The BG Ultimate Survival Knife (fine blade) is something I want to hate. It was a gift from my kids for Mother''s Day this year so I love it for that reason alone, but there’s a moment of shame when I bring it out around other people. That said, I like it more and more every time I use it. For the past couple of weeks, we've battoned campfire wood with it, and used it to make wood shavings and feather sticks. I preferred using my CRKT folder for making whittling, but it rocked the battoning, pitch and fatwood hunting, and I like the fire steel.

It wasn't sharp enough out of the box for my liking, and I haven't sharpened it yet, but it's done everything I asked of it so far. I am a total noob to knife sharpening so I'm not going to use the one built into the sheath on anything other than old beat up don't care about 'em knives for now.

It's a bigger and heavier knife than I've ever carried. This past weekend wasn't a "need a fixed blade on your belt" kind of camp, but after spending the weekend with it, I'm not sure it's ever going to fill that role for me. I hiked with it on my belt for an hour or so on Sunday morning, and I much preferred tucking into my belt at the small of my back, or better yet, leaving it in the pack except when we were us it.















I wish the ferro rod was a little longer but it works just fine if you pull the ferro rod across the knife instead of vice versa.







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Almost forgot: on the back of the sheath, there is a pictograph of emergency signals. It's a little rubbery/plastic thing, and it's sewn on to form a little pocket. I carry a charred lamp wick wrapped in tin foil in mine. After I got home I read one of Woods Walker's post about using a lamp wick and had a "Duh,!" moment when he said he chars both ends of his. Mine's now charred on both ends too. :-)

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I didn't realize they made a non-serrated version. While it's not exactly my style at least it's a Gerber. There's probably a good base level of build quality to it.

Nice review!

A "moment of shame"? No way. A gift like that, given to you by your kids, is a treasure. I would pull that out with pride in a heartbeat and announce to the world that my children gave it to me, grinning from ear to ear. Obviously they know you well and love you very much, because they chose something especially for you, rooted in the lifestyle you love. A fixed blade knife is not a traditional Mothers Day gift you see screaming for your attention in the Mothers Day trinket section of your typical store. It was bought FOR YOU. I think I would sleep with that thing in the bed beside me. Well, maybe not (I have a water bed!)

When you see that "BG" in big bold letters on the knife, don't think "Bear Grylls", think "Best Gift"!

I love the way you think, Haertig! :-) Best Gift. I like that! It was very thoughtful, and I do love it!

If, God forbid, you were ever separated from your family and in a survival situation where you were having to fight to get home, which would you want by your side? A $500 wonder-knife, or one given to you by your family that is perfectly serviceable for the job it needs to do? The mental battle is the toughest part of survival, so I've heard, and that knife would probably be your ace card in keeping up the will to get back home.

You're absolutely right, haertig. I love it, I really do. I should have said that the BG brand is strong and the knife does elicit negative and SmrteAss comments. My $30 Ruko barely drew any notice until someone borrowed it and liked it.

It seems OK, Izzy. It's done everything I've asked of it so far. I'm not sure it's ever going to be belt carry for me, but then again, it took a while for me to take to a smaller fixed blade.

A while back I saw some tests and review of the original version of this knife and it seems like an all-around solid performer. I personally wouldn't have any concerns relying on or recommending this knife as ones primary (or only) wilderness knife.

Knife Test
Knife Review

The only big negative was the serrations that the fine edge model shown here eliminated. For the most part, those that have a negative view of the knife do so based either on their feelings about Bear Grylls or the aesthetics of the knife itself. And frankly, neither of those things matter at all when you are out in the woods.

And, as an aside, the newer "Pro" version looks even better.

Nothing wrong with the later BG Ultimate Survival Knife (fine point), I think it represents reasonably good value for money in North America. Not so much in the UK with the $ to £ equivalence. The BG Ultimate Survival Pro Knife should have really been the original incarnation in the first place. I would be happy to carry one of these around but again too expensive at the moment.

I was out a few days ago, chopping with my Mod 4 on a beach cutting 6 to 8 inch logs of a beech tree washed up from the River Tay.

The British Army Mod 4 genuine article holds up reasonably well against some custom choppers in this review.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y8uNuHejy0

It's a knife. Knives have been around for thousands of years and they surely represent a mature technology. Mostly one end is pointy, the other end is grippy, with a sharp edge in between. Most anything you can pick up will get the job done, whether you spend $10 or $300. Witness one Aron Ralston,not beloved in this forum, who committed major surgery with some no name Chinese knockoff.

Tht is not to say that this one, a family gift, doesn't have a special value. It clearly has meaning, far beyond mere utility. And even though BG has endorsed it, it looks like it is perfectly capable.

Doesn't BG on the handle really stand for Best Gift?