Knife/Survival Knife Info.

[hoosierarcher]

Could someone please tell me what the weird notch on the blade, near the handle, is for? Is it for striking flints to make fire?

A Gurkha Soldier has an avowed spiritual connection to his kukri. A combat kukri is NEVER to be drawn from the sheath except to draw blood. If a Gurkha draws his kukri and then does not draw the blood of an enemy he must draw his own blood with it that "weird notch on the blade" is there so he can puncture his own thumb and "feed" his kukri enough blood that it will not curse him.

[MCBushbaby]

Can you squash a blood-bloated mosquito with your kukri? Would that satisfy it's metalic bloodlust?

[chiangmaimav]

A very nice kukri. I had an old one I bought in a street market which although cheap lasted quite a long time despite rough usage. It is difficult here to obtain custom made high quality knives due to high shipping costs and customs regulations. However, parangs and kukri-style knives are very, very popular here and many local blacksmiths make them and they are very cheap so I just replace them when they wear out.

[crashdive123]

A Gurkha Soldier has an avowed spiritual connection to his kukri. A combat kukri is NEVER to be drawn from the sheath except to draw blood. If a Gurkha draws his kukri and then does not draw the blood of an enemy he must draw his own blood with it that "weird notch on the blade" is there so he can puncture his own thumb and "feed" his kukri enough blood that it will not curse him.

Have never heard or read of the "must draw blood" explanation before. Not disputing it, just have never read or heard of it. Most explanations that I have researched are similar to this one.

From Khukrihouse online:

The most appealing and distinctive part of the khukuri is the notch or “Cho” cut into the blade directly in front of the grip and the bolster. The Cho or “Kaudi” in Nepalese that separates the khukuri from the world of knives arouses much interest because of its unique shape and utility objectives. Practically the notch works as a blood dipper to prevent the blood or fluid from going towards the handle so that firm grip can be maintained throughout the execution and also as a stopper to stop Chakmak (sharpener) from reaching the handle area when sharpening while running down the edge of the khukuri blade. Similarly the notch also has religious significance as it signifies the Hindu fertility symbol (OM) and represents the sacred cow’s hoof (as cow is worshipped in Nepal).It is also believed to have been developed as a device for catching and neutralizing an enemy blade in close combat. However, myths like notch being a target device to capture an enemy’s sight within it and hurl the blade like a boomera ng to snick of his head is not true as khukuri is never thrown. As well the notch being a can opener or rest curvature for index finger of the using hand while slicing are all fictitious. The first khukuri blade ever known to the modern mankind had the Cho and some drawings found in an Indian temple around 600AD also depict it in the blade. Almost all khukuri that originated in the past had the legendary notch and even the modern ones continue to carry this distinctive tradition.

[sgtdraino]

The New Age Kabars are just as tough as the old Kabars, IMHO the keep a better edge.

But, all Kabars are not equal.

Luckily, copies are pretty easy to spot.
The Marine combat knife is currently made by Ka-Bar, Ontario, Camillus (presently out of business), and some by Case (base of blade is marked).

If by chance, you happen to "find" a Ka-Bar marked on the crossguard (blade side and marked either Ka-Bar or Camillus, designated as USN, MK II), snatch it up as these are THE real deal from WWII and somewhat collectable.

With Kabars currently being made by several different companies, which of the current-production ones do you think comes closest to meeting or exceding the quality of the original Mk II?

[Leighman]

With Kabars currently being made by several different companies, which of the current-production ones do you think comes closest to meeting or exceding the quality of the original Mk II?

In comparison (WW II era USN MK II Camillus vs current Ka-Bar) it is pretty much of a toss up.

The old Camillus' blade/guard/butt appears to be parkerzied while the newer Ka-bar seems more of a painted/baked-on black finish.

