Best survival knife

[hunter63]

For $575, means a $20 buck Mora, Handi Rifle in some cool caliber $250 and 3 extra barrels @$104 bucks each.

I just can't see spending that kind of money on a knife.

[ninjasurvivor]

For $575, means a $20 buck Mora, Handi Rifle in some cool caliber $250 and 3 extra barrels @$104 bucks each.

I just can't see spending that kind of money on a knife.

I wouldn't mind if I felt the quality was there and I REALLY wanted it. However, I'd probably never get it simply because you could dent the tip or put a ding in the blade and then you are stuck with a deformed $500 knife. I've spent $200 on a knife before. I can live with that, but not much more.

[Winter]

There are many great makers in Ireland and the UK.

[RangerXanatos]

There is also Enzo. I hear lots of good revies on their fixed blades. I have their folding Birk and have been pleased with it.

But you do need to learn to sharpen your knife. I fibd Scandinavian grinds the easiest and convexed the hardest. But you may find it different.

[Sarge47]

I wouldn't mind if I felt the quality was there and I REALLY wanted it. However, I'd probably never get it simply because you could dent the tip or put a ding in the blade and then you are stuck with a deformed $500 knife. I've spent $200 on a knife before. I can live with that, but not much more.

1st, for 500 bucks you shouldn't be able to hurt the blade, checkout "Junkyard Knives."

2nd, spending over a hundred dollars for a knife is money wasted. When I 1st came onto this forum I had a heated discussion with a new member that bragged he'd paid out $1500 for a hand made folder! The Mora 2000 is only around $30 and one of our members, an Alaskan guide, quartered a moose with one! Cody Lundin only carries a Mora. You can buy one cheap off of his web site. I once paid $122 for a knife, but that was because I got a Buck Hoodlum, designed by the late Ron Hood, off eBay for a hundred dollars less than what they normally cost. Best low cost "survival knife" I found was the Schrade one I bought for a bit over $40.

http://www.amazon.com/Schrade-SCHF9-...survival+knife

3rd, the latest "buzzword" is "Survival." They're slapping that moniker on everything. The newest "catch-phrase" is "Survival Knife." The 1st knife I can find that was made for survival was the Ontario Air Crew Survival Knife...you can still buy one for around 47 bucks. Accept no substitutes, this one is the real deal.

http://www.amazon.com/Ontario-Knives...survival+knife

4th, why call them "SURVIVAL knives?" Why not an "OUTDOORS knife?" Use it for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and survival if things go pear-shaped. Makes sense to me. Except for the Ontario knife, I think the others are a by-product from the Rambo movies and the reality shows. Military pilots need a good knife for surviving if their plane goes down, so that means that they have to be pretty rugged...and they don't cost a lot of money! Two big plusses!...

[crashdive123]

2nd, spending over a hundred dollars for a knife is money wasted.

While it may be more than you are willing to spend on a knife, I would not call it money wasted. There are limits to what everybody will spend on a knife, usually influenced by their means and desire.

[Sarge47]

While it may be more than you are willing to spend on a knife, I would not call it money wasted. There are limits to what everybody will spend on a knife, usually influenced by their means and desire.

Yeah, to this I have to plead guilty. I didn't really need the Buck Hoodlum, but the price was too good to pass up. Truth be told, when I camped out at my brother's, even though I had that knife with me, it stayed in my tent. I carried a Gerber on my belt that cost a lot less. If I was going to lose a knife it wasn't going to be the most expensive one in my collection. Didn't worry about "batoning," as we had a chain saw and a nice splitting axe at our disposal.....

[DomC]

The most I've spent on a knife was $130. It is not money wasted. I'm a utilitarian not a collector, I use what I buy no matter the cost.

DomC

[Grizz123]

The native peoples from around the world have used flint and other stone material for countless years and all it cost them was time to find and knap the stone.

There is not one knife made today that will do everything as well as the specific knife designed to handle a specific task, period. Different shapes, blade material, grind, finish, handle material, handle shape, handle size, blade thickness and tempering all play a roll in what knife works best for YOU and YOUR needs. The only way to learn which knife works best for YOUR needs is to get out and use them.

Cost of knives - This can be a touchy subject so read with caution
A inexpensive knife can be well made and an expensive knife can be poorly made - Now that is out of the way I will get started.

Consider an inexpensive knife a ford escort and an expensive one equal to a Mercedes, both will get you from point "A" to point "B", right? But one will get you there faster, one will use less fuel, one will be an incredibly comfortable ride, one has a better warranty, one has a better service record, one will look better than the other but in the end they will both get you from point "A" to point "B", which one will meets YOUR needs??

After years of use and countless different knives, "I" find that in most situations, the more expensive knives meet MY needs best. They fit my hands better, the temper, shape, grind and looks are custom to fit my needs so I am willing to pay more. With use bordering on abuse, the more expensive knives outshine the less expensive ones.

