Good Survival Knife???

I might wait on the Benchmade CSK II or get one of the fine Ontario RAT or RAT Cutlery offerings. Ranger knives as well are good these days. Whatever you decide, I would add a Mora 510, 760, or Clipper to the mix as a backup.
 
If you already have an axe or a hatchet in your kit (which is a v good idea BTW), then there is little purpose to a blade over 5" long. I am aware of 4 recent (in the past 5 years) wilderness survival scenarios that resulted in a death. In none of them would the presence of a larger knife have helped. Recognizing edible plants and tubers and learning how to start a fire or self-cope with a broken leg or a dislocated arm or find water will do you far more good than merely getting an oversize knife. That being said, I like the Cold Steel SRK (check out their 'seconds' page where they dump the ones with cosmetic blemishes) and the Buck lineup.
 
I recommend the Rat series also by Ontario...I carry the Rat3 and so do several workers around the camp...I personaly carry it on CSAR missions and have used it for skinning gazels and such in the deserts of Africa.....great knife....good edge
 
Check out Dan Kosters work! Its a little above your price range, but would give you something to save towards.... He is a maker that has a forum right here on Blade forums. Good work, VERY reasonably priced.

I kinda link this one.... LINK


and his version of the WSK ( I personally like it without the saw).... LINK


Hope that helps!

Tom
 
I'm not a fan of big chopper knives with 1/4" thick blades. They don't handle well for normal camping chores and they weight a lot. I much prefer mid-length thinner-bladed knives. If I need to chop I'll bring an axe.

If you haven't seen it yet, equipped.org has a good survival knife section:
http://www.equipped.org/devices4.htm
 
I have purchased over a dozen fixed blades in the last year that would count as "survival / utility" knives. I've got Beckers, Swamp Rats, Scrap Yards, Chris Reeves, you name it. There are a lot of fantastic blades out there. Figure out what you're really going to be doing with it, narrow down your size and preferences in material, blade shape etc. That will bring your choices down from 100 or so to just a handful.

If I could go back to before I bought one of everything under the sun and do it all over again I would have definately started with Ranger Knives. Justin will treat you right and for $100 you can probably have something set up exactly the way you want. Look into an RD 5, RD7, or his Afghan knife. Incredible values.

The Fallkniven F1 is fantastic too and in the right price range. I own one and it is very functional and tough as nails (but a little small for my hand).

Check out Ranger Knives! Let us know what you decide on.
 
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