Survival Knives
 

Anyone have any good suggestions for an affordable survival knife? I've got a couple decent hunting knives, but have been thinking about picking up something along the lines of a Ka-Bar or maybe Glock field knife. Any good suggestions? What's in your pack?

Re: Survival Knives
 

Just bought one of these yesterday:
http://www.leatherman.com/products/t...ge/default.asp
Great Bug-out knives and tool kit! (mine even came with hoser Robertson heads!)

Re: Survival Knives
 

Oh yeah...a good multi-tool is a must have. I got one of those Leatherman packs with one large and one small multi-tool for Christmas one year. I threw the large one in my pack and I carry the small one just about everywhere I go. Very handy!

Re: Survival Knives
 

First you'd have to define affordable.

I wouldn't reccomend a Glock knife, they don't have very good geometery for many tasks. As a general rule you'd do well to avoid any knife that has been branded by a gun company.

Re: Survival Knives
 

there was a good one made in spain a whiles back. had a curved blade, came with surgical tube and ball bearings in the rambo-handle-- you remember that knife rev? you're a slingshot dude right? I got one, I freakin love it. it also came with a little skeleton type knife alongside the sheath-- which was hard plastic and the frame for the slingshot.

anyhow it had a high carbon blade, that I like for their edge and ease of sharpening

Re: Survival Knives
 

I'm partial to the Coldsteel SRK. Cheap enough and built tough with no frills. The carbon steel blade takes an edge very quickly, but also begins to rust almost as quickly. Mine got wet once and I could see rust forming only four hours later. Now its kept generously greased at all times without any further problems.

Apart from that its a great all around survival knife.

Re: Survival Knives
 

I have a set of J.A. Henkels in the kitchen. 99% of the time I just use a cheapo Taiwan utility knife that cost maybe $4. It just does the job.

Re: Survival Knives
 

busse combat or one of their "sister" companies; swamp rat or scrap yard knife works.

Re: Survival Knives
 

I bought a mini boxcutter recently (the smaller one) to just carry on my keychain recently. Its awesome. Being that a razor is sharper than any of the expensive brand name knives, and and you can just throw it out and put a new blade in when one dulls, very practical. You can't really butter your bread with it though, but it works GREAT as a keychain knife to have with me at all times.

Re: Survival Knives
 

gerber mk11 survival could not find where to buy one maybee there is restrictions
now on purchase??

Re: Survival Knives
 

second the Cold Steel SRK. Great choice. Carbon steel doesn't break easily. It may bend but it won't easily break. It can take all sorts of abuse. Yes, you need to watch the rust, but so what.

Another second choice would be something completely the opposite, a Mora for instance. Something with a thin blade as the SRK has a fat blade profile and isn't a great slicer.

I carry a folder virtually all the time. At home it's a Spyderco Salt with a yellow handle. The Salt line is made from a completely stainless steel and has titanium parts so it is impervious even to saltwater. When I leave I carry a knife that fits my clothing but in any event would be a good rescue knife if I had to cut my way into our out of something. There are a lot of good knives in this category but one of the best and strongest is the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter folder. I also have Striders and a Sebenza and other knives but the Cold Steel are the best values.

Coldsteel - go to their
 

Special Project website and get it there.

Re: Survival Knives
 

I personally like the martial arts, medievil types, got a few of those, very funky looking, and intimidating....I'll try to take some pictures later
Here's a similiar one on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-DRACO-DAGGERS-...QQcmdZViewItem



:coolbeer:

Re: Survival Knives
 

That's a fantasy knife NOT intimidating at all!

Re: Survival Knives
 

Re: Survival Knives
 

Greco knives,MMHW,Himalayan Imports, best bang for the buck,carbon steel,no BS.Contact me for all your knife needs and questions,I`m a knife connoisseur and a member of bladeforums with extensive zero negative feedback.

Re: Survival Knives
 

Great to see another knifeknut:).

shivs
 

I used to be a knife nut too then I moved on to other stuff. I can see we are birds of a feather around here. I had spyderco, recon tanto, srk-- the coldsteel knives I always bought in "seconds" or "blems" so I could save money.

I dropped my spyderco folder in the yard all winter. found it come spring thaw. had two teeny weeny patches of rust on it. cleaned it up, no problemo. great knife.

I had a sog folder too. believe it or not the liner lock started to malfunction. so I sent it back. like 4 years after I bought it. the line had been discontinued. they sent me a new one of better value. it's so damn sweet I dont even want to take it out of the box.

that spyderco is my fave to carry. but otherwise I got some $5 knives. chinks make decent stainless lockbacks now for bout dat much. get em at walmart. then you got one in the car, always, one for a bugout bag, etc. then if I lose em, like if they fall out of my pocket, who cares.

also if you had to ditch em, you wouldnt hesitate to do that if it were a cheapo.

