Choosing a Survival Knife

[vthompson]

I know that most people carry more than one knife with them whenever they take to the woods, I know that I do. But, whenever you are choosing a survival knife, what features do you look for in a knife?

[Rick]

I'm a simple man. If it cuts, I'm happy.

[AVENGED]

I Look For Brand, Blade Type And How It Feels In My Hand.

[hoosierarcher]

I personally like one BIG knife and one smaller knife. In a pinch a BIG knife can do what a small knife can but NOT the other way around so if left with one I'd choose something like a 12" machete or kukri.

[Rick]

Actually, a small knife can do exactly what a big knife does...just on a smaller scale. Just sayin'....

[hoosierarcher]

A big knife can cut the dead fall up and split it all for fuel a small knife can take off the branches and maybe split them for kindling. just saying......

[tonester]

i would make sure that the tang goes through the handle(full tang). i would also want the steel to be a decent steel.

[mountain mama]

Decent steel is dependent upon the use and environment of the knife...carbon or stainless?

[crashdive123]

I just make sure it's one that I've got in my knife drawer.

[Rick]

You keep knives in your drawers?!:eek::scared:

[crashdive123]

Just gotta be careful where and how I sit.

[Rick]

Well I'd reckon. Slice and dice could take on new meaning in short order (Get it slice and dice? Short?) I slay myself.

[Schleprok]

If I could only have one knife, it would be the old USMC Kabar.
My brother bought one after he left the Army. He modified it slightly by shaving the handles flat on the sides and moving the retaining strap down to the hilt and basically turning it into a thumb break.
Gave it to me for my birthday one year. Carried it for a looooonnngggggggg time, in various nasty places around the globe. When I retired it stayed close to hand.
When my son joined the Army and was heading overseas, I passed it on to him. Recently it's been in Afganistan, Irag and currently resides in Germany.
Great knife, has held up well for many years in many different environments.
If I couldn't get my hands on a Kabar, the USAF survival (aircrew) knife would be my second choice. Have had one in my kit for close to 40 years now. Another keeper. Gonna have to go shopping for more soon, grandkids will be needing blades of there own before long.

[vthompson]

I own a few knives, but my hands down favorite is my Becker BK-2. It has a 1/4" blade and I can use it to pry, chop, slice, skin game, batoning wood, and a host of other camp chores.
The blade has a drop point and is 5 inches long, and it also sharpens easily. The grip is very comfortable and it is balanced real well also. It can handle any chore that I throw at it. It has never let me down.

[acestor]

Apparently you want a survival knife not a general camping knife. By survival, chances are that you will need a tool that will function in both the woods and an urban area (an urban area in chaos). My choice is the Gerber LMF !!.

http://www.gerber-tools.com/Gerber-LMF-II-22-01629.htm

It is designed as a survival knife with a partially serrated blade that can cut through straps and belts, has a punch on the end that will smash through plexiglass and glass, it can be used as a hammer, and with the holes in handle and the shape of the handle it can be used as a spear. Finally, the sheath has an intergrated sharpener that works very well. Generally, I am not a fan of serrations and wish that it did not have them but there is no doubt that in a survival situation they may come in handy. It is the knife I use for camping and it sits in my survival bag. I believe that it was designed by the Air Force to be their survival knife.

[vthompson]

I couldn't agree wth you more acestor, because I also own a LMF II and I like it real well also. But between it and the Becker BK-2, I like the Becker a little more.

