How strong are most "Survival" knives?

SubaruSTi

SubaruSTi

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Nov 28, 2005
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Like Randall model 18's and Lile Sly 2's and other hollow handle knives of good quality?
 
Off their reputation, the Randall should be pretty good.

An example of a "quality" hollow-handled knife is the Garcia Survival Knife made years ago by Hackman. One of the two designers, Ken Warner, reports a very low failure rate despite hard use. The handle is secured to a large diameter threaded stub tang by a massive (apx. 1/2") nut.

Reeve machines his hollow-handle knife out of one piece of tool steel.

I would look for one of those methods and avoid glue jobs or tubes welded to the blade.

For me, I would prefer to have my survival supplies stored somewhere other than something I hold in my hand (like on a belt), so I see no need for the hollow handle. Never tempt the God Murphy.
 
I’ve been using a Chris Reeve hollow handle one-piece knife for 16 years. IMO, it’s the way to go if you want a hollow handle survival knife.
 
In regards to strength, the join of the hollow handle survivial knives is rarely an issue unless you go really low end like the $10 Rambo knives.

Thomas Linton said:
I would prefer to have my survival supplies stored somewhere other than something I hold in my hand (like on a belt), so I see no need for the hollow handle. Never tempt the God Murphy.
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I would treat it as additional space. You can stick a lot in there, high tensile cord, ferro rod, a large amount of plastic, etc. .

-Cliff
 
I really like the Chris Reeve line of knives with the hollow handle. They are made from one solid billet of A2 tool steel which can be sharpened to a razors edge. These blades are very tough and hold a good edge. The drawback is it should be taken care of or it can rust. But like any high end equipment, you take care of it. Mainly, clean and oil after use, and don't leave the knife in the sheath while stored away. I read somewhere that Chris Reeve hollowed out these handles originally, just to reduce the weight and get the proper balance, and the storage idea was just a bonus :).
 
knifeman65 said:
I really like the Chris Reeve line of knives with the hollow handle. They are made from one solid billet of A2 tool steel which can be sharpened to a razors edge. These blades are very tough and hold a good edge. The drawback is it should be taken care of or it can rust. But like any high end equipment, you take care of it. Mainly, clean and oil after use, and don't leave the knife in the sheath while stored away. I read somewhere that Chris Reeve hollowed out these handles originally, just to reduce the weight and get the proper balance, and the storage idea was just a bonus :).
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I’ve read the same thing, but I can’t remember where.

I’m yet to hold a Chris Reeve one-piece that doesn’t feel good in hand.

I wonder if each model has a slightly different sized handle cavity to get the balance just right.
 
I have used Chris Reeve Fixed Blades for quite some time. They are close to indestructable and as for the rust issue, I carry mine on canoe trips and spend alot of time in the water and have never had one to rust, even on weekend trips in and out of the water. I just treat mine with a ToughCloth before and after each trip and carry it in a Kydex sheath I got from PiterM on these forums.
 
I broke my Chris Reeve mnt,It was in the snow,It was below freezing,and i was batoning a 4" log,for firewood.Im glad i was buy my truck and went got a differnt knive.
 
Did you lose a piece of the primary grind or did the knife just crack in half? Was the wood clear or knotted? Was the baton wood?

-Cliff
 
scalesandtails said:
I broke my Chris Reeve mnt,It was in the snow,It was below freezing,and i was batoning a 4" log,for firewood.Im glad i was buy my truck and went got a differnt knive.
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Where did it fail? I have just given one as a gift to a rancher and I know it's going to get beat on quite a bit.

Thanks
 
The knive broke at the point where it went into the handle,the wood was pine around 4 to 5" round and i was using madrone wood as the baton,which is harder than pine.I thought the blade was a little small for what i was doing,but i thought i wood give it a try,I dont hate the knife,I just use smaller wood.
 
scalesandtails said:
I broke my Chris Reeve mnt,It was in the snow,It was below freezing,and i was batoning a 4" log,for firewood.Im glad i was buy my truck and went got a differnt knive.
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Wow, I have not heard of this happenning, under normal use, with one of the Chris Reeve one piece knives. But on the otherhand you can break any knife if abused. It doesn't sound like abuse here and I would suggest talking to Chris Reeve Knives about it. This is a great company with a great product, and there customer service is known to be very good as well.
 
Subaru, I bought a Lile SlyII over20 years ago. I haven't used it for anything except slicing paper like they did in the movie. From a quality standpoint I think it's a good knife but I've never put it through it's paces to find it's weaknesses. That being said, something I don't particularly like is that the handle is joined/sealed to the blade and guard by an epoxy of some sort. I think the knife would be especially good if the handle would have been welded to the guard and handle which in my opinion would have made it more one-peice like. I paid $660 dolars for it way back when and I think they are going for around 2 grand now in good condition. When I ordered it I spoke directly with Jimmy Lile himself. Nice man. I asked if any of the original movie knives were for sale and he said sure if you are willing to spend $13,000:eek: . He and Stallone split the first 13 knives the rest were serial numbered to 100 and came with a small Lile folder in the handle. The Sly II's came in three blade lengths 9,7,5.
 
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