Gerber LMF II Question...

[toasterlocker]

At that price point, you will get better steel buying a Becker. I have a BK-7, but if that is too large/small, they have a variety of models. I settled on the Becker after doing tons of research on survival forums, and for the money, it is a far better knife. It may not have some of the gimmicky features the the Gerber does, but the steel is better, and that is the part that matters the most.

[Moose-Knuckle]

That's all well and good but this knife doesn't give you light weight nor is it very compact. Something like a SOG SEAL Pup, ESEE or Emerson PUK would fit that role better: light weight, compact size. Also note that the "trend" tends to be for military applications where one is carrying a lot of equipment, not general survival/camping/whatever outdoor activity you do use.

At a whopping 11.9 oz. and a total length 10.56" the LMF II is all well and good enough to fit in a County Com EOD bag that tucks away behind the seat of my compact truck. That's the only purpose I purchased it for. I have other blades for other applications, but the OP was inquiring about the LMF II specifically. My reference to the trend with 4" blades among some military personnel was to show that if a 4" blade is good enough for Joe in a combat zone then a LMF II with it’s 4.84” is good enough for me.

That's great, and I'm sure most of us already knew it, but the OP never stated his intended use involved anything related to aircraft egress. He may very well have no need for this knife near any kind of vehicle and find the pommel entirely pointless and prefer something like the Gerber Prodigy. Most people who ask about this knife are looking at it from the survival side, not the egress side.

Well that's great; I was sharing with the OP my use for this knife. You pointed out what you perceived to be "cons" with this specific knife. I in turn perceived your cons as attributes as I use this particular knife as a truck knife only. That is not to say the OP is going to use it as such.

Most people who ask about this knife are looking at it from the survival side, not the egress side.

Well this particular knife was designed, created, and marketed as a survival/egress knife so it fits the bill for both.

[Steve S.]

Like the knife, hated the sheath. After a very hastily made sheath, I like it a lot more. I know ditching the included sheath ruins some of the "package" and abilities for survival.

We picked this knife up a few months ago as a request by a LEO and some of his coworkers who also hated the included sheath. It's just too hard to draw from safely. I've used it to open boxes and whatnot over the months and the edge has held up pretty well.

[ApacheTactical]

The Gerber knife is a OK knife for general use, but if your looking for a blade to use as a hatchet, hammer or for any other extreme use i would look at the TOPS or ESEE knives. Don't get me wrong the GErber is a good knife for everyday family camping. If you are interested is a good blade hit me up I carry several brands and have demo'ed tons in harsh enviroments. Sorry I didnt take the time to read the other posts to see what the others were saying.

[Moose-Knuckle]

That is a nice sheath Steve!

[rero360]

I agree, that's a pretty nice sheath for the knife, that has always been my biggest complaint with my LMF, it takes some effort to remove the knife.

Overall, I like mine, I used it pretty rough overseas, I once even used it to punch a few holes into a metal 55 gallon drum full of dirt so we could hook a tow chain to it and move it to open up a road for traffic, all that happened was some scratches to the finish and the first serration tooth broke off.

There are plenty of knives out there that are much better, though they tend to carry a hefty price tag.

[bluesgt380]

+1 good looking kydex work.

[Steve S.]

Thanks guys. I must be the only one who noticed the crooked lines from eyeballing it instead of measuring it?

I do like the sheath a lot more though. The operators who requested it wanted a sheath that didn't mean pulling so hard they risked cutting a buddy - but still retained enough to mount on the shoulder upside down if desired. This meets those demands.

The other big downside to the knife - as someone mentioned, is that the handle material will wear. Particularly at the spot it contacts the sheath - OEM or homemade.

[jhs1969]

I have a LMF, an ESEE and a Cold Steel SRK.

My favorite is pretty much a tie between the ESEE and SRK with the LMF third. Just IMO.

[toasterlocker]

There are plenty of knives out there that are much better, though they tend to carry a hefty price tag.

I'll point out again, Becker knives use better steel and cost about the same, and ESEE knives also use better steel and cost only a little bit more. I'm not saying a LMF is bad knife, just that I wouldn't get one unless it was a SMOKING deal. I wouldn't pay more than $50 for LMF, not with ESEE and Becker out there.