FOG HORN Gear Review 02 Aug 2010

Gerber Legendary Blades - LMF II emerges as one of the leading combat/survival

knives in production.
ASEK1 combat/Survival Knife
By: Sal Palma

In 2009, I completed the Sniper Cutlery series

for Sniperworx journal. Sniperworx subscribers
will recall this three part series discussing
heavy-duty tactical folding knives, combat
knives and survival knives. However, logistics
and scheduling prevented me from including
Gerber’s LMF II in part three, survival knives, so
I am correcting that situation right here and
now.
Gerber2 knives are very much a part of U.S. Jeff M. Freeman designed Gerber’s LMF II and
military history. They were ubiquitous during his name appears as its inventor on the patent
the Vietnam War. Next to the K-Bar, which application form.
occupied an equally prestigious place, more The LMF II was conceived from the ground up
men in military service carried Gerber knives as a survival tool. The current product ships in a
than any other combat knife during the period. number of configurations including the ASEK,
which arrives with a Gerber strap cutter. Every
aspect of this knife demonstrates a very clear
understanding of a combatant’s need in a
hostile survival situation.
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

The Gerber MK-II3 was the combat knife of

choice for use by the U.S. Army Special Forces
ODAs; a group that made history for their work
with the Montagnard and in principle writing
the book on developing village defense forces
as a form FID. The in-country Navy Seal Teams
also used the MK II.
Gerber Legendary Blades was there, and it is
from this rich military history that the LMF II

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Aircrew Survival Egress Knife The LMF II is a conservative drop point design
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Founded in 1939 by Pete Gerber, Gerber is currently a sub-
division of Fiskars Brands, Inc. of Finland. The company was the
with a blade length of 4.84 inches. The blade
first production knife manufacturer to collaborate with a custom profile offers a full belly, which gives the knife
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knife maker (David Murphy) to produce a design. good cutting and slicing characteristics. The
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3
Manufactured from 1967 to 2000 and designed by Cpt. Bud blade is flat ground to a very sharp edge from
Holzman USAR. Full production was restarted in 2008.
Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved.
 FOG HORN Gear Review 02 Aug 2010

about mid spine. The edge bevel is

approximately 13⁰ producing a razor sharp
edge. In fact, it was so sharp that at first glance I
thought it was a hollow ground– not at all the
case.
The blade is made from 420HC giving the knife
excellent hardness with good corrosion
resistance. High carbon steels, like 420HC, are
used in many of the German combat knives due
to its ease of maintenance. In short, it provides
good tool strength (55HRC), excellent edge
retention and moderate corrosion resistance.
As most of my readers know, given the option, I
generally pass on serrations4. The same holds
true for the LMF II. I would have preferred one
continuous cutting edge; however, Gerber’s
implementation of serrations is near perfect.
Cutting through a heavy strap was clean and
swift with no tearing or roughness.

The LMF II has an overall length of 10.59 inches

and weighs in at 11.4 ounces. It is a full tang
design; however, it does not extend the full
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Serrations complicate knife maintenance and sharpening.
Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved.
 FOG HORN
length of the knife handle.
Instead, Gerber incorporated a pummel that is
isolated from the tang; effectively isolating the
blade and handle from shock, and achieving
electrical isolation at the knife handle. This is a
critically important feature because, in the case
of a downed aircraft, crewmembers may be
trapped in the wreckage, and if the knife blade
were to encounter a live circuit, electrocution
could result.
The robustness and heft of the pummel, which
was designed to break Plexiglas and function as
a hammer, shifts the point of balance rearward
so the knife handles very much like a dagger.
For that reason, chopping is more laborious
than with a knife balanced forward of the hilt.
Nevertheless, it still functions in this capacity
and achieves any reasonable task, for example
crafting a spear.
Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved.
Gear Review 02 Aug 2010
Gerber chose a glass-filled nylon for the handle
substrate that sandwiches the tang and
provides the attachment point for the massive
pummel. A TPV overmold covers the handle
substrate creating a non-slip surface with a
rubbery feel. The LMF II’s handle is quite large
and the palm-swells provide a very comfortable
grip. There is gimping at the hand guard to keep
your hand from sliding forward and on to the
blade during hard use. Transitioning from a
saber grip to a reverse grip is very natural. The
pummel has a number of flat surfaces that
facilitate and icepick. Unlike the wimpier
pummel designs on other knives, the LMF II’s
pummel is lethal and may be used for defensive
purposes should the blade break5.
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There are three lanyard holes on the knife. The two at the hilt
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were included to facilitate lashing the knife to a wood pole to
construct a spear. I strongly recommend that you not do that. It is
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generally not a good idea to use your survival tool to throw at or
lance game.
 FOG HORN
The LMF II ships with an excellent sheath. A soft
composite enclosure that retains the knife by
locking the hilt in place so there is not
movement in any plane. It also incorporates an
integrated sharpener, which is usable in the
field to touch up the edge after hard use.
I have to share a story with you because it really
is hilarious.
I was watching a very thoughtful video review
of the LMF II on You Tube. When the reviewer
got to the sheath, he felt that Gerber would
greatly benefit from adding a drain grommet to
ensure the sheath would drain properly. I was
rolling on the floor laughing. I guess his mind
never made the connection that the integrated
sharpener is an opening that runs straight
through the sheath.
Let me assure you that the sheath does drain!
Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved.
Gear Review 02 Aug 2010
Continuing with the review - most production
knife manufacturers would have stopped there,
not Gerber. They went a step further by
providing a harness that secures the sheath and
offers numerous mounting options.
Using this arrangement, the knife can be worn
on a M.O.L.L.E. compliant vest or pack, it can
also be worn on a belt, it can be worn on a belt
with a leg strap around the thigh or it can be
carried on the calve using the two leg straps
supplied.
The Gerber LMF II is of necessity one immense
compromise. Blade length, serrations, balance,
grip, blade steel and sheath had to be
coordinated in such a way as to create a tool
capable of getting you out of a downed
helicopter or vehicle, and escape and evade.
This is a tall order, and Gerber has executed the
design so well, combining all of these
compromises so brilliantly, and in so doing
created another Legendary Blade.
-SP
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