(Budget) Survival Knife: SW okay?

Just because the S&W knives are marked 440C is no reason to think that they actually are.
 
fudo said:
Just because the S&W knives are marked 440C is no reason to think that they actually are.
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Several years ago I was curious about the steel in their blades, and according to Taylor Brands, the blades in S&W knives are 440 series, even though some of their knives are marked as 440C. That's all they'll say - I couldn't get them to tell me for certain that they were 440C. Ironically enough, the guys at SMKW were the ones who told me that they doubted it was 440C.

Kind of telling that they won't say for sure that the blades are a specific steel...:rolleyes:

thx - cpr
 
I'd pass on that S&W personally. They are not quite the quality I'd suggest from what I've seen in some of those with the same name on them and I'm in agreement that the blade steel is going to be iffy at best. The Air Force Pilots Survival knife or something similar is your best bet IMO. I'd sooner get one of the fakes for this model than that S & W.

As for the Pilots knife, well, there have been times when that hardened steel pommel on the handle was the only hammer I had and I've used it to drive nails back down at my hunting cabin deck in a pinch so I wouldn't rip my toes open walking around out there bare foot. I've also used it to drive tent stakes and garden stakes for my tomato plants. I've used it to kill scorpions, ticks and spyders many times too living here in Oklahoma believe me and I've even used it in Colorado when I was looking for geodes in the rivers and streams where I'd take the pommel end and use it to crack open rocks or break them in half trying to find out if they were hollow or not.

The saw teeth are handy for making some easily burned fire starter or traps and they are made such that they really don't keep you from being able to baton the blade through some small logs to make faster burning starter wood once your saw dust gets going. The blade is plenty thick at 3/16" to actually chop some to make shelter and other things such as making a walking stick from a sapling. Overall I like these knives and find them truly well worth the money. The edge geometry as they come to you is more for chopping than any real slicing but with some work you can improve that a great deal and these blades can actually get sharp unlike some others that you end up struggling with just to make them take a decent edge. They are also not difficult to sharpen in the field and actually respond to the very soft stone that comes with it if you get a new one.

The sheath is the weakness for this model IMO. If you actually use it you'll go through sheaths for it trust me because they are not the thickest leather or best made. I have very few sheath fixed type knives and the ones I keep I really keep and they get beat up and used. I've had three sheaths for mine but speaking of the knives themselves, well, that model whether it be the Camillus or the Ontario is a genuine keeper and a hand me down quality because when I'm gone someone in my family will get both of them. Its not going to cut and slice with a Koster Bushcrafter I won't kid you. But when you stop to think that you could buy four of them for about the same cost its really not a bad deal at all.

STR
 
Okay, I'm sold. Thanks everyone for your advice. I will go and search online for a good deal on a Camillus/Ontario. I live in Portland, OR and outdoor stores are abundant, so I may even find one there. Any known weaknesses or other things I have to keep in mind when buying (besides name and year on the pommel)?


Keep the tips coming though! I don't know much about knives, but this talk sure is interesting.
 
Messerschneide - welcome to bladeforums. (Yet again, etiquette escapes me...)

Good luck, and post on your experiences. I know you were talking about a budget blade, but like STR said, this thing will come in handy for more than you might think. This thread's even got me to thinking about my "boony knife" for the year - which one I'll carry this summer on my hikes & campouts.

thx - cpr
 
Never had a Pilots Survival Knife, but I've seen them used. They
are very sturdy.

I have a Benchmade Rant and a Mora. I'd go with the Rant, it's much sturdier.
The Mora is a laser though in the cutting department.

Also, if you can afford just a little more there's the RAT series, which are great.
 
Those USAF knives you posted from ebay are the real thing at not too bad a price. I also had to replace the snaps on the last two I bought so he saved you that trouble. As far as the pictures, the one on the right appears to have been sharpened.--KV
 
Messerschneide said:
Thank you for the welcome, orca. I will post my experience here.

Does this look like a good deal? $40 including shipping. The little rust on the pommel doesn't bother me, but how do the blades look to you guys?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=290302497362
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They look fine to me my friend. The only discrepancy I see in his description is the part about Jan 84 when the one shown is Feb 84 but no big deal. They are old stock Camillus. For that price heck I may have to hit the buy it now for another myself. Thats not bad and he is a 100% feedback seller with more than a enough deals to show he is doing something right. In my experience these are very consistent in the way they are made. Some have a slight gap in the area where the blade joins the handle and some have a guard that can move a little while others are a bit tighter but in time they all start to move some. I'd not worry about it. Nothing like that keeps them from working in the field. As I said these are genuine real deal beater uppers. It would also be the first knife I'd grab if all he## broke loose and we were back to the stone age overnight.

STR
 
I would recommend looking for something that uses carbon steel, not stainless. Carbon steel holds an edge better, and is easier to resharpen than stainless. I have a pilots survival knife and kept it in my go bag for a long time, I then got an Anza and swapped it out. I now use the pilots knife for a shovel!

I would also like to comment on something you said in your original post, you said that you didn't need great steel because you hoped you would never have to use it. I want you to think about this when choosing your knife. Your going to reach for this tool when the chips are down and stacked against you, do you really want to settle for a cheap piece of steel.
 
That knife from the forum looks like a great deal, but I'm a little uneasy about the "project" aspect.

estanaway said:
I would also like to comment on something you said in your original post, you said that you didn't need great steel because you hoped you would never have to use it. I want you to think about this when choosing your knife. Your going to reach for this tool when the chips are down and stacked against you, do you really want to settle for a cheap piece of steel.
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You're right, and I should have expressed myself more clearly. I'm not looking for a "cheap" knife in terms of quality. What I need is a knife that gives me the most bang for the buck - a blade that offers reasonable quality for the lowest price possible. I am not a knife enthusiast, so it won't be used very often (maybe an occasional camping trip). As I said, the blade will go into my Oh-crap! backpack and hopefully stay there forever. If it comes to the worst, I assume that any knife of reasonable quality will last a couple of days until I have reached the next Red Cross camp.
 
Messerschneide said:
That knife from the forum looks like a great deal, but I'm a little uneasy about the "project" aspect.
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If by project you mean installing the snap, it's a simple (maybe 2-3 minutes?) procedure. If you want, PM me & I'll explain. I had a different knife with a stone pocket on the sheath, with a missing snap, and I just tucked the flap into the pocket over the stone. It was tight enough to hold it.

thx - cpr
 
I still say a Becker*BK-2 Campanion.*Excellent survival/bushcraft knife, tougher than nails, and you can pick one up for less than $60 online.
 
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