If you have read any of my previous articles you know the importance I place on always having a blade. A common question often asked is ‘what is the best knife to have?’. The blanket answer to that is ‘the knife you have on you’. The Gerber Freescape Folding Sheath Knife is marketed as a camp kitchen prep knife, but it can be used for much more than that. Depending on your budget this may be the knife you decide to carry for everything; hiking, camping and outdoors related. If the knife is used within its means then it will serve you well for many years. Gerber knives have been around for many years and manufacture a solid product, I know because I carried a Gerber knife during my active duty years as a Marine, and it never failed me.
Style of Knife: Folding Sheath Knife. This knife is a larger folding knife, much like the Gerber Gator folding knives making it ideal for belt carry. As the weather becomes colder you begin to layer clothing and wear heavier jackets reducing your access to your pockets. Having a belt knife makes life a little easier when you need access to your blade without having to move a bunch of clothing around.
Blade Length: The blade length is 3.5″ making it well suited for many camp, and hunting tasks. The overall length of the knife is 8.4″.
Type of Edge: The edge of the knife is your traditional V grind. The blade is partially serrated giving you better cutting capability when having to cut through rope, twine, or any other tough material. Due to the type of steel used and the grind angle, the knife is easy to sharpen in order to bring the edge back after heavy use.
Blade and Handle Materials: The blade steel used is 7cr17MoV stainless steel. The 7cr17MoV stainless steel is similar to 440 steel, but with a higher content of vanadium. With the higher content of vanadium you get increased strength, wear resistance, and increased overall toughness of the blade. The handle material is a textured rubber grip similar to the gator grip found on the Gator series of knives.
Sheath: The sheath in the hand almost feels like a hybrid of nylon and neoprene. The blade is held securely in the sheath via a combination of the snug fit and the flap which is held closed by a velcro clasp. Also integrated into the sheath is a generous belt loop accommodating belts up to 2″ wide. Overall this is a well constructed sheath that will remain on your belt and retain the knife during vigorous activity.
Weight: 4.3 ounces
MSRP: $53 direct from the Gerber Gear website.
Unique Features: The new Gerber Freescape folding sheath knife features a safety that allows the user to either lock the blade open or lock the blade closed. The bright green highlights on the handle allow you to better locate the knife if dropped on the ground in the leaves or the snow. The toxic green color also gives the knife a cool zombie look if you’re into the kind of thing.
Application: General camp tasks, day hiking, or hunting.
Pros: This blade performs pretty damn good for basic tasks in the yard, or out at the camp site. The blade excels at prepping sticks for roasting marshmallows or hotdogs. I was able to produce several feather sticks for fire prep – something I believe every field knife should be able to do. Time will tell on how well the blade holds up to field use.
Cons: I would not consider this knife a good option for military field use like I would the Gator series of knives. Don’t get me wrong it’s a well made knife, but it’s geared more for lighter duty tasks. The lock back design of this knife seems to be on the lighter side. What I mean is when you disengage the lock, there isn’t a whole lot of resistance. I can’t yet say I would trust my life to this knife, but time will tell.
*Featured photo courtesy of Gerber Gear
