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?
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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'm a simple man. If it cuts, I'm happy.
I Look For Brand, Blade Type And How It Feels In My Hand.
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.
Actually, a small knife can do exactly what a big knife does...just on a smaller scale. Just sayin'....
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......
i would make sure that the tang goes through the handle(full tang). i would also want the steel to be a decent steel.
Decent steel is dependent upon the use and environment of the knife...carbon or stainless?
I just make sure it's one that I've got in my knife drawer.
You keep knives in your drawers?!:eek::scared:
Just gotta be careful where and how I sit.
Well I'd reckon. Slice and dice could take on new meaning in short order (Get it slice and dice? Short?) I slay myself.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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...arch%20Results
Or this Ontario knife,
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce...fault&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...
Since you have been traumatized by the stuff you have been put through, maybe you could convince her to get you both.
The blade I use the most is a Gerber 4" fixed blade
sooooo, you're getting her a new car for her birthday, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by doren
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.
I'm poor, and she can't drive, nope not this year.Quote:
Originally Posted by mountain mama
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.
doren, if you like Ontario Knives that well, check out their RAT-7. It is one nice knife.
There is a sticky on survival knives. Just sayin'...
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ead.php?t=1297
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
It's just like chewing gum in class.......unless you got one for everybody....
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.
Keep eatin'. You'll get there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blood Groove
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.
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.
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
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-barQuote:
Originally Posted by doren
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 -Quote:
Originally Posted by vthompson
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...ath-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-bayon...th-p-2750.html
Hope this helped.
SOG SEAL 2000. The End.
You all know we have a sticky on survival knives that runs over 50 posts, right?
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ead.php?t=1297
Quote:
Originally Posted by remy
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.
Goloth, you're showing your age.Quote:
Originally Posted by Goloth
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chiye tanka
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ole WV Coot