work fine for the average user. Sharpening these blades is easy and that's what they are for...MILITARY dudes .
I’ve broke several knives in 1095 but my Gerber Prodigy and Gerber StrongArm are still as good as they were when I took them out of their boxes minus the blade coating..420HC doesn’t have the best edge retention but it’s a tough stainless and it sharpens back up extremely easy...they certainly are Bushcraft knives by any means but big thick blades knives rarely are worth a damn with Bushcraft..people like to shit on Gerber and I get it but their USA made tactical combat fixed blades are great options for the low price..they have a few decent folders as well like the Fastball but their QC leaves a lot to be desired and it’s often a roll of the dice if you get a good one or a dud
@@garrettferrell6821 Totally agree 👍 Edge retention is kinda silly imo. Unless you are cutting rope all day you ain't gonna need super steel. Don't get me wrong my S30V Benchmade bushcrafter is really crazy it holds a keen edge forever. BUT if you're just doing simple woods tasks good USA420hc is as good as 12c27n maybe a hair better. Personally I've learned that if I reprofile my gerber with a much higher relief edge at 19° and add a convex they work excellent . Profile matters most. I love quality blades and high quality steel BUT if I had to choose to grab a knife cause the crap is hitting the fan it's gonna be a Gerber or Becker kabar maybe my Tops Brakimo that's a killer blade . I would not like hiding in the woods with super steel. 🤣 The what if philosophy LOL. I love budget blades it's fun and easy to collect them.
@SticksNStones314 The USA Prodigy and Strongarm are not junk imo but to each their own. Their China stuff and folders are crap, that's where I can agree.
I fully agree with you regarding the handle. It is murder on bare hands, just like the Kershaw Camp 10, but it becomes, almost, a delight to use if you wear gloves, and the peculiar indentations in the side of the handle locks the knife in your gloved hand in an extend where the tool feels like an extension of your body. All of this doesn't change the fact that this is an easy to carry sharpened pry-bar meant to stab things or break them apart. Great video. I really like the shots where we get to see your immediate reactions.
The Strongarm was my everyday carry until I found DBK's and y'all introduced me to Bark River Knives. Now my everyday carry is a Bravo 1.5 in 3V but I still love my Strongarm.
My overseas knife was the tops moccasin ranger, similar in size to a kabar but an absolute crowbar of a knife that once I put a convex edge on actually turned out to be decent for carving and a bit of chopping, we do quite a few survival ex's though, if we didn't I'd definitely use something much lighter
I have a strongarm in my car as a emergency blade, for me it´s not intended to be an bushcraft knife but rather a somewhat versatile tool you never have to worry about. If a was a soldier I would probably choose this one or the finish M95 Ranger (related to the Terävä puukko) It´s easy to see why think the way you do consider your data points that are focused on bushcraft and in that regard I think this was a very fair review Good job!
This is the knife we all have come to grow and love over years of use . Ladies and gentleman , the gerber strongarm. Not to be confused with the fakes sold on Amazon under gerber name
I started having more faith in 420hc after i cut through stranded steel wire and had 0 edge damage with a buck 110 select. If you are the type of person to fail your edges through plastic deformation 420hc with a good heat treat is impressively tough for a stainless steel
It’s insanely tough,I have the Gerber StrongArm and Gerber Prodigy and have abused the hell out of both knives and they are still going strong..420HC leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to edge retention but it definitely makes up for that in toughness and it’s ease of sharpening
ANTIMATTER no doubt,Buck definitely has the best 420HC heat treatment I’ve seen..Gerber does a pretty great job as well but Buck is definitely a cut above the rest
420HC is not tough for a stainless steel, it's incredibly tough for a steel period. The only ones that come close are 8670, 1084, 14C28N, CD#1 / Z-Tuff, and 3V. Out of those only 14C28N is stainless, the others are high carbon steels or super steels. 420HC is much softer than all the steels mentioned above though. Even with stellar heat treatment it won't get as hard as 14C28N, which might help with its toughness in low end knives since they're less likely to have perfect heat treatment.
Yes! This knife to me is a great representation of an American knife. It's a jack of all trades, solidly built, and a pretty good value for what it is! I agree the edge isn't great out of the box, but it's nigh indestructible and once you put your own edge on it, I found it's a good knife to beat on! I don't own one I've just used friends haha. I quickly want to say that I love this channel, i've been super stressed out lately (i'm taking the bar exam to be a lawyer) and your guys' videos have really helped me smile through it! Love the video! Love the Channel!
Got one off these in 2017 sometime and its been heavily abused in the years and is still going good was used everyday when i was doing laboring and demo work good for putting holes in walls and prying apart bathroom furnishings
Was a labour payed minimal if i couldn't do it with a claw hammer demo bar and a sledgehammer i had to buy more tools so the strongarm got used for lots of stuff to avoid buying more tools so i could spend it on the normal just old enough to drink desisions
I have one Gerber in my collection , an old school Gerber LMF . It has a great material on the handle thats like a sof sponge but impossible to wear out. I think i purchased the knife in 1989 ish ....
I took a break from this channel for a year or so and wow the production quality has improved. I'm impressed and just as before they are always so funny. I think that is the winning ticket.
09:25 Friendly reminder: The Mora Garberg has a thicker blade and a thicker grind, so it is harder for it to cut smoothly through paper as thin as that.
