$50 Wal-Mart Survival Knives: Which Is Best?
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- #survival #bushcraft #camping #edc
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A lot of the aircrews in Vietnam carried these, they performed flawlessly. It's "Old School", which means you have to work on it, when it's issued to you, and maintain it...like your weapon, you DO maintain your weapon, right? I had a Kabar when I was stationed in the western Pacific. We took a bean can turn our leather handled knives over, put them in the can, then filled the can w/ neatsfoot oil up over the hilt. We left it there for a week or so, then wrapped it in paper towels to "sweat out" the excess oil. We treated the leather sheaths the same. This made the leather virtually impervious to the frikkin' jungle humidity that would rot untreated leather. About every 6 months we would give the handles and sheaths an overnight soak to maintain them. We oiled our carbon steel blades w/ olive oil instead of motor oil since we often prepared our food w/ these blades. I still have my Kabar 46 years on and the handle is still as tight as it was when I got it. The sheath wore out so I replaced that, but the knife is still perfect. Take care of your weapons, they will take care of you. JA
Yep like any tool
Thankfully we have access to more specialized materials today due to technological advancements. Things like moisture resistant handle materials that still provide ergonomic comfort, and powdered steels that resist rust without sacrificing durability and edge retention.
That's actually a really cool story man. Hey just so you know, your picture if a peace sign is actually an upside down cross of blasphemy. I can imagine you didnt realize that I'm not coming down on you for it I just thought you would want to know is all. Take care
Actually, that's incorrect. I've had " christians" tell me that since the 60s. Back then, they replied heavily on the inability for people to be able to fact check . Nowadays with the internet, there's no excuse. Research it. Open your mind. Your " preachers" have lied to you. That's why I am no longer in that club.☮️
@@SteveAubrey1762 Its pagan and wicked. And satan uses symbols to cast spells on people. Sounds like you are under a satanic spell right now. Hope you come-to soon and i pray the Lord Jesus opens your eyes. You need Jesus Christ.
The reason the Ontario 499 has a low Rockwell rating is because in a survival situation, they would rather the blade bend than snap or chip. This would be even more important in an Artic scenario when the knife steel is frozen.
I have carried my Ontario Air Force Survival knife since Desert Storm when it was issued to me. Never had a problem with it after giving it a proper sharpening.
Joe Frizell: Agreed! He apparently does not know it needs to be "made ready"?
I reprofiled mine ever do slightly and now it's a work horse of a knife
How did the leather sheath hold up?!
I've worked in law enforcement. Mt. Rescue, and as a alpine mt guide.
I've handled all three knives, I have a different perspective on the knives.I would take the Ontario 1st, the Gerber 2nd and the buck wouldn't make it into my pack at all, to thin and fragile.
The ontario can have the edge changed to a suitable edge of the users choice, this knife will bend before it breaks. A knife that breaks is a failure when it come to survival.
The leather sheath will give you a little more protection than the other knife sheaths in a crash if you are roughed up , you do not want to be impaled by your own knife. That is also one of the functions of a knife sheath.
People who have had close calls as aircrew members would consider this.
If your lucky enough to have survived, the knife may be your only equipment other than the clothes on your back that you have.
So prep your knife and sheath before hand, add some fish hooks and kevlar fishing line, a awl needle, and iodine crystals in a small thick water tight sealed tube that will fit in the pouch. A flexable magnifying lens and button compass to the sheath. Replace the sharpening stone with a fine file, stash that on the inside of the protective metal cover. A thin fire steel can also be stashed in there, seal it with some duck tape.
naw that Ontario knife is primitive technology 👎
@@blakeg4166
Put your brain in gear, before you engage your mouth.
Most military grade survival knives are Rockwell 55 because they would rather have the knife bend than snap, roll than chip. This is true especially in artic conditions.
With lower hrc, also they sharpen much easier and faster.
I find the Air Force survival knife to be easy to sharpen. RC55 is not crap, and I am really tired of harder steels that are hard to sharpen. Most of what dulls a knife, such as microscopic pieces of silica in wood and leather and cardboard, are harder than any steel so any steel will have to be sharpened after use no matter the hardness. A harder steel is more brittle. I can get razor edges on my machetes and most of my field knives and they hold their edges for a reasonable period of time. I would rather have a blade I can sharpen easily in the field than a more brittle blade that is harder to sharpen. The silicon carbon stone that comes with the Ontario knife is a good stone.
I'd say 57 rc id good for heavy use fixed blades
Ontario knife would definitely be my last choice in a real shtf situation. The Gerber prodigy is the best choice here by far.
Thanks for this video Aaron! I went out to the closest Walmart to me and picked up their last Gerber Prodigy in stock, and immediately went home and processed a few pieces of wood for our wood burning fireplace! Loving the knife and sheath so far!
