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Gerber Big Rock – A Great Budget Survival Knife
Photos: Tom Sheppard
by: Tom Sheppard Guest Author
Having a great knife on you in the wilderness is critical for survival. However, sometimes we can’t necessarily afford to have an expensive tool at our side. There is also an ongoing debate about size, where you want to do more research. That is where the Gerber Big Rock knife comes in. It is a great medium size knife that is very affordable and in this article, I’m going to show you why.
Choosing a proper survival knife can be somewhat of a difficult task. There are many options out there to pick from, ranging in price, weight, and functionality. As John talks about over at Trek Warrior {http://www.trekwarrior.com/best-survival-knife-review/}, some things to look out for when selecting a survival knife is to go for a fixed, full tang, and single edge blade. Also, it’s wise to get a knife that has a good tip point as well as a tough pommel.
The reason that these factors are a must is that they give you the ability to carry out most of the tasks that you will need to be doing in a survival situation.
For example, in order to put together a camp site, fire, and other tasks, you will have to process wood. Your knife needs to have the capability to cut limbs, make kindling, and do some minor carving at a minimum. Another great feature is if your knife can baton wood for bigger fires.
It is a lot more convenient if your knife has a good pommel so you can use it to drive things into the ground as well instead of having to search for another object laying around like a rock.
Another important capability is that your knife will allow you to process fish and animals for food if the need arises. Knives that are too big won’t allow you to fillet a fish or possibly skin smaller game easily. It’s important to have a versatile knife that helps make these jobs much more efficient.
The Gerber Big Rock knife is a fantastic choice that meets our requirements for survival. Let’s jump into the review next.
Specifications
The Gerber Big Rock has the following features:
- Overall length: 9.4 inches
- Blade length: 4.5 inches
- Blade thickness: 0.156 inches
- Blade material: 440A stainless steel
- Blade type: full tang, single edge
- Weight: 6.4 ounces, 7.9 ounces (with stock sheath)
Detailed Review
The best selling feature about the Gerber Big Rock knife is that you get amazing value and capability for its price. Other knives in its price range don’t offer all of the same capabilities
The Big Rock comes with a black Nylon sheath. The sheath is very basic and light weight. It’s functional and has a nice belt loop on it with a single button leash near the base of the handle.
What you’ll notice right away when you take the knife out of its sheath is the amazing ergonomic handle. The handle feels great in big hands, especially the pointer finger cutout area. The handle is made out of glass-filled Nylon and is grooved to prevent slip. There are also small notches on the back of the knife where you can place your thumb for more detailed controlled work with the knife.
The handle also has a nice finger guard to help you keep your grip in place. The shape of the handle is great for long term work with the knife so that you don’t fatigue out.
The blade is full tang and you can see it run down the length of the knife with the handle slabs bolted on. The tang is the pommel, which also has a hole for a lanyard attachment. The pommel is strong and great for crushing. However, the pommel area is not flat due to the shape and the lanyard hole. While this knife can be used for driving things into the ground, you will need to be careful when you do this so that the knife doesn’t slip off of what you are striking it with.
The blade steel is 440A stainless, which is relatively cheap. That can be expected from a knife in this price range. While 440A isn’t known for holding up over the long term as well as expensive steels, this knife seems to perform very well.
The 4.5 inch blade length comes sharp right out of the box. The knife does come in both options of serrated or fine blade. This usually comes down to personal preference and also the type of tasks you will most likely be doing with the knife. I personally chose the serrated version for a little more flexibility of cutting out in the woods.
The tip point is very sharp, which makes this knife a good choice for strapping to a long stick to use as a spear weapon. A spear can help you keep a safe distance if you have the need to hunt larger game. The tip is also handy for drilling holes in wood for different needs.
The blade has a grey, murky finish on it, with the Gerber name near the base of the blade. The knife is nicely balanced, with the center of balance located near the pointer finger cutout on the handle grip area.
There is a flat spine on the blade that has distinct edges. This gives the knife the ability to create really nice sparks if used as a striker on a ferro rod. Having this ability is a very nice fall back feature of having redundancy built into your gear in case you lose your striker or it becomes damaged somehow.
Conclusion
Overall, the Gerber Big Rock knife is a great choice when it comes to survival, hunting, or camping. It is a tool that is good at most tasks to give you maximum coverage. And the biggest selling feature of all is its low price.
For those of us that can’t afford an expensive knife, or just need a cheaper secondary knife, the Big Rock does not disappoint.
About the Author
Tom Sheppard is a survivalist who enjoys hunting and camping. He loves checking out new gear and putting it to the test in the north Texas woods. He often shares his expertise over at Trek Warrior {http://www.trekwarrior.com/}.
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