How tough is tough enough for a knife?

I carry a Vic OH SAK and it will handle everything, except for bataning and splitting wood can be handled without using the knife.

When in an area where I can carry a fixed blade, it's usually a Mora, or the BRKT Northstar on occassion.
 
I will always carry a folder and a large sheath knife. The folder works great for all the delicate chores and fine cutting required. The sheath knife will always be sized for heavy duty work. I really like the KaBar Short Heavie Bowie, it can be had for a very reasonable price and is made of decent quality carbon steel. In my opinion it is big enough without being too big.

PanMan
 
You can do small tasks with a big knife, but you can't do big tasks with a small knife. If you need one do it all, you need the most cutting surface possible and still be able to carry. A big chopper with good geometry fills the bill. Knives like the BK9, BK1, or any similarly sized knife fills that bill well. Some people think they are overkill and that makes me laugh especially when I know that there are little people (sub 5'6") who survive every day with a 15 inch 3/8 inch thick khkuri in their hands to do all their work. They build homes with it. They dig with them, they cut brush with them, they chop food, skin animals, etc.

If all your thinking about is fileting a fish for survival? LOL.

whatever tool you take, make sure it's durable, not some cheap POS. I find my leatherman to be infinitely more useable than any SAK. I find my big blades to be much more useable than smaller ones. Every bob I carry has a big quality knife and a leatherman in it. I go nowhere without it.


some history
"The khukuri however is far more than just a jawan's weapon :- in the hands of Nepal's large rural population the khukuri is a knife-of-all-work, serving to chop wood, slice vegetables, skin animals, cut grass and is also used in Hindu religious ceremonies. And almost everything about the khukuri means something:

Colonel Kirkpatrick, said to have been the first Englishman to visit Nepal in 1793, wrote in praise of the khukuri: 'It is in felling small trees or shrubs, and lopping the branches of others for this purpose, that the dagger, or knife worn by every Nepaulian, and called Khookheri [sic], is chiefly employed; it is also of very great use, as I repeatedly experienced, in clearing away the road when obstructed by the low hanging boughs of trees, and other similar impediments' (Kirkpatrick, pg. 118).Indeed, the khukuri is a superior blade, both as a combat weapon and as a tool. The unique shape of the khukuri makes it excellent both for chopping wood and for hacking through dense jungles and forests - serving as a combination of an axe and a machete - and anything else requiring a good knife. This makes it a particularly ideal item for the outdoorsman, hunter, hiker or explorer--or anyone who needs a rugged multi-functional blade."
 
I agree with cobalt. Go out and have primitive weekend. Build a shelter, build snares , aquire firewood, try to practice all the skills you know then learn more and practice them. I believe after this you will gain a new respect for the larger fixed blades( 7-10 inches). People keep saying they dont want to lug a round a 1 1/2 pound knife but they will carry around a 2 pound hatchet. Go use your knife and decide if it best for you. If you choose to carry a smaller knife no big deal. I will say put us in the same scenario you with your small knife and me with my "monster chopper" and see what happens. I will have my shelter built and be living comfortably about the time you show up worn out and bruised and asking to borrow my "monster knife".
 
ashtxsniper said:
I agree with cobalt. Go out and have primitive weekend. Build a shelter, build snares , aquire firewood, try to practice all the skills you know then learn more and practice them. I believe after this you will gain a new respect for the larger fixed blades( 7-10 inches). People keep saying they dont want to lug a round a 1 1/2 pound knife but they will carry around a 2 pound hatchet. Go use your knife and decide if it best for you. If you choose to carry a smaller knife no big deal. I will say put us in the same scenario you with your small knife and me with my "monster chopper" and see what happens. I will have my shelter built and be living comfortably about the time you show up worn out and bruised and asking to borrow my "monster knife".
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I agree with what you guys are saying but I guess to me I consider a system then the one all be all. How I break it down:
Popular trails with people everywhere; Leatherman and small knife.
Camping; Leatherman, small knife, and chopper(axe for me.)
Light hiking/SAR/Military where weight's an issue; Leatherman and large knife.
You're right that a large knife CAN do it ALL but it does NOTHING all too well. I think a system of more purpose driven tools is the ticket for me. YMMV
 
DaleW said:
Y'know, there is a lot of talk about the toughness of a knife. In a survival situation, how big and tough does a knife need to be?
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I dont expect one knife to meet all possible applications. I feel comfortable with a big thick fixed blade and a small blade folder. I dont expect to do fine work with the hip knife, nor do I expect the small folder to limb trees. I suppose its just using the right tool for the job and not exceeding the design parameters of the knife.
 
Originally Posted by 2dogs
Tougher than this.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...oducti ons%22
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This video makes my point. I'm sure there are some reading this thread that has that knife and thought "it's never failed me yet..." leaving out the part that they've never really used it before.

Sure would hate to be Bill Siegle carrying THAT knife when he broke thru the ice.....that's a helluva time to discover your knife sucks!

.
 
David E said:
This video makes my point. I'm sure there are some reading this thread that has that knife and thought "it's never failed me yet..." leaving out the part that they've never really used it before.
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(re: the youtube vid of the guy breaking his Buck knife with a hatchet.)

The knife didn't fail, the user did. If you bang on hardened steel with another piece of hardened steel, especially when it's wedged somewhere it was never meant to be in the first place, you deserve whatever happens to you.

This brings to mind my personal conviction that every kid should be required to take at least a basic shop course, but that's a whole 'nother topic.
 