It’s not tho, the mora garberg has a 3mm thick blade and the strongarm has a 4,75mm thick blade, and a scandi grind is usually thinner than a saber grind
The Mora Garberg looked thicker but I actually looked it up, the Gerber Strongarm is indeed 4,75 mm thick. (Why is it so damn thick?) Maybe it has to do with the grind? Or the metal perhaps? 420HC is kinda trash (imo)
@@nestoraspapoutsas4639 because it is designed for an enviroment where toughness is by far the most important thing for a budget price, and while 420hc is not good at edge retention, it is a very tough steel for the price
The Gerber is good as a general purpose knife that can stand up to a good amount of abuse and be sharpened easily in the field. I agree that the grind should come further back towards the handle. I bought my son a Prodigy to beat on in the woods and learn, I would never own one for myself as it is not built for how I use knives.
Of all the knives I have all the best looking and expensive ones the one I have always by my side is the cheap basic mora you cannot beat it for sharpness reliability and it has never let me down
Do a review of the buck 119 or 120 or 124 they are in 420hc hardened at 58 hrc.They come razor sharp,they also come with a very rough bevel so they won't be good at cutting paper
I’ve used this knife extensively. Sorta a Jack of all trades master of none. Definitely geared towards military application. Way better than the old standard issue K-Bar. The sheath is really nice for attaching to gear.
I just want to say thank you for reviewing this knife I've been considering purchasing it now for a while and I live in South Africa and in South Africa it costs an enormous amount to purchase this knife so it would have been a huge amount of money out of my pocket if I did go out and purchase it. the reasons why I love your channel so much is because I am quite passionate about survival as well so if I consider buying a knife ,if it couldn't survive your guy's standards then I don't waste my time. but if it performs well on your channel then I definitely think it's worth the money and seeing how this knife perform I definitely won't waste my money on this knife ... thank you for going out of your way to make a cool video I really enjoyed it
Yeah so, these dude act like this knife isn’t an indestructible knife, that has a full tang and a sheath you can switch around and strap to anything, that is a breeze to make a fire with that comes sharp as hell, and sharpens up so easy (my eight year old daughter can get it sharp enough to shave with ) and you cant break it, yeah how shitty, no go buy a knife for 800 bucks because this knife is no good in the woods. What the fuck are you guys smoking? What a great fucking knife for less than a hundred bucks.
Exactly my opinion. Bought it and it felt weird in the hand for bushcraft but it is crazy sturdy. Looks cool but not functional for me. Maybe for rambo yes but for me Garbergs a better choice. 😎👍🏼
The RAT 3 and RAT 7 are great cheaper knives as well..the Gerber StrongArm and Prodigy are good for cheap tactical combat knives but they certainly aren’t for bushcraft
My strongarm wasn’t great until I put a convex edge on it. Now i love it. It doesn’t hold the best edge, but it has held up to some very abusive work. I’m surprised I havnt broken it yet hahaha.
This was first knife I ever bought mostly because of the looks and because of first random review I clicked on :D Then I discovered your channel and bought benchmade 202 leuku. When I sharpened the gerber I had issues too, it didn't had even edge on both sides from factory. Cpm 3v is so much better.
I’m all about the strong arm for a defensive tool, it wouldn’t be my first choice for bush craft but it’s acceptable. I’ve carried and used the strong arm for about 4 years and have no complaints.
Really enjoyed the video, much less theatrical and more like 2 bros having fun at each other. You can tell the biases, and that's great, but also being surprised because it was going against them. Cheers.
Me: how can it be the most requested knife of 2021, the year has just begun!? Me: looks at calendar Me: how can it be June already, the years has just begun!?
Toughest knife i have is an Ontario marine raider sp10 bowie knife made from either 1080 or 1095 (i don't recall which) that i use as an axe to cut down dead trees and process firewood when i go camping.
I have a Strongarm and have been quite satisfied with its overall daily use. True, it’s not made from a Super Steel but neither does it cost like a super steel knife. I also have a Garberg and really like it too. I use them both for different purposes. The key is that I can’t afford the more expensive knives as much as I would like to...
According to some steel comparison tables 420HC is extremely high on toughness, practically better than any other steel, and very low on edge retention. I love my 420HC Bucks, no complaints. Used one, the 118 Personal, as my main military service knife and it is still going strong three decades later.
10:48 you hit the rib/edge of the hard drive with the Strongarm, and with the Mora you only hit the flat part of the hard drive. That might explain the difference quite a bit also. That part is much harder on the edge, sticking out like that. I personally like the Mora's a lot. They are really great knives. They are buid to slice and carve. Can't say that of all knives.
You even got the coyote tan. It’s a gouge fest here in the States with that version $50 more than the black one for no apparent reason other than people are willing to pay it.
Well then that’s a unicorn. Did you get it new or used? I’ve seen the black one commonly for $40 but never seen the coyote one for less than $75. New. Ridiculous. It’s the exact same knife except for the color of plastic. I think they also had a limited run with BDZ1 steel and a grey handle a couple years ago. BTW, I guess I’m glad they answered everyone who was “demanding” they test this knife. But I don’t think anyone, including Gerber, ever claimed it was a Bushcraft knife. Not the market for that blade.
@@JohnSmith-gs4lw Here the black version is 120 euro and the coyote 110 euro. It's just which sells better maybe, that one will be priced higher. That's how they are. Squeezing the money out of people. I rather have my Mora's.
