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I recently received a question from a reader of this site on what type of steel the blade of the Gerber LMF II that he bought was made. I sent an email over to Donda at Gerber and got a great response from her. I didn’t realize that the steel had been changed permanently from the Sandvik 12C27 SS to the US 420HC. Also Donda points out at the bottom of her response that you need to check the packaging to know what type of steel your Gerber LMF II has because it’s not stamped anywhere on the knife itself.

By the way, you can find the Gerber 22-01400 LMF II Survival Knife – Coyote Brown knife here.

Hi Caddotx,

Thank you for contacting Gerber Blades.

***NOTE*** January 2006 – December 2007 this steel type was comprised of Sandvik 12C27 SS.

***NOTE*** January 2008 – April 2008 the steel type was temporarily changed from the Sandvik 12C27 SS to 440A U.S. SS.

***NOTE*** May 2008 – current: Production had not resumed with the Sandvik 12C27 SS due to complications with material availability, but switched to a more closely matching steel, the US 420HC.

Carbon

: Present in all steels, it is the most important hardening element. Also increases the strength of the steel but, added in isolation, decreases toughness. We usually want knife-grade steel to have >.5% carbon, which makes it “high-carbon” steel.

Chromium

: Added for wear resistance, harden-ability, and (most importantly) for corrosion resistance. A steel with at least 13% chromium is typically deemed “stainless” steel, though another definition says the steel must have at least 11.5% *free* chromium (as opposed to being tied up in carbides) to be considered “stainless”. Despite the name, all steel can rust if not maintained properly. Adding chromium in high amounts decreases toughness. Chromium is a carbide-former, which is why it increases wear resistance.

Manganese

: An important element, manganese aids the grain structure, and contributes to harden-ability. Also strength & wear resistance. Improves the steel (e.g., deoxidizes) during the steel’s manufacturing (hot working and rolling). Present in most cutlery steel except for A2, L-6, and CPM 420V.

Molybdenum

: A carbide former, prevents brittleness & maintains the steel’s strength at high temperatures. Present in many steels, and air-hardening steels (e.g., A2, ATS-34) always have 1% or more molybdenum — molybdenum is what gives those steels the ability to harden in air.

Phosphorus

: Present in small amounts in most steels, phosphorus is a essentially a contaminant which reduces toughness.

Silicon

: Contributes to strength. Like manganese, it makes the steel more sound while it’s being manufactured.

Sulfur

: Typically not desirable in cutlery steel, sulfur increases machine-ability but decreases toughness.

Vanadium

: Contributes to wear resistance and harden ability, and as a carbide former (in fact, vanadium carbides are the hardest carbides) it contribute to wear resistance. It also refines the grain of the steel, which contributes to toughness and allows the blade to take a very sharp edge. A number of steels have vanadium, but M2, Vascowear, and CPM T440V and 420V (in order of increasing amounts) have high amounts of vanadium. BG-42’s biggest difference with ATS-34 is the addition of vanadium.

Due to inconsistencies with the Sandvik 12C27 and quality concerns; the decision to move forward with the U.S. 420HC was determined to be the best choice and closest match to the Sandvik 12C27 SS. The U.S. 420HC not only exceeded overall performance but also met our high volume and quality production requirements.

Please note that the blades are not stamped or etched as such. The product specifications will be specifically marked on the accompanying packages. The differences between all the steels used, are so closely matched, we believe you will be sincerely challenged to find any performance differences at all.

Unfortunately however, the only way to tell which steel your LMF might be comprised from is the packaging. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Donda Burnett

Customer Service Representative

Fiskars Outdoor – Americas

Gerber | Brunton

I’ve been wanting to post an update on the Gerber LMF II knives. These are some of the best survival knives available and if you take a look around this site you’ll see several pages and articles we’ve dedicated to this great knife. I personally own the Gerber LMF II Survival version of this knife and since there are a couple of features to this knife that don’t get much recognition, I thought I’d show them to you.

First up is the safety knife. The ASEK and the Survival versions both come with a safety knife. This is a separate knife that comes with it’s own sheath and the first picture below is the safety knife. You may not see much of a need for this knife but I’ll tell you that I reach for it more often than my LMF II. I’m constantly doing something with paracord or rope around the camp and this knife is EXCELLENT for the job of cutting some type of cord. You can certainly do it with the LMF II but it’s a little overkill for paracord. Because of the design you can lay it on your leg as you kneel down to tie something, or shove it quickly into a pocket. It even has extra blades in the handle, although mine are still sharp and I haven’t had to use them yet. I highly recommend getting the ASEK or Survival versions over the Infantry due to the fact that the Infantry version does NOT come with a safety knife.

The other feature I’d like to point out is on the leg straps. If you look closely at the picture you’ll see what looks like gray stitching. That is actually rubber that is stitched into the strap to help keep it fixed on your leg. This works great when I have my LMF II strapped to my calf. And remember, the Infantry version only comes with ONE leg strap, not TWO. Here’s a couple of pics for clarification.

You can find the Foliage Green Gerber LMF II ASEK Knife By Clicking Here and the Gerber LMF II Survival Knife Here.