Greetings fellow lover of the outdoor experience and steel!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -
If you weren't already aware, this Gerber Bear Grylls folding lockback Scout knife is being auctioned off to help raise funds for the Boy Scouts, Send a Scout to Camp program.  Winner receives this knife, autographed by me, along with a Certificate of Authenticity, and the amount of money bid on the knife (less eBay & Paypal fees) goes to the Boy Scouts! 

Auction begins in coordination with the one year anniversary of the first post on my knife blog (3/15/12 @ 10:56 am):
 

Straight out of the box it stands out from the rest.  The "BG" (initials of the survival champ, Bear Grylls) on the handle, accompanied by the orange trim, just kinda gives this knife a CAN-DO, CALL-ON-ME-WHENEVER, SAFETY-PEACE-OF-MIND, spirit.  I just know if I was venturing into the woods, this knife would be on me somewhere. No question.
  

I cut everything with this knife; boxes, rope, cigar caps, small tree limbs, and heck I even batoned wood with 'er. 
       

 I was inspired to conduct this knife review by Bear Grylls activity, involvement and commitment to scouting.  I read an article describing his life and his dedication to the nation of scouting in the UK.  Grylls involvement is driving kids to outdoor adventures and scouting in droves, in his land (UK) and I'm sure in this land (U.S.A.).  And frankly campers........I DIG that. 

When we were kids, we lived the scouting life, as my father's goal was to G.O.A.L. (Get Out And Live) and for me, to see young men in today's world persuing the Spirit of the Outdoors (Ted Nugent sahlute there), is invigorating.

Steel Sahlute to role models!!!

Allright let's slip into the steel spirit here and burrow into this review.

First off, I love the lightness.  Clipped on your pocket, it is not a bother. The knife fits effortlessly in my palm.   However......................................... I will add, removing it from the pocket can sometimes, forgive me for the pun, but, be a BEAR.  Accessibility is a pet peeve of my steel pets, as you know, and this knife urked me a little on the withdrawl. Somehow when placing your pointer finger on the pocket clip in an attempt to remove the folding lockback pocket knife from the pocket it sticks.  Knot like as in a "gluey" stick, but as in resistance. 

Maybe the tension in the pocket clip is a little too taught, but then again, you don't want it to be plucked from your pocket be a tree branch or some wild animal when persuing lions, tigers and bears......

While I'm shedding campfire light on my not-so-favorite portions of the knife, I might as well as throw another log on the fire, and mention this.  I'm still knot a huge fan of the thumb stud opening systerm as this knife continues to be stiff.  I did drop a little oil in the joint, but I really had to put some "thumb umph"  behind the thumb stud to bring this rascal out of it's cave.  Again, focusing on one of my knife "pet peeves", accessibility is H-U-G-E to me.

What's awesome about this bantom weight beast?  The weight.  It's lite.  And......it's sharp.  I mean really sharp.  See the pic above, of the cigar cap cut in little teeny squares?  Yeah, I cut myself, as you can see by the band aid, when I cut my cigar previously and one of the serrated teeth snagged me. *#&$^#%(

One of the meanest tests when reviewing ANY knife is batoning wood.  To baton wood, you essentially drive the knife blade into the wood and hammer the exposed blade tip with a piece of wood to split the wood or "peel" off a smaller part of the log.  I batoned a half ah dozen pieces.  I used the serrated portion to cut small limbs.  I struck my magnesium ferro rod to create some sparks with the knife.  

I'm telling ya, I beat this knife up!  I did.  I still haven't re-sharpened it, but I guess I'll leave that decision to the winner of this knife.

Another highlight.  I like the rubber handles.  They fit knicely in my palm and I also believe the orange trim might be helpful if the knife gets lost.....the orange portions MAY help you discover it. 



KNIFE REVIEW STEEL SAHLUTE SCORE

Accessibility - 8.5 Steel Sahlutes
Usability - 10.0 Steel Sahlutes
Sharpness - 10.0 Steel Sahlutes
Collectibility - 5.0 (I think these will get more use than collection time)
Fit & Finish - 10.0
Survival Gear - 10.0 (Oh, you don't want to leave home without this knife).
Price point - 9.5 (heckuva deal for $20.00)

Overall, I'm very happy with this knife.......I hope the new owner is as well.  Be sure to check in here March 15th at 10:56 am, as I list this knife on eBay and the highest bidder wins it, autographed, and the proceeds go to Boy Scouts. 

In the mean time, if you'd like to give one of these knives to your cub scout, boy scout, girl scout, son, gandson, daughter or what have you, please consider purchasing through my website links to Amazon.  It'll help me earn a small pittence!!

STEEL SAHLUTE SCORE = 9.1 Steel Sahlutes!!!

Steel Sahlute and stay tuned for the auction!

Scott