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Celebrities Endorse Knives!
You have all seen the TV shows, YouTube vids, been to knife shows or read in magazines about several characters who have some interesting backgrounds who go about endorsing knives!
Here are some of the notables:
R. Lee Ermey
Yes we call him Gunny and he has served as the spokesman for SOG for some time appearing in some videos.
R. Lee Ermey, Full name Ronald Lee Ermey is a retired United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, Drill Instructor and actor. Wikipedia
Born: March 24, 1944 (age 68), Emporia, KS
Then we have Les Stroud:
Les Stroud (b. October 20, 1961, in Mimico, Ontario[1][2][3]) is a Canadian musician, filmmaker, and survival expert best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series Survivorman. Stroud became a full-time wilderness guide, survival instructor and musician based in Huntsville, Ontario. Les works with Camillus Brand knifes.
And the at one time ubiquitous Bear Grylls
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls (born 7 June 1974) is an English adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is best known for his television series Man vs. Wild, known as Born Survivor in the United Kingdom. In July 2009, Grylls was appointed the youngest ever Chief Scout at the age of 35. Bear endorsed a lines of knives for Gerber.
And a new entrant:
Mykel "Myke" Hawke (born November 29, 1965) is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer.[1] He is best known for his role in the Discovery Channel series Man, Woman, Wild, where he co-stars with his wife, Ruth England, a British television presenter and actress. He is the author[2] of several books, most recently Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from New York University and a Master of Science degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a combat veteran Hawke was an enlisted Green Beret and later commissioned as a captain in special forces. He fought rebels and trained UN peacekeepers in war torn Africa and did combat search and rescue during the drug war in Colombia. Also of note he has earned black belts in Aikido and Judo.
Hawke has teamed up with Tops Knives to create his custom survival knife, the Hawke's Hellion 2020, a machete like tool with a sharpening tool, firesteel, whistle, and survival saw.
Haley Heath knows hunting and all her years of experience have given her an expert perspective on what gear a woman needs in the field. Our famous ERGOHunter handles were modified and re-curved to fit smaller hands and provide a safer grip, while a finger guard at the bottom of the blade was added for increased safety. Buck is pleased to introduce the knife series that Haley trusts to serve her outdoor needs. With a variety of blade steels(S30V,12C27Mod Sandvik and 420HC) there is a choice for every woman.
(As appeared on a back cover ad for Buck Knives...... Knives Illustrated magazine)
So those are the spokesman endorsers! Here is my question. do these people make you want to buy the knives they endorse?
Tags: Bear, Camillus, ERGOHUNTER, Ermey, Gerber, Grylls, Hawke, Lee, Les, Mykel, More…
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alexander Noot on
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Nope. Not one iota or whit.
My first point about this is that all those named have a very "own" opinion about what they need to do with a knife. They survival and use stategies are all very pointed and unique. Whilst I'm of the opinion that in a survival strategy the only thing that matters about a knife is that you have one and it's a decent one.
From all those (I'm sure they're admirable) people I've never bought anything of their designs and likely never will. From what I've seen of those designs all of them have tried to "reinvent" the wheels...in stead of making it more round. Their designs are all fairly wide. As if they felt the need to make them easily recognisable.
Simply put....I don't like them.
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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on
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No influence here either. I would say in our case it is mostly that we dont watch survival show and are traditionists in knives. Seems there are no celebrity traditional knife spoke persons, or none that I can think of
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on
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Certainly the credentials of at least some these people is very good. For you it does not transfer into the knives. The knife companies must think differently!
Alexander Noot said:Nope. Not one iota or whit.
My first point about this is that all those named have a very "own" opinion about what they need to do with a knife. They survival and use stategies are all very pointed and unique. Whilst I'm of the opinion that in a survival strategy the only thing that matters about a knife is that you have one and it's a decent one.
From all those (I'm sure they're admirable) people I've never bought anything of their designs and likely never will. From what I've seen of those designs all of them have tried to "reinvent" the wheels...in stead of making it more round. Their designs are all fairly wide. As if they felt the need to make them easily recognisable.
Simply put....I don't like them.
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Don't know if the survival shows are over now and not as influential as they once were?
Jan Carter said:No influence here either. I would say in our case it is mostly that we dont watch survival show and are traditionists in knives. Seems there are no celebrity traditional knife spoke persons, or none that I can think of
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Permalink Reply by Wayne Whitted on
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I am not a fan of advertising in general anyway so, NO I am not swayed in any direction by celebs. I am swayed however by internet celebs, like some who do good reviews on YouTube about something I might be interested in. These guys and gals are usually just folks like us who happen to have the time to video review some tool or knife they like or dislike. I do not watch a ton of video reviews though. Just a couple or so per week maybe.