This is a great utility tool/ combat knife good edge retention for real life tasks and easy to sharpen or touch up in the field. It’s not expensive either for being made in the good old USA 🇺🇸
420HC is a good steel, strong, tough and easy to care for steel...I reckon anyway. It's not a primo knife by a longshot but it's a tough tool. The army boys go mad for them (personally the Garberg, JP Peltonen or F1 are more my cup o' tea). None of them though could pry the bog-standard Hultafors OK4 out of my hands...a fraction of the cost, weight and size of those but with all the strength.
This knife is for hand combat. It's for carving someone up. Which it will do a great job. Plus it's a sub $75 knife not designed for splitting wood or being used as a prybar. Which you shouldn't do to any knife. About the 420 hc. Buck uses that for it's affordable knives but says they have a special process of cryogenically freeze and heat treat the steel several times making it very durable. Some of their knives come in S30V. But says it's very difficult to sharpen on your own. And a rockwell hardness of RC59.6-61. they also have knives with s35vn steel. Have you guys ever tested one of their knives?
If you have an Infantry MOS, you get the issued bayonet. Some units issue you a multi-tool, but very few do. The majority of Soldiers purchase their own knives.
90£, Jesus! They’re 50$ at sportsman’s warehouse here in the states. I got email about one at I assumed it was overpriced since Gerber is poop nowadays.
90€ - not 90£ ... 90€ would be 106$ or 77£ And it's including VAT.. but still you can assume 1€ with VAT equals 1$ without - so it's almost double the price here in Europe.
In my opinion, put a good edge on this knife & put it on a plate carrier for CQB type of stuff. I wouldn't use this knife for Bushcrafting but as a defensive tool it's pretty alright.
I have a Buck 124 that is a great all purpose knife and its 420 Stainless I think. Buck has a process that hardens the blade to make it work like better steel.
420 steel is good for camping youngsters.. usually these knives are no expensive and they do not rust even when neglected. And it is quite easy to resharpen them.
Depends on what you expect. It's a crow bar but not a good knife imo. It just doesnt hold an edge. Joe is a great guy but his tests are to see how much a knife can handle not to see if it's a good knife for knife use
I love mine, got the Serrated model direct from Gerber after receiving a counterfeit one off Amazon. Was cheaper since Gerber offers a nice military veteran discount! Perfect carry knife on my digging belt for daily use metal detecting.
@giancarlomaggi9615 yeah the counterfeit wasn't "bad", it's just that I paid for a real one, advertised as a real one. The funny thing was that with the military discount, I ended up SAVING money by sending back the fake for a full refund and ordering direct from Gerber for the authentic one!
Gerbers 420hc is good stuff. It holds an edge similar to that of 1080. It’s more designed for the military as it is a standard issue for the military, not bushcraft. The strongarm is pretty much bombproof and has a decent enough steel for most things
I like this knife for the money. Super survival?, nope, but it is easily carried and very useful for many camp tasks. Resharpen it right out of the box. For us smaller handed folks with not a lot of extra money it is a good choice.
It’s not a Bushcraft knife. They also put out a BDZ steel version which I’ve got along with the 420HC, but they only sold the BDZ version for a limited time.
I have 2 go to knives. My strongarm which i can run over, throw, pry, care less about And my fallkniven which is pretty and I take on special occasions
Me: I need a mid-grade steel knife. Gerber: We have you covered. Me: I also need some food for my newborn baby. Do you know where I can find any? Gerber: You’re not gonna believe this…
Loved the vid. A Garberg killer it was not. The Dulo you showed for about a second knocked my eyes out. I know what I like and that was it. There needs to be a distributor in America.
Proof the steel "snobs" have no practical reason for their bias . Hope they enjoy their Rusty blades ....lol !!!The LMF is an awesome knife ...... yet to see one where it not being full tang has been an issue .Gerber is legendary !
I used my Gerber tanto and a chinese bushcraft knife for chopping some bamboos. When using the Chinese knife blade bent but my Gerber tanto still retained its edge.
Yep, those Gerber knives the Strongarm and LMF series are designed for utility quick deployment, digging holes, prying, poking soft targets, being grippy in all conditions but not really designed for prolonged use. It is also very utilitarian in its design its like a jack of all trades master of none situation. Companies that do 1095 right like Esee and TOPS and 420HC like Gerber and Buck really have mastered the heat treatment more than anything. Those cheaper "tool" type steals and lower end steals have potential when made correctly but you can get ahold of some brands that just dont work well. Thickness, edge profile, heat treat all cater to a functional lower end steal knife. You can get away with a lot more with higher end steals so when companies that get it right most of the time (Esee, TOPS, Becker) they are worth the investment.
I bought a Gerber Machete once. Used it for a solid 3 hours cutting brush on a property line. Blade was totally ruined. Will never buy another. I do use Gerber pocket knives. They are okfor what i need them for
The Gerber is a good $40 knife but its too pricey for almost 100€ 😬 i have it, i use it, i still love it because you can't destroy it at a normal use 😅
@@fe02lix There is an app called Write in Runic. That's what I use. It has Elder and Younger Futhark, Long Branch, Short Twig, Anglo-Saxon and several others.
It's a good military knife, it served me very well overseas, I busted locks open used it as a pribar, a pummel and I trusted it with my life. But it's not the best bushcraft knife no. Fun fact though the reason the LMF 2 isn't full tang is so you can cut live wires in a downed aircraft, hommie of mine pried a hmvee door open with his
When i was a kid i purchased the original LMF (rambo looking knife) back in the 80's
@@guycalgary7800 I didn't know the OG one came out then
Same, great knife to get stuff done overseas. Not surprised at it's poor performance in bushcraft though. Mine looks like it's been through hell, but I'll keep it forever.