Muscatine IA Walmart still has them in stock they've got 50 more but people have found out they'll I just bought my brother one for his birthday
Who else noticed the guy walking at 6:10
nathan osborne Peter Kohler of Dark Timber Knives was up with me
That was his dad, he only plays with knives under adult supervision.
It was a Sasquatch.
It's a fuck.ing sasqutch
GhettoRanger how am I the only one that liked your comment? lol
I had my Gerber Prodigy for around 5 years beat the living hell out of it and holds up great
So glad to hear that!
Treeline knives hunting with sheath
I have a prodigy that I wanna learn to take proper care of and need to fix after having someone else "sharpen it" for me, could you offer some advice sir?
Same as any other knife
I agree,it’s an absolute beast..the Prodigy is hard to beat for a good budget stainless tactical survival knife
I have several knives and I have the Ontario. And it has the original sharpening. You can sharpen it with a more full slope, but I think from the factory it's made for durability. But you can give it a more pitched cut edge with a good sharpening machine. But I do think they make it for longevity out of the box.
Regarding 0:56, that knife is not the OKC 499 Pilot Knife; instead it is the Ontario 499 MOD Knife which is their cheaper, lower quality version of the Ontario Air Force Survival Knife 499. Regarding 16:41, that black reinforcement on the leather sheath is not made of plastic; instead it is made of aluminum. Its name is called the “Chape”.
My Ontario 499 edge was terrible right out of the box, its edge was basically rolled. A lot better after I sharpened it. It’s edge geometry on its primary bevel isn’t great for bushcraft, as its really designed for a pilot to cut themselves out of a fuselage. I suspect it’d be decent enough at batoning with its geometry. My biggest complaint with my first one I owned was its lack of weatherproofing, particularly the sheath, and how the fuselage saw gets food stuck in it with food prep. I live in a humid/wet environment, a friend used and left it out at night, got rained on. It was kinda hard to get it dry, the leather got mold on it, knife got rusted, ended up throwing it away. That said, it was my first camp/fixed knife, my best friend gave it to me, and it’s a knife that grew with me. I have so many memories and sentiments with it, and it has such a classic look and feel. It’s like my first car. So, years later I had to get another one. It might work better if I put a different bevel on it, but grinding it would mess up the heat treatment.
Wow, The "Ontario 499" has been (is) issued for decades! You can trust your life to it! You have to sharpen it! Oil the sheath and handle (the washers need/must swell!). It is not plastic on the sheath, it is metal to help prevent the knife from poking through. It is built specifically as a Military "survival knife", virtually indestructible. The spine is for cutting out of an aluminum cockpit. For wood, it is more of a rasp. Makes notches, strikes ferro rod, scrapes magnesium, makes wood "fuzz" for fire. You can dig holes, cut out roots, beat the crud out it, cross baton, pry, spear, stab, fight (steel hilt!, whatever!!!!! The sharpening "stone" is pretty course to repair and restore a working edge, after you have jacked it up - "surviving". it is not a "beginner" knife, at all!. You might want to reevaluate it? Go ahead and try to hurt it. Nothing personal, but you naively tossed a "jewel of a work horse" over your shoulder. I have owned and used them for decades, as a "pack" knife/tool. Thanks.
Glad Someone Else here feels the same way...Are there "better" Options...Yes but the Aircrewmans does what it was designed to and priced to do and then some
The piece on the ones I've looked at at my local Walmart was plastic, it's the reason I didn't buy it.
I've got the Ontario psk I reprofiled the blade and it cuts so much better I can so feather sticks baton dig and anything else I need to do and not be afraid of breaking it
Jerome Kukurugya -China Knockoff!!? USA are not made like that.
www.amazon.com/Ontario-Force-Survival-Knife-Black/dp/B001CZDQPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511020578&sr=8-1&keywords=ontario+499+air+force+survival+knife
- $45
Now that's a Shame...The Leather works just Fine I wonder why they didn't go with the Material they use for the Spec Plus Line
Wife got me a Prodigy for Christmas and i love it. Great addition to the collection and a great companion blade to the Strongarms I already have. Paid $33 for it at Walmart and it was the last one in the store.
just got the last Prodigy at wallys also,,69$
Great knives for all you guys that find yourselves in a survival situation on a weekly basis. Many people are unaware of the dangers of being caught unprepared when exploring their backyard or worse yet the backyard of someone you've only known a few years. Can you imaging being out after dark in a strange backyard and your mommy not being able to find you after the streetlight come on? Very scary!
Admittedly not US made, but if low price point is important, Mora knives simply cannot be overlooked I think!
A lot of great knives made all over the world
I'm glad they aren't U.S. made, they would be overpriced if they were.
Box claims the prodigy is made in usa
Can't buy a Mora at a Wal Mart though.