Re: shivs
 

I carry custom karambits built to my specs,prefer thick carbon steel fixed blades,no mechanism to break,much tougher than stainless.I can give you emails of knifemakers who can make pretty much any knife you design.John Greco makes the best fixed blades for the money but he only makes his designs,MMHW is also great and can make anything in 5160,Bill Siegle is superb and quite affordable.

Re: Survival Knives
 

I like Cold Steel also. My Trailmaster has been used and abused more than I care to mention. Can and will rust if you don't take care of it, but holds a pretty good edge.
Mod1

Re: Survival Knives
 

Here's a GIM sword.....

http://www.coldsteel.com/gimsword.html :bull-emoticon:

Re: Survival Knives
 

Mac,
Yes! A little flashy for the office though. However, it might get some attention at the next department meeting! :laugh_m: Btw, congrats on the new member of your family.
Mod1

Re: Survival Knives
 

Thanks on the latter. Now how about one of these for the office?

http://www.coldsteel.com/95sseries.html

See the video.

Re: Survival Knives
 

Mac,
Ok, but only if I can get the finish to match my shoe and belt leather! I suspect I'd probably conk myself on the head by accident in my quest to master such a tool!
One morning over forty years ago, my aunt took me shopping for a cub scout uniform. I begged her relentlessly to buy me a cub scout pocket folder I saw in the department store. After endless exchanges of "you'll cut yourself" and "no I won't", she finally gave in. I was sporting a band aid by 2 p.m.:laugh_m:
Mod1

Re: Survival Knives
 

the "green destiny"

Re: Survival Knives
 

Aitor is made in Spain and they made a survival knife.
Jungle King, in the '80s, and Jungle King II in the early '90's

Aitor makes some good knives.
God's Peace

TLM

Re: Survival Knives
 

Here's a Layout of the Jungle King II and all it's accompanying goodies

http://www.donrearic.com/aitorschematic.jpg

Re: Survival Knives
 

Re: Survival Knives
 

Yeah man that's it. Got mine for $40. Que cochillo! Viva Espana!

Re: Survival Knives
 

Im surprised nobody has mentioned the KA-BAR USMC fighting knife.

Ive used the hell out of mine and it still holds a sweet edge.

https://www.kabar.com/images/1217_large.jpg

Re: Survival Knives
 

There are more things that a large knife can do that a small knife can't than there are things that a small knife can do that a large knife can't. Likewise a large knife can do most of the things a hatchet can do but a hatchet can't do quite as many things as a knife. Small knives are handy, I feel that the puukko is an eminently practical knife if you know how to use it, but it did not obviate the need for the leuku or the axe.

The pendulum seems to swing back and forth on the issue of whether a large knife or a small knife is the sign of a tenderfoot. I think it's wasted energy. Develop a skillset apropriate to your area and choose the tools that work the best under those conditions. A machete is very handy where I live but wouldn't be my first choice for a hardwood forest further North.

There is no comparison between the performance of a low quality but cheap knife and a high quality but expensive knife, not if you know what you're doing. Getting trashed in the field is again relative to your knife and your skill in using it. A good knife can take much more use and abuse than a lesser tool. I don't have any trouble wearing out the knives in sporting goods or hardware store display cases in short order. The junk at the flea market or Bud K catalog won't make it a week. The key here is always quality, there are a great many poor knives with large price tags, or knives made for certain tasks that aren't very good at others. It is good to have more than one of anything you rely heavily on.

Re: Survival Knives
 

Rev,

You are 110% right about the merits of large and small knives

When Im stomping around in the Everglades, I always have both my Kabar USMC on my side and a small Buck tri-blade pocket knife in my pocket.

And yes, expensive blades are the only way to go.

Re: Survival Knives
 

A Quality small and large knife is much better than any single knife.
I'd hate to use a Swiss army knife for self defense or to chop something,
and I'd hate to use a bowie knife to remove a splinter!

When it's a question to either/or, I say both!! :yippee:

Re: Survival Knives
 

Always carry 2 carbon full-tang knives,one big and one smaller but still thick enough for batoning+ a multitool.Carbon steel can be used as a striker to get sparks,stainless can`t.

shivs revisited
 

well i guess it depends on the task. in some cases all you need is a sharpened screwdriver. I would not pay too much for that..... unless I really needed it..... lol:fight:

Re: Survival Knives
 

I'll recommend the KA-BAR also - have a full size one like in the picture, and a smaller one that's only about 8" overall length, with a 5" blade, I think.