Its a tactical knife not a bushcraft knife
@@soothingmeow22 back then Gerber put out some high quality large blades , the LMF & BMF were next level.
I was camping in the mountains of West Virginia earlier this week when the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia came through and drenched everything. I needed a fire and all I had was my Gerber Strongarm. There was no dry wood to be found. I actually HAD to baton a log into tinder and kindling to get a fire started. The Strongarm did great, and was still sharp after much batoning. The black coating wasn’t even damaged. I quickly got a fire started. True story. Not a joke.
Gotta say. That video really went how I thought it would. The Gerber definitely did what I expected of it, since it was designed to be indestructible, because a dull knife can still kill better than a broken one. It definitely wasn't made with bushcraft in mind, but as a combat/last ditch survival knife it makes sense.
The best bushcraft knife is an axe.
For the price, you can buy 2 Glock Feldmesser
Last ditch survival 😂 so basically you admit something better should be taken in to the wop wops.
From a bushcrafting standpoint the Mora will definitely win.
The Strongarm is a general purpose knife, can do everything decently well enough to get work done, but not necessarily a master of any one thing. It can start a fire like a mofo though and the basic indestructability of it makes it a top pick for me. You may need to maintain the edge a little more than some, but with the availability of all sorts of easily packable or otherwise carryable maintenance items that's not really a problem. I've never had to do more than use a ceramic rod or strop on mine. Because of the thicker grind other knives will beat it out in the "shaving sharpness," but I've never come across a real situation where I need to shave hair off my arm on the double. It cuts and basically cannot be broken makes it one of my absolute reliable favorites and go-tos.
The destruction test put to it several years ago did it for me.
I ordered two of them back when they were around $50 and have never regretted the purchases once.
says a lot about you as a person
I got one way back when they were that cheap. I bought a few more at $80 for gifts and a spare in case it breaks.
In the States it is sold as a survival, combat knife. I use mine brutally with no issues.
The strong arm is a great knife for its price but a couple years ago when it cost almost half what it does now it was an even better knife.
yeah its used to be $50
it costs almost $100 now
Eh, it's the same price as a 119 and it's not as good
@@doriandesantiago1260 last year, i was lucky and got mine on sale from bladehq for about $60. You just gotta keep checking.
@@hannahmay5461two different types of knives. The strongarm is way stronger, but the 119 is a better cutter. I wish buck made more full Tang knives other than the 124
I wanna see you guys test out a Kephart style knife to see if a 100 year old design stands up to modern bushcrafting
Seconded.
Yes!! The bk62
BK 62 please?
Oh and maybe a comparison with the Kephart from BARK RIVER
Or a traditional khukuri? Not the khukuri machete they tested out, like a propper one from Himalayan imports, kaylash or tora blades
420 HC, properly heat treated, can be surprising. Buck and Boss Brothers have been producing the 110 folder for many decades with ho hum steel brought to another level by good heat treating.
*Bos
I just got one of these. The Strong Arm is indestructible. If you're wanting a good all around knife it works good for most utility functions.
I've had a Strongarm w/420 for quite awhile now, just never thought of it's place in my collection. Now, thanks to your video, I know it is a very good tool and will go into my truck box for any hard use duties that might arise. Enjoy, guys.
Had a strong arm I kept on my plate carrier while in the army. Was a good tool when I used it. Definitely wouldn’t use it as a bushcraft knife. But it was good as a “tactical” knife.
put some griptape on the back of the handle in case your hands get "wet"
Why "definitely" wouldn't use it? It doesn't seem ideal, but far from unusable. I'd take an indestructible "do-it-all" blade over a "perfect" bushcrafting knife. Granted, I'd take both, but I will always have my Strongarm with me.
@@BinaryPun I agree. if you are actually doing bushcrafting, it may be worth having several unbreakable knives.
Brought one for my son to take on his first Afghan tour. Half way though he got me to post him his Fallkniven F1 and he gave the Gerber away. He then Carried the Fallkniven F1 on the rest of his tours (four in total)
Stop lying, no one dose 4 tours lol
@@Xander_Park plenty of people do 4 tours, I know a guy who did 6. The most tours in recent history was Kristoffer Domeij who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011, the deployment on which he was killed was his 14th combat tour. 4 isn't unusual at all.
I considered buying one of these for months as my main bushcrafting knife, bought a Fallkniven F1 instead, and after watching this boy am I glad I did! Good job guys!
I have had mine since the Original Gauntlet series where a Strong Arm was sent to multiple UA-camrs for abuse. It isn't a bushcraft blade at all but I trust having it tucked away in my truck bag.
I love the USA Gerber Prodigy and Strong-arm.. The thing about their steel is like most factory knifes there is burnt steel. All of my reprofiled Gerbers feel more like 1095 once I've worked the edge. Honestly a good heat-treated knife in the woods will work fine for the average user. Sharpening these blades is easy and that's what they are for...MILITARY dudes .
I’ve broke several knives in 1095 but my Gerber Prodigy and Gerber StrongArm are still as good as they were when I took them out of their boxes minus the blade coating..420HC doesn’t have the best edge retention but it’s a tough stainless and it sharpens back up extremely easy...they certainly are Bushcraft knives by any means but big thick blades knives rarely are worth a damn with Bushcraft..people like to shit on Gerber and I get it but their USA made tactical combat fixed blades are great options for the low price..they have a few decent folders as well like the Fastball but their QC leaves a lot to be desired and it’s often a roll of the dice if you get a good one or a dud
@@garrettferrell6821 Totally agree 👍
Edge retention is kinda silly imo. Unless you are cutting rope all day you ain't gonna need super steel.
