REVIEW: Gerber Strongarm Knife

We like knives that offer good value for the price. And they should also be capable in use and in the field. The Gerber Strongarm with its modular sheath is definitely one of those. Read on to find out what it has to offer.

As seen in the image, this is what you receive. Knife, plastic sheath, and straps - that is the Strongarm. The knife itself weighs just under 205 g and is made from 420HC steel with a black coating.

The total length of the blade from the handle to the tip is 12.5 cm, with the length of the sharpened blade being approximately 11 cm. The overall length is around 30 cm. The blade shape and overall appearance may seem somewhat familiar - and we know why.

It's almost the same blade shape as the classic Gerber ASEK II, just in a slimmer form. The ASEK II weighs about 37% more, namely 330 g, feels noticeably bulkier in hand, and is a workhorse.

The blades are the same length and thickness. The Strongarm's blade is slightly narrower than that of the ASEK II. The blade width is about 5 mm and lends itself well to performing rough tasks, which we have also done.

A good test for a field knife is always batoning, which means striking the back of the blade with a piece of wood to split another piece. The rubberized handle feels excellent in hand during work.

It works flawlessly and without significant wear on the knife. Chopping through thorny bushes and similar tasks also work perfectly.

At the end of the rubberized and very grippy handle, you'll also find a window breaker with a convenient hole for a lanyard.

But the really exciting thing about the Strongarm is its modular sheath. It comes with everything you need to carry it in three different ways: horizontally and vertically on your belt, and attached to MOLLE.

Here's the back of the sheath. The snap buttons are clearly visible, unfortunately, they are initially very difficult to open.

Another well-thought-out feature of the sheath is that it is symmetrically designed. Thanks to the small protrusions, you can easily pull out the knife from the sheath, no matter how you have it mounted.

Now for the classic horizontal belt carry method. Simply pass the belt through the strap loop and you're done. Of course, you can also open the sturdy snap fasteners.

The two straps, narrow and wide, can be removed, and the buckle at the back can also be detached. This is done via a snap closure. The elongated snap piece allows the sheath to be easily attached to MOLLE. Simply hold the sheath in the desired position and insert the snap piece.

Now you can thread the belt through the belt loop...

... and simply attach the sheath. Now you can carry the knife horizontally. We personally do not find this carry method very exciting, but many people like it.

In addition to the three mentioned options, the sheath can also be looped with paracord. Gerber provides eight eyelets for this purpose. Two 25 mm wide slots are also provided on the sheath, allowing for limitless creativity.

Here are the technical specifications at a glance:

Blade material: 420HC
Handle material: fiberglass-reinforced nylon with rubber coating
Blade length: 12.2 cm
Overall length: 24.8 cm
Knife weight: 204 g
Overall weight: 309 g

VERDICT: A good all-around field knife, unfortunately just a few millimeters outside of legality for our German friends. The blade retained its sharpness well and was easy to sharpen. We especially liked the sheath with its many integrated mounting options. The value for money of the knife is very good, but for those who can purchase it in the USA, the price will be even more appealing as it is a quarter cheaper there. HERE is the Gerber video about the Strongarm.

Available directly from Gerber for $75 excluding shipping or from any dealers carrying Gerber products.

GERBER on the web: www.gerbergear.com