Gerber Strongarm— that’s a hell of a name, isn’t it? But yet I remember strongarm inspection. Maybe it’s not such a great name.
Despite the name, the Strongarm is a combat knife. First, let me get this out of the way. According to the Gerber website, they have made ‘survival’ knives since 1968. Gerber released the Mark 1 and 2 back around ’66 as combat knives, and they were a hit with the military. That is to say, with the boots on the ground. For reasons never explained, Gerber was stopped from selling these knives in PXs. Gerber relabeled them as survival knives and PX’s welcomed them with open arms.
Since a survival knife can be defined as the knife you survive with, the Strongarm certainly qualifies. But it is a combat knife.
The blade is ground from 420GHC steel, a hard martensitic steel. With 12% chromium content, it qualifies as stainless. Gerber gives the blade what it calls a ceramic coating for additional protection. Washing off corrosive chemicals and wiping a blade down with oil never hurts. The partially serrated blade at 4.8 inches long, is a useful length for many knife chores.
The fact that people continue to write about this knife is a testament to it being a home run for Gerber.
Read the whole thing at TheKnifeEdge blog.
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