Don't get me wrong my S30V Benchmade bushcrafter is really crazy it holds a keen edge forever.
BUT if you're just doing simple woods tasks good USA420hc is as good as 12c27n maybe a hair better.
Personally I've learned that if I reprofile my gerber with a much higher relief edge at 19° and add a convex they work excellent .
Profile matters most.
I love quality blades and high quality steel BUT if I had to choose to grab a knife cause the crap is hitting the fan it's gonna be a Gerber or Becker kabar maybe my Tops Brakimo that's a killer blade .
I would not like hiding in the woods with super steel. 🤣 The what if philosophy LOL.
I love budget blades it's fun and easy to collect them.
@SticksNStones314 The USA Prodigy and Strongarm are not junk imo but to each their own.
Their China stuff and folders are crap, that's where I can agree.
I fully agree with you regarding the handle. It is murder on bare hands, just like the Kershaw Camp 10, but it becomes, almost, a delight to use if you wear gloves, and the peculiar indentations in the side of the handle locks the knife in your gloved hand in an extend where the tool feels like an extension of your body. All of this doesn't change the fact that this is an easy to carry sharpened pry-bar meant to stab things or break them apart.
Great video. I really like the shots where we get to see your immediate reactions.
The Strongarm was my everyday carry until I found DBK's and y'all introduced me to Bark River Knives. Now my everyday carry is a Bravo 1.5 in 3V but I still love my Strongarm.
❤️ by Dutch Bushcraft Knives
Nice upgrade to Bark River.
3v fixed blade for edc? Lol
My overseas knife was the tops moccasin ranger, similar in size to a kabar but an absolute crowbar of a knife that once I put a convex edge on actually turned out to be decent for carving and a bit of chopping, we do quite a few survival ex's though, if we didn't I'd definitely use something much lighter
I carry 3 knives every day. A Benchmade Barrage, a Microtech Ultratech and the Gerber Strongarm. All great knives.
The Strongarm is a little beast. Regrind the edge and it will do anything you need. Especially useful in humid and salty conditions like mine.
What grind would you recommend?
@@PrettyyBoyyPatrick I just used a regular stone and put a higher flat grind on mine.
The blade chips like crazy, dulls easily, will not hold an edge, a beast you say ? I wonder if Gerber even heat treats these.
@@Baruch-Hashem
Chips like crazy? With the out of the box edge, or reground thinner edge.
And doing what did it chip.
I highly doubt a 420hc blade chips AT ALL with a 20° edge.
It's all about the heat treat and rockwell, the Strongarm is 420HC at 58-60 RC, spot on 👌🏻
I have a strongarm in my car as a emergency blade, for me it´s not intended to be an bushcraft knife but rather a somewhat versatile tool you never have to worry about. If a was a soldier I would probably choose this one or the finish M95 Ranger (related to the Terävä puukko)
It´s easy to see why think the way you do consider your data points that are focused on bushcraft and in that regard I think this was a very fair review
Good job!
This is the knife we all have come to grow and love over years of use . Ladies and gentleman , the gerber strongarm. Not to be confused with the fakes sold on Amazon under gerber name
I started having more faith in 420hc after i cut through stranded steel wire and had 0 edge damage with a buck 110 select. If you are the type of person to fail your edges through plastic deformation 420hc with a good heat treat is impressively tough for a stainless steel
It’s insanely tough,I have the Gerber StrongArm and Gerber Prodigy and have abused the hell out of both knives and they are still going strong..420HC leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to edge retention but it definitely makes up for that in toughness and it’s ease of sharpening
Buck has pretty much the best 420hc heat treatment
ANTIMATTER no doubt,Buck definitely has the best 420HC heat treatment I’ve seen..Gerber does a pretty great job as well but Buck is definitely a cut above the rest
420HC is not tough for a stainless steel, it's incredibly tough for a steel period. The only ones that come close are 8670, 1084, 14C28N, CD#1 / Z-Tuff, and 3V. Out of those only 14C28N is stainless, the others are high carbon steels or super steels. 420HC is much softer than all the steels mentioned above though. Even with stellar heat treatment it won't get as hard as 14C28N, which might help with its toughness in low end knives since they're less likely to have perfect heat treatment.
Yes! This knife to me is a great representation of an American knife. It's a jack of all trades, solidly built, and a pretty good value for what it is! I agree the edge isn't great out of the box, but it's nigh indestructible and once you put your own edge on it, I found it's a good knife to beat on! I don't own one I've just used friends haha. I quickly want to say that I love this channel, i've been super stressed out lately (i'm taking the bar exam to be a lawyer) and your guys' videos have really helped me smile through it! Love the video! Love the Channel!
awesome to hear man! Good luck on those exams! The knife gods are with you
@@DutchBushcraftKnives I will take the exams with my Mora Garberg in my lap, knowing that I cannot fail since the DBK boys themselves have favored me!
Got one off these in 2017 sometime and its been heavily abused in the years and is still going good was used everyday when i was doing laboring and demo work good for putting holes in walls and prying apart bathroom furnishings
Dude they make tools for that stuff. They work way better than a knife.🤣 serial killer alert!!