[Ultimate Survivor]

personally i would go for about a 6" blade 3-5mm thick steel, drop point and a straight grind no hollow grinds, forget about 440 stainless and all that, just get a good steel,
next without a dought get one with a full tang These are the strongest make sure balance and grip suit you, also make sure you can sharpen it ok a lot of people buy knives and never learn to sharpen them propley.
another thing people do is buy a knife on what it looks like this is a secondary importance as i have a skinning knife that i hated when i first saw it but picked it up and it felt fine i use it regular and it really is a good knife but i still dont like the look of it. hope this helps:cool2:

[doren]

I'm still trying to decide on a fixed blade. The woman is buying me a knife for my birthday. By god for all the crap she puts me through I will get my money's worth out of that knife

I can't decide between this Ka Bar,
https://www.kabar.com/product_detail.jsp?productNumber=1264&mode=search&categoryId=1,2,3,7,8&categoryName=Product%20Search%20Results

Or this Ontario knife,
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/product.jsp?Mode=Cat&Brand=&CatalogName=&PriceStart=&PriceEnd=&Feature=&Cat=79&filter=&SearchText=ontario+tanto&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0&list=10&range=1&order=Default&SKU=SP13

I prefer the robustness of the Ka Bar blade, but the Ontario feels so good in my hand. I can't decide which one...

[crashdive123]

Since you have been traumatized by the stuff you have been put through, maybe you could convince her to get you both.

[oly]

The blade I use the most is a Gerber 4" fixed blade

[mountain mama]

By god for all the crap she puts me through I will get my money's worth out of that knifesooooo, you're getting her a new car for her birthday, right?

[WillDeerborn]

I got a no name hunting knife from one of those low-end joints on the By Pass for Xmas a few years back...It's Hollow handled so the only issue I got with it is that the blade needs tightened regularly...other than that I love the thing..Sometimes Cheap is just as good as high dollar...Or maybe it's because I'm Poor White Trash...Either way I got what I need...I do however need to get the supplies to put in it again... It'll happen soon...I got everything I need layin' around...Just need to find it all.

[doren]

sooooo, you're getting her a new car for her birthday, right?

I'm poor, and she can't drive, nope not this year.

I used to buy her clothes, and various practical items that she would get a lot of use out of. Nope, Something was always wrong with what I bought her. Then one day I bought some trivial items with no meaning, will probably wear out in a week. She loved it. So from now on, when I buy her a gift I ask myself one question, "Is it practical?" If the answer is yes, put it down and find something else.

[vthompson]

doren, if you like Ontario Knives that well, check out their RAT-7. It is one nice knife.

[Rick]

There is a sticky on survival knives. Just sayin'...

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1297

[Canadian-guerilla]

fixed blade, full tang
wouldn't trust a folding knife, whatever the brand
unless it's the only knife available

Canadian Tire ( all purpose hardware store ) recently had the discontinued Buck 471 knife on sale at $20 each, i picked up two

[crashdive123]

It's just like chewing gum in class.......unless you got one for everybody....

[Blood Groove]

First of all I want a pretty beeft spine. But I like a sharpened false Bowie edge ( because I can strike sparks with it, withough dinging up my main cutting blade) I'd like the blade to be 7 inches, that seems likea good comprosime between heavy cutting (which the thick spine would help with) and smaller stuff like skinning. I'd like a big belly for skinning. I also wouldn't mind having soem small serrations, becuase they really can come in handy sometimes especially when skinninf trees. I'd like a 1095 carbon steel with a teflon coating to give it some rust resistence. I'd want a solid stainless steel quillion with only one fingure guard (not a double guard likethe Ka-bar) I'd also want a Kraton handle, just because they're comfortable. Finally I'd like a steel buttcap with an integrated tang, like the Ka-bar. Than really does come in handy for hammering. That's about it. And the more I describe this, the more it sounds like the Next Gen D-2 Ka-bar, hahaha.

[Rick]

I'd like a big belly for skinning.

Keep eatin'. You'll get there.

[Ken]

I have dozens of knives, including several Victorinox Swiss Army versions, Leathermans, Gerbers, a Ka-bar, and two no-name hollow tube handle designs.

My favorite "survival knife" is the Ontario Spec Plus Marine (SP1-95) with the 5 1/2' blade at a cost of about $40.00. I carry the Swiss Army everyday, and carry a Leatherman in the woods as well.