[Pal334]

Here is a pic of my efforts to date.
The one at the top is a fine toothed hacksaw blade. Teeth are small, so I blunted them a bit and left in place. I have roughed in a edge with my bench grinder. Later I will use fine sand paper on my sander and see how the edge comes up. I have used three coats of the rubber handle stuff. Looks like it will be a handy little thing.
The middle one is a work in process, it is a sawz all blade, (a Rescue blade) so is a bit larger and and thicker than my other used sawz all blades. I left the blade shape basicaly the same as the original blade,I drilled on extra hole near the tang for fitting some sort of handle. Again, I just rounded over the the saw teeth.
While I was puttering around looking for more old blades, I found the blade holder that is at the bottom of the picture. I am going to experiment with other hack saw blades using this as the handle. Seems it would be a quick expedient blade holder.

[klkak]

A couple years ago I retired my issue K-Bar and bought one of the new K-Bar D-2 extreme. Probably the last K-Bar I'll ever need.

[Sarge47]

I was very surprised to see that the "Cheaper Than Dirt Hard-Use Knife did so well on Knife Tests "knife test"! (4.5) The knife sells for about 10 bucks but is made with 440 steel. There's 3 different blade types & it's your choice! According to the "users reviews" they were mixed with the majority in favor of the knife as a good "stand-by". If all you can afford is $10 then this might be a pretty good choice for an outdoor knife, unless you prefer the Mora. If you can afford more I'd still suggest a Buck, Gerber, or Ka-Bar, in the lower-price range.

[hoosierarcher]

I think If I made one I'd grind down the teeth of the saw at least in the handle area. This reminded me of something a friend of mine does. He gets old industrial bandsaw blades out of the shop dumpsters and stamps trade point broadheads out of them. They rockwell test about 62C or so and hold an edge like a shark tooth when sharpened on a japanese water stone. I think I'll try making some of these and sell them on eBay for .99 or so.

[SARKY]

Has anyone checked out the ColdSteel seconds shop? Go to the Cold Steel web site and then find their seconds shop... some really good deals can be had there.

[davef]

Jericho, why do you want a 7" blade? But if you're fixed on a 7 incher, then take a look at the BK7 now called the KABAR Becker - Combat Utility Knife, 7" Carbon Steel Blade. It has a full tang and you can put a fishing kit (or whatever) in the handle. This knife is well known for it's toughness. If I remember right, search one of Mac's posts for more details and pic's.

Gray Wolf, those new Beckers are phenominal!
Ethan Becker just snagged a sub forum over on the Bladeforums site.
Lots of great posts in it. Lots of great pictures too.


Jericho, you should have a knife like this. It's a beast!
This is my Becker BK9. Have had it for a number of years now.
It's as tough as nails this one.
Great knife.

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[davef]

The Scrapper 6 serves as the debut model of the Scrap Yard line. It features SR-77 steel, which is a slightly modified version of S-7 tool steel hardened to 57-59 Rc. S-7 is commonly used in jackhammer bits and is well known for its enormous toughness. Through the use of deep cryogenics and our proprietary heat-treating protocol we are able to wring the maximum performance out of this incredibly tough tool steel.
Cost $99.95

They ain't $99.95 anymore. You can't order them from the company as they
only do limited runs. Their latest was a 7 inch version of the
Scrapper 6 called Son of Dogfather. I was lucky to get one, and should
have it around the first week of January.

Regarding the costs, the Scrapper can only be obtained now through the
secondary markets, and they fetch a premium price. I paid almost $200.00
for mine.
Here it is with relatives (Ratweiler, Scrapper, Ratmandu, Scrapyard DMDC,
Swamprat HCLE, and Busse AD)
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Also, a picture of the SOD that I have coming
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[Sarge47]

1st, since this thread has gone way "off-topic" & over into a general knife discussion it has been moved to the appropriate "sticky".

2nd, Anybody who's read anything I've written on my knife suggestions may remember these:

My 3 requirements for a good outdoor "fixed-blade" knife:

1.) It must have a "full-tang."