Doug Johnson actually probably not. Sweden is a very expensive place to do business manufacturing products. The reason moras are so good and so cheap is that mora has very very smart design, manufacturing, and management. They know what they are doing. I just wish they started a premium line. With their knowledge, manufacturing, and design imagine what they could make with premium materials.
What you called plastic on the Ontario's sheath is actually a thin metal... at least it is on mine which is about 20 years old..
(Sept 2023) I just checked Wal Mart web site. The Prodegy fine edge is still listed. The Buck Mesa I couldn’t find. As I said back 5 yrs ago. I have both the Buck and Gerber and like them both and they have held up well and performed well for $50 knives....
Yes it’s nice to see they are still available.
Thanks Aaron... great comparison video. I'm a Strong Arm fan as well. We have these in all of our car/get home bags, along with a folding saw. For just a few dollars more... the Strong Arm for sure. Amazon really jacked up their price on them, but Blade HQ still has a good price on them (for anyone looking).
Alan Williams nice!!!
Liked the Prodigy so much for a lake camp knife, I bought a 2nd one in case I loose the 1st one!
If I were going to one of the three for strictly survival, it would definetly be the Ontario 499.
You go for it ! I was given that Ontario as I joined the military..... then I bought both the buck and the gerber after owning all three for years the gerber is hands down the best .... that Ontario simple sucks at the one task a knife cannot suck at ..... cutting ....because of the grind and the tempering seriously the Gerber is the best .... by a noticeable and long way ......
The Gerber prodigy is definitely the best knife out of these 3. I own all 3 of them and the Ontario is the worse knife I own. They bend real easy and it doesn't hold an edge and very difficult to sharpen.
@@exgi76gmailcom
Greetings from Nova Scotia Canada & i had a few Ontario Knives off & on over the years....all i can say is i will NEVER buy another Ontario knife again, the quality control is awful & the edges are just God Awful.
I don't know WHATEVER is going on in their factory but they need to Smarten Up i think.
💯👍👋
@@ernestwalden3894
Your 110% right....i had a sp1 awhile back & the edge couldn't even cut PAPER !!
Ontario knives are just Crap nowadays it seems.
👎😠
And it’s so very sad it used to be a trust worthy company… the old (very old) Ontario Military issue machete’s we’re bloody incredible the new one’s ? ya might as well use a mall ninja sword, which is crazy considering they use 1095 steel which is a total waste of good metal with such incredible potential ….
Gerber Strongarm: Tactical Grey in BDZ-1 Steel for a little bit more for a lot more knife with the better BDZ1 steel ~~ for about $35 bucks get the toughest knife a Glock 78 or 81 indestructible ck the reviews
RimfireRat I got the BDZ 1 Strongarm. Cool knife, just haven't had a chance to use it yet. Too many knives, too little time.
same here din't get a chance to give it a work out , but those glock knives are Freak'n awesome i'n battoned firewood with them doz times with no damage still even stay Sharpe
RimfireRat The Glock is on my list. Just got the Schrade schf2sm today, so I have enough toys for now. Planning cool vid for my channel.
The Buck really impresses me, not only does it cut better but it looks less "plastic" than the Gerber.
The Gerber Prodigy is one of my favorite knives. I own two of them! I also own the Strongarm but I prefer the grip and the sheath of the Prodigy. It batons through any piece of wood up to 4" in diameter and it makes beautiful feathers which you can ignite with a ferro rod using the sharp 90 degree edge of the spine. That thing is a flame thrower! By the way, it looks like a Bigfoot sighting at 6:10!
That Buck is impressive, good price to quality ratio.
I've owned two Gerber LMF IIs that combine the design of the Prodigy with the features of the Ontario, but faced with that choice between the Buck and the Gerber I'd go for the Buck, looks great too.
However I'd buy the Strongarm over all, now that's a great knife.
agree, luv my buck mesa
I don't see the point... you would have to sharpen all 3 knives equally first before the tests.
Finest these three are all factory edges, no sharpening ahead of time
gideonstactical - I sorry, but that is the point. You are comparing 20th century knife (499) to 21st century knife without taking in to consideration Military contract issue vs civilian issue. Totally different standards! For long term "survival" as titled, there is no comparison, the Buck and Gerber are a joke. Don't misunderstand, they are all great knives and have their uses. Title asks, which one is best survival knife?
Even sharpened, the grind angle of the Ontario is still pretty severe, it's strong as hell if you were using it as a prybar to get out of an aircraft, and chop with it, however the hollow grind of the Buck makes for a superior slicer for detail work like feather sticks, food prep, carving sticks to make snares and camp utility items etc.
Calling Gerber and Buck a joke exposes your bias, Gerber have some great knives in use with the military right now, with tough steel, well designed handles that are sized well for gloves, grippy when wet and rugged.
