Recommendation? Best Survival Knife

A couple of you folks need to stop arguing over who said what to whom, when, and why.

Just answer the OP's question of what would make a good reliable survival knife.
 
@Everyone. I purchased my Randall #14 in stainless back in the min 90s. A lot has changed in the metallurgy of knifes since that time. That is why I am posing this question. In a true survival situation, something that we certainly do not encounter in our regular day to day lives, one would want a knife that is multi-purpose, holds an edge, and is tough enough for batoning....,at least that is my thinking.

When I ordered my Randall I had a hard time deciding whether to get it in stainless or not. It certainly was not so easy for me to sharpen when I actually tried with various rocks...(it was a test...not the thing a Randall collector would want to do.)

The truth is, I hope I never have to use any knife in a survival situation.

The pre-order for the Carothers is closed.

Cost is not a consideration. I am not interested in collecting survival knives. I just want a really good dependable one. I don't expect bells and whistles that will allow it to morph into a machete by pouring water on it.

What I like about this Forum is that fact that there are many opinions about any given subject. That said, shopping on Amazon can be problematic even when an item has 4.8 stars because there are always going to be people that have a bad experience with any given product. The truth is we have so many options to choose from it is sometimes difficult to choose.
 
Andrew124c41 said:
I had a Randall #14 in stainless stolen from me some years ago. I need a really good custom or production survival knife, really tough. Not sure if I would go the stainless route again. I know there will be quite a few opinions
Click to expand...

Maybe we could zero in on a more concise answer if we knew:

1) What did you do with your Randall, while you had it, while you were in survival situations; and
2) Since you had it stolen, you have clearly survived....what knife have you been using?

Maybe that will help us help you get a new knife for your survival.
 
Thankfully I have not been in any survival situations. Sadly, I did not have the knife very long before it was stolen.
Frankly, after it was stolen, I became very busy and took a hiatus from collecting knives and did not bother to replace the Randall.
I am semi-retired. For a number of reasons which are not relevant, my wife and I have become more acutely concerned about being prepared to quote the old boy scout motto. A survival knife is just one of many items on our list.
 
Andrew124c41 said:
Thankfully I have not been in any survival situations. Sadly, I did not have the knife very long before it was stolen.
Frankly, after it was stolen, I became very busy and took a hiatus from collecting knives and did not bother to replace the Randall.
I am semi-retired. For a number of reasons which are not relevant, my wife and I have become more acutely concerned about being prepared to quote the old boy scout motto. A survival knife is just one of many items on our list.
Click to expand...

OK...what do you expect to do with a knife in a survival situation?

(Also, do you expect to have your survival knife on your person when one of these survival scenarios happens?)
 
If I were you, price being no object, I'd try three or four of the knives suggested in this thread, then keep the two which you like best and are most comfortable using. One gets stored in a secure SHTF location, the other is kept ready with you in a custom sheath - the more tailored it is to you, the more likely you will have it with you when you need it. IMO.
 
Survival knife is now an established class of build over a general purpose knife. Be it folder or fixed they are built a bit stronger to ensure they don't fail. This extra build loses some practicability over a thinner more refined blade.

The "one tool option" has been spouted about since Rambo days. One ring to do rule them all! One blade that can chop like an axe and cut like a paring knife. Sadly, they end up poor at both. Either too big and bulky for any real dexterity, or too small without enough heft to compete with an axe. Forget the "one tool option"; its fun but rubbish in practice. The big ones end up left at base camp which might be back at home 500 miles away.

The knife you will have on you in any survival scenario will be the knife you are most comfortable carrying as an EDC or pack in your pack. Carry a few cutting tools, each good in each category. A fine thin cutting pocket knife for all those small tasks. A general purpose fixed blade for belt carry. And a chopper be it axe, golok or machete. Always a Silky Saw in the woods for pure efficiency. If you lose one you still have the others.