2.) It must have a "Rockwell-hardness" rating between 56 to 58.

3.) It must never exceed $120 in price...& that price will mean it's a fan-
tastic price!

In other words, I don't care how good the knife is reputed to be, $200 is way out of line, IMO. If I was going to shell out big bucks for a knife I'd think about the Bear Grylls Bailey Knife! The bottom line is that any good quality knife can get you buy if you treat it like any other quality tool...with tender loving care. Note that even the Old Coot STILL has his original Ka-Bar!

[davef]

1.) It must have a "full-tang."

2.) It must have a "Rockwell-hardness" rating between 56 to 58.

3.) It must never exceed $120 in price...& that price will mean it's a fan-
tastic price!

In other words, I don't care how good the knife is reputed to be, $200 is way out of line, IMO. If I was going to shell out big bucks for a knife I'd think about the Bear Grylls Bailey Knife! The bottom line is that any good quality knife can get you buy if you treat it like any other quality tool...with tender loving care. Note that even the Old Coot STILL has his original Ka-Bar!

The reason that it cost almost $200 is because I live in Canada, and had to
pay the exchange on both the knife and the bloody shipping. If I'd been
living in the U.S., I would have gotten it for far less. Kinda hard to swallow
my country's dollar being worth only $0.73 USD (at the time I bought it).

My SOD from Scrapyard Knife Works, only cost $119 USD and I bought it
when our dollar was worth more than the US dollar. Better price

A $50.00 Ka-Bar in the U.S. will run between $110 and $130 here. Thats
more than double the cost just because I live in Canada. And we're just
talking the very basic, cheapest Ka-Bar that I could find. If I wanted to get
something better, then we're talking a whole lot more.

For you, the Ka-Bar knife is a durable, do everything, inexpensive knife.
It may be all that, but as far as inexpensive goes, here where I live that
just ain't the case.

Just a note, my Becker BK9 cost me $35.00 + 8.00 shipping when I bought
it 4 years ago.

[Cleankill47]

I have the Cold Steel kukri machete, and I have to say, it is an extremely good blade for the money. The handle is molded, and the sheath is very durable, although I have to say I would like a more convenient type of sheath.

[Sarge47]

Freakin' Customs sucks! Sorry to hear that Dave, what a total bummer!

[Pal334]

I just blunted the teeth on the rubber handled blade to possibly give a gripping surface when in use , will have to see how that works out. The liquid rubber seems to have given good coverage over the teeth in the handle area. Now if I were to such a blade with larger teeth, then I agree further grinding would probably be needed. The beauty of this process is that you literaly are only investing time, since you ae using scraps. Now I have one more container to collect stuff (discarded blades) in for future projects

[Leighman]

My 3 requirements for a good outdoor "fixed-blade" knife:

1.) It must have a "full-tang."

2.) It must have a "Rockwell-hardness" rating between 56 to 58.

3.) It must never exceed $120 in price...& that price will mean it's a fan-
tastic price!
:

From the above criteria, I would think Becker (now marketed through Ka-Bar), Ontario RTAK/RAT, and RAT Cutlery should all fill the bill.

I presently own and use all of the above brands and have had ZERO issues with any of them.

Some folks are into the latest "wonder steels" but a properly heat treated 1095 carbon blade will take care of just about any outdoor task you ask of it.

1095 may be less than corrosion resistant but with minimal care this is pretty much a non-issue to me.

[Leighman]

I have the Cold Steel kukri machete, and I have to say, it is an extremely good blade for the money. The handle is molded, and the sheath is very durable, although I have to say I would like a more convenient type of sheath.

Ditto to the CS kukri except that my sheath has not held up too well.
Once properly sharpened, mine has easily cut through the thin nylon material while sheathing/unsheathing. You are right, the "side opening" sheath is less than convenient.

Custom kydex is nice but can be pricey for this sized blade.