Harry Akira Eaton I was given a vietnam issued ontario from a family friend who wanted to pass it on. When sharp it is an ok slicer (cut my finger to the bone, ironically was the first blood it ever drew) however it is clearly not intended for that purpose. It is meant to be abused ie. Chopping, battoning, digging, prying (I wouldnt do this to mine). For being several decades old the knife shows the wear well, still takes a decent edge and is incredibly easy to sharpen, even with a stone picked up from a stream.
@@wgoodman63 if u are rubbing river rocks on your Vietnam era fighting knife you dont deserve to own it. We arent in the Cambodian jungle. Get a proper stone. JFC.
Late comment here. I know a lot of people hate on the Ontario 499 but it has grown on me for a couple of reasons. One is it's a very concealable blade in it's sheath. I can fit the "bolt" knife in my Carhartt coat easily. Another reason is it's a good car/truck blade in it's original pilot concept. You can use the butt for a glass breaker or skull crusher against let's
say a carjacker. The saw has many uses and the blade can get razor sharp as I did with mine just using a Worksharp pocket sharpener. I've had mine since the early 2000's as it is dated 5-01 and recently I'm starting to like it more. I also strengthened the handle with 550 paracord by wrapping it tight. starting at the top leather stack just under the guard, I then wrapped up and over both sides of the guard and then down to the bolt. So in essence, I locked the guard in place and then gave more strength to the handle. I know there are better, more modern blade designs all over the place. But lately I'm starting to like the older stuff. I've been sheath carrying (original 1980 low profile sheath) a 3 dot Buck 110 1980-81 in 440C for a couple years now so now I'm looking at pairing it with 1980-81Ontario or Camillus pilot
knife. Of course for backpacking and camping I will have a RD9 or SP51 on my pack for heavy use.
Knife technology has come a long way, but I saw the AF Survival Knife, or “Bolt Knife” as we all called it for some reason, endure some ridiculous abuse at SERE. The one I was issued had a blade that was already bent at a 45 degree angle. Still got it sharp and was able to do all field tasks with it. We also trained to use it for wood tasks, and used the Camillus “Demo Knife” for all fine work in the field, such as skinning game. It stayed sharper than the Bolt Knife. Who knows, but I have to wonder if the Prodigy or Strongarm would survive hundreds of SERE students for years on end in all conditions, but I somehow doubt it. The soft HRC is probably what gets the 499 through so many years of abuse.
6:00 mark- you're being stalked.
Sblaze813 I was going to ask if anybody else noticed the Sasquatch cameo!
Great eye!
Look behind him
I hope you pack a turnoquet
Smuckers T lmao
i bought the buck mesa. liked the knife. used it for 6 months. but the handle did not fit my hand. over the winter i ground down the spur thing and put a nice finger pocket. sanded the handle with finger channels just a little bit. got rid of the larger but part. now i love it.
people always bash 420hc. Bos 420hc holds an edge almost identical to 1095. Also, it is almost identical to sharpen. Bos 420hc is pretty much stainless 1095.
agree'
Nope
Not true at all, hardness may come close but when it comes to edge retention, 1095 hands down!!
The prodigy is hands down one of the best value on the market.
I like these videos looking at "budget Walmart gear." I would have liked to see you do some chopping and batoning with the blades. I know how it would've gone; just would've been nice to see it.
Phil P I agree.
I think the Ontario would've done better in batoning, chopping, & prying. Seems built more for durability.
The ontario is actually the weakest by design. Its a rat tail tang. The other two are full tang.
(2023) In fairness to the Ontario, it is a great 1950 survival design, but it hasn't changed. The Buck and Gerber show how far knife design has changed in over half a century.
I myself purchase the buck Mesa approximately 3 months ago. I have found this to be one of the best knives that I've come across in about 20 years. Not only does this might perform astonishingly in particular I'm a fan of the sheath that comes with it.
I use this knife everyday and the great part about it with the sheath it provides the ability to not only carry it vertically but it allows you to carry it horizontally. (This is how I carry my knife horizontally).
To also note the buck Mesa knife I feel sharpens up faster than any knife have come up to. I completely agree with your assessment of this knife I appreciate the videos and look forward to more.
If i have to choose between Buck & Gerber , I will take " Ontario 499" . because
" Classic never die " It's not PERFECT but It had history of POSITIVE PERFORMANCE that's way they still make it .
INDIAN PREPPER 24*7 - Agreed! I have carried one for over 40 years. I have bought newer ones recently for bug out bags and adult children. They are pretty much the same. The quality of the leather on the handles seems a little less, maybe? Still highly recommended. Sharpen, oil, clean use..forever.
Very true
Fixed blade is more handy faster to use, no chance of lock failure and looks better on the belt.