I just picked up a Mora from you-know-who. http://safezonellc.com/mora.html I'm impressed. Great knife for the price. I'll be getting several more of different designs.

[chiye tanka]

As I've mentioned, I've got a LOT of knives. No one knife is perfect, to thick a spine and it won't slice as well, to thin and you're gonna break it sooner or later.
I always carry at least three on me at all times, depending on where I'm going. The standards are a Cold Steel 3-blade stockman, Spyderco Tenacious, and an Emerson Commander. Now that's just around town and such. If I'm in the woods the Emerson is replaced by my C.S. SRK and a Leatherman is added at the very least.
Just my 2 cents from your resident knife nut.

[oldsoldier]

hoosierarcher I'm not quite sure I agree with you on the knife deal. I'd hate to think I'd have to skin a squirrel with a 12 or 14" bowie. But that's just my opinion

[Goloth]

I'm still trying to decide on a fixed blade. The woman is buying me a knife for my birthday. By god for all the crap she puts me through I will get my money's worth out of that knife

I can't decide between this Ka Bar,
https://www.kabar.com/product_detail.jsp?productNumber=1264&mode=search&categoryId=1,2,3,7,8&categoryName=Product%20Search%20Results

Or this Ontario knife,
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/product.jsp?Mode=Cat&Brand=&CatalogName=&PriceStart=&PriceEnd=&Feature=&Cat=79&filter=&SearchText=ontario+tanto&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0&list=10&range=1&order=Default&SKU=SP13

I prefer the robustness of the Ka Bar blade, but the Ontario feels so good in my hand. I can't decide which one...

random and off-topic for you to post on this, however it's not about comfort in your hand man, it's about what will stand up to the most harsh wilderness conditions, so go with the ka-bar

[Goloth]

I know that most people carry more than one knife with them whenever they take to the woods, I know that I do. But, whenever you are choosing a survival knife, what features do you look for in a knife?

Okay man, what you're gonna want to look for in a knife to start is the size, too big = bad and too small = bad, second, the tang, full-tang knives are what you want for long-term survival. Third, the difference in steels is important, stainless steel for most knives either comes in 420 steel, or 440. 440 IS BETTER, it performs better, is more durable, holds an edge longer, and will work much better overall, a 420 steel blade does the opposite of this and shatters if overused. Now, stainless steel is not the best kind of material you can get for a knife, however it works the best ON WEAPONS <b>UNDER 13 INCHES</b> if you get anything longer than 12-13 inches in stainless steel the metal gets very brittle toward the end most of the time (depending on the thickness of the steel) what you wanna look for in a knife 12 inches and over is a new type of steel called "carbon steel" most websites won't give you a description on if it's been heat tempered or not, but most knives don't need to be, even if it is carbon steel. When you buy a sword, always get a heat tempered carbon steel blade, if it's stainless, it will do you no good. Now, if I were to choose a combination of blades for survival this is what I personally would choose -

http://kultofathena.com/product~item~1-120.htm

now that kukri is a great price and it's a carbon steel forged blade, (the miniature one's don't help much but they don't hurt you either)

http://www.trueswords.com/bushmaster-survival-knife-sheath-p-933.html

the bushmaster survival would be more for the kit - which I know you can store all that in a pack, but if you were to have to leave your pack somewhere, or run out of materials it never hurts to carry more, and on top of that, the knife is not the worst knife you could ever have - the sawback is a good function for different survival techniques, but the size is a definite downfall of that blade, as an alternative to it I would say this one is the only one better that I can think of off the top of my head would be this bayonet, which is full-tang and a solid sturdy knife

http://www.trueswords.com/ak47-bayonet-knife-with-sheath-p-2750.html

Hope this helped.

[sgtdraino]

SOG SEAL 2000. The End.

[Rick]

You all know we have a sticky on survival knives that runs over 50 posts, right?

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1297

[Goloth]

lolll...what the hell are those ?