If you feel that a slightly heavy duty build is required then fair enough. Probably more importantly is the type of steel and heat treatment. A survival knife shouldn't break. It can go blunt but mustn't snap. It mustn't lose its integrity as a knife. Here thickness or cost in no guarantee. Quality of build to be tough is. Which one has been built right or has "the luck" built in is pretty tricky to know. Use a blade for a while and thats the best test. every new knife is a gamble until its gone through the paces; just might not have any luck in it.

I like what Survive Knives do. I like what Esee does. I like Chris Reeve Knives. I like a 4" to 5" fixed, built to be a little bit tougher than my hunting knives, as my general purpose survival knife. What ofter that is a fit and feel, and confidence thing. There are plenty of knives up to the task.

If its too bulky, too heavy, or even too expensive, it will end up back at home rarely used.
 
Andrew124c41 said:
@Everyone. I purchased my Randall #14 in stainless back in the min 90s. A lot has changed in the metallurgy of knifes since that time. That is why I am posing this question. In a true survival situation, something that we certainly do not encounter in our regular day to day lives, one would want a knife that is multi-purpose, holds an edge, and is tough enough for batoning....,at least that is my thinking.

When I ordered my Randall I had a hard time deciding whether to get it in stainless or not. It certainly was not so easy for me to sharpen when I actually tried with various rocks...(it was a test...not the thing a Randall collector would want to do.)

The truth is, I hope I never have to use any knife in a survival situation.

The pre-order for the Carothers is closed.

Cost is not a consideration. I am not interested in collecting survival knives. I just want a really good dependable one. I don't expect bells and whistles that will allow it to morph into a machete by pouring water on it.

What I like about this Forum is that fact that there are many opinions about any given subject. That said, shopping on Amazon can be problematic even when an item has 4.8 stars because there are always going to be people that have a bad experience with any given product. The truth is we have so many options to choose from it is sometimes difficult to choose.
Click to expand...

Trying to work from your responses:

I personally don't like batoning, so that is not one of my personal needs for a survival knife, but I understand that it is for you. I was hoping that you would pop back in for more details to better tailor suggestions.

Two further knives I would suggest looking at are the Ambush Alpha (Here is a review I did) and the Spartan Difensa (A review I did here, and a review by Mistwalker incorporating other knives here). The Ambush Alpha is definitely similar to other suggested knives. I feel like it would meet all of your requested criteria, but so would the Difensa. I personally prefer the Difensa for slightly better chopping ability.

Both those knives would probably meet your needs, while being easier to get your hands on than the Carothers knives. Unfortunately, all of these knives are hard enough with fancy enough steels that they would be fairly challenging to sharpen with rocks. They all hold an edge well, but are not super easy to sharpen.

I do know that Chris Reeve keeps their Green Beret and Pacific knives a little softer to make them easier to sharpen in rugged scenarios.
 
Andrew124c41 said:
Thankfully I have not been in any survival situations. Sadly, I did not have the knife very long before it was stolen.
Frankly, after it was stolen, I became very busy and took a hiatus from collecting knives and did not bother to replace the Randall.
I am semi-retired. For a number of reasons which are not relevant, my wife and I have become more acutely concerned about being prepared to quote the old boy scout motto. A survival knife is just one of many items on our list.
Click to expand...

Since you have already experienced a Randall and liked it, I would advise a Randall Model 12 with a 14 style grind, with a mildly finger grooved handle (The stag handle is quite commonly seen, but stag is less reliable than micarta or leather washers). Avoid the horrible "Commando handle", which needs to be ground down by half (like mine) to be even useable...

The advantage of the Model 12 over most contenders is it has a proper stick tang which saves weight in the right place, instead of burdening the knife with hugely heavy full-profile metal "fat". It also isolates the hand from vibrations which is another bonus. Third advantage: The blade itself has a proper hollow grind that is extremely effective and allows it to out-chop most other knives in this class, while still allowing for fine slicing work, a truly rare combination. Hollow grinds generally allow near-identical chopping performance with low effort lazy swings.