GibsonFan said:
The knife didn't fail, the user did. If you bang on hardened steel with another piece of hardened steel, especially when it's wedged somewhere it was never meant to be in the first place, you deserve whatever happens to you.
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Pounding steel on steel (or other hard substances that transmit shock) is where impact resistance really shines. This is what the tougher tool steels and shock steels were designed for. I've spent enough time around the farm beating on hardened steel with a 20 pound sledge to no avail to know that some steels can easily take this stress with no problems. Others simply can't. You just have to learn the difference, and then decide what matters most to you.
 
Magnum22 said:
there's the dude who killed a bear with his. not a scratch on him when it was all done, either. his dog was pretty banged up, though.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670661/posts

of course it didn't matter what knife he was holding, but it's still somethin special.
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What an adverstisment for that blades maker!

If it were me I would shop my story to them haha.

Reminds me why I am not a cat lover:D and why I get shitty to anti off leash idiots in the wilds.

Skam
 
the possum said:
I've spent enough time around the farm beating on hardened steel with a 20 pound sledge to no avail to know that some steels can easily take this stress with no problems. Others simply can't.
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Fair enough. I presume you weren't using a sledge to beat on a thin-bladed hunting knife, though. I should have been more specific, of course you can bash away all day on a freakin' train rail, or an anvil face for that matter.

I know there's a school of thought that says a knife should be able to take ANYTHING thrown at it. That's just plain silly, and I stand by my original statement about not beating on knives with hatchets. May as well try to cut tempered steel with a coping saw, and complain that the saw sucks.

I'm not picking on anyone, but c'mon guys do you demand 50MPG from a Hummer? Or 0-60 in 5 seconds from a VW bus? There's always a trade-off somewhere.

the possum's statement, "You just have to learn the difference, and then decide what matters most to you," is very true in almost any situation, well said, sir.
 
GibsonFan said:
Fair enough. I presume you weren't using a sledge to beat on a thin-bladed hunting knife, though. I should have been more specific, of course you can bash away all day on a freakin' train rail, or an anvil face for that matter.
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One example that comes immediately to mind is when we were rennovating a pasture. Several of the blades on the old disc got bent via the horsepower of a big tractor and tree stumps. These blades were worn thin- I don't believe they could have been more than 3/16" thick at the center, and tapered gradually down to an edge finer and sharper than the knives found in the average American kitchen. (they, and many tillage tools, are self-sharpening by design) I've always assumed they are made of a 10xx steel or similar, and are hardened. I tried to straighten a couple of 'em out with the 20 pound sledge, and finally gave up. Lots of other "shovels" and sweep blades on the other tillage equipment get worn down to true knife like dimensions, and likewise you can beat on 'em with a hammer till you get tired.

I have to believe the guys who decry using knives for anything rougher than opening the mail must be accustomed to high carbide stainless. I am willing to trade stain resistance for a huge jump in genuine performance.

edit to add- By the way, Gibsonfan, have you had any time to work on your pipe hawk yet? I haven't had any time in the shop to work on mine; would love to see pics of others' progress...
Come to think of it, that's a good example of a tool with a knife-like edge driven with the force of a steel hammer, all in one. This is why I made a big deal about the steel choice...
 
the possum said:
edit to add- By the way, Gibsonfan, have you had any time to work on your pipe hawk yet? I haven't had any time in the shop to work on mine; would love to see pics of others' progress...
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Sadly, no. We moved at the beginning of the year, lotta crap goin on at work, goldang "real life" gettin in the way as usual... I'm looking forward to it, it's a nice little hawk. Makes my Rifleman look like a behemoth, lol. Now THAT (CS Rifleman's hawk) is hammer, heh. And no, I'm not beating on any of my knives with either one! :D

EDIT: I usually leave my tagline off in these "gentlemanly" parts of the forum, I just forgot this time... and now I can't figure out how to remove it, lol. So don't anyone think it's a dig at ya... this time!
 
im quite hard on my field knives, and expect them to hold up. my plain old carry knives never do more than cut string, cardboard or simple things. my field knives (civilian camping) have to do everything. for me, its a D2 Kabar. Until i can get a full sized STEEL capped chris reeve, the D2 kabar does anything i want it to. including hammering and prying. if i cant hammer or pry with a field knife, then to me, nothing separates it from my spyderco military. i mind as well just carry that, and a hawk.
 
It all boils down to the level of your skills. Loose your chopper, can you do what needs to be done with your SAK, leatherman or Spyderco blade?
 
Yes, but it takes much longer. That's certainly acceptable if the chopper is lost, or if you want to practice, but (like the last time I was camping), when it's cold, starting to rain, and you need a fire, the academic becomes, well, academic, and out comes the chopper! :D
 
I recently ordered a CRK Mountaineer II - - 5 1/2" blade of clip point design with single handguard and one piece construction with hollow handle. Purpose is as a general field knife for hiking/camping/fishing/hunting. It looks extremely tough and should fill the role well. - - I also like to carry a SAK with locking blade and saw for the smaller tasks. These two knives should do just about anything that I really need done in the woods. - - Of course, like other 'knife guys', I might also carry something else with me ! The extras will be light though - - a portable wire type saw, & maybe a Spyderco clipped to a pocket, and/or a Mora in the pack - theyre light & cheap enough. - - - Many of the areas where I go to seem to be real dry in the summer and fires are prohibited (survival situations are different of course). Because of this, I'm not willing to carry the extra weight of something dedicated to chopping wood. If I can chop wood, it'll be with a hatchet or (if truck or RV camping) an axe.
 
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