After that really nice lesson on steel...that's what you suggest ? A kukri, a "thing" and a bayonet ?
Weird.


It's because you want the kukri for the heavy duty cutting, and the other two knives are blades that will last you without busting dude. It's not about the comfort ability of the knives, it's about the durability and how well YOU know how to use them.

[chiye tanka]

Okay man, what you're gonna want to look for in a knife to start is the size, too big = bad and too small = bad, second, the tang, full-tang knives are what you want for long-term survival. Third, the difference in steels is important, stainless steel for most knives either comes in 420 steel, or 440. 440 IS BETTER, it performs better, is more durable, holds an edge longer, and will work much better overall, a 420 steel blade does the opposite of this and shatters if overused. Now, stainless steel is not the best kind of material you can get for a knife, however it works the best ON WEAPONS <b>UNDER 13 INCHES</b> if you get anything longer than 12-13 inches in stainless steel the metal gets very brittle toward the end most of the time (depending on the thickness of the steel) what you wanna look for in a knife 12 inches and over is a new type of steel called "carbon steel" most websites won't give you a description on if it's been heat tempered or not, but most knives don't need to be, even if it is carbon steel. When you buy a sword, always get a heat tempered carbon steel blade, if it's stainless, it will do you no good. Now, if I were to choose a combination of blades for survival this is what I personally would choose -

http://kultofathena.com/product~item~1-120.htm

now that kukri is a great price and it's a carbon steel forged blade, (the miniature one's don't help much but they don't hurt you either)

http://www.trueswords.com/bushmaster-survival-knife-sheath-p-933.html

the bushmaster survival would be more for the kit - which I know you can store all that in a pack, but if you were to have to leave your pack somewhere, or run out of materials it never hurts to carry more, and on top of that, the knife is not the worst knife you could ever have - the sawback is a good function for different survival techniques, but the size is a definite downfall of that blade, as an alternative to it I would say this one is the only one better that I can think of off the top of my head would be this bayonet, which is full-tang and a solid sturdy knife

http://www.trueswords.com/ak47-bayonet-knife-with-sheath-p-2750.html

Hope this helped.

Goloth, you're showing your age.
Comfort is important, you don't want a knife that's going to create hot spots on your hand turning into blisters. Most quality knives made in stainless are now using steels like 154CM, CPM S30V, AUS 8A, just to name a few. You're right about full tang and that carbon steel is better at taking and holding an edge, but it sounds like most of what you're saying is opinion. Nothing wrong with that but you know what people say about opinions.
I'm a true knife nut but I'm no expert, and at 17 years old, I don't see how you could be.

[Ole WV Coot]

Goloth, you're showing your age.
Comfort is important, you don't want a knife that's going to create hot spots on your hand turning into blisters. Most quality knives made in stainless are now using steels like 154CM, CPM S30V, AUS 8A, just to name a few. You're right about full tang and that carbon steel is better at taking and holding an edge, but it sounds like most of what you're saying is opinion. Nothing wrong with that but you know what people say about opinions.
I'm a true knife nut but I'm no expert, and at 17 years old, I don't see how you could be.


Thanks, one more "expert" that's still wet behind the ears and I have only carried a couple for close to 60yrs myself. I sold all my Case collection back when I was financially embarrassed. Wish I could have held onto them.:drool:

[Goloth]

Thanks, one more "expert" that's still wet behind the ears and I have only carried a couple for close to 60yrs myself. I sold all my Case collection back when I was financially embarrassed. Wish I could have held onto them.:drool:

Did I say I was an expert? Cause if I did I do apologize, I'm no expert and there is always more to learn when it comes to knives, survival, and things of that nature. I just threw in what I knew for sure to be true. Sorry for defending my post, I normally just take what's said and learn for it, but I felt defensive today, hell, I have no idea why.