Contrary to what is usually said, a saber hollow grind also takes unintended lateral loads off the edge, preventing "twisting chips", although here the saber grind is so high this doesn't play to much effect...: Instead, Randall gave the Model 12's edge a slight "swell" just above the V-edge, which has the exact same effect, at near zero cost in slicing performance ...

Finally fourth advantage, and not the least, the Model 12 is available in excellent 440 stainless that is practically the only one around to be forged, Randall being just about the only ones who forge stainless...

Here is how my Randall Model 12 performed against a San Mai III Trailmaster with a full convex edge:

P9076463_zpssywvejni.jpg


Here is how my 5 ounces lighter (14 vs 19) and 1.4 inch shorter Randall Model 14 performed in comparison to the 12...: The deep finger grooves feel wonderful for light tasks, but are horrible for any heavier use...:

PA266683_zpsqsvlqvuz.jpg


The Model 12 is a far better knife, and seems more precisely ground from what I have seen. I would avoid batoning as the wood grain's changing direction inevitably causes tiny apex micro-rolls (detectable with nail rubbing only), not to mention cold weather can easily cause an unpreditable failure... I would also avoid Carbon steels like the plague, if only for sanitary reasons, unless you know it will never rain... Keep in mind Carbon is considered unsanitary for today's professional kitchens, so don't fall for nostalgia...

Gaston
 
Andrew124c41 said:
Thankfully I have not been in any survival situations. Sadly, I did not have the knife very long before it was stolen.
Frankly, after it was stolen, I became very busy and took a hiatus from collecting knives and did not bother to replace the Randall.
I am semi-retired. For a number of reasons which are not relevant, my wife and I have become more acutely concerned about being prepared to quote the old boy scout motto. A survival knife is just one of many items on our list.
Click to expand...
Since a knife is just one of the many items on the list, why does it have to be a big survival type knife that tries to do it all. Often times a knife is either going to be to big to do fine tasks very well or too small to chop. A good hatchet ( a Vaughn riggers axe is a good option as it has an actual hammer to use in a survival situation) and a smaller knife which could easily just be whatever folder you carry daily will handle most survival tasks.
If you want a " survival knife " that's fine, I'm only trying to get you thinking about other options out there which could actually be better.

I may be way off but It seems to me that many people choose a big survival knife over a knife and hatchet pair, simply because big ol' survival knives are cool.
 
Andrew124c41 said:
Thankfully I have not been in any survival situations. Sadly, I did not have the knife very long before it was stolen.
Frankly, after it was stolen, I became very busy and took a hiatus from collecting knives and did not bother to replace the Randall.
I am semi-retired. For a number of reasons which are not relevant, my wife and I have become more acutely concerned about being prepared to quote the old boy scout motto. A survival knife is just one of many items on our list.
Click to expand...
:) Hey Andrew ! I suggest you read through the recent post by " TheRiggins" , titled " Looking for a good survival knife " :thumbsup:. Your specific knife selection is much less important than the knowledge and skill to actually use it to survive and your overall survival strategy .

:eek: Just as in self-defense , 90+ % of success is in avoiding dangerous situations :confused:. Once you become committed to serious survivalism ( now called "prepping" I believe ) it is a lifestyle . Much short of that and you're just fooling yourself . And there are practical limits to what is survivable at all . Very deep topic and you didn't ask for all this blather , anyway .:oops:
 
Gaston444 said:
Since you have already experienced a Randall and liked it, I would advise a Randall Model 12 with a 14 style grind, with a mildly finger grooved handle (The stag handle is quite commonly seen, but stag is less reliable than micarta or leather washers). Avoid the horrible "Commando handle", which needs to be ground down by half (like mine) to be even useable...

