Are hollow-handled survival knives obsolete?

I do not own a sungle hollow handle knife, although the quality blades discussed here are appealing to me.

I am a big fan of the "survival knife" however and have developed my own theory and methods. I look at the stuff carried on the survival knife as redundant to the things I already have in my pack or on my person. My knife is always on my belt, unlikely to be lost overboard, left behind, swept away in a flood or stolen.

My solution is to cut a sleeve of bycicle innertube and stretch it over the sheath of the knife. Under this goes a sharpening stone, lighter, AAA mini-maglight,whistle, compass, heavy sewing needle and heavy guage waxed thread, some fish hooks, dental floss, small plastic signal mirror, and snare wire.

My Airforce survival knife is set up this way and while it looks sort of lumpy it works great. This way if I am ever seperated from my regular gear I'm still covered for the basics. Mac
 
How many knives have you lost? To me losing your knife is like losing your pants; it can happen but it is unlikely.
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Well, I actually lost two knives. One folder slipped out of my pocket in the bus, when I pulled out my handkerchief. Too bad I noticed it a minute after I left the bus. The other was a fixed knife which slipped out of it's somewhat loose sheat while I was lying down after a hike. I noticed it had disappeared, went back for it and luckily found it.

I may have streched my point a bit too far, but it is in fact more likely to lose your knife then to lose your jacket.
 
A few months ago I was hacking my way through some jungle searching for a waterfall we spotted pouring out of a cliff face. As I was pushing my way forward I heard a faint "click", totally unnatural for the forest. I looked back and spotted my Spyderco Endura dangling from a vine!

The vine had caught the pocket clip and stripped it off my pocket. I hadn't noticed the tug, just the click the clip made. I almost donated my EDC to the monkeys. Mac
 
Regarding what to put into the handle of a hollow-handled survival knife. I recommend a small keychain-sized LED flashlight, like the Photon Microlight series. The LED "bulb" will not break from rattling around inside the handle (which could be avoided anyway by packing properly). It will last longer than you will ever use it. The battery life is incredibly long. The color choice includes white, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, ultraviolet and infrared. Hard to beat. As has been stated, the rest of the stuff one might put into the handle of such a knife can easily be carried in one's pockets, but the light itself gains the benefit of being protected from moisture in the handle: after all, it is an electrical device and needs to be.

I just measured my Photon Microlight III here and it is a hair under 1 inch wide. That'd fit into many of the knives we're talking about here, right?
 
One item you could store in the handle is a cut down magnesium fire starter with flint attached. I cut one down (very carefully) with a band saw and slid it in the handle.
 
I wouldn't mind adding a good quality example to my accumulation. But those things are so damn heavy, I can't imagine carrying it. A small fixed blade hunter, an Opinel, or a Buck lockback would make a much better outdoor knife.

-Bob
 
I don't think these knives are obsolete, just not very popular.

Years ago I had the chance to handle a Parrish survival knife and found that I didn't like the feel of the handle at all. I don't like knurled, round handles. The knife however, seemed to be built very well and I wouldn't have been concerned about it falling apart.
 
ricklevine, welcome to Bladeforums.

I see you just reopened a thread that's been dormant for over two years. Not really a great idea. If you have an idea that hasn't been discussed in that long, start a new thread. if you like, link to the old one for anyone who might want to read it all, not get tricked into spending time on pages of unanswerable comments.
 
Give DORK-OPS a little while and they will come out with a hollow handled deanimation tool with a compartment large enough to store your secret decoder ring and Oscar Mayer weiner whistle in. You lucky thing!!!

710BMFAN
 
My very first "expensive" knife was a Jungle King II by the Spanish Aitor, in the early-80s.
By that time I already liked blades (I was 12 or so) but never had had an imported knife. I live in Brazil, all imported stuff were VERY rare and expensive, there wasn't the net or foreing publications I could afford.
Brazilian manufacturers were very low quality, and the few custom makers inaccecible.
So, this first survival knife were a mark in my collector's carreer ;)
At that same christmas, my father bought me a real custom survival, from Bob G (one of the bests Brazilian Knifemakers) and I'm addicted to blades since then.
Some time later I got the Jungle King I and the Commando (A survival knife made by Aitor and Mauser, that can shoot flairs) and some united cutelary s**t...
That's my history with survival knifes.

Regards,

Andre Tiba - Brazil
 
I'm still trying to brainstorm a way to fix the Cold Steel Bushman into a watertight hollow handle , I think that would make the ideal hollow handle survival knife , if it can be done..
Which i'm sure it can , just got to figure out how :cool:
 
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