[hoosierarcher]

hoosierarcher I'm not quite sure I agree with you on the knife deal. I'd hate to think I'd have to skin a squirrel with a 12 or 14" bowie. But that's just my opinion

To skin a squirrel you only need to make a few cuts; and none of them are to seperate hide from meat. So it wouldn't be too bad with a big knife. by the by I pretty much define big as 7" and up to 12" anything over that is a machete or kukri and those are more than knives.
I personally carry several knives all the time. I'm adding a 3.5" carbon steel Mora military bushcraft knife to my belt this month. I'm gonna put it through its paces to be sure.

[Ole WV Coot]

Did I say I was an expert? Cause if I did I do apologize, I'm no expert and there is always more to learn when it comes to knives, survival, and things of that nature. I just threw in what I knew for sure to be true. Sorry for defending my post, I normally just take what's said and learn for it, but I felt defensive today, hell, I have no idea why.


Forget it. I sometimes get the feeling that I am either dazzled by brilliance or baffled with BS. It's tough to tell who is who unless you know something about the subject and it's practical use so I guess it's time for me to back up.:blushing:

[TomChemEngineer]

Hi VThompson, Mountaineer native here.
OK, like another guy in this thread, I gotta cast my vote on the KaBar with the leather washer handle, full tang, 1095 high carbon steel blade (that is easy to sharpen and keeps a good tight edge), and the hammer-like butt end for driving tent posts and nails. The leather sheath model is fine, not great, but fine, and if the sheath is not robust enough, it can be wrapped with paracord to make it tougher. I don't like the plastic sheath options for the KaBar, but that is just because I have never used one and I'm kinda old school. Same for the stainless steel KaBar blades. I'm sure they are great for saltwater service, but I just don't care for stainless blades bacause I think they are a little harder to sharpen. The sharpness probably lasts longer on stainless, but like i say, I'm kinda old school and the old KaBars are my personal choice. I've cut wood, opened cans, struck fires, skinned game, used them as table cutlery, etc with them, but I'm sure other blades will do the same things. When I find something that works as I want it to work, I tend to stay with it.

[Rick]

TomCE - Just a word of caution. You might not want to use that knife as a hammer. You can use a rock for that kind of work. Better to break a rock than a new Ka-Bar.

[graffixx808]

i agree my Gerber LMF II is such a sweet blade has not let me down.. i can do anything i need or want to do with it.. it's little brother- the prodigy by gerber is also very nice got both:)

[graffixx808]

weird it jumped posts by itself.....huh?

[graffixx808]

i agree my Gerber LMF II is such a sweet blade has not let me down.. i can do anything i need or want to do with it.. it's little brother- the prodigy by gerber is also very nice got both :)

[Oasis de Tucanes]

In the rainforest I carry a 14 inch machete on my hip.
In the dry tropical forest I carry a Fallkniven Odin.
In my pocket there is always a Bucklite.
In my pack is a Gerber Multi tool.

[crashdive123]

In the rainforest I carry a 14 inch machete on my hip.
In the dry tropical forest I carry a Fallkniven Odin.
In my pocket there is always a Bucklite.
In my pack is a Gerber Multi tool.

How about cutting your way on over to the Introduction section http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14 and tell us a bit about yourself. Thanks.

[finallyME]

I know that most people carry more than one knife with them whenever they take to the woods, I know that I do. But, whenever you are choosing a survival knife, what features do you look for in a knife?

I look for full tang carbon steel. Kabar uses 1095 mostly, but their D2 is better I hear. A good high carbon is all that is needed. I would pass on 440 stainless. Let's see, I would also want to be able to sharpen it in the field. I would also want it to be able to split SMALL logs and do some wittlin'. I don't need it to cut down trees or large branches. I need it to carve stuff with. I prefer a drop point, but others work. Pick a tip that won't break easily.

