Gerber LMF

I like to think of myself as a "tacticool fashanista". There's just something about "tacticool" stuff that is exciting to me. My friends and I often make fun of that term but I can't help but fall victim to that mentality. That being said, I own 3 different LMF II model knives...this model, the coyote brown survival, and the black infantry. They are all identical except the survival series coming with an additional "paracord cutter" as I call it.The first thing you notice about this knife when taking it out of the box is the weight. It does not feel super heavy, like a machete or axe, but it sure isn't lightweight either. It feels well balanced in the hand and "beefy", because of the larger grip, which is also very pleasant as the texture and material are very non-slip. The reason for the weight and grip is probably due to the "extra" uses of this knife...glassbreaker, hammer, insulation from electricity, thick blade, etc.The sheath is great on this thing. It has several different methods available to use for mounting. I prefer the single leg strap on bottom going around my thigh, while hanging by the belt loop. The nylon material is very heavy duty and almost feels "rubberized". The kydex sheath portion grips the knife with a "death grip". It snaps in place and you really have to try to get the thing out. Some people say the rubber on the handle starts to pull off over time due to this. I have not seen this on mine as of yet. The 2 snaps on the sheath that connect over the handle are quite a bit of overkill, due to the crazy grip that the sheath holds the knife in once inserted. You cannot take these 2 snaps off so either use them or let them "bunch" up behind the handle. It's a con, but a very small one.I have to agree with a majority of reviewers that wish they offered this knife in a smooth blade. Most of my knifes are smooth blades and I understand the desire to shy away from serrated blades, but they do have their place and usefulness. They are valuable in their own right, but I acknowledge the additional hassle of sharpening serrations. All that being said, this blade is SHARP out of the box and pre-oiled. I tested the sharpness of each of these knives and let me tell you, they are sharp. Be very careful when deploying the knife out of the sheath...it will cut you or someone near you if you sling it out of the sheath unintentionally.You must keep in mind that this is a combination type knife. It is not intended for one specific use like some knives. It's a survival knife, it's a fighting knife, it's a combat knife...could be a hunting knife....could be a construction knife...that is the strongest selling point of this knife. With that, obviously comes limitations as with anything else. This knife is not as long as some knives...it's also not as light weight as some and it also not full tang (it is 3/4 though - due to need to be insulated). With each con, there is also a pro towards another direction. So yes, for any knife you could find somewhere that it fails and another knife excels, yet with this knife it seems that the pro's far out weigh the con's.I own many fixed blades and these are probably my favorite out of them all. There are many knives that do not excel in the many areas that this knife does, and cost WAY more than the LMF II does. I would have to say that if you do have a "knife wish list" like I do, you must add the LMF II to it.

This is an excellent knife. Do not mistake cost and quality. No this knife does not cost $300.00. But it out preforms many that do. This is one very tough knife with some excellent features. It also comes with a very nice tactical carrying rig. However, if that does not suit you, it can simply be carried on you belt in the most typical way. The steel is hard enough to preform very well, yet it sharpens easily. It will make a spark against a ferro rod and very hard rocks. as it is carbon based steel. It has both strait edge and a small serrated edge part. The handle is extremely comfortable. It has holes that make it easy to make it a spear with some cordage. The back of the handle can be used as a window breaker, to crack nuts or coconuts or as a combat tool if needed. There is a separation in the rear of the tang that makes it safe to strike electronics without being electrocuted (If you chose to do this you should seek training on other Personal Protective Equipment that is needed to do this safely) As many fixed blade knives as I have, and that is a great many, I have two of these and if I could only have one fixed blade survival knife this is the one I would pick time and time again! I keep one out that I use and another in a bug-out bag. I like it so much, I am considering buying a 3rd!

I have a few other popular combat knives. I have a Ka-Bar, an Gerber Mk-II I carried on my swat belt, and many folders common in law enforcement. This Gerber is by far the toughest knife, way tougher than my Ka-Bar too. I could split logs with it it I had to, have no doubt I could stab it through a car door, and could easily penetrate almost all soft body armor (only exceptions being those designed to be stab-proof). I will be buying one for my girlfriends son in the Army. It’s heavy, but lightweight knifes are weak.

I am not going to write an extensive review on this knife since many other reviews have pointed out the strong points that I agree with. I bought this knife because I wanted a strong reliable survival style knife with by bug-out bag. This knife is perfect for that purpose and the MOLLE attachments allow me to attach it to the outside of my Maxpedition Condor-II BackpackThis is a sharp blade and I managed to cut myself with serrations with absolutely no effort. I can tell its well made my just handling it and it fits in my hand perfectly. Some may complain about the weight, but I am willing to accept it for the pros that come with hardier construction. I have not used the glass breaker and i hope I never have to but I am fully confident that it will make short work of most any window.The sheath is very nice, but is pretty tight. Some may complain about this, but I knew about it going into the purchase. Also the two retention straps are plus. The one closest to the blade was rather difficult to close at first but after snapping it closed and letting it stretch, it now works much better.I would totally buy this knife again and I may end up adding another for redundancy in the future.Pros:Very Sharp BladeMade in the USAGreat features (Glass Breaker, Holes for lashing to stick)Great Sheath (Very secure, MOLLE Compatible, built in sharpener)Cons:Kind of heavyHard to remove from sheath with one hand