By Chad Love

I've previously mentioned my eldest son's interest in television survival personalities so when Gerber announced the introduction of its Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife (David Maccar's excellent review is here) I figured it would be a slam-dunk of a birthday present.

It was. My son has been gleefully chopping, cutting, batoning, beating, slicing, hammering, spearing, whittling and carving with the thing for the past two months. And while I prefer a more traditional bushcraft blade, he loves it. When he goes outside it's almost always on his belt or in his pack. And yes, I let my 10-year-old son son run around the woods with a sheath knife.

But the one thing he hadn't yet done with his Bear Grylls knife is start a fire with the included firesteel.

But in the aftermath of the Great White Death Storm of 2011 (second edition) we were all stuck at home with single-digit temps and a foot of snow on the ground. What better time for a ten-year-old to try out his survival fire-making skills, right?

The mission was simple: make a fire using nothing but the knife's firesteel and what we could find in the woods. No survival kit tinder, no matches, nothing. So we found a part of the yard where the snow wasn't too deep, scooped out a small bowl, gathered dead grass and small twigs and my son broke out his firesteel...

To my amazement, ten minutes later he had a very cozy little fire going with not much help (aside from coaching) from me. The experience, however, was not without some difficulty.

First, the bad: Gerber, you gotta make the firesteel larger. It's simply way too small for someone wearing gloves, even a 10-year-old. The firesteel handle is short and uncomfortable, the diameter and length of the rod itself is too small and the little patch of uncoated bare steel on the knife's spine is entirely too small a striking surface. But when you could manage to keep everything lined up, it produced an adequate spark. Not nearly as hot as what I could produce with a larger steel and one of my uncoated 1095 or D2 blades, but adequate.

Now the good: despite the drawbacks and technical difficulties of the design, my son had an absolute blast trying to start his fire and was able to do so in short order. Yes, it may be a little gimmicky, a little too branded, but it sparked (pardon the pun) my son's imagination and caused him to spend virtually all day outside roaming the woods on a day when it would be very tempting for a kid to stay inside and plug himself into the electronic void. And in this age of comfortable sloth that makes it priceless in my book.

Comments (20)

from mad_dog9999 wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

cool review. good to know

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from ckRich wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

HA, Great White Death Storm... I like it. I hope the news channels will pick it up, it's much more catchy than "Snowpocolypse 2011".

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from NorCal Cazadora wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Surprising for a 10-year-old to carry a knife? Not at all. My sisters and I *always* carried pocket knives once we were old enough to understand that sharp blades require a special caution. These days, I'm a kid could get expelled from school for such a thing, but not us.

Super cool that he was able to start his fire. That knife beats the crap out of pretty much all the stupid toys marketed to kids these days.

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from DSMbirddog wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

I'll bet your son was pretty proud of himself. Good post and product review.

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from fliphuntr14 wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

one of the most handy skills for someone to have his start a fire good to hear hes so interested at a young age in skills of survival and necessity instead of like you said surviving a snow day inside...

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from MJC wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Nice birthday present! As for the small striking surface, I found that my success with strikers and steel increased dramatically when I learned to keep the knife still and just move the striker. Hold the knife over your tinder and pull the striker back towards yourself. The sparks go forward onto the tinder and you don't whack you're carefully constructed tinder and fuel pile with a flailing striker. It would also make it easier to keep a striker on the small uncoated space on that knife.

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from bassman1 wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Great job kid.Good skill to know.

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from tkbone wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Good post. Wish I would have had a knife like that when I was a kid - I was infatuated with anything that would cut and went through tons of pocketknives. My folks had enough sense than to give me something that would actually start fires, though!

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from wgiles wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

What I think of Bear Grylls would be best left unsaid, but it does look like a good knife and I'm glad for you and your son.

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from chuckles wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

I've always joked that before video games all a kid needed to keep himself amused was a sharp knife and a pack of matches. Now you don't even need the matches. Awesome!

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from shane wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Skip the serration unless it's on the other edge, lose the BG but keep the orange so it's harder to lose, improve on the fire starting components as above, and I would be buying that knife in a heartbeat.

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from suburban bushwacker wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

I've long had mixed feelings about the gerber brand (mainly for the reasons Shane outlines) but if this knife is opening the door for your lad its gotta be a good thing
SBW

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from country road wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Your son sounds like a nice youngster who is headed in the right direction (from a good mentor).

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from JohnR wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Great post Chad and Kudos to you for having your son enjoy the outdoors despite the weather.
And Geez look at the snow! Where the heck is that?

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from The White Slug wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Wait. That kid is outside. Shouldn't he be in the house blowing out his thumb joints texting? U R a bd prent.

