REVIEW: Gerber Bear Grylls Scout Folding Knife

A good knife is always something you should have with you when going outdoors. Gerber is a quality manufacturer, Bear Grylls a man of adventure. At Gerber, he has his very own equipment collection. So what could go wrong if we treat ourselves to the Gerber Bear Grylls Scout folding knife? There it is, laid out on the table. And, admittedly, it looks peculiar. The handle is made of plastic in gray-orange, with Bear Grylls' initials embedded. The color choice reminds us of Bauhaus; the knife, we reluctantly say, looks cheap.

There is little to complain about regarding the blade itself; on the contrary, it holds its sharpness very well and combines both worlds, serrated edge, and a completely normal smooth blade. In addition to the drop-point shape, there is also a glass bead-blasted surface that is very pleasant and easy to maintain. Wipe it off, and everything is clean.

With two pins on the blade, the knife can be opened quickly and smoothly with one hand.

On the back, a thumb serration ensures a good grip when cutting.

It is locked with a classic back lock. Beware, if you hold the knife horizontally and press that, the blade swings quickly downwards towards your fingers. That's the other side of smooth operation...The handle made of special plastic does not make us happy. When you squeeze, you can easily bring the two handle scales together. As mentioned, it seems like a cheap solution. However, it also has advantages. The knife weighs only 118 grams. And the orange color ensures that you immediately see it if the owner leaves it on the forest floor.

The Scout also features a good belt clip with the Gerber logo. If you don't need or like it, you can also unscrew it...

CONCLUSION: When we first held the knife in our hands, we were genuinely shocked. 40 euros for the knife? Now it seems to be on sale for half the price, and for that, it is definitely worth it: it is nicely sharp, holds its sharpness well, it is light and eye-catching. It doesn't always have to be the heaviest outdoor knife; this one serves its purpose very well, even if the Bear Grylls design doesn't impress us. This knife, despite all the criticism, is in its way better than its appearance.

The Gerber Bear Grylls Scout folding knife used to cost over 40 euros, but now it can be found for around 21 euros, for example on Amazon. A successor model in a more valuable design seems to be on the way, the Survival AO.

GERBER on the Internet: www.gerbergear.com