Love the Air Force Survival knife. I've got one never let me down. Still carry it. Son in law has the Gerber. Need to get that Buck. Glad your doing the whole Wall-Mart thing. My uncle was in the Air Force he got my cousin the Air Force knife back in the 60's when we were kids. They sharpen it up it worked great, me I carried an old ka- bar skinner. But in the 1960's you made do with what you had. But for cutting up wood or cutting down small trees we used a hatchet. Everybody has a lot better things to work with now.
Butch Hill - 100% agree on the Ontario 499!
I don't know if they are still marketed the same way, but when I got my Ontario it was listed as a pilot survival knife. It was designed to be able to cut your way out of a plane. Also the 2 holes in guard is to enable the user to tie it to make a spear.
Haha, when you were slicing the paracord and things with the Ontario, your face was like Trish's when she opened Napoleon's letter and found the drawing of her in 'Napoleon Dynamite'.
I am proud to understand that reference.
Nice review. Thanks for sharing! I understand you have to test these knives as they come out of the box, but if you could have given me twenty minutes with the Ontario and my edge pro, it would have done just as well, or better than the other two. 1095 In my experience is just way easy to work with. I agree with your summation of the Gerber. I also dig the Buck, but no lanyard hole ruins it for me. Thanks again!
These knives are all designed for different purposes, and perform well in their respected fields. The ontario is specifically designed as a pilots knife for prying and sawing plane fuselage and for stabbing in a defensice manner. The gerber seems to be designed as a utility/general use blade. Robust enough thats its highly dependable but not hefty. The buck (as most bucks are) is a hunting/food prep/camp knife. The hollow grind and large belly makes it excellent for slicing, skinny, and general light cutting tasks. For a survival knife, the gerber would be most ideal. While it doesnt slice as well as the buck, its lower hrc rating and less dramatic grinds make it undoubtedly more durable over the long run of hard use. That being said, buck has a far better overall reputation in seems in reliability of their blades as of late. This ontario pilots knife has very limited use for the average outdoorsman.
Matthew Mcnabb yes it’s limited use indeed. Makes a guy wonder why it’s even in the conversation ever, unless you happen to be a pilot that rolled the dice and bought a cheap outdated pryknife, and actually happened to use it, when he crashed his jet and actually survived. Kind of a bleak consumer base to say the least
That large guard has holes to tie a spear... so you don't need to carve one.
I'll take the buck all day, try some Spanish Knives ,Nieto ,Muela you will see amazing performance with pretty low budget. Not a lot of people know about those ,look into it
The problem with ontario is that its a combat survival knife...not really a "go camping knife". More like a "oh shit gotta dispatch this insurgent" kind of knife.
Another good vid Gid. The Ontario blade just shows how far blade materials and design have come over the years.
Totally!
Rudy Mirelez - Not accurate. The 499 will be around a hundred years after the other two are broken and trashed and we are all dead. He does great reviews, but he missed this one. He obviously does not know that old school military knives have to be sharpened and the leather oiled out of the box.
I’ve been in the woods for 50 years now. Hunting, fishing, camping, logging, and surviving. I always have a minimal of 5 knives with me. To fit different tasks, but always keep multitasking in mind. I try to stay under a hundred bucks per knife, because it never fails, I will loose a real expensive one trying not to loose it, lol ! In this style of multitasking knife, I carry a gerber bear grylls survival knife, of which after my first one, I bought several for vehicles, packs, or whatever situation I may find myself in. They’re not the sharpest, but tough, fairly cheap, and versatile. I wish they came in a tanto, half serrated design !
Just picked up the Gerber! Love it
A day late and a dollar SHORT on commenting, but 4 years after this video was made I found the prodigy at Walmart. LOL
Great video! I just got the last Gerber prodigy today at Walmart. They had none in stock, the only one they had was the display model. It's normally a $50 knife, but since there won't be a sheath that comes with it, I advised they should sell it to me for $40. Welp, they sold it to me for $40. I got a great knife for a great price!
Are you still alive?
Nice, but the Ontario is a bit of apples to oranges, since it's a pilot knife and I think the geometry is different because the materials it's to be used on are going to be different.
very good format. I like seeing the three side by side on the exact same tasks, and same piece of wood. even with the " feels like" opinion that is impossible to completely get rid of, this is the most fair test method I have seen. bravo.
I've owned and used the Buck Mesa for almost a year now and it is an outstanding knife for the money. I use it as a companion knife for a larger chopper. For fine task as well as cleaning game it is great. I now own two and plan on another.
Awesome to hear!
I've had mine a couple months. Damn good knife, for knife stuff!!! lol
I have the Mesa, love it. It's become my go-to camp knife when camping with the family. It lives in my truck so it's always handy. For the price it's a good buy. I've batoned with mine & had no issues, it was small, kindling stuff but did a great job & I haven't had to resharpen it yet.
Jerome Kukurugya glad to hear it!!
gideonstactical One thing I would change is the belt loop. I'd love to see them include a loop like a Mora so you could slip it on & off without having to undo your belt.