The advantage of the Model 12 over most contenders is it has a proper stick tang which saves weight in the right place, instead of burdening the knife with hugely heavy full-profile metal "fat". It also isolates the hand from vibrations which is another bonus. Third advantage: The blade itself has a proper hollow grind that is extremely effective and allows it to out-chop most other knives in this class, while still allowing for fine slicing work, a truly rare combination. Hollow grinds generally allow near-identical chopping performance with low effort lazy swings.

Contrary to what is usually said, a saber hollow grind also takes unintended lateral loads off the edge, preventing "twisting chips", although here the saber grind is so high this doesn't play to much effect...: Instead, Randall gave the Model 12's edge a slight "swell" just above the V-edge, which has the exact same effect, at near zero cost in slicing performance ...

Finally fourth advantage, and not the least, the Model 12 is available in excellent 440 stainless that is practically the only one around to be forged, Randall being just about the only ones who forge stainless...

Here is how my Randall Model 12 performed against a San Mai III Trailmaster with a full convex edge:

P9076463_zpssywvejni.jpg


Here is how my 5 ounces lighter (14 vs 19) and 1.4 inch shorter Randall Model 14 performed in comparison to the 12...: The deep finger grooves feel wonderful for light tasks, but are horrible for any heavier use...:

PA266683_zpsqsvlqvuz.jpg


The Model 12 is a far better knife, and seems more precisely ground from what I have seen. I would avoid batoning as the wood grain's changing direction inevitably causes tiny apex micro-rolls (detectable with nail rubbing only), not to mention cold weather can easily cause an unpreditable failure... I would also avoid Carbon steels like the plague, if only for sanitary reasons, unless you know it will never rain... Keep in mind Carbon is considered unsanitary for today's professional kitchens, so don't fall for nostalgia...

Gaston
Click to expand...
:) Hey Gaston ! Looks to me like the Gerber hatchet won it ? ;)
 
If you're looking for the ability to stand up to abuse and price isn't an object, you might want to look into Busse and kin (Busse Combat, Swamp Rat Knife Works and Scrap Yard Knife Company) since that's their specialty and market angle. They've made a large number of different models and variants over the years (some very practical and some somewhat less so) so you can likely find something that suits your taste, and all of them are warranted forever against all unintentional damage. The downside is you'll probably need to spend a fair amount of time hunting on the exchange trying to find the particular model you decide on.

Since threads need pics, here's my Swamp Rat Jackmandu. :D
0508171600a~2.jpg
 

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GREENJACKET said:
Survival knife is now an established class of build over a general purpose knife. Be it folder or fixed they are built a bit stronger to ensure they don't fail. This extra build loses some practicability over a thinner more refined blade.

The "one tool option" has been spouted about since Rambo days. One ring to do rule them all! One blade that can chop like an axe and cut like a paring knife. Sadly, they end up poor at both. Either too big and bulky for any real dexterity, or too small without enough heft to compete with an axe. Forget the "one tool option"; its fun but rubbish in practice. The big ones end up left at base camp which might be back at home 500 miles away.

The knife you will have on you in any survival scenario will be the knife you are most comfortable carrying as an EDC or pack in your pack. Carry a few cutting tools, each good in each category. A fine thin cutting pocket knife for all those small tasks. A general purpose fixed blade for belt carry. And a chopper be it axe, golok or machete. Always a Silky Saw in the woods for pure efficiency. If you lose one you still have the others.

If you feel that a slightly heavy duty build is required then fair enough. Probably more importantly is the type of steel and heat treatment. A survival knife shouldn't break. It can go blunt but mustn't snap. It mustn't lose its integrity as a knife. Here thickness or cost in no guarantee. Quality of build to be tough is. Which one has been built right or has "the luck" built in is pretty tricky to know. Use a blade for a while and thats the best test. every new knife is a gamble until its gone through the paces; just might not have any luck in it.

I like what Survive Knives do. I like what Esee does. I like Chris Reeve Knives. I like a 4" to 5" fixed, built to be a little bit tougher than my hunting knives, as my general purpose survival knife. What ofter that is a fit and feel, and confidence thing. There are plenty of knives up to the task.

