Saturday, May 1, 2010

Gerber LMF II ASEK


Mike over at ENDO asked about it on my pic from yesterday, so I thought I'd take a little more in depth look at it.  I ordered mine from L.A. Police Gear a while ago, but I haven't really used it much yet, I usually carry my K-Bar when I'm camping, but this one will be on me next time.

Anyway, the LMF II was originally designed as an Aircrew Survival & Escape Knife, and the ASEK version comes complete with a seperate "safety knife," otherwise known as a seatbelt cutter.  Both come in MOLLE compatable sheaths.
The seatbelt cutter's pretty neat, there's even extra blades sandwiched in the handle and a lanyard.

Of course the star of the show is the knife.  Short thick stubby blade, sticky rubber hand-filling grip complete with holes to lash it to a pole for use as a spear.

The first thing you notice about when handling it is the heft. It is a beefy knife. The blade is only about 5" long, but is 3/16" thick.  Shown below with some .45acp for scale.

The pommel is pretty well pointed for use as a glass breaker, and I've seen a video out there somewhere on the interwebs of it shattering plexiglass.  It also sports a flat side for hammering, and it's insulated from the blade in case you happen to cut into a hot wire.

The sheath also features an integrated sharpener.  I used it to put a pretty decent working edge on the blade.

My only complaint is the MOLLE system on the knife sheath leaves something to be desired. It's just not as secure as I like, and the snaps could be a little stronger.