I want a Survival Knife, any help please...

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PyroStar

Joined
Nov 23, 2013
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So I am a survivalist, that means I like to be prepared for all eventualities. That means having the right survival/multipurpose knife. I have given this a lot of thought, and have decided I prefer the stoat of a Bowie. Specifically a:

"Full Tang [High Carbon Steel] or [440C Stainless Steel] (10+ inch Bladed, 5" Handle) Bowie with 3+ brass rivets in the handle." (I'd like the steel to be easy to sharpen, and to hold a edge... that's why I picked Carbon steel, I believe the stronger the steel the more stiffer it is, making it easier to shatter, where as a softer steel would have give and be able to take a blow easier... though I am not a knife or steel expert, so give me your thoughts. I don't want a stamped hand guard, I'd prefer a Forged guard, Maybe brass with brass pommel hook. I really want the blade to be thick say 1/8 of an inch or more, somewhere there about. A black leather sheath durable, I will make the damn sheath, as long as I can find a good knife. So I am not too worried about the sheath.)

Now I ordered a Damascus steel Bowie for $98 USD

and on the 3rd field test a very bad thing happened to it...

I have had more knives then I can count and never had something like this happen my dad and brother was blown away as well, clearly it is not Damascus or even a good quality steel... I was very sad as it was perfect in weight and appearance, so ok round 2 my new Carbon steel Bowie $30 USD

but wait not in the picture I fount a small inked stamp that reads stainless steel... but it dulls after cutting through 2 limbs bout 2 inches Diameter... I think it dulls way to fast to be carbon and is definitely not Stainless, and yet I still have my Ka-Bar $98 USD had it for 5 years and never had it do anything but stay reliable

but it doesn't have the weight and doesn't chop all that well it is more of a combat knife then a survival knife... Please help I am tired of getting poor steel. how can I take these Bowies in to the bush and feel safe when they cant handle the back yard. I really don't care about the price tag... if you could give me some good manufacturer names... some knives to look at... I would appreciate it... preferably in 3 price brackets...
$0-$250, $250-1000, $1000+

I was thinking of buying The Timber Rattler, as it is made by western and I have seen a few nice looking bowies in person that seemed legit... I am worried about the price tag though... I don't want to pay another 30-100 bucks on crap... and I don't want to pay 1,000 on crap...
 
Have you considered getting a custom knife made there are lots of makers here ?!

1234,,,:)
 
may i suggest a busse combat fixed blade:

my favourite model:

NMFSH (9,5inch blade)


or maybe the currently offered: ASHBM (11inch blade)

btw check out the busse combat forum section
 
You don't need to get a busse. Just an ontario or KaBar knife that fits the bill. I haven't seen what knives you have bought. The pictures don't really show what they are or who makes it. If you are buying cheap pakastani junk knives than your experiences are pretty normal.

Tell us what you really bought, or better yet throw them away and buy real knives not knife looking objects. You can get a real carbon steel knife like the http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=ONSP10 and not spend as much money, nor have the troubles you are having. If you want something smaller than no problem. Tell us what size, steel preference, style of blade, and price range and we can help some. You have been spinning your wheels buying stuff not worth the boxes shipped in , in my opinion.
 
I've been down that road as well and pretty much now only purchase custom ordered blades from the fine craftsmen on this forum!! You can't go wrong and the quality will be beyond reproach.....and you can have it made to your specs at your price point.
 
You've pretty much been buying junk knives. Get a becker bk7 or bk9 or a esee junglas or esee6 for good carbon steel knives that will last and hold an edge. Or step up in price and get a scrapyard dog, swamp rat, or busse. Any of those will outlast what you have been buying and out perform them.
 
I think Dave hit the nail on the head with this one. Bk9 combat Bowie sounds right up your alley. Although the custom makers here are awesome and could make you a knife that you would be very happy with.
 
How is a big expensive heavy bowie knife going to help you survive? Serious question. What kind of scenarios are you expecting?

Lets take a 1000 dollar knife for arguments sake. Compare it to what you can buy with that money.