Was a labour payed minimal if i couldn't do it with a claw hammer demo bar and a sledgehammer i had to buy more tools so the strongarm got used for lots of stuff to avoid buying more tools so i could spend it on the normal just old enough to drink desisions
I have one Gerber in my collection , an old school Gerber LMF . It has a great material on the handle thats like a sof sponge but impossible to wear out. I think i purchased the knife in 1989 ish ....
I took a break from this channel for a year or so and wow the production quality has improved. I'm impressed and just as before they are always so funny. I think that is the winning ticket.
09:25 Friendly reminder: The Mora Garberg has a thicker blade and a thicker grind, so it is harder for it to cut smoothly through paper as thin as that.
I have done it a lot of times without any issues with both carbon and stainless. His carbon Garberg is just dull.
It’s not tho, the mora garberg has a 3mm thick blade and the strongarm has a 4,75mm thick blade, and a scandi grind is usually thinner than a saber grind
The Gerber has the thicker blade and thicker grind.
The Mora Garberg looked thicker but I actually looked it up, the Gerber Strongarm is indeed 4,75 mm thick. (Why is it so damn thick?) Maybe it has to do with the grind? Or the metal perhaps? 420HC is kinda trash (imo)
@@nestoraspapoutsas4639 because it is designed for an enviroment where toughness is by far the most important thing for a budget price, and while 420hc is not good at edge retention, it is a very tough steel for the price
The Gerber is good as a general purpose knife that can stand up to a good amount of abuse and be sharpened easily in the field. I agree that the grind should come further back towards the handle. I bought my son a Prodigy to beat on in the woods and learn, I would never own one for myself as it is not built for how I use knives.
Of all the knives I have all the best looking and expensive ones the one I have always by my side is the cheap basic mora you cannot beat it for sharpness reliability and it has never let me down
Do a review of the buck 119 or 120 or 124 they are in 420hc hardened at 58 hrc.They come razor sharp,they also come with a very rough bevel so they won't be good at cutting paper
I love the 119,I’ve been thinking about getting the new 119 in S35VN and micarta..it’s such a classic
I’ve used this knife extensively. Sorta a Jack of all trades master of none. Definitely geared towards military application. Way better than the old standard issue K-Bar. The sheath is really nice for attaching to gear.
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but usually more helpful than a master of one.
ka-bar is over 100 year old design so that bar is set low. knives have raised the floor of quality in budget knives in the last 10-20 years so much
I just want to say thank you for reviewing this knife I've been considering purchasing it now for a while and I live in South Africa and in South Africa it costs an enormous amount to purchase this knife so it would have been a huge amount of money out of my pocket if I did go out and purchase it. the reasons why I love your channel so much is because I am quite passionate about survival as well so if I consider buying a knife ,if it couldn't survive your guy's standards then I don't waste my time. but if it performs well on your channel then I definitely think it's worth the money and seeing how this knife perform I definitely won't waste my money on this knife ... thank you for going out of your way to make a cool video I really enjoyed it
I still think you should buy a better knife from somebody in south Africa. Has to be somebody who can put the time in and make you a better knife.
Yeah so, these dude act like this knife isn’t an indestructible knife, that has a full tang and a sheath you can switch around and strap to anything, that is a breeze to make a fire with that comes sharp as hell, and sharpens up so easy (my eight year old daughter can get it sharp enough to shave with ) and you cant break it, yeah how shitty, no go buy a knife for 800 bucks because this knife is no good in the woods. What the fuck are you guys smoking? What a great fucking knife for less than a hundred bucks.
"We're gonna head into this open-minded" gets shocked when the knife performs well 😀
Exactly my opinion. Bought it and it felt weird in the hand for bushcraft but it is crazy sturdy. Looks cool but not functional for me. Maybe for rambo yes but for me Garbergs a better choice. 😎👍🏼
Cheap steel and way to small for Rambo.
@@rnkmode1876 cheap price, cheap steel. And even rambo needs an EDC knife
@@jordy703 true, he wouldn't chose this as EDC though either 😉🤣👍
@@rnkmode1876 😂😂😂 maybe a toothpick then..
@@jordy703 that's an option 🤔🤣
DANNER BOOTS are made in Oregon. They are monster boots 👍🏻🇺🇸
Don't forget Benchmade and I think ckrt
And nike
Leatherman too.
alot of good things are made in oregon
They are nothing compared to Whites or Nicks most everything Danner makes is China junk
Try a BK 16 if you want a cheaper knife that's really fucking good
The RAT 3 and RAT 7 are great cheaper knives as well..the Gerber StrongArm and Prodigy are good for cheap tactical combat knives but they certainly aren’t for bushcraft
That's a good knife
BK16 or Bk7 ?
I like the knife
Good chisel
Good prybar
Hard to break
Could even be used to cut with
Perfect knife to issue to grunts in urban areas....
Could even be used to cut with...a knife...lol
My strongarm wasn’t great until I put a convex edge on it. Now i love it. It doesn’t hold the best edge, but it has held up to some very abusive work. I’m surprised I havnt broken it yet hahaha.
This was first knife I ever bought mostly because of the looks and because of first random review I clicked on :D Then I discovered your channel and bought benchmade 202 leuku. When I sharpened the gerber I had issues too, it didn't had even edge on both sides from factory. Cpm 3v is so much better.
For sure! I used to love my old knife but after CPM3V I don’t even carry it anymore!
Elmax is my go to steel. I love CPM3V but Elmax is the one for me! I dread having to ever sharpen it in the field though its absolutely solid!
I’m all about the strong arm for a defensive tool, it wouldn’t be my first choice for bush craft but it’s acceptable. I’ve carried and used the strong arm for about 4 years and have no complaints.
