So You're Looking For The Best Survival Knife... What Do You Do?

**Sarge47** · 01-09-2008, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

No, Scott, I don't. I've never used it. I was just offering a bit of irony to Mitch. His short list is growing by the post.

I should have cited Hopeak for his sage advice (might even warrant a reference in your write up Mitch along with Sarge's suggestion on hardness).

Hopeak - That little bit of advice would serve well in just about any of life's conversations. Men with Mr. Reeves' insight are a rare bread and worth listening to.

Beu, I would not argue the point that many of us here have knives with longer blades than what Mitch suggested. I thought his post was directed more for the "young" Neophyte looking for his 1st blade. There are many things that might come up.

Remy; I stand corrected on the RAT, you are right on about the different blade lengths, definetly something to think about. & I'm not "Dissing" the Ka-Bar either, but I wouldn't suggest it to , say, a 13-year old "neophyte" either for reasons that I've stated elsewhere, but then that's me.

**FVR** · 01-09-2008, 10:42 PM

Wow, I got my first Kabar when I was 12. Bought it for 20 bucks from a guy down the street that was in the Navy, (MK2). I collected aluminum cans and old doors, turned them in an bought me a Kabar. I knew I was going to be a Jarhead when I was 12.

Except for bootcamp, that Kabar has gone all over the world with me.

Still have it.

**Scott** · 01-10-2008, 05:38 PM

Hey, Thanks for the info on the VG Sarge....I finally tracked one down this morning (didnt buy it do to the dealer wanting $100, will buy it online), it was really a great knife and the right length I have been looking for. The blade seemed thicker than the Zipper but that is a plus. Only remaining VG question I have is do you think it would hold up to limb chopping, whittling or battoning if needed?...Thanks again for the info. Everyone here seems to have great knowledge...It has helped alot.

**Sarge47** · 01-10-2008, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by Scott

Hey, Thanks for the info on the VG Sarge....I finally tracked one down this morning (didnt buy it do to the dealer wanting $100, will buy it online), it was really a great knife and the right length I have been looking for. The blade seemed thicker than the Zipper but that is a plus. Only remaining VG question I have is do you think it would hold up to limb chopping, whittling or battoning if needed?...Thanks again for the info. Everyone here seems to have great knowledge...It has helped alot.

The VG was shown in a past Field & Stream issue as being a great Survival knife because of the Hilt. It only extends out from the bottom, not the top, making it a good knife to use for "batoning". When you have a hilt that extends both ways the top can interfere with what you're trying to do. Don't blame you going online to get it. This seems to be the losest price I found, but there maybe something lower elsewhere:

http://www.gpknives.com/advanced_sea...uard&x=41&y=13

Hope this helps!

**Scott** · 01-13-2008, 12:09 AM

Hey thanks again everybody for all the great info. Taught me alot. I went ahead and bought the vg from amazon for $49.99 and why I was at it I also shopped around and couldnt help but pick up a Mora 2000 for $29 with no shipping fees. Both Knives should work out well for what I need, mainly light chopping and shelter building/field work.
That Bear Grylls guy used the Buck Zipper (gut hook version of vg) during his everglades episode and seemed to think well of it. Can't wait to run the vg and mora through their paces......Thanks again....and thanks for a great forum...i could spend hours on here....

**Nativedude** · 01-13-2008, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by Scott

Anyone have an opinion on a short (4-5" blade) Ka-Bar as a general use survival knife? I just picked up a Buck 119 Special today and it seems overly long as well as a little unbalanced, it seems to want to fall forward when you ease your grip.

First off. . .Welcome to the insanity Scott!

The Frost Mora model S1 i a great survival knife. Cost is around $18. They hold an incredible edge, are big enough to handle all you will need it fr in the wilds, yet are small enough to keep you out of trouble with the law and the anti-knife zealots (it won't scare them into oblivion)!