There are countless inexpensive knives (moras, etc...) that will last you a life time if used correctly and taken care of, start there and work your way up to whatever meets YOUR needs. And dont get turned off if you find that carrying more than one will meet your needs better than trying to find one knife to do everything, there is nothing wrong with doing that.

[mplsatty]

What can I say but that I love knives. AND I really love knives that can take all the outdoors use & abuse & still cut up a nice supper. That said, as many knives as there are on the market touted for outdoors use, and as many as there are for food prep, there are really far too few that straddle the two purposes well. Most people get the bigger, thicker outdoors knife & use that to perform food prep where possible, realizing they're "roughing it" so potatoes are going to be chunked, not sliced. The reason for this is simple: a lot of food prep knives can't handle chopping wood. That said, you're looking for a rather rare specimen of a knife, & I applaud you for that!

For about $120 US (not sure if the knife is more expensive for you or just the shipping), you can find the TOPS Pasayten Lite Traveler -- the steel stock is thinner than most TOPS knives, but thicker than most German-style chef's knives. This knife had a grey coated high carbon (not stainless) blade, not "tactical black," so it will be less intimidating when seen by others, but it does have a clip point to the blade, something that tends to look a little menacing. Because of the coating, only the sharpened edge will be subject to rust, & I totally agree with the mineral oil suggestion! The knife was designed by Steven Dick, a former army ranger, former forestry worker, and current farmer, hunter, & food afficionado. He loves to be outdoors & to cook -- if anyone's likely to have designed a blade exactly to the specifications you're looking for, it's him. Oh, & he was the editor for the recently-defunct magazine Tactical Knives -- he tended to review both custom tactical folders as well as cooking knives (primarily Asian cooking knives, but there were knives from other countries as well). I own this knife & have to say that it feels really good in the hand, & there is sufficient knuckle clearance for use with a cutting board. Unfortunately I haven't yet put it through its paces for other camp chores, but TOPS warranties their knives for life (taking them up on that warranty would unfortunately mean putting the knife back through customs & international shipping, again).

Okay, now that I just went all fanboy there, I have to agree with other posters that it's really best to have a few blades. The American legend Nessmuk (George Washington Sears) advised taking a fixed blade (like an Ontario/Old Hickory butcher knife -- thin enough for skinning, long enough for versatility), a folder (for everything else), & a double-bit axe (one bit thicker, for splitting, the other for chopping). To me, that sounds like an ultra-light minimalist's approach, but like I said, I love knives!

Regardless, good luck, & enjoy the search!

[MrFixIt]

I certainly won't say it's the "best", but for the money I bought a Condor Tavian.
The handle wasn't quite large enough (paracord wrap fixed that) and the leather sheath was very nice.
I also carry my small knife (that I made myself) for lighter duty functions.

[alaskabushman]

I stand by my Cold Steel SRK. Durable sheath with reversible belt loop (great since I'm lefty) and a comfortable slip resistant handle. It might be out of reach for the budget buyer but it was worth it to me.

[ninjasurvivor]

I stand by my Cold Steel SRK. Durable sheath with reversible belt loop (great since I'm lefty) and a comfortable slip resistant handle. It might be out of reach for the budget buyer but it was worth it to me.

Those are nice. A good standard survival knife. Cold Steel rarely puts out a bad blade.

[alaskabushman]

Those are nice. A good standard survival knife. Cold Steel rarely puts out a bad blade.

I love mine, I've been thinking about upgrading to the San Mai version since its stainless. I'm torn though because I really like the Carbon V blade that mine has. Maybe I'll just stick with what I have.

[Winter]

San Mai is not stainless.

[alaskabushman]

San Mai is not stainless.

I stand corrected. If I had really thought about it I would have realized my Black Sable is San Mai, and is certainly not stainless. Its simply a hard high carbon center sandwiched between two pieces of tough lower carbon. No, certainly not stainless. Still awesome steel.

[Winter]

It's an amazing steel. We live in the same part of the world so let me give you some great info that I just learned this spring.

Use paraffin wax on your knives instead of oil. It's food grade, stays put very well and, if you carry a stick of it in your pack, it is useful for firemaking and some first aide stuff.

[alaskabushman]

hmmm, good idea. I've been using food grade mineral oil on the fixed blades (seems to gum up the folders). I shall try it.

[ninjasurvivor]

There's a reason the Buck hoodlum was so cheap. It's a piece of crap. Don't know why anyone would need such a long narrow blade in the first place, because its a bad design. Too short and light to chop, too long for fine tasks. Then they add a notch to the middle of the already thin blade, in what we can only assume was an attempt to deliberately weaken their knives so that they snap when batoned.

As far as knife care goes. Get a "rust eraser" for tending to your blades. They are the same size as a wet stone and can fit into the sheath. You don't need to lubricate or wash your blade, as the eraser will remove most of the tarnish as it accumulates.

[Rick]

You don't need to lubricate or wash your blade

Well, that's different. Remind me never to eat anything you prepare in the woods.