I really enjoyed this video. It was less theatrical. Just two friends having a good time playing with knives.
That was a good video. There are a few really big bushcraft and gear review channels I watch that really like the StrongArm.
Really enjoyed the video, much less theatrical and more like 2 bros having fun at each other. You can tell the biases, and that's great, but also being surprised because it was going against them. Cheers.
Me: how can it be the most requested knife of 2021, the year has just begun!?
Me: looks at calendar
Me: how can it be June already, the years has just begun!?
Toughest knife i have is an Ontario marine raider sp10 bowie knife made from either 1080 or 1095 (i don't recall which) that i use as an axe to cut down dead trees and process firewood when i go camping.
I have a Strongarm and have been quite satisfied with its overall daily use. True, it’s not made from a Super Steel but neither does it cost like a super steel knife. I also have a Garberg and really like it too. I use them both for different purposes. The key is that I can’t afford the more expensive knives as much as I would like to...
for 440 being close to $100 you might as well spend more to get something more useful. unless you want it for a tactical/prybar knife
According to some steel comparison tables 420HC is extremely high on toughness, practically better than any other steel, and very low on edge retention. I love my 420HC Bucks, no complaints. Used one, the 118 Personal, as my main military service knife and it is still going strong three decades later.
They had a limited release of this knife in bdz1 steel. Should have kept making it.
Would be even better in CPM S35VN with a 55-57 Rockwell hardness. Woulds make it tough, easy to sharpen while holding a good edge for a long time.
I have the Gerber Prodigy and it is everything I could ask for. Better than my Cold Steel and my SOG.
I bought a Mora 546 because of you guys. I found a orange and black one at a pawn shop almost new and I'm very happy with the knife.
10:48
you hit the rib/edge of the hard drive with the Strongarm, and with the Mora you only hit the flat part of the hard drive.
That might explain the difference quite a bit also. That part is much harder on the edge, sticking out like that.
I personally like the Mora's a lot. They are really great knives. They are buid to slice and carve. Can't say that of all knives.
As a Florida Man I love y’all ; y’all are my favorite bushcraft 🤣
You even got the coyote tan. It’s a gouge fest here in the States with that version $50 more than the black one for no apparent reason other than people are willing to pay it.
I got the tan for $30 bucks in arizona...
Well then that’s a unicorn. Did you get it new or used? I’ve seen the black one commonly for $40 but never seen the coyote one for less than $75. New. Ridiculous. It’s the exact same knife except for the color of plastic. I think they also had a limited run with BDZ1 steel and a grey handle a couple years ago.
BTW, I guess I’m glad they answered everyone who was “demanding” they test this knife. But I don’t think anyone, including Gerber, ever claimed it was a Bushcraft knife. Not the market for that blade.
@@JohnSmith-gs4lw
Here the black version is 120 euro and the coyote 110 euro.
It's just which sells better maybe, that one will be priced higher.
That's how they are.
Squeezing the money out of people.
I rather have my Mora's.
This is a great utility tool/ combat knife good edge retention for real life tasks and easy to sharpen or touch up in the field. It’s not expensive either for being made in the good old USA 🇺🇸
Love my strongarm as a general beater knife which it's great for as its pretty tough. For bushcraft I'll always take something else.
420HC is a good steel, strong, tough and easy to care for steel...I reckon anyway. It's not a primo knife by a longshot but it's a tough tool. The army boys go mad for them (personally the Garberg, JP Peltonen or F1 are more my cup o' tea). None of them though could pry the bog-standard Hultafors OK4 out of my hands...a fraction of the cost, weight and size of those but with all the strength.
This knife is for hand combat. It's for carving someone up. Which it will do a great job. Plus it's a sub $75 knife not designed for splitting wood or being used as a prybar. Which you shouldn't do to any knife.
About the 420 hc. Buck uses that for it's affordable knives but says they have a special process of cryogenically freeze and heat treat the steel several times making it very durable. Some of their knives come in S30V. But says it's very difficult to sharpen on your own. And a rockwell hardness of RC59.6-61. they also have knives with s35vn steel. Have you guys ever tested one of their knives?
That convex edge reprofile makes a huge difference getting into the good heat treat of the metal vs the old flat edge.
The Gerber is a decent Field knives for Soldiers who don't have a lot of money
Do soldiers have to provide their own knives?
If you have an Infantry MOS, you get the issued bayonet. Some units issue you a multi-tool, but very few do. The majority of Soldiers purchase their own knives.
@@wpick, that’s pathetic. Seems like illegal immigrants have more benefits than our soldiers.
I bought myself the same knive and it was very sharp out of box
Friday's are my favourite morning because of these videos.
Was that a Grolsch? I used to drink them 15+ years ago when I still drank beer. I just occasionally drink beer now, but exclusively (ginger)root beer.
it was a grolsch 0.0%
this is the first tear down of the strong arm... thank you!!
90£, Jesus! They’re 50$ at sportsman’s warehouse here in the states. I got email about one at I assumed it was overpriced since Gerber is poop nowadays.
90€ - not 90£ ... 90€ would be 106$ or 77£
And it's including VAT.. but still you can assume 1€ with VAT equals 1$ without - so it's almost double the price here in Europe.
They are $109.00 here in Aus, that's with the "custom" thingys that the Gerber website offer
Yah, like others are saying... it isn't a semi-combat knife. It IS a combat knife. Soldiers carry these on the regular.