[Permaculturist]

I carry 3 knives everywhere, cause 1 just doesn't do everything I need. The big one, that I beat the crap out of daily, splitting wood etc is this one http://www.nraknives.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=12500 . Love that knife. Super comfortable, takes all the abuse I can throw at it, stays sharp, and carves nice big fat sparks off my fire steel every day, lighting my cook fire on the first or at most, second swipe. The stock sheath sucks, but luckily my buddy makes really good hard plastic sheaths http://nbtnoel.mnsi.net/ . The fire steel and DMT stone is attached to the knife sheath, so I can't lose anything, which is good for me.

The Leatherman Surge.. well, enough said there.

Then I have this one http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=60 clipped to my front pocket because I can't be strapped in Canada, and you just never know when you might need it.

d

[Rick]

That stainless steel knife throws sparks, huh?

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Stainless doesn't throw sparks at all.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

To skin a squirrel you only need to make a few cuts; and none of them are to seperate hide from meat. So it wouldn't be too bad with a big knife. by the by I pretty much define big as 7" and up to 12" anything over that is a machete or kukri and those are more than knives.
I personally carry several knives all the time. I'm adding a 3.5" carbon steel Mora military bushcraft knife to my belt this month. I'm gonna put it through its paces to be sure.

To skin a squirrel you make one cut around the torso and cut the nuts out...

[Rick]

You, uh, reckon the girl squirrels know about this?

[Permaculturist]

Stainless doesn't throw sparks at all.

You sure about that? I'd like to know what's lighting my cook fires every day then.

d

[Rick]

So would I. But he's right. Carbon throws sparks.

[crashdive123]

I've gotten some stainless knives to throw sparks. Albeit not great. What that tells me is that the knives I have used to do that have impurities in them. When I've tried that with known, good quality stainless - no sparks.

[lucznik]

Stainless doesn't throw sparks at all.


You sure about that? I'd like to know what's lighting my cook fires every day then.

d


This has been a topic of discussion before and I will reiterate here that I have managed to get sparks from every one of my stainless-steel knives. This would include:
420 stainless - Buck Alpha Hunter - rubber handle w/ guthook, Gerber Profile, etc.
440 stainless - Buck Lite Folder, Ducks Unlimited Folders, and a few other no-name knives that are so marked.
ATS-34 - Buck Alpha Hunter - rosewood scales.
I even get sparks from my various stainless steel Victorinox SAKs though I don't know exactly what type of stainless they use. So too with my Gerber Multi-Tool.

The number and quality of sparks thrown by these knives is similar to that which I can produce from the strikers that came with the firesteels or from other "carbon" blades. The presence of a "sharp" (meaning not rounded) edge somewhere along the back of the blade (or [heaven forbid] the blade edge itself) seems to be the most important consideration.

As a practical matter it should be noted that all steels (Yes, even all stainless steels) have carbon in them. Indeed, by its very definition, steel is an alloy of iron with carbon in it. Other alloys can be added to make the steel perform differently, but that doesn't change the reality that carbon is part of the metal's composition.

[Rick]

Hey, if it works for you, go for it. I've never had any luck making sparks with stainless.

[Jonesy]

High Carbon steels such as 1095, O1, and 5160 will all make a useful knife. 154cm, D2, S30V, 3V, CPM 154, BG42, and various forged stainless and carbon steels, etc are all good steels for a knife. There are some I left out but these are fairly common knife steels. What makes each of these steels perform is the heat treatment process that gives balance to the ideal impact resistance and wear resistance desired for optimum performance of the individual steel. Poor heat treatment of expensive CPM steel will give you a bad blade. You get the idea. The proper heat treat process is really the foundation of a good blade.

Handle
The handle shape and material are important to me. I want to be able to have a lanyard. The handle material should allow me to retain my grip if the handle is wet or covered in blood. If my hand should slide forward there should be a guard system of some sort so I am not easily able to slide onto the sharpened edge and cut myself. You may also want to be able to easily tether the handle to a large stick?