The best survival knife is the one you have on you or the one you can make in the woods
Thanks for the review. My son and I was looking at them 3 knives 2 days ago great timing
It's the 499, not 599!! The thing I love about Ontario Knives, is I can always reprofile the edge. I have a Freedom Fighter 6 and that knife is a Kabar on steroids with a hardness of 59 and crazy edge retention. Nobody, I mean nobody that has experience and knowledge on knives isn't just going to walk out of a wal-mart, let alone any damn store, straight into the woods, and automatically say the knife is crap!! There are people on UA-cam who all they do is collect is the Ontario 499 knife, and after sharpening, reprofiling, these guys swear by this knife!! Now, I don't have the 499 but I do have plenty of other high carbon knives that outperform more expensive ones. I don't care about the sheath the knife came in, I care about the blade and it's sharpness.
I got the Buck brand new at a garage sale along with the Buck reaper for $25. I use the Mesa in the same vein as a Mora. Excellent little "bushcraft" knife imho.
Green Badger Outdoors agreed!
May have been 50 5 years ago. Now they want a 100. Figure out that rate of inflation..it's a lot higher than they say
Yesterday, found a Prodigy at Walmart for $62. They had three in the store
That is great to hear. It seems they have decided to keep the design for now since I made the video.
@@gideonstactical well you're definitely an influencer. I have one bone to pick with you though, I've purchased six knives in the past two months, primarily because of your work. I'm seeking help😆
I've been watching the Strongarm gauntlet series. Love it! Great idea, sir.
Great review and comparison. I changed the profile on my Ontario and it works a lot better. One thing the Ontario has over the others is that it will bend a lot more before it breaks. The SS will usually break instead of bend. They made it that way, so our armed force service people would be able to use it and hopefully straighten the blade out if it bends. But it is old styling and it takes a bit getting used to it. It is too bad the put the holes on the tope guard, because if they the holes in the lower guard, you can just cut the top guard off. I think your assessment is right on.
Correct. An air force survival instructor saw thousands of uses of the knife over the years (with successive classes using the same knives). None failed. Get the SP2. Modern materials. Better sheath. Can cut off the top of the hand guard.
The Ontario knife looks like the original AF/Army pilot's knife, but maybe not as well made? I still have the one issued to me at Hunter AAF in flight school. If flew with me in Nam. We were told that the design was partly for extracting yourself from a downed aircraft and partly survival knife. The factory edge needed to be redone to get a narrower cutting edge, after which it was about as good as many of the other knives (Gerber MK1/2, KBar, and bayonets), the blade was very strong except for the tip. The false edge could be sharpened making it a better fighting knife (heaven forefend). It could take a lot of abuse, such as being used to pry or hit with a hammer, rock or heavy wrench. The stone was a medium Norton, not the rough stone packaged with the Ontario version.
Speaking of versions I understand that Ontario has some retail look like versions of the mil spec knife, that are in every respect crappy. And OH that handle. The originals had very nicely done leather, not always perfectly trimmed but way better than the example here.
Great review, even though 5 years old. The Prodigy knives are now available at my home Walmart. I really like the Buck (one of my dad's favorite knife brands) for KP duty.
I own 2 of these, I like them, the strong-arm I have is one of the best knives I own. I want the buck though, I like a razor sharp knife to carry on my belt. Thanks for the video!
Love my Prodigy! I just ordered it’s big brother the LMF 2 Infantry.
The Ontario 599 sucks as it comes from the factory but once the grind problems are fixed and the guard is modified it becomes a great camp knife.
So here we are 10m later and I found a Prodigy in my local Walmart! I have small hands, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming! Surgically sharp right out of the box! Love it, can’t wait to use it! Great suggestion for the price, sorry I couldn’t give you the business on the link, but saved like $23!!!
Not all Walmarts are the same. I would love for my local Walmart to stock Essee, Falkniven and KaBar...but I think my local store orders its knives by the bag from Frost Cutlery.
Prodigy on clearance for $21. Need to modify the sheath with leather dangler. Would like to make the handle a little more beefy.
I just bought a Prodigy plain edge at Wal Mart yesterday so I don't know if they made another run or if it just isn't very popular in the town I bought mine in. The Prodigy also still exists in a partially serrated version for those who are interested in that option!
I just bought the Gerber Prodigy...still available on line at Walmart. Ordered it and they droped it on the front porch the very next day! AMAZING! Said it was in stock at a local store. Imagine that! September 19, 2021
Since when do aircrew knives have plastic on the sheaths? They used to have metal.
Just picked up the Gerber Prodigy at my Walmart for 61 bucks a little high on the price but still made in USA and good sheath. Plus I didn't have any blades in that steel.