Re: Survival Knives
 

Survival knives have been around since forever. Expensive should not be a criteria. That little LOGO on the blade won't mean much in the real world. Plenty of good cheap knives.

Re: Survival Knives
 

you are all posting a lot of knifes that dont even have a saw. a knife without a good saw IS NOT a survival knife.

Re: Survival Knives
 

are those clovis points? lol

Re: Survival Knives
 

Funny thing, I went to an Indian festival yesterday and bought a stone spear point. I dig up a lot of chert and I figured the point would be a good reference piece for trying my hand at some knapping.

Re: Survival Knives
 

The only sawblade knife with a hollow handle worth trying is one-piece Chris Reeve.Hollow handle knives are prone to breaking at the joint after 1-2 whacks.Overpriced knives like Busse/Strider are not worth a damn.

Re: Survival Knives
 

http://www.eknifeworks.com/webapp/eC...rt=&SKU=KA9121

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/DBA80...html?cs=DBA802


whats your preference?

both are kabar

Re: Survival Knives
 

Can't go wrong with either one, Jason. I prefer the plain brown leather handle, but without the "operation freedom" stuff on it.

Re: Survival Knives
 

Got an 'original' USMC Camillus for $45 (see other thread in this section).

But........if I had some extra FRN's to burn, I'd like to get this one. :wink:

http://www.omahas.com/catalog/images...s/KNM669lg.jpg

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=main align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=main colSpan=3>US Military's latest and greatest. Superior quality at a great price. The M-9 multipurpose bayonet system is used as a bayonet on the M-16 series rifle and the M-4 series carbine, as a hand weapon, as a general field and utility knife, as a wire cutter together with its scabbard, and as a saw. New original issue and includes sheath.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=Main vAlign=bottom align=right width="90%">http://www.omahas.com/catalog/images/pixel_black.gif</TD><TD class=Price align=right width="10%"> $109.50 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Re: Survival Knives
 

MMHW Knives Web Site

Wow look at this-----

All business looks but a little large for suburban use.

Its awesome looking though.

E-A

Re: Survival Knives
 

The M-9 bayonet isn't all that good. Save your money for something else.

Re: Survival Knives
 

reminds me of one of those tools that does many things poorly and none well.

Re: Survival Knives
 

I've never seen one or used one in person........kinda looked cool but perhaps it has some faults.

Anyhow, here's what I have en route :

http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dim...0,320&cvt=jpeg
:D :wink:

Re: Survival Knives
 

Versatility isn't the problem. The fact that it was designed by a commitee to service a military contract is. Nothing on it works right even though most of it could if properly executed. As it stands they'll go dull just looking at them. Their steel was selected for ease of manufacture and corrosion resistance so it looks pretty. The saw teeth don't even work. It is mostly an expensive, clunky wire cutter.

If you need a bayonet for an AR the Marine bayonet knife is superior to the M-9. I wouldn't buy either unless I was going to stick it on the end of a rifle, though.

Re: Survival Knives
 

I have many knives, but there is only one that I want to get right now.
The Hoffman harpoon neck knife, high quality Made in the USA!!
Around $70-80.
Dastardly sharp, comes with a sheath to wear around the neck
and the paracord can be used to lash it to a stick for a spear!!!

http://www.bepreparedtosurvive.com/T...arpoon.SR2.jpg

Re: Survival Knives
 

picked up a Henckel paring knife at a yard sale for $1
that was two years ago
been recently thinking about getting something bigger
narrowed it down to
the Cold Steel Master Hunter
( i had one of these years ago, but it got lost/misplaced )
or
the Cold Steel Pendelton Hunter
http://www.coldsteel.com/fixed-blades.html

i just have more confidence in a thick, full tang

i could never pay $30+ for any folding knife
and i bust out laughing when i see these hollow handle survival knives

Re: Survival Knives
 

that looks like you could cut yer freakin finger off if you had to stab somebody in the gut. I hear if you do that their muscles will seize on the blade and it's easy to slip up past the handguard and cut one's fingers. so, that one is wide at the base but I like to see a true handguard and not just a wide base, for that reason.

About Cold Steel knives, buy a "blem" or a "second." I got a fantastic second knife from them, a big freakin tanto blade, wow, this piece is awesome and I am still wondering why they marked it a second. Half price.

Re: Survival Knives
 

here is a knife I wouldnt want

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...e_1970_5275994

here is a knife I would, see its got a handguard. all of them do.
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...e_1970_4943245

Re: Survival Knives
 

right now the only second they got for sale is a butterfly knife. http://www.coldsteel.com/fa2ndgrclpob.html
these are fun to dick around with, but whats the point. if you have to shank somebody then

1-- you dont want them to see it coming

and

2-- if you have to go before a jury after the fact, you want the thing to look as much like an innocuous steak knife as possible.