What do you need?
- Defense against 2 or 4 legged creatures? Get a gun. You can find lightly used shotguns pretty cheap if you look around.
- Staying warm and dry in the woods? Get a quality sleeping bag and tent. If you live in really cold climate getting a light weight system costs money. Otherwise this is also very affordable.
- First aid? Yup get a first aid kit.
- Staying hydrated and fed? Stored food and water helps with that. Spend the rest of your money on water, food and a stove to cook on. You might bring along a swiss army knife and a can opener to open packages.

Which strategy is more likely to keep you alive?
 
Look at Himalayan imports. They make a bowie style blade that should be right up you alley. It may be just shy of a 10" blade but they are built stout and will take some major abuse.
 
Yea, bought a chute knife a while back. His sales rep is on this board somewhere...anyway, from experience and also from what I gather talking to others his knives are not particularly sharp as shipped. Blades are not slick finished, grind marks and such. The fit and handles are well finished. The knives are built to work. Can be sharpened to a razor edge if that's what you are looking for. They seem to be pretty much bullet proof and for what you get they are a good value. Try one out. It'll outlast you. I promise....
 
"Survival knife" encompasses so many thoughts for so many different people. I can do 80% of my outdoor tasks with my Spyderco Gayle Bradley but if you're looking for a good fixed blade, MANY of the high carbon knives will fit your bill. Of course you're going to get allot of "my brand is better" responses here but truth be told MOST will do the trick. I have several Mora's that so a great job for what they were intended and all can be had for under $20. If I want to go a bit more robust, I pick up my ESEE-4 or my Spyderco Bushcraft. I think the general consensus amongst the bushcraft crowd is, get a good 4in. +/- fixed blade and a good SAK (Swiss Army style knife) or Leatherman. I tend to agree.
 
If it's something you plan to use I would recommend a Cold Steel Trailmaster in O1. It's plenty thick, the handle is simple and comfortable and the guard is functional. And if you want a thick hunk of knife It's right up your alley.

I'll be completely honest, though, I don't think of knives of the type you're describing as 'survival' knives. Mostly just because they're sort of annoying to lug around if you're going for a long hike or serious backpacking. I also find knives like that a bit cumbersome for anything other than chopping. You might want to pick up an ESEE 4 or Becker Tweener to pair with it, so you have something that's not so unwieldy if you need to carve or cut.
 
BK9, Esee 4, Busse, or get a custom from a maker on the forums. Actually, with your price range, get all four and you will still have some left over. Get all four, try them out, keep the one you like, and sell the others. Last but not least, enjoy.
 
Take a look at the Bk2.... it does everything fairly alright so it's well rounded and saying that it's a "tank" of a knife would be an understatement. You don't need to spend $1000 to get a good knife, you just have to know what a good knife is instead of buying random crap that "looks like it would be a good knife".
 
"Built like tanks" often translates to weighs a ton. Becker knives are super reliable and will not weigh you down.

You can't buy custom until you know what you need, and the knives you've been buying show you did the right thing by coming here to ask.

Check out Becker, Ka-Bar, Ontario and then come back here to ask about specific knives that look good to you. Survival requires finesse, not brute force, smaller may be better, more options better than One Big Knife. A multitool or that Victorinox Farmer are compact, convenient, inexpensive, and fill in the gaps a big knife is too clumsy to handle. We have Becker and Ka-Bar forums here you can browse. A lot of us like knives like the more compact BK-2 than the super-size BK-9.
 
In the lower price range...A Russell Green River 10" (blade) butcher matches up very well with the original Bowie knife. It can also be had in kit form. As a survivalist I believe you should at least have the rudimentary skills to build a kit knife. Next step up is any number of Bowie kit knives. These are < $100 for the kits and the steels are 8A, 440C, and high carbon with added chrome vanadium. Around $200 you will get into the functional Bowies from custom makers. These will be made from simple steels like 1084. As the alloy content of the blade and the glitz on the knife increase so will the price. In the $250 - $1000 you will find the more exotic steels; S7, M4, etc.. These will often have an exotic sheath. IMO, above $1000 and you end up paying for works of art.

Check out this thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/699459-Wilderness-survival-knives
 
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