Product Description

Gerber 2241206.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3550 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Gerber Legendary Blades
• Model: 22-41206
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Features a 8.57-inch surgical stainless steel fixed blade
• Equipped with durable finger grooved wood with brass cross guard
• Full tang construction for increased strength
• Convenient size of 14.25-inches with a blade length of 8.75-inches and overall weight of 14.4-ounces
• Includes a ballistic nylon sheath

From the Manufacturer
Winchester Bowie Knife large with fixed blade

Customer Reviews

Good intro to big Bowies
My wife got me this knife for my birthday because I mainly use small and mid-sized knives and have so far avoided getting a taste for the huge Bowies. She wanted to see if I liked this type without spending much. The answer is yes, I like it a lot.

It's massive and nose-heavy, with the point of balance right at the big full-finger choil in front of the guard. This weight-forward configuration makes the knife very eager to chop, and I immediately complied by destroying some lemons, potatoes, corn cobs, and an old pine 2x6. The edge was shaving-sharp right out of the box, but my abuse resulted in some bright spots where the edge was visibly dinged. I restored it in under a minute with an Accusharp carbide-V sharpening gadget.

The primary bevel is a half-flat or "saber" grind, which emphasizes strength over slicing. Still, the knife excelled at the above-named kitchen tasks, as well as slicing celery, bell peppers, and meat. It was not quite optimal, however, for dicing onions. The thick, heavy blade tended to bind in such firm material and was a bit fatiguing to use. Still, it got the job done, and I found the radically clipped point very nimble and handy for piercing. I only wished I had a coconut to split.

I have my doubts about the edge-holding ability of this knife, as it is made from obviously inexpensive 420-J2 stainless steel subjected to who-knows-what heat treatment, and I have managed to ding it up a bit initially. But it certainly isn't brittle, which would spell uselessness for a knife like this. I imagine that a few sessions with the Accusharp might re-profile the edge to a more durable angle, but only time will tell.

The package says it is made for the Winchester brand by "Carolina Knife and Tool," which I hear is a cheaper label of Gerber knives-- the Ford to Gerber's Lincoln, if you will. So I would imagine that they have some idea of how to make a good knife, even if they are doing it in China.

The handle scales are Pakkawood, an engineered wood laminate that behaves much like hardwood but is inert, which is to say that it will not move or shrink or crack. It's stained to look like rosewood and finished with a tough, glossy lacquer or polyurethane. Together with the brass guard and pins, it makes for a more attractive package than other inexpensive "survival" or "tactical" knives. My only complaint is the finger ridges, a bit of over-engineering that can only detract from the knife's versatility.

The sheath is heavy, stiff Cordura nylon with plastic reinforcement at the throat and two retaining straps with snaps. It's not too fancy, just a secure, durable, weatherproof sheath that rides nicely on the belt. It does have a few nasty bits of Hide of the Nauga around the snaps, which is no big deal.

I wouldn't hesitate to carry this knife in the woods, as long as I could also carry a sharpening gadget like the Accusharp or the Meyerco Sharpen-It to allay my reservations about the blade material. If you had to choose one do-everything backwoods knife, this really would not be a bad choice, as it is capable of heavy chopping as well as more delicate tasks like slicing vegetables. To step up at all in the Bowie market would require triple the price at the very least, and so I'd say this is a great knife for seeing if you're interested, and it'll get some work done while you're at it. It has certainly whetted my appetite for more of these big knives.

good value
Let's get what I don't like about this knife out of the way first.
I don't like the finger grooves. The finger grooves on a knife never fit my hand, and get in the way when I hold the blade horizontal. The knife is not full tang as described, it looks more like a spike tang with 2 rivets. I prefer a real full tang and 3 rivets. The brass rivets and lanyard bushing were incompletely finished and had burrs that irritated my hand. Finally, the brass finger guard had a minor nick on the blade side straight out of the box. Altogether, the several minor flaws showed a lack of attention to detail characteristic of a factory second or off-brand.

Now I'll cover the good points. Bowie knives are a compromise between fighting, hunting, and camping knives. The 8.75 inch blade is close enough to the 10-12 inches ideal for a bowie. The blade width of 1.6 inch is also close enough the usually slightly wider traditional bowie blade. A wider knife would make a better skinner and chopper. The knife balances about 1/2 inch ahead of the finger guard, a good balance for chopping, cutting, and throwing.

The best parts of this knife are the price and the edge it takes. I gave the blade a couple licks on my butcher's steel. The blade felt like it was taking a good edge, unusual for stainless which usually requires lengthy honing. I was pleasantly surprised that the sharpened blade readily shaved the hair off my arm. Sharp enough to shave is another attribute of the traditional bowie. I researched on line to try and learn the steel used for the blade without success. Based on the edge I put on the knife, I'm guessing it might be made of 440c stainless, an easy to sharpen stainless with a good balance between price and performance.

The knife arrived 8 days after I placed my order. The knife came packaged with a utilitarian nylon sheath. The package was a geography lesson. Winchester is a trademark of Olin and the knife is made in China by the Carolina Knife and Tool Company of Portland, Oregon. I was raised in Portland and had never heard of Carolina Knife and Tool. Since Gerber is headquartered in Portland, I suspect Carolina Knife and Tool is an import label for Gerber.

I've posted a picture of the knife balanced on my index finger. I plan on fixing the knife's minor flaws with some emery cloth and sandpaper. At this price, I can take the knife out in the woods and use it, something I wouldn't do with a more expensive knife.

Great Bowie for The Money
This Winchester 22-41206 Large Bowie Knife with Sheath is everything as advertised. The quality, look and feel is superior. The sheath is very good and fits the knife very well. The shipping and delivery was as advertised and arrived in good condition, and within the timeframe expected. I HIGHLY RECOMMED the seller and will purchase from them again.