Gerber prodigy gets my vote. I've owned all 3. It's my edc. Reprofile the edge and it's good to go. Super well made tough knife.
I picked up 2 of those buck knifes, they are pretty darn good for the price and USA made. The Gerber Prodigy almost looks like the Gerber strongarm.
I have one of those Prodigy knives with the ceramic coating and tac-hide. I't's nice to have what is essentially a combination of materials and design features of the Gerber LMF and the Gerber Stronghold, but I knew it was out of production a while back. I saw them for $40 on the Walmart websites, but now the stores are the only place to buy one. And I have looked around. I am bothered that the prices rose on the Prodigy and the Stronghold.
Perfect timing, I was just looking at these in our local display...kinda like the Buck, but the Gerber info was eye-opening, thanks
I did 10 years in the military, I was issued the okc 499 and found that it makes a helluva tent stake.
Another great review. I would have liked to see some of the chopping and battling tasks. The Wal-Mart reviews are cool.
Most Excellent video my pick is always the USAF Survival knife & a Tie w/Mora GI model as well ! TY good intel
Kipper White no problem
I got a buck Mesa last year as a Christmas present and I liked it but the blade chipped when it was going through a knot in a piece of dense pine.
Evan Sanford: Buck makes great knives, but this is why "hollow" ground blades are NOT for "survival" per say. Skinning and general camp tasks, yes. The "thinned" out blade edge is vulnerable under heavy use.
Love my Gerber Strongarm. Purchased mainly because of your Awesome review on it. Some time back. I've used it in many Situations Camping and Such, is a Great knife.
tymccutchen glad to hear it!!
My ontario is pretty great after a bit of leather treatment and a good sharpening. Not gonna pretend it's flawless out of the box, but I'm happy with it; especially considering I grabbed it for just over 30 bucks
The strongarm is the new Prodigy. No need to make a new Prodigy. I prefer the slightly wider Gerber Infantry LMF knife. With the extra width the Gerber knives have to make them stronger I feel you need width to get a good blade angle
The Buck was more impressive than I would have thought. Great review and a fair comparison. In my case I went a few dollars more and got the Strongarm. It's on my get home bag.
Doug Lloyd great choice
I literally just got the gerber at Walmart like 2 days ago 😂🤦
The Gerber prodigy is the best out of the 3 here. I own all.
I just bought another one also. They have been "discontinuing" this knife for years now
I just bought three more. I'm up to 5. 🤣
@@johnw7776 hahaha
It may have failed in the woods, but it's the only one here that can get you out of a plane! 🤓
Just plain wrong
They're not going to let you on the plane with any of them Einstein.
Lmao he means like a bush plane but literally any can get you out
Buck is best(for normal people, for normal use) Air ranger is built for emergencys and Strongarm is kinda military style, thick stock knife.
"Stay sharp" friends👍
I'd go with the prodigy, but if by choice, the Strongarm. Carry a ceramic rod to sharpen it and there are no problems, lol. I also prefer the Gerber over the buck because of the handle material, good grip even with bloody hands when processing game and such, but again, Id prefer the Strongarm. A great combo I have used is the TOPS SXB paired with a mora. omg, processing game was a dream using the mora and the saw back on the SXB worked well to score the bone and break them. as for woods capability, well, it's one heck of a combo that you can do virtually everything with, lol.
Todd K nice combo
Just found a prodigy at Walmart in Midland, MI.
$62, display model... tried like hell to get em to clearance it lol
Gerber Strong Arm..... Hands Down!
I bought the Buck and the Ontario from Walmart a while back. Liked the Buck knife a lot. The Ontario came with rolled edges, the snap on the sheath won't snap because the loops don't go around the handle all the way, the leather looks and feels cheap but does train the knife so well it's a bitch to pull it in and out. Also the belt loop really sucks as far as carrying it goes. I was pretty disappointed.
The Gerber Brodogy would be my favorite due to the blade design and I don't have it, but would like to own it.
I gotta say, it's an awesome blade. The sheathe is fantastic, it has a window breaker, and the rubberized grip really helps when it rains or you're in any situation where the knife might get wet. I'd suggest getting it before it's sold out
As of June 26 2020 Walmart still carries the Gerber Prodigy.
great video as always Aaron. that Ontario performed very poorly which is surprising, Ontario's are usually good blades. I like that buck mesa though!
Danny Schreckengost- It is NOT a beginner knife. They "must" be sharpened and oiled. It is a high quality Military Survival Knife issued for mare than 50 years! He just does not know this. Nobody's perfect.
MutsPub but the edge geometry is so bad.
