Best Survival knife

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stabman said:
You make me sad.
It's a Smatchet. :)
The answer to ALL knife questions.

But to mega-survive, you'll need this...

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/behold-the-mega-smatchet.1537764/
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My God.. it's..beautiful..

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sabre cat said:
Why do I make you sad? I have never seen a Smatchet or a picture of one before now.

Everyone has been talking about it and I have been clueless. I am still a noob in some respects.
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We're not sad, Brother! We're overjoyed to have found someone who is willing to hear the Word of the Smatch, (praises upon His batoning)! I had a whole funny story to tell about the origin of it, how it was carried into battle by knights and stuff, then realized this isn't whine and cheese so instead suffice it to say the smatchet thing is a running joke here at Bladeforums. Basically when somebody asks "whats the best knife for blah blah blah", some wiseacre always says smatchet. Usually if you don't somebody else will. It helps is you go into further detail like the exact uses, such as shelter building, firestarting, etc, then you might avoid the smatchet response, although that's not guaranteed. Don't consider it an insult, consider it a welcome, it means folks are willing to talk to you. ;)
 
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pachiderm said:
I will echo what many others have said. The best survival knife is one you won't mind carrying.
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There are many things I look for in a survival knife that are far more important to me than how easy it is to carry.

I wouldn't want to be in a forest wilderness, especially in a survival or emergency situation, without a way to chop wood (or chop wood with the lowest calorie expenditure) for fire, shelter, tools, etc.

I don't particularly like carrying a big knife, but the bottom line for me is that I'd rather have a knife that can do everything a knife can do, and not need it, than to need a big knife and not have it, especially in a survival or emergency situation.
 
MtnHawk1 said:
There are many things I look for in a survival knife that are far more important to me than how easy it is to carry...
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Ease of carry is not the issue.

Actively choosing to leave the knife at home because of weight or bulk is the problem. Then you don’t have it when you need it.

Effectively, you purchased something that does not really meet your needs.
 
If I could choose one cutting tool for a survival event I would choose an ax, preferably a Snow & Nealley 3/4 single bit Hudson Bay model.
 
great choice : ) I agree... but I'd be tempted to get a council tool hudson bay axe (with 28" staff)
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TheTourist said:
Many years ago I saw an article on defensive knives in a gun or blade magazine. The crux of this discussion was which alloy was the best for "survival." As you can guess, every hobbyist had a favorite, complicated foreign metal that few average guys ever handled.

However, the final winner(s) were mundane blends of iron and/or some element of carbon steel. The writers accepted the concept that such knives would quickly lose their cosmetic finish but cut and slice longer than anything else.

As I was writing this I checked my knife drawer--only to find that most of my folders were crafted from AUS8 and 154CM...the same blends popular +20 years ago.
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All my knives are in non stainless steel, most stain resistant is D2 and it's classified as something in the middle.
And CPM-3V has similar stain resistant properties to D2, but is much tougher, and we all know it has great edge retention. Both, D2 and CPM-3V have some level of stain resistance but are still not stainless.
So I agree that alloys have really good properties.

For some reason I weigh towards non stainless steels... that's just me, but I don't mind spending some time to take care of the blade, if it offers good performance for the price.
 
The biggest, thickest, softest steeled blade that is 1" thick at the spine that doesn't rust but makes sparks with flint stone on the spine which is also sharper than the cutting edge, speaking of the edge, it can only be sharpened by river rocks, which is better than being the other way around.

It comes in an 18 position sheath with a headband attachment and the sheath has a large pouch on the front bigger than the sheath so you can carry around your river rock collection and maybe another knife that acutually cuts stuff.
 
It depends a lot on your survival situation.

Usually when choosing a bomb-proof survival knife, people prefer tough steel, why? because a dull or rusted knife can be restored, not a broken one. But if you're carrying with you an axe, which would do all the hardwork, knife toughness should matters a little less, just a little. Or maybe you live in a humid area, you might want to get something more stainless.

Some people like modern supersteel, because they can retain sharpness very long, but some of them are extremely hard to sharpen on the field, that's why some other prefer softer, easier to maintain steel. Also, you're going to need to learn to sharpen free hand on a stone, because you can't bring some whole sharpening system with you, get a diamong stone, it removes metal much faster than whetstone.

One thing to also consider is the sheath, leather sheath are usually less weather-proof than synthetic sheath.

Personally, I'd go with the Fallkniven, only because it rains like crazy where I live.

Lastly, I know it's tempting to go and buy the very best steel, very best handle, very best sheath knife. But at the end of the day, a knife is just one of many tools you'll need in a survival situation. You're going to need a good pair of boots, quality clothing, tent, maybe a small boat, flashlight, etc. And you shouldn't spend all of your money on the knife. But hey, it's your money, I don't know how much you have in your bank account, so, it's on you.
 
Everyone knows you need a knife to build a fire, right? How can you have a fire without a knife? How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat? You, yes, you behind the bike sheds, stand still, laddy...

You wanna do some push-ups, sit-ups, batoning? Whatever you wanna do, Jack.

:D:p
 
timberweasel said:
Everyone knows you need a knife to build a fire, right? How can you have a fire without a knife? How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?
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All of this gray hair has actually taught me something. That being, a "knife" is never just an 'implement,' it's an "idea."

For example, did you ever stop at a Chevy dealer and look at a Corvette? Of course you did, and you imagined your new life 'on the road.' Or you saw a redhead who reminded you of a girl you took to prom and then dumped you. It's never just the tool.

And just like you, I'm a sucker, too. I have over two dozen knives, but I only use two of them. As the lyric goes, "Sometimes a fantasy is all you need."
 
TheTourist said:
All of this gray hair has actually taught me something. That being, a "knife" is never just an 'implement,' it's an "idea."

For example, did you ever stop at a Chevy dealer and look at a Corvette? Of course you did, and you imagined your new life 'on the road.' Or you saw a redhead who reminded you of a girl you took to prom and then dumped you. It's never just the tool.

And just like you, I'm a sucker, too. I have over two dozen knives, but I only use two of them. As the lyric goes, "Sometimes a fantasy is all you need."
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Really like to know what the hell you are talking about ?
 
TheTourist said:
All of this gray hair has actually taught me something. That being, a "knife" is never just an 'implement,' it's an "idea."

For example, did you ever stop at a Chevy dealer and look at a Corvette? Of course you did, and you imagined your new life 'on the road.' Or you saw a redhead who reminded you of a girl you took to prom and then dumped you. It's never just the tool.

And just like you, I'm a sucker, too. I have over two dozen knives, but I only use two of them. As the lyric goes, "Sometimes a fantasy is all you need."
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No, I don't think you do know. Like the time I had to use a large flathead screwdriver to get my cat out of the dryer. Best turnips I ever had.
 
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