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**marberry** · 01-16-2008, 07:46 PM

well it all depends on what your surviving from now doesnt it lol. in the temperate bush i like a nice fixed 119 type knife (thats if ur only carrying 1) sub artic id want something a lil more heavy suck as a small kukri or a kershaw outcast. if your in an alley id want a nice buck knighthawk or any crkt or cold steel fixed blade. if your somewhere where knives are illegal or close to id want the crkt hissatsu folder (which i cant w8 to get by the way) , if i was in angola id want a crkt ultima .... get my point? it all depends on the situation, resources, and law.

**Beo** · 01-30-2008, 07:33 PM

Okay I got the correct for: Looking For The Best Survival Knife... What Do You Do?

Ask me

**hermitman** · 02-02-2008, 10:38 PM

I like the colt combat commander its all one part one side is full blade other is serrated and at the other end is a wire cutter. A knife that I would like to know more about is the tracker way to expensive for me but I hear it has a good reputation looks like it would work well but again to expensive for me anyways.

**BatCat** · 02-06-2008, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by Nativedude

First off. . .Welcome to the insanity Scott!

The Frost Mora model S1 i a great survival knife. Cost is around $18. They hold an incredible edge, are big enough to handle all you will need it fr in the wilds, yet are small enough to keep you out of trouble with the law and the anti-knife zealots (it won't scare them into oblivion)!

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I got quite a few of these. I got a good deal a few years ago on a bunch ($4.99 a piece for 10 or more) so I bought 10

At the other end of the range, I've got a BK-9 which got carried all over the center of the island in Okinawa; same with a Nepalese Kukri I picked up on one of my excursions to Nepal. Both these blades serve well for chopping. I've also got a few of my own design (Yes, I make knives in my off-time) that work well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it all boils down to what works for you. Both large and small blades work for me, and they all have tasks that they can perform better than others.

This is only my opinion, which is worth what you just paid for it

BatCat

**Beo** · 02-06-2008, 11:16 AM

Hermitman, I actually have a Tracker knife, the one Tom Brown Jr. makes and its a great knife, too expensive is right, I got mine as gift because I wouldn't pay that much for a knife $230.00 bucks, but it has its draw backs also. I have found it too bulky and heavy, Blade Length: 4 1/4", O/A Length: 11 7/8", Draw Knife: 2 1/8", Saw: 2 1/2", Thickness: 1/4", 1095 high carbon steel and rust proofed black traction coating. The knife is real nice and I put it through a heck-of-a test, it did great and worked outstanding, but once again it is bulky, heavy and hard to manage at times. Tom Brown Jr. now has the Tracker 2 knife wich is the same but a bit smaller and loos real good.
Hope this helps.
Beo,

**BatCat** · 02-06-2008, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Beowulf65

Hermitman, I actually have a Tracker knife, the one Tom Brown Jr. makes and its a great knife, too expensive is right, I got mine as gift because I wouldn't pay that much for a knife $230.00 bucks, but it has its draw backs also. I have found it too bulky and heavy, Blade Length: 4 1/4", O/A Length: 11 7/8", Draw Knife: 2 1/8", Saw: 2 1/2", Thickness: 1/4", 1095 high carbon steel and rust proofed black traction coating. The knife is real nice and I put it through a heck-of-a test, it did great and worked outstanding, but once again it is bulky, heavy and hard to manage at times. Tom Brown Jr. now has the Tracker 2 knife wich is the same but a bit smaller and loos real good.
Hope this helps.
Beo,

I had a Tracker knife for a coupla years. It was indeed too awkward. I sold it on ebay.

I do have a TOPS Moccasin Ranger that I'm also fond of

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Got it as a gift a few years back. Its a great all around blade

BatCat

**Beo** · 02-06-2008, 11:37 AM

Your pic says you hotlinked it and won't show but I took a look at it and its a nice knife.
Good choice.

