Best survival knife

[treefrog]

Hey folks, I've just come by a little sum of money which means I will be able to buy a nice survival knife. I'll tell you what I am looking for and hopefully a few of you can advise me.

I am into hiking in the great outdoors here in Ireland. I want a knife that will be very good for survival use and emergencies, but also for any everyday tasks, like maybe food prep when wild camping. So it needs to be strong, durable, effective for a wide range of tasks, rust resistant, and not to aggressive-looking.

I've looked online at lots of knives, read lots of reviews, and finally concluded that maybe something from Fallkniven might be good. But I am open to ideas and suggestions about the best knife for me.

Thanks and I look forward to reading your replies.

[RangerXanatos]

While I don't own a falkniven, I would love to get my jands on an F1. They're popular for a reason. And you have your choice of some reputable steels.

I figure you're set on something that costs more than a mora, but I can't recommend them enough.

I don't have as many knives in stainless/semi-stainless but queen cutlery makes some in d2 that might suit your needs.

[welderguy]

Get a Mora. or one of them neat hollow handled survival knives I hear they are great!!!

[Rick]

Do you know how to properly sharpen a knife? If you want it to be rust resistant then you are looking at one of the stainless steels, which will be much harder to sharpen.

[treefrog]

Do you know how to properly sharpen a knife? If you want it to be rust resistant then you are looking at one of the stainless steels, which will be much harder to sharpen.

I have a Mora Frost knife. It's ok but it rusts very easily. I read that the F1 is rust resistant steel and holds its edge well. I have not sharpened a knife before.

[Rick]

Practice sharpening the Mora then coat it with food grade mineral oil. I think you may refer to it as USP Mineral Oil there. It will help keep the knife from rusting and if you cut up food there will be no petroleum to worry about since the mineral oil is food grade. If your knife has a leather sheath, many of the Moras did, then store the knife out of the sheath. The harder the metal the harder it is to sharpen. However, once you've honed (sorry, couldn't resist) your skills on the Mora then your experience will transfer over to harder metals. Just my opinion.

[Sarge47]

So how much in US dollars, are you looking to spend? Do you prefer small, medium, or large? There are some good ones out there that won't break you in all sizes....

[treefrog]

Small/medium fixed blade.
£130 max = $222 approx. But remember things are usually more expensive over here.

[LowKey]

Can you carry a fixed blade over there even if it looks non-aggressive?
I haven't been to Ireland in decades but sheesh, the UK hardly lets a citizen carry a folding pen knife these days.

Follow Rick's advice regarding keeping your steel rust-free. I'm not a fan of stainless knives simply because they take too long to sharpen. I like sharpening knives and all but sometimes setting that edge.....

The only fixed blade I have right now of any quality is my dad's old Marine Corps Kabar. I don't think the current Kabars are anywhere near the quality if this thing. Everything else I have folds due to state laws. Except for my bait knife, which is a cheap Old Hickory with lots of uh...character. Sorry not much help.

[treefrog]

In the UK, you need a good reason to carry a fixed blade knife. Camping and hiking is a good reason, in my opinion. Hunting would be an even better reason. Thus the F1 or S1 Fallkniven could be carried when hiking, which is the activity I am engaged in. But to avoid attention, I would not have it visible in public places with lots or even a few people. Out in the wilds should be fine, where there are few people. A small non-locking Swiss army knife can be carried anywhere in the UK without needing to give a reason. The law in Ireland is similar.

[crashdive123]

You don't need to break the bank for a good knife to use as you describe above. Not sure what is available to you, but brands like Gerber and Buck will serve you just fine. My advice is to stay away from gimmicky or flashy add-ons as IMO they are there to detract you from the knife and probably cover up it's short comings.

[Rick]

Generally, when someone asks an opinion on a given item they have already made up their mind that's what they want. They are just looking for someone to agree with them. That's just human nature. We all do it. Don't let that prevent you from making a smart decision. In the end, however, it's your money and if that's what you really truly want then buy it. If it turns out you are not happy with it you can probably sell it...for less than you paid of course. Then you can purchase one of the knives listed above. Hey, that's how we learn sometimes.

[ninjasurvivor]

It's been proven that "survival knives" don't make for good cooking knives. The reason is because the durable batoning knives are too thick to be effective for fine food prep tasks. I think the Mora bushcraft black is as close as you'll come to survival and food prep, as well as being rust proof and non-aggressive looking. But its only like $50 so you could get Becker BK7 and a Mora for under $150 and be all set for everything. Most people have, carry, and use more than one knife.

[Sarge47]

Experience has shown that when somebody asks the same question that you asked on here, a hundred different people will give a hundred different answers. If it were me I'd ignore all the well-meaning advice on WHICH knife to buy and concentrate on the information regarding the knife you've already picked out. Nobody else could possibly know what fits you...only you can know that. You're the guy who has to be satisfied. I've never owned a Falkniven knife so I can't advise you on it, but I've only heard great things on them from other forum members, and never anything bad. Also, when somebody on here that lives in the USA quotes prices, that's what they cost here in the U.S., not in Ireland where you live obviously. Like Rick said, just pick out the one that seems right for you and go for it!...

[ninjasurvivor]

To that end, all knives were not created equal, but most knives can do the same thing. It's mainly a style and design preference, not one of functionality.

I do think weight, blade thickness, and length are important factors to consider. Big clonking knives suck to carry around. My go to bushcraft knife is small and inexpensive. It has never let me down and works like a charm. I ordered it off Amazon on a whim with little fanfare. It doesn't always have to be a major life decision. Just pick something and roll with it.

[Great Dane]

The F1 is a great all-round knife. Top quality. It's obviously not a chefs knife, but for your cooking needs when camping, it'll do just fine.

[finallyME]

You're in the UK, go for the Ray Mears woodlore or bushcraft knife. Of course, if you can't keep a Mora sharp and rust free......what's the point in getting a better knife. Pick a Mora that has a stainless blade. If you can't keep it sharp and rust free, then you need to work on that first. If, however, you are just looking for approval in buying the F1, I hereby bestow permission to get it. Have fun!

[crashdive123]

Another thing to consider - if you have a scandi grind knife now, you will sharpen it differently (or at least should) from other types of grinds. The scandi grind knife generally do not have a secondary bevel whereas most others do.

[hunter63]

You know I really can't give a recommendation for any kind of "survival" knife....too broad of definition.
That and the fact that I find it hard to believe a $300 knife is exponentially better than a $30 dollar knife, although I do know that a $30 knife is better than a $3 dollar knife.

The exception is maybe a custom made knife by some one I know, and admire their work....and yeah I do use them.

I too am a fan of Mora's, olf fashion Buck and Western knives...... as well as Green river blades, for general camp work, and use most for hunting and camping...not surviving per se.
These knives generally run for $10 buck to $100 bucks....and do everything pretty well except maybe chopping and batoning.

I did get a deal on a Becker BK2, lovingly used w/ a couple of sheaths for like $60 bucks....and is possibility the most survivalily looking knife I own.
Going to substitute it for the small hawk in my hunting fanny pack rig and see how I like it....actually weigh about the same.

So if you got one in mind....and have the bucks...go for it and see how you like it......No one said you can have only one knife.

[ninjasurvivor]

I think the Robson x-46 would be the ultimate "survival" knife, because it is full tang, hollow handle, good steel, looks cool, and gives you the option of length, style of knife point, and serrations. With those features and versatility, I don't see how you could do much better. But you'll pay for it, at $425-$575 a knife.