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from nerffodder wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Cool knife. Just spent two hours roasting marshmallows on a fire I built with wood from some dead pine trees. It's way more fun in the middle of winter.

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from thecampden wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

That is great that your son has some self dependence skills, like you said most of them are plugged into the TV, video games, or any other electronic device we have today. Bear would be an alright name if he were not on everything these days, come on a meat poncho.

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from iron giant wrote 2 years 12 weeks ago

I've nothing to add about the knife or Grylls but that is awesome that he is carrying a knife already. I started carrying a buck folder that my Grandpa gave me when I was either ten or eleven. there is no reason a kid that age can't be taught how to use a knife.

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from Jack Kaplan wrote 2 years 7 weeks ago

evidently this 10 year old was properly taught how to handle and care for a knife before hand
ive yet to purchase a BG knife but i will soon
thats a nice campfire!!
great job to the youngster and hats off to Dad
ithank my past Scoutmasters for that
knife and outdoors safety and survival is so important

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from Gimpergoo wrote 1 year 23 weeks ago

I find if you have enough small tender you can get it lit with a hard slow stroke down the firesteel. that way it throws bigger hotter sparks. Great product!

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from NorCal Cazadora wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Surprising for a 10-year-old to carry a knife? Not at all. My sisters and I *always* carried pocket knives once we were old enough to understand that sharp blades require a special caution. These days, I'm a kid could get expelled from school for such a thing, but not us.

Super cool that he was able to start his fire. That knife beats the crap out of pretty much all the stupid toys marketed to kids these days.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from The White Slug wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Wait. That kid is outside. Shouldn't he be in the house blowing out his thumb joints texting? U R a bd prent.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from DSMbirddog wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

I'll bet your son was pretty proud of himself. Good post and product review.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from fliphuntr14 wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

one of the most handy skills for someone to have his start a fire good to hear hes so interested at a young age in skills of survival and necessity instead of like you said surviving a snow day inside...

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MJC wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Nice birthday present! As for the small striking surface, I found that my success with strikers and steel increased dramatically when I learned to keep the knife still and just move the striker. Hold the knife over your tinder and pull the striker back towards yourself. The sparks go forward onto the tinder and you don't whack you're carefully constructed tinder and fuel pile with a flailing striker. It would also make it easier to keep a striker on the small uncoated space on that knife.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from bassman1 wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Great job kid.Good skill to know.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from tkbone wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Good post. Wish I would have had a knife like that when I was a kid - I was infatuated with anything that would cut and went through tons of pocketknives. My folks had enough sense than to give me something that would actually start fires, though!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from suburban bushwacker wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

I've long had mixed feelings about the gerber brand (mainly for the reasons Shane outlines) but if this knife is opening the door for your lad its gotta be a good thing
SBW

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from country road wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Your son sounds like a nice youngster who is headed in the right direction (from a good mentor).

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from iron giant wrote 2 years 12 weeks ago

I've nothing to add about the knife or Grylls but that is awesome that he is carrying a knife already. I started carrying a buck folder that my Grandpa gave me when I was either ten or eleven. there is no reason a kid that age can't be taught how to use a knife.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from mad_dog9999 wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

cool review. good to know

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from ckRich wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

HA, Great White Death Storm... I like it. I hope the news channels will pick it up, it's much more catchy than "Snowpocolypse 2011".

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from wgiles wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

What I think of Bear Grylls would be best left unsaid, but it does look like a good knife and I'm glad for you and your son.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from chuckles wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

I've always joked that before video games all a kid needed to keep himself amused was a sharp knife and a pack of matches. Now you don't even need the matches. Awesome!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from shane wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Skip the serration unless it's on the other edge, lose the BG but keep the orange so it's harder to lose, improve on the fire starting components as above, and I would be buying that knife in a heartbeat.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from JohnR wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Great post Chad and Kudos to you for having your son enjoy the outdoors despite the weather.
And Geez look at the snow! Where the heck is that?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from nerffodder wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Cool knife. Just spent two hours roasting marshmallows on a fire I built with wood from some dead pine trees. It's way more fun in the middle of winter.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from thecampden wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

That is great that your son has some self dependence skills, like you said most of them are plugged into the TV, video games, or any other electronic device we have today. Bear would be an alright name if he were not on everything these days, come on a meat poncho.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Jack Kaplan wrote 2 years 7 weeks ago

evidently this 10 year old was properly taught how to handle and care for a knife before hand
ive yet to purchase a BG knife but i will soon
thats a nice campfire!!
great job to the youngster and hats off to Dad
ithank my past Scoutmasters for that
knife and outdoors safety and survival is so important

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Gimpergoo wrote 1 year 23 weeks ago

I find if you have enough small tender you can get it lit with a hard slow stroke down the firesteel. that way it throws bigger hotter sparks. Great product!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.