Knife Review: Gerber Warrant

Rourke: This post was previously published HERE on MSO.

I love knives and like most any survivalist own many. Knives have to be one of the most important and useful preparedness tools in existence.  Ever try cutting rope without  knife? Not easy.

Several months ago I picked up a Gerber Warrant. This knife is generally considered to be within the “tactical” genre -whatever that is. Basically – it is a lightweight, tanto pointed, aluminum handled, 9.5″ inch knife. Reminds me a lot of the Benchmade Nimravus tanto.

I usually carry folding knives or a set of multi-pliers on a daily basis. Fixed blade knives are generally reserved for my packs and kits. The Gerber Warrant is not too big and not too small – kinda splits the difference between a larger fixed blade and a smaller folder.

Deciding to do a few tests on the Warrant I started with some whittling with it – sharpening a 3/4″ stick into a sharp spear. No problem. Seemed to handle just fine.

The sheath is adaquate. I would have preferred one which the knife “snapped” into and was held securely. With the Gerber Warrant – the blade could easily slip out if not buckled in. Once buckled – no problem.

Next, I took advantage of the hole in the handle and strapped the knife to a large stick – and I proceeded to “wack!!!” a larger branch with the blade.  I wanted to check a couple things:

First – would the aluminum handle inserts loosen up due to the impact and vibrations?

Second – how well will the edge hold up?

Answers – The handle inserts did not loosen up at all. The edge certainly was not what it was when new – but I grabbed another 3/4″ stick and sharpened it to a point. Again – no problem.

Next I decided to do a test that I probably would not do with a $100 knife – but since I paid less than $30, figured “Why not?” I worked on my knife throwing skills into a tree. Me thinking I can stick a knife into a tree by throwing it is like giving me a bag of Nutter Butter’s and expecting to get ANY back. Just not gonna happen. I wacked that tree about 20 times and as expected it just landed on the ground.  Still, the handles still did not loosen up.

Overall – it is a good handling knife. The edge held up decent – but I have seen better. After a little sharpening it was better than out of the box. The sheath is on par for a $30 knife – it works. The aluminium handle inserts held up great. I like the tanto tip – not sure why – just do.

Bad? Everything is not good. Although the handling is just fine – I would have preferred a better grip texture on the grip. The handle is a little slim as well. I am thinking of wrapping it with para-cord and seeing how it feels.

That’s it. For less than $30 I think it is a steal. For more information on the Gerber Warrant – click HERE.

Take care all -

Rourke

A few more pictures: