The Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro is the newest version of the Bear Grylls Gerber knife collection. The knife is a complete redesign from the original. They basically went back to the drawing boards to make a seriously nice knife. Despite the original Bear Grylls knife being the best selling knife in the world, it had its fair share of critics who bashed the blade for its sub-par steel, blade serrations, and that it was not a true full tang blade. Gerber and Bear took that criticism as fuel for the fire. The new Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro has awesome steel, using 9cr19Mov which is a Chinese version of 440C. This steel is strong, non corrosive and will hone and retain a razor sharp edge. Very high quality. The next item that they addressed was the tang. The PRO has a fully exposed tang down to the pummel and has slab handles. The knife blade actually reminds me of of the SOG Seal Team Elite.. Lastly the improved on the lanyard whistle as they made it loader and easier to use.
This version of the Bear Grylls Gerber knife is full tang and has slab handles so that you can see the tang all the way to the pummel of the knife. This was a huge point of criticism on the original Bear Grylls knife. Another positive is that they produced this knife in a fine edge. No serrations on this bad boy, as the original was heavily criticized for that. The blade is reminiscent of the Sog Seal Team Elite straight edge with a finger choil on the base of the blade. The blade steel has been upgraded to 9cr19mov which Gerber is calling a premium steel. I have done a bunch of research and I believe this a Chinese steel equivalent to 440C stainless which is a high quality stainless steel. The whistle on the lanyard has also been upgraded to a louder easier to use whistle.
Stats:
Overall Length: 10" (25.4cm)
Blade Length: 4.8" (12.2cm)
Weight: 13.7 oz. (388.4g) with Sheath
Steel Type: 9Cr19MoV
Handle Material: TPE Overmold
Bear Grylls Gerber Knife - The PRO Sheath
The Ultimate Pro Survival Knife sheath has also been upgraded. Not only is the look and feel much different, it is more compact and has some key changes that make it easier to use, and a just plain tighter design. The sheath looks much slicker this time around but time will tell if it is actually quality materials and if it will hold up.
The big improvements on the sheath are an upward facing fire steel instead of the traditional "upside down" fire steel that was prone to falling out and being consumed by the forest floor. The fire steel appears to be the same as the original however it now faces upwards in the sheath which is a definite improvement.. The other big improvement is the sharpener. Instead of having to take the sheath "apart" to get to the sharpener, it is now built right into the blade scabbard. It is now a pull through carbide sharpener vs. the predecessor with its diamond stone sharpener. Another feature that has been remodeled is the placement of the priorities of survival guide. It now makes its home inside the area where you put the sheath on your belt..
All in all the big improvements are the full tang, better blade steel and the fine edge. This seems to be more of a serious hard use knife than it predecessor but time will tell. It is hard to imagine that the new Bear Grylls Gerber knife can possibly sell better than the old one but, again time will tell.
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