**Beo** · 02-06-2008, 11:43 AM

Survival knives are intended for survival purposes when lost in a wilderness environment. Military units issue some type of survival knife to pilots in the event they may be shot down. Hunters, hikers, and other outdoor sport enthusiasts also purchase and use great numbers of commercial survival knives. Some survival knives are heavy-bladed and thick; others are more lightweight or fold in order to save weight and bulk as part of a larger survival kit. Previous to the late 19th century, outdoorsmen and military personnel did not use knives that were notably different from the knives used by butchers. Bladestock was relatively thin and the handles were often no more than two wooden slabs riveted to the tang. Around the turn of the century, Webster Marbles introduced the modern concept of the "hunting knife." These knives incorporated heavier blades, crossguards, and pommels. They very much resembled miniaturized Bowie knives. Case, Cattaraugus, and other cutlery manufacturers soon introduced similar knives of their own and it is from these that the modern concept of the survival knife is descended. These knives, along with machetes and bolos constituted survival knives as used by military, explorers, and outdoorsmen up through at least the 1930s.
During WWII, survival knives were issued to aircraft crew, as it was a real possibility that these personnel might be shot down over wilderness or behind enemy lines. Lifeboats aboard naval vessels also frequently contained survival kits including knives. These knives varied in design from one branch of the service to another and from one nation to another. The majority of them were simply commercial knives purchased in bulk by the military. From the Vietnam-era and to present, purpose-built survival knives evolved. The serrations often seen on more recent survival knives are intended to allow aircrewmen to cut their way free through the relatively thin metal skin of a crashed helicopter or airplane. They do not function well as woodsaws nor are they intended as such. Those knives that do include functional saw-teeth still suffer from lack of blade length limiting the thickness of what can be cut when used as a saw. Other features, such as hollow handles that could be used as storage space for matches or similar small items, began gaining popularity in the 1980s, with this knives there is a trade off, they are usually very fragile and prone to breaking. Custom or semi-custom makers such as Jimmy Lile andBo Randall are often credited with inventing those features, but all of them can be found individually in earlier commercial knives. The movie Rambo may legitimately be credited with having created the market demand for large, serrated, hollow-handled survival knives. Knives of that description are even sometimes referred to as Rambo knives.
Some militaries, including the US, have redesigned the bayonet used with their issued rifle to include survival knife features. Historically, bayonets had functioned poorly as field knives, due to being designed primarily to turn a rifle into a thrusting weapon and only secondarily (if at all) to work as a field knife. The newer models function more acceptably for mundane tasks while retaining the capability to be attached to the muzzle of the rifle.

**BatCat** · 02-06-2008, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by Beowulf65

Your pic says you hotlinked it and won't show but I took a look at it and its a nice knife.
Good choice.

Heaven forbid I do any advertising for them. I've definitely spent enough money there.

I fixed the link

BatCat

**chopp29** · 02-06-2008, 08:42 PM

I just purchased a Buck Stryder Solution Model 888. But I think Rick is the one that pointed out it is a bit pricey. But for me, I am totally satisfied with it. Good solid knife. Another good suggestion if you can spin about $90-$160, depending on where you purchase it, the RAT-5 is a very good choice. Are any RAT knives for that matter. Just a suggestion. Good luck.

**Rick** · 02-06-2008, 08:47 PM

RATs are good knives. I can't argue with much made by Ontario:

http://www.ontarioknife.com/adventure.html

**trooper** · 02-07-2008, 01:34 PM

I got my dad a Tracker and he likes it but says its too bulky and heavy. He gave me an Army Survival Knife, a Deer Antler longhunter he made (he really likes these old things), and a cool knife he carried in the Rangers with a paracord wrapped handle. My mom gave me a folder but its cheap and she didn't know any better but she tried I guess.

**MCBushbaby** · 02-08-2008, 08:56 PM

http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/

Bark River Knives are a local, well at least in the Keweenaw, knife maker. Both custom and prefab. Great quality from what I hear, though I don't have the cash to try any out.

They even have knife sections for Bushcraft and Survival

**Rick** · 02-08-2008, 08:58 PM

Those are nice looking knives. The only thing I don't like about them is no protection between handle and blade. I have this phobia about my hand sliding right out on the blade and ....... ohhhhh.