The butterly knife fills a niche that in the USA does not exist, unless we are talking amusement.

Re: Survival Knives
 

OK, buy the XL version, I don't see it as a dangerous knife at all. Not to me anyway,definitely to someone on the pointed end.

http://www.osograndeknives.com/TOPs/...-HOFHAR-XL.jpg

Re: Survival Knives
 

What about RANDALL knifes.

Very pricey, but they used to be standard equipment in the astronaut missions to the moon.

http://www.randallknives.com/

http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/knife_knotes_5.htm

Re: Survival Knives
 

Randall's cost and you might have to wait but they're good knives even though they aren't ubertactical wonderblades made from exotic materials. I've always wanted to get one just because they're made in my state, have a part in history here.

For that reason the Astro would be a no-brainer. I'd have done some things different but it's good enough for use. I also like the Model 5 with a 5" blade, probably one of the most practical knives you could carry. Otherewise a Model 14 or 15 would be nice.

Re: Survival Knives
 

those cold steel butterfly knives are $110 and that is half price?

Re: Survival Knives
 

You can find plenty of randall's on ebay, but to order them direct from the factory....delivery dates of 58 months out!

Re: Survival Knives
 

j-son-

Link a Cold Steel butterfly please.

Here in the USA, butterfly knife usually
means one with this type action,
not a true lock, but exceptionally
strong locking for a folder.


dtnwn

Re: Survival Knives
 

Found a video

Re: Survival Knives
 

so I gather

I didnt say it was a good buy! just that their seconds are better ones

I got the recon tanto for fifty but that was over a decade ago.

say, I would rather have that titanium handled coldsteel butter fly for 110 than the "handmade" one from the Philps! Thats lookin like a Pakistan blade to me. LOL Maybe Ben Laden forged it or such like. :tongue_ma:

Re: Survival Knives
 

I've been looking at the wodman's pal for a while. I have a pretty wide assortment of knives that I've used for years but nothing quite like that thing. I can think of about a million situations where it would have been handy. It's big, but it would seem to be very useful. Any thoughts?

Re: Survival Knives
 

i just ordered this one a few minutes ago...seems like good ratings when i read about these multi purpose tools online.

http://www.defenseknife.com/53809.html

i had a cheap one that just bent and broke...i figured i'd get a good one instead.

Re: Survival Knives
 

For the majority of task you will need to perfom in the "Wild", a good survival knife needs to be similar to a good kitchen knife in size and function, but it needs to be stronger.

It needs to be easy to sharpen with what ever you might have available, no serrations.

It needs to be easy on the hands when used for extended periods, good handle design, not slippery when wet

It needs to be small enough to carve a spoon or bowl but strong enough to chop through bone when needed, full tang, no folders, 3-4 inches in length

It needs to be able to be held in a mutiple ways, no saw on the spine, good finger guard

It needs to be able to produce sparks from a ferrocium rod, no stainless steel

It needs to be able to skin an animal, no tanto blades

Some suggestions:

Mora
RAT 3
Fallkniven F1

There are moany others

JMHO

Re: Survival Knives
 

I've been considering one of these...


http://www.rockynational.com/2368_22...th_Sheath.html

Re: Survival Knives
 

I have a Buck 279. Maybe not a survival knife but I like it very much. Here is one on ebay about to end very cheaply...

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-BUCK-Folding...QQcmdZViewItem

http://i17.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/de/2d/83d3_1.JPG

Re: Survival Knives
 

Hi guys, this is my first post here, have lurked for a couple of years but finally couldn't resist this topic. I spend a lot of time, 5 days per month, hunting in sub tropical rain forest and have done so for over 30 years. Tried many configurations and brands of knives. Over the last 10 years I have found what is for me the ideal combination. My main knife is a high carbon steel drop point skinning knife with a hand forged 4" blade. My second knife is a stainless steel boning knife, Vitronox, with a 4" blade and I use this as my utility camp knife as well as for boning. My third knife is a Vitronox Swiss Army single blade pocket knife. I have had both Schrade and Buck knives in the past but both failed in the field and personally I wouldn't touch them again. My personal view, and to be fair my situation/location is probably largely responsible , is that most people go for way to big a knife of too low a quality. Anything with a blade longer than 6" and a different tool would do the job better. If I had to choose one knife it would be the drop point skinner, I bought it in the 80's it lives in a very wet environment, been abused for days on end, it stays shaving sharp and has never seen a speck of rust.