If its too bulky, too heavy, or even too expensive, it will end up back at home rarely used.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. A 4-5" knife will not do it all, however, it'll get you out of a pickle. If you strap that thing on and get in the truck, then when you get to camp, sit down in a folding chair, this thing should be, "part of you." Just like a second skin. If it is, you'll be more apt to strap her on and take her with you everyone you go out in the wild blue yonder. If she's a pain in the arse, cause she always hangs up and catches on everything, you didn't do something right.
Moral to the story? Go big but not too big.
 
DocJD said:
:) Hey Andrew ! I suggest you read through the recent post by " TheRiggins" , titled " Looking for a good survival knife " :thumbsup:. Your specific knife selection is much less important than the knowledge and skill to actually use it to survive and your overall survival strategy .

:eek: Just as in self-defense , 90+ % of success is in avoiding dangerous situations :confused:. Once you become committed to serious survivalism ( now called "prepping" I believe ) it is a lifestyle . Much short of that and you're just fooling yourself . And there are practical limits to what is survivable at all . Very deep topic and you didn't ask for all this blather , anyway .:oops:
Click to expand...
Having just turned 65, survived growing up in the streets of NYC, a number of other questionable places, situations, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time in the path of a .45 cal slug, I think I can handle most anything.
I am hoping to live out the rest of my days without having to grab a bugout bag. That said, the last 35 plus years in the DC environs has filled my brain with information I would rather not know. Bad things may be coming down the pike.

In the ideal situation I would never consider relying on one of anything. A knife is not going to do what an axe does better just as I don't plan on using an axe to slice vegetables. Hopefully we can make it to our "safe" place where what we need has already been stashed. However, if not, and among other things, I have to grab one fixed blade knife....that is what I am trying to figure out.
 
Andrew124c41 said:
Having just turned 65, survived growing up in the streets of NYC, a number of other questionable places, situations, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time in the path of a .45 cal slug, I think I can handle most anything.
I am hoping to live out the rest of my days without having to grab a bugout bag. That said, the last 35 plus years in the DC environs has filled my brain with information I would rather not know. Bad things may be coming down the pike.

In the ideal situation I would never consider relying on one of anything. A knife is not going to do what an axe does better just as I don't plan on using an axe to slice vegetables. Hopefully we can make it to our "safe" place where what we need has already been stashed. However, if not, and among other things, I have to grab one fixed blade knife....that is what I am trying to figure out.
Click to expand...

If that's really what you're looking for, I'll throw the odd one out here (based on the other recommendations I see) and tell you to get an Spyderco Aqua Salt. Here's why:

· H1 steel won't ever rust, no matter what. Leave it in the rain, cross a river with it, use it as a kitchen knife and leave it wet and dirty for days...

· H1 steel won't chip, it might bend but you won't be taking out chunks of it, no matter if you baton with it, stab or pry.

CAM02019_zps8aml8lbx.jpg


· Serrated blade makes H1 extremely tough and holds a sharp and nice edge for long, while being easy to resharpen even though the serrated pattern (croc sticks, sharpmaker, tapered rocks...)
· Coated/non coated versions can be found

CAM02751_zpsqx4qaxbd.jpg


· Grip is excellent, thin (for inconspicuous and easy carry on belt, IWB or wherever) but has an excellent pattern for maximum purchase even when wet, with or without gloves, and has a lanyard hole
· It's nimble, fast and lightweight, with a partial but sturdy tang and very solid construction
· Sheath has great retention, diverse mounting options and multiple carry positions, clips easy to any belt or bag and is barely noticeable, making it ideal for day-long carry, sitting etc. in my experience

CAM02007_zpsjatmm68i.jpg


all from one of the best companies out there, under $100 in some stores and dealers and most importantly a blade that's easy to get used to and soon carries comfortably and nicely so that it can be always by your side when needed
 
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