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Do you remember the ’80?
You may remember as well two
movies that came out in ’85: “Rambo first blood
part 2” and “Commando” featuring Sylvester
Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Well those
movies featured not just hyper sized muscles but
also showcased famous blades: Stallone had a
blade made by Jimmy Lile and Schwarzenegger had
a custom Jack W. Crain edge. In
that era large “survival” blades become quite
popular and, if you are a knife Fan, you
probably remember the Gerber blades of those
days: the large BMF, the elusive Predator and
the smaller LMF. The BMF (Basic Multi
Functional) was a large 8 inches blade, the
Predator was a Cutlery Shoppe exclusive, even
larger at 9”, and the LMF (Light Multi
Functional) was a 6” blade.
Gerber quit production of both
at the end of the ’80 and that was a shame
because I loved the look and style of those
knives. Some product manager should have read my
mind as Gerber recently launched
(reintroduced??)the new Steadfast. Ok, the name
is different but this knife to me is the
descendent of those old timers, as it came out I
could not miss the opportunity to buy it.
The new Steadfast is a big
knife featuring a 6” long blade (.220” thick)
forged in AISI 440A steel, the grip is 4.75
inches long and is quite soft and fat, ideal for
big hands. The knife is finished with a steel
(cast) pommel and hand guard. The pommel is
fixed directly on the blade via a M5 (metric)
screw, this is called Full tang construction, it
is very robust and the pommel can be used as a
hammer. All steel components have the same non
reflective matte finish (looks very good). The
grip is one of the most comfortable I have ever
tested: besides having two deep finger notches
(correctly spaced) it is soft and textured to
improve grip.
The Steadfast thanks to
its impressive blade and metal components is
also rather heavy at 6.3 ounces. The balance
point is set just behind the front guard. The
guard is not symmetric as the lower portion is
longer to protect the index finger and the upper
portion is shaped to accommodate your thumb
finger should you need some more pressure.
The Gerber Steadfast is sold complete with a
Cordura sheath that features a MOLLE attachment
system on the back as well as a large belt loop,
a convenient and a leg strap with quick release
buckle is also provided. The black is lined with
a plastic protective liner that keeps the sheath
in shape and prevents the edge from damaging it.
Handling the Steadfast is real pleasure as
the grip provides lot of comfort thanks to its
design and insulating from vibrations, the
balance is optimum. Thanks to its weight the
Gerber Steadfast can be successfully used to cut
small branches or light chopping. This knife is
a good camp companion and thanks to its heavy
blade it can tolerate some abuse. The
thickness may be a limitation when you need to
slice food, I am sure you will prefer a thinner
blade for that. Edge retention, considering the
steel used (440A) is quite good.
The suggested retail is about US$64 but
shopping wisely you may find it online at around
$45 for me it was too hard to resist...
See the Gerber Steadfast picture gallery here:
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