Hollow handled survival knives?

T

tuesday

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Mar 10, 2009
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17
Ive just been on the RAT American and South African web pages and wow i'm very impressed! I have been looking for a decant survival knife for ages but haven't found just what Ive wanted.
Ive always liked the space in hollow handled knives but worried about there lack in strength at the joint between handle and blade. After reading an article at http://www.donrearic.com/aitor.html (article about the Aritor Jungle king and the Whitby explorer) however i became curious as to whether there actually is a down side to hollow handled knives or is it only the cheaper one's, do they still sell the knives in SA (South Africa)? Are the mentioned knives still worth considering? Also why are these the only knives with sheaths designed like that?
Also are there any knives/sheaths like this available from RAT?
 
By A Chris Reeve hollow handle knife and you will be glad you did!
 
Well lots of folks dislike them because they feel that there is a weak point where the blade meets the handle. From my own experience, I had a Kewshaw model 1005 Survival knife, that was hollow handled, and it was one of the toughest knives I have owned. Never gave me any reason to doubt it's ability, worked great.

That being said, the amount of storage/space gained it's very much. I would recommend either a very good, one piece hollow handled blade, or getting a standard handled knife, and putting together a kit like the RAT E&E kit, or a tin kit.
 
I just received a CRK Shadow 4 or something ,hollow handle one piece made from A2 with a 5.5" blade,seems to be a solid Knife ,need to get a Lefty sheath made though :grumpy: but I am getting use to it
 
I've played with a lot of hollow handled knives. You pay more for a Chris Reeve but it's worth every penny of it if you want a hollow handle knife!
 
Solid hollow handle knife , I am very impressed ,did cost me a thing, I traded a used DF for a NIB CRK Shadow 4 or 5 .. not sure about the number but I specified the single guard .... looks like a winner to me,to bad they are retired after this year
 
the CRK one piece knives are awesom... some people think there is a weak point but remember all knives have a weak point and will break somewhere if used improperly. I've used my shadow III as hard as any knife I've owned and have not had a problem yet (the coating is pretty darn tough too).
 
Ive always wanted to try a CR one piece....They look like the best hollow handled offering.

Ive seen some that Ray Laconico did awhile back that looked awesome. He doesnt do them anymore though.

hh61.jpg


Randall has some too, but I cant afford one...
 
RAT does not make anything like what you describe. RC knives are simple, Full tang, working blades. They are designed to be a knife, and make no concessions for gimmicky features.

Most people here probably use some sort of pouch, tin, or bag to contain our survival items; there are many reasons to do so.

The only handled knives with a really good reputation I know of are from Chris Reeve knives. http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Fixed-Blade

Good luck finding what you need.
 
DEPENDING ON YOUR NEEDS...Check out the H.E.S.T from Rat Cutlery...Full tang with hollowed out scales for small items...great knife with full integrity and a great value
 
froggy said:
DEPENDING ON YOUR NEEDS...Check out the H.E.S.T from Rat Cutlery...Full tang with hollowed out scales for small items...great knife with full integrity and a great value
Click to expand...

+! for this. Different design completely, but.... :thumbup:
 
Stay away from the cheap hollow handle knives. I bought one about 8 years ago.
The blade part is held to the handle by a single rivit type pin that had a hole through it.
In a short time of hard the handle starts to move, making it dangerous to work with.

I would go with the advice of the guys on this forum, they know their stuff!
 
OK thanks all, the Coris Reeve knives are AWESOME but expensive, id better start saving.
 
I think the bad rep is based on the rather naff Rambo range of the 80's I had one bought by my old man - could have chewed the blade off it was so poor - was still the envy of all my mates though

a CR on the other hand is pure quality
 
One of my hunting pard has had a Chris Reeves hollow handle knife for over 20 years (IIRC). Its a well-built knife. That said, I am not to fond of round handle knives or guns...I prefer more natural indexing.

Chris
 
To texastonydobbs -- I'm also left handed, and I have ordered left handed sheaths through Chris Reeve Knives for their knives, made by Gfeller Casemakers, their standard leather sheath maker. Just call or email Heather, and she'll take care of you.
 
There were a lot of trash hollow handled survival knives made in the 1980s. They were cashing in on First Blood and hurrying off to the bank with all of their loot.

The Aitor Jungle King II and the Marto-Brewer Explorer/Explora were the best production hollow handle knives ever made. There was a knife that came out that ripped both of them off, it was called, "The Survivor." There were also other hollow handled knives called "Explorers" but they were not the Marto-Brewer, etc.

You can't judge legitimate knives by the others that were basically counterfeits of them. It would be like a Chinese company making a rip off of a H.E.S.T. and then it gains a bad reputation so people judge the RAT H.E.S.T. by that inferior, Chinese knife.

In fact, Chinese counterfeits of Spyderco and Emerson, for example, are judged (and condemned) separately and the real Spydercos and Emersons are not judged harshly because their counterfeit counterparts fail. This is a popular thing to do with hollow handle knives because some people simply don't like them.

This was the case in the 80s. A lot of stuff was coming from Taiwan and Japan and a lot of it was garbage. The Spanish stuff was actually great!

The Aitor and the Brewer are cool knives to have as spares. They are good knives to keep in the vehicle. Chris Reeve does make awesome, one-piece hollow handle knives.

The original concept came about in the 1940s and I think it was Marble's that had the idea of making the grip into a matchsafe. They also marketed a matchsafe...

During the Vietnam War, a Special Forces Medic was in contact with Bo Randall and that is how the Model 18 came about. Matches, some codeine and methamphetamine - stored in the handle.
 
marantz said:
To texastonydobbs -- I'm also left handed, and I have ordered left handed sheaths through Chris Reeve Knives for their knives, made by Gfeller Casemakers, their standard leather sheath maker. Just call or email Heather, and she'll take care of you.
Click to expand...

Thanks :thumbup: :D but I'll go Kydex for now.....
 
Howdy, new member here....................

FWIW, I carried a Randall Model 18 for 20 years on active duty and it served me well. It went with me to the Army SERE School at Bragg, jungle school in Panama, the first Gulf War and it has about 100 jumps on it. Thankfully, I was never in a 'real world' survival situation - but I would have glad to have had it.

Having said that, I now looking at the RATs and like what I see and read. I'm thinking about a RAT 3............... just because!!

Good luck.

Regards,
Ranger 325
 
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