Best grind for a survival/combat blade

Survival or combat. Two very different knives and grinds for me.

For survival I lean towards more bushcraft type blades so I prefer a scandi on about a 5-5.5" blade.

I have never been in combat so maybe I dont really know what is best but I would go for a 7-8" blade with a high saber or full flat grind.
 
I know I like full flat grinds on all my knives. In 'combat' I don't see it matter much as long as it's a solid, well built knife. I was on a tank, so my knife opened MREs and cut an occasional piece or 550 cord. :D
 
What does one do with a survival/combat knife? (other than survive and "do" combat)

If I knew that I might be able to offer some kind of suggestion. :confused:
 
Flat grinds give you a perfect mix of lateral strength and slicing ability. Saber grinds are stronger (more material behind the edge), but full flat is the way to go.
 
You can't define a knife by the grind style only. A full flat ground knife with a 1/4" tang and a 1" wide blade will cut worse than a knife that is 1/8" thick at the spine and has a very shallow sabre ground 1.5" wide blade, provided that they both have the same edge bevel angles. Whether a knife will work, or not, depends on a lot of things like the steel used, it's heat treat, stock thickness, blade width, thickness behind the edge, cutting edge bevels, etc.

I've used sabre, flat, scandi, chisel, and full convex ground blades that were great for camp chores.
 
marcinek said:
What does one do with a survival/combat knife? (other than survive and "do" combat)

If I knew that I might be able to offer some kind of suggestion. :confused:
Click to expand...

To explain a survival/combat knife is a knife that will be mainly used for survival task but has an option for combat
 
Hey look! I am surviving while typing on the computer in my kitchen. My 0550 must be a survival knife!

As for combat, can't help you there, no kitchen ninjas to combat today!

But seriously, A good old KaBar would work just fine and has for many years.
 
Major considerations depends upon the type of geographical area or climate where the knife is required.
For the tropics one could use a machete or a coocree.
But any choice consideration for field excursion really is a personal preference in terms of weight, length and affordability.
There are dozens of knives that might turn up equally good or useful.
Like anything, it's all in the trade off that closely co relates to the ground situation which one hopes a said knife choice would be able to encounter successfully.
An average general choice would be something like the finnish ranger m95 knife.
You might be surprised that even a classic #3 mora could handle chores quite adequately.
 
Last edited:
Logan5219 said:
To explain a survival/combat knife is a knife that will be mainly used for survival task but has an option for combat
Click to expand...

Well that explains it.

What are survival tasks? Killing wild boars Rambo-style? Or, by "survival," do you mean "outdoor recreation" (camping, etc)?

And, by definition, you can cut things (like people) with ANY knife, so they all have an "option for combat."

If you can tell us what you actually plan to do with this knife...we can help. If what you plan to do is some "survival/combat" thing you are imagining, really, anything will do. Grind hardly matters. Get the coolest looking thing. Camo coating, lots of stenciling on the blade. Smith and Wesson would be a good option.
 
If you mean survival as in end of the world/trapped in the woods than I would say scandi, but only because of the ease of sharpening. If you mean survival in a combat than a full flat grind is my preferred choice.
 
Ah, this is a question I often get asked by my friends in the SEAL/FROG/DOLPHIN Spec Op's type groups.

My answer is always the same and unwavering; a honzukuri/shinogizukuri grind will yield the highest killed to death ratio (KDR) whilst meeting all of your urban survival needs.
 
Logan5219 said:
SO which is your favorite grind?
Click to expand...

It really depends on the knife, I like my sabre ground Spartan Nyx, my hollow ground Spartan Hunter, and my convex ground Bark River Bravo 1 the most.

The saber ground Nyx works because the blade is 3/16" thick and the grind isn't too steep. The hollow ground Hunter works because it is a deep hollow grind, allowing for a thick and strong spine but with very little material behind the cutting edge. The Bravo 1 is 0.20" thick, but the blade is wide so it tapers down nicely to the edge. All 3 cut well and are extremely strong, and all benefit from top-shelf designers and craftsman.

I'd happily grab any of the 3 on the way out the door if my house were burning down, a tornado was coming, or I'm just going on a two day hike.

retzius said:
heart breakers
Click to expand...

lol :D
 
retzius said:
It needs lots of serrations, lots of angles, camo, infinite molle attachments, skull crushers, and heart breakers
Click to expand...

That's certainly what a "combat/survival" knife looks like.

I know I'm beating a dead horse, but it makes me crazy. If folks thought about what they really wanted their knife to do, I'm sure people could come up with a great knife for them in any price range.

But as cool as the fantasy of "survival" (end even more tacti-awesome "combat/survival") are, that fantasy gets nobody any nearer to getting a good knife.

If one wants a "combat/survival knife"...then retzius nailed it. But if someone wants a nice, general purpose knife that would mostly be used for slicing things while hikingg, or maybe for bashing the bejeebus outta trees while camping...then we can help.
 
Logan5219 said:
To explain a survival/combat knife is a knife that will be mainly used for survival task but has an option for combat
Click to expand...

any knife has the option for combat... and one you're going to carry has the best chance of being used if you ever find yourself in need. that 7-8" blade is most likely going to be left home in favor of a 4.5 - 6" blade that fits on your gear and doesn't get in the way until you need it or at least that's how it goes in my experience. the thought of buying a knife for "combat" is pretty silly in my opinion as the odds are better you'll win the lottery than ever need a knife to fight anyone in combat so i'd focus on a decent knife that is useful for most normal survival/utility chores that you'll use daily and if the day ever comes you need it to do anything else, i'm sure it will work. All that to say I agree with most of the guys on here saying that a well thought out flat ground blade is the best mix for most of these applications for all the reasons listed.
 
If you want a tank, flat sabre grind. If you want cutting performance, full flat grind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top