I'm Looking for the perfect Survival Knife....

There is no PERFECT survival knife, as there are hundreds of thousands of different situations you can be put in, that based on your knowledge of the utilization of edged tools and survival can lend different advantages. The perfect survival knife is the one that you know how to use and maintain the best for the most situations. Don't get the LMF-the edge is super brittle and microchips at every chance it can get, leaving you with an unusable edge that is very hard to repair in the field. In almost any situation, I'd prefer something out of high carbon, like A1, O1 or 1095. Becker is great, RAT Cutlery is great, Bark River, Condor and a thousand knife hand makers all make reasonably priced high carbon knives to fit your role. Personally I believe at least 2 knives are generally necessary, a slicer and a beater. A combination like a Mora or Cold Steel Finn Bear and a RAT RC5 or Becker BK7 is pretty ideal.
 
Don't forget Fehrman Knives, not my style but they get great reviews for build and steel and have something of a "tactical" look.
 
have a look at crusader forge, they have some beast knives in s30v a great steel. the oberlands are top notch, also if you wanna spend some money and get in most peoples minds, the best knives, go for busse, INFI will not fail you, it will never chip, and its amazing
 
Everyone is different as to what their perfect survival knife would be. I too was on a quest for the perfect survival knife, I believe I have found mine, but still keep my eyes open. I first got a Sog Seal Pup, great knife but not it. Next Gerber LMF good knife not it. Next Camillius pilots knife, yep thats the one. For me the camillius is my survival knife. I later got an RD6 this is right up there with the camillius but I like the saw back on the pilots knife.
Its not the destination but the journey, happy knife hunting. :D :D :D

Camillius pilots knife

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RD6

rd6.jpg
 
Xerogabe106 said:
At first I wasn't very impressed, they look nice but didn't have that certain "je ne sais quoi" that I was looking for.... Until I saw the "ESEE Comprehensive Survival Kit w/ RC-6 Knife". The RC-6 alone costs $200, and the whole kit only costs $217. That is almost a deal that you cannot pass up. So far this one has really caught my eye.

I thank you for that recommendation , ty sir.

-Xero
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That is how I got my first one with the ESEE kit. Lots of good stuff in the kit too, I leave it in the truck with a cold steel shovel, bow saw, sleeping bag and a trioxine stove/pot/ and food.

Hard to beat the esee-6 for a survival knife. Good hunting/camp kitchen knife as well.
It is like pulling teeth to have me pick between the 6 or the esee-4 in orange g-10.
 
snorkem said:
also if you wanna spend some money and get in most peoples minds, the best knives, go for busse, INFI will not fail you, it will never chip, and its amazing
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And if Busse's are to expensive then get the 1st cousin to a Busse, a Scrapayrd Knife. They are pretty much indestructable as well! :thumbup:
 
Well, I think you've got enough suggestions here. Probably every single one of these knives would do everything you'll ever need.

I'll throw another suggestion in for ESEE knives. The warranty is forever and they'll send you a new knife even if you intentionally break the other one. Not many companies will do that in ANY industry. They also have the survival training and experience to back up your purchase (schools both in the States and S. America).

But, again, most of the other knives mentioned here are nice, too. Buy what you love and aren't afraid to use. I've had a little bit of everything but the ESEE's are what I use these days almost exclusively. I carry a HEST every single day, even when working in the office.

Good luck!
 
We have not yet found the perfect survival knife. Perhaps another forum? But if you do find it, please...please..don't tell us. We're having too much fun looking for it.
 
jbombelli said:
To me, a survival knife needs to be able to do it ALL, including chopping, so my favorite out of the ones I own is the Busse NMSFNO:The pics I've got for these knives include my kydex iwb sheaths, but I've also got Spec-Ops sheaths for both of them.
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That's a second vote for the Busse NMSFNO.:thumbup:
 
Bark River, ESEE, and lots of others make great knives, but if you're really looking for the ultimate survival knife and price is no object, you just need to figure out which Busse looks like your idea of a survival knife. Also check out Fehrman and Swamp Rat.

Your real problem is in figuring out what you want a "survival knife" to look like- for some guys it's a woodcraft knife, for others, it's a big chopper- and then theres all those choices in between! All the makers I've mentioned have a full range of knives and great warranties. Let us know what you end up with.
 
I should have clarified that I meant a perfect survival knife "for me". I realize that perfection is a matter of opinion and that's exactly what I was soliciting.... Opinions.


So far the Becker BK-7 and the RAT RC-6 have really caught my eye. They seem very durable and well made. I have yet to see/read/hear anything negative about them aside from their price.

So what do you guys think? Which would you pickup if you were limited to one? Why or why not?

Again, I thank you all for your opinions and time.
 
Got bored and made a quick buying guide. Prices based on cheapest price + shipping + tax I could find on Google and Ebay:

http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/72672-Survival-Knife-Prices-by-Zev
The link above gives you clickable prices that go to the relevant store. :)


The following is my guide without the external links...

$40.30 - Ontario Air Force Survival Knife (AKA Camillus Pilot Survival Knife) - 5"

$62.92 - Becker BK2 - 5.5"
$63.49 - Becker BK7 - 7"
$75.11 - Becker BK9 - 9"

$74.95 - Ontario Ranger RD 4 - 4.5"
$69.99 - Ontario Ranger RD 6 - 6"
$86.54 - Ontario Ranger RD 7 - 7.5"
$87.54 - Ontario Ranger RD 9 - 9.5"

$91.72 - Ontario RAT-5 - 5"
$100.54 - Ontario RAT-7 - 7"
$89.99 - Ontario Randall RTAK 2 - 10.25"

$91.95 - ESEE/RAT RC-4 - 4.5"
$112.99 - ESEE/RAT RC-6 - 6.5
 
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zev said:
Got bored and made a quick buying guide. Prices based on cheapest price + shipping + tax I could find on Google:


$40.30 - Ontario Air Force Survival Knife (AKA Camillus Pilot Survival Knife) - 5"

$62.92 - Becker BK2 - 5.5"
$63.49 - Becker BK7 - 7"
$75.11 - Becker BK9 - 9"

$74.95 - Ontario Ranger RD 4 - 4.5"
$88.34 - Ontario Ranger RD 6 - 6"
$86.01 - Ontario Ranger RD 7 - 7.5"
$102.57 - Ontario Ranger RD 9 - 9.5"

$85.24 - Ontario RAT-5 - 5"
$89.99 - Ontario Randall RTAK 2 - 10.25"

$91.95 - ESEE/RAT RC-4 - 4.5"
$112.99 - ESEE/RAT RC-6 - 6.5"
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I don't know if its against forum rules, but If you could provide the sources for those prices it would be greatly appreciated sir. Perhaps you could PM said info to me.

If you've closed or lost all those sites and don't feel like digging it up I wont blame you one bit lol

I do thank you for those prices though, its a good benchmark for when I do some shopping.
 
I have yet to find a task which cannot be handled by my Spyderco Temperance II :thumbup:

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The Fallkniven F1 was mentioned and I will repeat that recommendation. Totally indestructible and well-proven, it is the official survival knife of the Swedish air force. It was also approved by the American Navy (if I remember well it was the Navy).
So, perhaps it isn't the most tactical looking, it simply looks like a tool, it has definitely been proven for tactical usage.
 
Definitely the Tom Brown Tra....the Tom Brown Tr.....the Tuh......BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA. Sorry, couldn't keep a straight face...
 
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