Danny Schreckengost - Agreed, only "IF" you are expecting it to be a bushcraft knife. Why would you buy a Chevy and expect it to perform like a Ferrari? This is a REAL Military "Survival" knife, period. You can sharpen the edge to make it slice like a razor, but It will never be a Ferrari. In a real world "Military Survival" situation it will not fail you! Period. For a day hike you might take one kind of a knife, for a weekend camping trip you take a different kind, for fishing different, etc., etc. For Life or Death situation, with no duration known, you must choose wisely or Die! That is "survival" not UA-cam. The Title says, "Best", "Survival" knife. There are other choices out there for sure, we are only comparing 3 HERE. The other two are not Military survival knives! Steel, tang. handle, blade grind, stone, sheath, etc. The 499 "PACKAGE" was issued to US pilots, for decades, to survive behind (real world) enemy lines. Can that be said about the other two? NO. For less than $50 I don't think you can do much better. You can get these for ~$35.
MutsPub I agree. however the gerber prodigy can be a tactical combat knife. also the Gerber lmf2 is also a military knife. from what I've heard at least. pilots also carry it. not that it has anything to do with these 3 in the video. but to be honest, I rather go out and spend a little more money, about 70 dollars and get a kabar fighting knife instead. a real 1095 steel, classic old design as well.
Danny Schreckengost - Agreed. I have never carried the 499 as a belt knife. My belt knife stays pristine for defense and emergencies. The 499 is a "tool" for digging holes and dirty work - batoning, pine sap etc. My belt knife is a 4-5" blade Kabar mark1, Cold Steel Peacemaker 2, Western, Mora 2000, BK 17, Esee 4hm, Cold Steel master hunter, Buck 105, etc. Depends on my mood and where I'm going. The Gerber LMF2 , Prodigy, and Strongarm are great, I just have better choices - IMO The Kabar fighting knife is always cool. Pilots are limited on what they can carry. That is why they combined the 499 with a Camillus multi blade pocket knife. My pack always has - 499, OKC SP43, Kabar 1205, SAK Pioneer. My pockets always have a SAK Farmer and CS Finn Wolf, or - Rat 1or2, Esee Avispa, Esee Zancudo, Kershaw 2420/2415, Kabar Dozier, etc My pocket knife and the 499 get the most use by far. It is what I have always done, doesn't make it right. Why do I carry 6 bic lighters and 2 ferro rods and waterproof matches?....Because? :-)
The Ontario is so soft and the profile is so thick because you're meant to be able to cut through the aluminum skin on an airplane after a crash (It's a pilot survival knife originally). Not defending it or being a fanboy (I've never owned an Ontario) but that's just what I've heard.
Rodrigo Teresa Exactly. I was given a vietnam issued ontario from a family friend who wanted to pass it on. When sharp it is an excellent slicer, however it is clearly not intended for that purpose. It is meant to be abused ie. Chopping, battoning, digging, prying (I wouldnt do this to mine). For being several decades old the knife shows the wear well, still takes a decent edge and is incredibly easy to sharpen, even with a stone picked up from a stream.
William Goodman: Well stated.
The 499 is/was issued as part of a "2 knife" system with a pocket knife. The "multi blade" pocket knife issued is for slicing and fine tasks, as well as, other tasks i.e. screwdriver, bottle/can opener, awl.
Have an old one, love it, but it is not a practical design. I use it to open dog food bags, at which it excels.
Leland Smith I keep mine in my Jeep in case I get into an accident/need to help someone get out of their car. Another use is for beating off crazy drivers lol
Rodrigo Teresa...
I'm former Air Force.
I used one to cut a brass lock off my foot locker..
the Buck and Gerber are made from 420HC, while that Ontario is 1095. So blade shape is definitely a more important factor than steel type.
I have a prodgy is a workhorse for me. Battons well for splitting wood. I had resharped at the gerber factory in tigered or. Yes, it has glass breaker also.
GT, did you sharpen these knives before you began your test, or did you assume they were sharp from the factory? In my, admittedly limited, experience, Ontario doesn't put much of an edge on their military-pattern knives, so you'd have to put a good edge on it yourself. I don't know how much it would affect the test, but I'd expect the Ontario to really under-perform, just because of the factory edge.
The Prodigy with the serrated edge will give you all the cutting performance of the Buck (and then some) with all the benefits inherent to the Prodigy design. I know, I know, you don’t like serrations...lol we’ve had this conversation before. But I still had to put in my plug. I’ll be starting an article dealing partly with some of this for American Survival Guide as soon as my package of goodies shows up from Gerber.
Those should all be SS, not high carbon. IE 420SS. Walmart doesnt really sell any carbon steel knives, except for maybe the ontario. (only cuz ive seena rusty one before.) Plus anything sold at Walmart usually only sells seconds, such as knives with heat treat issues, so keep that in mind, when you buy in a pinch. The buck and Gerber will probably be worth the time, the buck being the Best ImO (i havent finished the vid at this point). Oh also the ontario is FUll Tang, just has what looks like imitation stacked handle. They are strong enough, but I dont like the blade coating.