Great knife to trust for survival / EDC
I bought this knife as an alternative to my larger and heavier "survival" knife that is a bit much every day carry in my city-boy lifestyle. That knife is a beast, and definitely the one I would hope to have if I have to survive in the woods or off-grid. But, it's a bit of a monster to carry, and is high-carbon steel that could rust out if not cared for. I wanted something a bit smaller, lighter, and maintenance free to have with me every day, hoping that the Garberg would be enough to trust.
I was not disappointed! This knife is beautiful, holds a wicked edge, is tough enough for all but the most abusing uses I can think of, and is the perfect balance of practicality. The handle has the most comfortable grip of any knife I've tried. I like that it can be held reverse-grip just as well as normally. The only bit I don't care for particularly is the protruding tang at the end. No-one needs that for striking sparks as the spine of the blade is fine for that. Sure you could pound on it, but you could also if it was flush or almost flush with the heel of the handle. If you need to push on the knife with your hand, or use it like a drill, it will rip up your palm without a glove. If I have access to a grinder some day I might well grind it off. That said, I wouldn't take a star off for it as it's just a personal opinion.
As for the multi-mount sheath ... I'm on the fence. The option for belt carry or a multitude of other ways to carry, including Molle is great. But it's disappointing that in order to belt-carry you have to give up the button-over cover. The knife does gently click into the sheath, but I'd hardly trust that to secure the knife for anything but walking around. It's not enough to take off a full star, but makes me think maybe I should have gone for the leather sheath option instead.
All in all, though, this is a fabulous knife, and exactly what I want and need to have with me in my backpack every day. I enjoy even just holding it and admiring the blade. It feels very, very natural and good in my hand. It processes firewood into smaller bits, kindling, and shavings for fire starting just like I need it to. And best of all I don't need to worry about protecting the blade a much as I would need to with a high-carbon blade. I'm very, very satisfied!
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