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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on
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Guess I have to agree with Wayne. Paid endorsements aren't worth much, but a good knife review or demonstration, by an unbiased individual is great. iKC has several members that always do excellent reviews.
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Good to know Wayne, a definite no to the endorsements by famous guys! lol But the video review by folks not much different than us is a good thing and this gives me a chance to thank all those folks (like you)who take time to post video to our page here. A big Thank You.!
Wayne Whitted said:I am not a fan of advertising in general anyway so, NO I am not swayed in any direction by celebs. I am swayed however by internet celebs, like some who do good reviews on YouTube about something I might be interested in. These guys and gals are usually just folks like us who happen to have the time to video review some tool or knife they like or dislike. I do not watch a ton of video reviews though. Just a couple or so per week maybe.
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Another no, interesting so much for paid endorsements. As I mentioned we have some excellent product reviews right her and I do hope everybody takes the time to look , read and like or comment or both.
J.J. Smith III said:Guess I have to agree with Wayne. Paid endorsements aren't worth much, but a good knife review or demonstration, by an unbiased individual is great. iKC has several members that always do excellent reviews.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on
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While I enjoy watching these guys on TV, none of them have induced me to buy any of the knives they endorse. However, I really like the style of Bear Grylls' survival knife, so I made a knife very similar to it for myself.
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Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on
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What difference is it that some talking head promotes, knives, beer, colognes, vehicles or feminine hygiene products? Are you buying because of their expertise, palate or medical knowledge--NO--you're buying because they're stars...What makes them more knowledgeable then you? Do I care if megabuck star singer or actor votes for or supports in a Federal election if I can't stand their singing or acting? Just because they play a part on a T.V. series, say as a doctor, means they know the first thing about medicine? Do you really some "A" list actor would ever drive in a Crysler Town & Country van, a Crysler Maybach maybe?
R. Lee is just a spokesman for SOG knives but is it due to he being a noted actor or a former Marine D.I.? At least he's not promoting his knives over the top but they are slightly overpriced but well made for Chi-Comm stuff.
Gerber choose Bear for their line of crap Chi-Comm made products but it certainly wasn't about his survival skills which are abysmal at best...He has a crew film it all for him and at the end of the shooting (maybe after seven or eight takes) they'll all helicopter to the nearest five star (OK, maybe four star) lodge and spend the night...Their first collaboration didn't fair so well with handles snapping off the blades which is supposed to have been fixed in their reincarnation of it...Remember that Grylls used to use a $550 Bayley custom knife in his earlier episodes but after a huge falling out between them, Rob Bayley no longer makes and barely even acknowledges Bear's existence.
Les, who I've met many times, is at least what he says he is and does it all on his own and his word or choice (not necessarily brand) of blade I happen to agree with and have been using for decades prior to his show being aired...He was/is supposed to have come out with a knife with Norwegian knifemaker Helle called Temagami but as long as Camillus uses their USA plant for the "Stroud line-up" then Ok but if they continue using their Chi-Comm made knives with his name on it they won't sell as well.
I have no idea who this Mike Haykes is as I've never seen or heard of his program but TOPS is making a small machete of his called the Hellion.
One that you haven't mentioned is the legendary Ray Mears and he does endorse a couple of knife companies in England but he really isn't associated with them like Bear or R Lee are...He uses Stephen Wade Cox for his Bushcraft knife but his original Woodlore knife was made by Alan Wood who can't keep up with the demand so Mear's went with Cox for a £100 cheaper version.
Another legendary woodsman is Mors Kochanski who has been using a Bernie Garland Bushcraft knife for a few years.
But you're forgetting a lot of other noted former Special Forces and other survivors who've come out with their line of knives. From England comes Chris Cane and his golok; the late Ron Hood with his monstrosity--not the one he collaborated with Buck Knives on--but his ATAX made by TOPS, then you have Tom Brown Jr. with his Tracker knife also made by TOPS and copied by a few others and made famous in the movie and because of that so many think it's a great knife design (which it isn't and not by a long shot) but only because they saw some celebrity use it.
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Some great references, You mention a few that I indeed had not heard of before. But certainly there are a few who claimed to know survival or designed knives around that thought, but you have to wonder, did they really have any thought behind it other than pursuit of a growing, lucrative niche market?
Another legendary woodsman is Mors Kochanski who has been using a Bernie Garland Bushcraft knife for a few years.
But you're forgetting a lot of other noted former Special Forces and other survivors who've come out with their line of knives. From England comes Chris Cane and his golok; the late Ron Hood with his monstrosity--not the one he collaborated with Buck Knives on--but his ATAX made by TOPS, then you have Tom Brown Jr. with his Tracker knife also made by TOPS and copied by a few others and made famous in the movie and because of that so many think it's a great knife design (which it isn't and not by a long shot) but only because they saw some celebrity use it.
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Permalink Reply by Clint Thompson on
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Not me.
White River Knives
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