$20 survival knife

There are some nice Smith and Wesson search and rescue fixed blade knives on ebay for like $20 with 6in. blades. I picked one up myself, very nice 440C knife.
 
fudo said:
For $20, you will find it difficult to beat a Bushman.
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Exactly, I let my son buy his first knife(frost folder for $2) and the following day we were at the emergency room. He was using it to loosen a screw and the liner lock failed. He cut his thumb almost in half long ways, split the nail. I buy all his knives now and the first survival blade was a Bushman. There are somethings that you should not try to save money on. The emergency room bill (insurance paid back) was $450. I could have bought him a Randall.
 
Teague said:
I have one and HATE it. Junk IMHO! Stop by the house and you can have it.
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You're the first person I've seen who's hated theirs. I've beat the snot out of mine for years and it hasn't let me down. I've traded two Martindales for horrible grind lines and terrible wood to metal fit. Far worse than the $6 Tram and they cost five times as much. What about the Tram didn't you like? And what machete have you found to be consistantly good? Ontario? Condor? Cold Steel? Thanks.

Frank
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Get a decent Machete. A machete is a long knife, and can handle a myriad of tasks.
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I hate to agree with anything on Internet forums, but I actually own a machete and even though it's somewhere in the kitchen instead of on the wall with my swords or on the shelf with my knives its been in my possession longer than any knife or sword in my possession, in spite of getting a much harsher treatment.

It easily takes an edge (many more expensive blades don't...) but doesn't hold it for long.
Cost me about $5 IIRC. I've had it for 20 years or so. Still use it to discipline the wild plants in my garden.

The machete is the King of Edged Weapons IMO. ;)
 
if you want a knife for $20 one of the best you will get is a mora/puukko style knife
most knives at $20 are trash
check these out they are good knives not trash
http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html
i have a couple of them and have never regretted buying them
you may have to make a better sheath than they come with but thats not too hard
lots of tutorials out there to make one for yourself
edward
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
You could get a Tramontina machete and a Mora for $20 shipped. Not fancy but very capable. Far more capable than the price would indicate.

Frank
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SilverFoxKnows...knows! :D This is probably the best combo in your price range. Otherwise the Bushman is a great knife, and I can't seem to destroy mine. :)
 
killa_concept said:
Laugh all you want, but I picked up an Ontario old hickory 8" butcher knife for $15 from a hardware store about 3 years ago... the thing is simply amazing. I've used it in the kitchen to chop up veggies and meat (which it does with ease) and I've even taken it camping where I've hacked apart small logs and batoned through fairly thick wood with it. It takes a shaving edge fairly easily (I use a 1200grit japanese water stone and leather belt for stropping) and holds it surprisingly well. I looked recently, and it's actually made of heat treated 1095 carbon steel - pretty decent stuff for the price.
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SilverFoxKnows said:
You could get a Tramontina machete and a Mora for $20 shipped. Not fancy but very capable. Far more capable than the price would indicate.

Frank
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Lots of good advice in these two posts IMO. The machete and Mora combo gives you two separate tools, so that's something to consider. Also, the Old Hickory doesn't come with a sheath.

Let me suggest this, since it's for (I assume) a young person: get the Old Hickory, some leather, waxed thread and a couple of upholstery needles. Let him make his own custom sheath for the Old Hickory.

There are tons of tutorials on the internet on how to make simple sheaths. That way he could have something to be proud of, not just something he bought. I always think learning a new skill is a good investment in time and energy. A kid who can make his own sheath can learn to do other DIY stuff as well, and the world needs more people who can take care of themselves.

Just a thought.
 
I recently bought 2 knives for 13 and 12 yo guys to learn battoning, fire making, outdoor stuffs and learn to properly use an edge.

The best bang for the buck I found was in Walmart, I bought a Remington Fixed Blade and a Buck Fixed Blade both at 20 or less dollars each, and they withstand pretty well the abuse and work great.

Here is the Remington one :
http://www.knivesplus.com/winchester-knife-hunting-wn-1339.html
WN-1339.jpg


Here is the Buck :
http://www.knivesplus.com/buck-knife-diamondback-bu-479bk.html
BU-479BK.jpg


A machete is quite hard for a young guy to use, it is made to be swung, the problem is that they are often overwhelmed by the inertia of the blade, they might find themselves hitting their tibia (lower leg) plus a machete for battoning and feather sticks is not the most appropriate. Plus most machetes I can find here are crap molded dung blunt steels which aren't sharp for a bit and mostly work by breaking the branches, not cutting them. Remember that a machete can be a very dangerous instrument for someone who has low control on his forces, I have an Ex Canadian Forces military with whom I worked a while back who had cut a big gash in his leg just by swinging his machete a bit too far while gathering camouflage for the APC.

RAT Pack #75
KTA
 
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Doesn't Cheaper Than Dirt have a large Bowie-style knife called the "Rough Use Knife" or something like that for 10 or 15 dollars. I seem to recall that guy who does the knife destruction tests reviewing one and being impressed with it....for what thats worth.
 
I was thinking kabar heavy bowie (but they come for 40$)

ka1276.jpg


Second the Magnum Camp Bowie for the lower price
 
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