In my opinion, put a good edge on this knife & put it on a plate carrier for CQB type of stuff. I wouldn't use this knife for Bushcrafting but as a defensive tool it's pretty alright.
I have a Buck 124 that is a great all purpose knife and its 420 Stainless I think. Buck has a process that hardens the blade to make it work like better steel.
Condor khukri i dare you to try to break it ive seen leaf springs on moving trucks that are thinner
You should try a Buck 119 in 420 HC and see the difference in heat treat, the Bos heat treat is amazing and I've found it to be the best of 420 steel.
420 steel is good for camping youngsters.. usually these knives are no expensive and they do not rust even when neglected. And it is quite easy to resharpen them.
I've seen that scary sharp. JoeX test on that knife is insane, that knife is better by far than many expensive knives.
Depends on what you expect. It's a crow bar but not a good knife imo. It just doesnt hold an edge. Joe is a great guy but his tests are to see how much a knife can handle not to see if it's a good knife for knife use
I love mine, got the Serrated model direct from Gerber after receiving a counterfeit one off Amazon. Was cheaper since Gerber offers a nice military veteran discount! Perfect carry knife on my digging belt for daily use metal detecting.
I have a counterfeit one and its great
I have a counterfeit one and is still great
@giancarlomaggi9615 yeah the counterfeit wasn't "bad", it's just that I paid for a real one, advertised as a real one. The funny thing was that with the military discount, I ended up SAVING money by sending back the fake for a full refund and ordering direct from Gerber for the authentic one!
I have both the Gerber StongArm & Prodigy both great tactical & survival knives.
Gerbers 420hc is good stuff. It holds an edge similar to that of 1080. It’s more designed for the military as it is a standard issue for the military, not bushcraft. The strongarm is pretty much bombproof and has a decent enough steel for most things
I like this knife for the money. Super survival?, nope, but it is easily carried and very useful for many camp tasks. Resharpen it right out of the box. For us smaller handed folks with not a lot of extra money it is a good choice.
It’s not a Bushcraft knife. They also put out a BDZ steel version which I’ve got along with the 420HC, but they only sold the BDZ version for a limited time.
Im so glad im not the only one to have issues with sharpening my strong arm!
They're not the worst but for the money I'd get an SRK. Great video as always guys!
I have 2 go to knives.
My strongarm which i can run over, throw, pry, care less about
And my fallkniven which is pretty and I take on special occasions
Ahhh the intro we know and love
😂I’ve owned this knife for several years now as a dedicated fire knife… agreed 100% that’s about all it’s good for.
Me: I need a mid-grade steel knife.
Gerber: We have you covered.
Me: I also need some food for my newborn baby. Do you know where I can find any?
Gerber: You’re not gonna believe this…
I feel like Gerber just hasn't gotten the heat treat for 420 down as well as Buck has.
Great conclusion , thanks for your honesty. Your right … not a bushcraft knife. I have one, leave it in my truck
Loved the vid. A Garberg killer it was not. The Dulo you showed for about a second knocked my eyes out. I know what I like and that was it. There needs to be a distributor in America.
Phew! Glad it’s acceptable.
Also, I’m glad I have both the Strongarm & the Garberg.
I hqve the knife. Its a solid allaround knife.the gauntlet proved its value. Only the front upper guard sticks into the way, but i can live with this.
I have a strongarm and although I have not subjected it to rough abuse, it’s a decent camp knife/bugout knife for me
Proof the steel "snobs" have no practical reason for their bias . Hope they enjoy their Rusty blades ....lol !!!The LMF is an awesome knife ...... yet to see one where it not being full tang has been an issue .Gerber is legendary !
Buck 119. Buck 120. Buck 124 Great knives with 420 HC Bos Heat treatment.
I used my Gerber tanto and a chinese bushcraft knife for chopping some bamboos. When using the Chinese knife blade bent but my Gerber tanto still retained its edge.
No way! I kept checking if you had this video and I just bought one anyway even though you didn’t but Lo and behold!
Yep, those Gerber knives the Strongarm and LMF series are designed for utility quick deployment, digging holes, prying, poking soft targets, being grippy in all conditions but not really designed for prolonged use. It is also very utilitarian in its design its like a jack of all trades master of none situation.
Companies that do 1095 right like Esee and TOPS and 420HC like Gerber and Buck really have mastered the heat treatment more than anything. Those cheaper "tool" type steals and lower end steals have potential when made correctly but you can get ahold of some brands that just dont work well. Thickness, edge profile, heat treat all cater to a functional lower end steal knife. You can get away with a lot more with higher end steals so when companies that get it right most of the time (Esee, TOPS, Becker) they are worth the investment.
I bought a Gerber Machete once. Used it for a solid 3 hours cutting brush on a property line. Blade was totally ruined. Will never buy another. I do use Gerber pocket knives. They are okfor what i need them for
This is a fun video. And I like the part when Mikkie used the microwave.
The Gerber is a good $40 knife but its too pricey for almost 100€ 😬 i have it, i use it, i still love it because you can't destroy it at a normal use 😅
Been waiting for this, my entertainment for the day 🙃
Is your name in runes i am a scandinavian an i belive in the north gods so how did you do it
Same Here bro
@@fe02lix There is an app called Write in Runic. That's what I use. It has Elder and Younger Futhark, Long Branch, Short Twig, Anglo-Saxon and several others.
@@fe02lix Ja, what Watson Litchfield said, he beat me to it 👍🏻
Ok
Bottom line is that if it had been 1095 steel it would be a very good knife at this price point.