Blade
I prefer a hollow ground blade 6-8 inches long and approx 2 inches wide. Some prefer a flat ground blade. Both styles are very serviceable. Grinds I would avoid are the single sided grinds. They cut directionally and the edge becomes thick after use and a few sharpening sessions. Steel thickness of 3/16" is ideal for me. A profile of semi spear point is my ideal shape. While serrations are not for me it is a matter of preference to the user.

Sheath
The sheath needs a secure retention system both for the blade and the belt. I prefer Kydex or Concealex for the sheath material. It is all weather, durable and easily configurable to different carry styles and retention systems.


If sharpening in the field is important then make sure you have what you need with you. A stone, ceramic rod, diamond hone etc just make sure it works on your knife. A stone on a knife of CPM 3V at 60 Rockwell C is not going to get the job done like it will on a blade of 1095 at 58 Rockwell C. Get the right sharpener for the field and figure it out before you need it. Over compensating for a dull knife really will get you hurt faster than a sharp one.

[BigB]

I have been through a few blades, but these days I only carry knives based on what I mostly do, hunt and fish. I admit to being one of those guys that would buy a certain knife and say "I can chop down a small tree, build a shelter, clean a deer, squirrel, and a fish, and handle all camp chores with one knife." But I than realized I dont really do stuff that requires that. What I mean is, my hunting is done on private land, with others, where we all have radios and so forth so theres no chance of me gettin stuck in the woods alone. I fish in a river thats got a lot of boaters and I always have a gps, cell phone plus a boat full of gear. So what Im saying is that unless you plan to hike and camp with nothing BUT a knife, buy what you'll get the most use out of.
Oh, one last thing, Like Jonesy said, make sure you have a sharpening method in the field. Ive found my knives are to my liking for for no more than 1 deer, and I ve gotten into situations where I need to do more than one in an outing without going back to camp so a nice field sharpening setup is something I always have when big game hunting.

[Rick]

"No chance" is a pretty risky attitude. Just sayin'...

[BigB]

Rick, I get what ur saying, I should clarify, my dad and I only own 25 acres which we hunt. If I cant find camp, ive got bigger problems than which knife I took.

[canid]

hahaha! that puts things into perspective.

[COUESAZ]

I like my combo of the North star by Bark River and my SAK. they seem to be good for what i do. The North Star is a great bush craft knife with the spear point shape. The sak is great for what ever you need it for. Out of all my sheath knives that is the one that always finds its way on my hip.

[Rick]

Hey, Couesaz. Why not cut bush whack your way over to our Introductions section and tell us a little about yourself?

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7813

[Pocomoonskyeyes3]

Stainless doesn't throw sparks at all.


So would I. But he's right. Carbon throws sparks.


Love that knife. Super comfortable, takes all the abuse I can throw at it, stays sharp, and carves nice big fat sparks off my fire steel every day, lighting my cook fire on the first or at most, second swipe.


Just reading through this and wanted to maybe help with a misconception/misunderstanding.... a FIRE STEEL can throw sparks with both Carbon steel AND Stainless steel knives.... there are some who have even gotten sparks with a piece of broken glass using a FIRE STEEL. I think everyone was thinking Flint as opposed to fire steel. Had it been about FLINT I would have had to agree with both CS and Rick. I too can get sparks with a fire steel and stainless. If you want I can even do a short video using my SAK and the Fire steel I got from SafeZoneLLC, or even other Fire steels as I have several.

[JPGreco]

a new type of steel called "carbon steel"

This comment made me laugh. I guess something that has been used for a few thousand years is still considered new huh?

[Pocomoonskyeyes3]

This comment made me laugh. I guess something that has been used for a few thousand years is still considered new huh? Yeah I saw that too. Comment was made by a younger member. They'll get it figured out.

[shiftyer1]

I also like that newfangleld carbon steel stuff. And i'll also go with the older kabar.
As far as the spec plus by ontario, I just gave the one i've owned for 15 years or so to my 15 year old son for his birthday. It's a good knife also. It would be nice if the kabar had the rubber grip of the spec.