Knife comparison: Marine Combat Knife vs Airforce survival kit?

A

adrolak

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Jun 24, 2010
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Hey guys, this is my first thread so I figured I would do a pole, which knife do you guys like better, or would prefer to use, if you want you can put yourself in a situation.

Marine Corps Knife ( old, circa 1970's/80's vietnam era ):
7 inch blade with a leather grip grooved for a good grip, water resistant and rust/corrosion proof.

Airforce Survival Kit:
5 inch blade with sawteeth on the back, comes with a nice grip and a sharpening stone in the sheath to use to sharpen it, theres also a heavy hexagon part on the bottom of the grip for use as a hammer!

So here we are guys: Debate! Please no flaming though =\
 
hm, I would prefer the air force survival kit as a utility knife.. cutting edge + sawing edge, sounds like a win/win right?
 
I have had and used both extensively.

The USAF Survival knife. is a great performer. Mine was a Camillus. The edge was a bit thick when I purchased it, so I reprofiled it with a lot of elbow grease and a diamond hone. I reccomend that you pick up either of these blades at a shop where you can cherry pick one by comparing several. The USAF knife has a better sheath than the USMC knife IF you buy it with the metal reinforced sheath. It is also much more compact and more comfortable to carry on your side if you are wearing it when in a vehicle. The massive nut on the back of the handle allows the knife to be batonned on the pomel end to drive it into and through material, this is a gret help when improvising camp items in the field. The saw back is not meant for sawing wood. It was designed ct cut on the pull stroke and is meant for cutting the skin of an aircraft. It does work ok for notching wood and well at tinder preparation. If you get one oil the handle heavily immediately, then wax it. It is all the knife you need for 90+% of your utility and survival needs.

The USMC Ka-Bar. The longer blade makes it a little better at batonning since the blade hads a bit more real estate for pounding on. Again the edges are a bit thick and it will cut better if reprofiled. I modify both by removal of the top half of the guard and reduction of the lower guard. It makes either knife easier to use in the field. The sheath on most Ka-Bars suck. Some now are being offered with a kydex sheath which may be a better option. The Ka-Bar is designed to be more effective in combat and still function as a utility knife.

My choice is simple if you want a utility blade to take to the woods get the USAF Survival knife. Do Not get one with a serrated edge. Make sure it is made in the uSA and meets the mil spec.

If you think you will need a bigger knife then team the USAF knife with a larger blade with a 10" or longer blade for the heavy stuff. I teamed mine with an H.I. M-43 kukri.

Hope this helped.
 
Thanks man, this is a really good break down of each knife, and considering it's an airforce survival knife, that makes sense that the sawtooth back is made for cutting aircraft material, but I'll be sure to take a look at a few different ones, this thread was made so we could all share our opinions on it, not help me purchase one, but I'm actually interested in one now... :)
 
I've had a Camillus USAF Survival knife for years; got it from my dad about 20 years ago. Everything WildMike said hit the nail on the head. It's a great knife. My only complaint is the original sheath on mine was one without the metal reinforcement towards the tip. After a while, the tip of the knife combined with the bending of the sheath causes wear in this area. I've been meaning to pick up a replacement sheath with the metal tip.
 
The rear of the USAF was also made with plexiglass in mind.

Ontario Knife Co. continues to make a decent Mil Spec version of the original. For decades they were one of the original manufacturers for the USAF of the knife and they make a version of it's updated replacement. The date of manufacturer of these is on that nut on the pommel.

On mine I sharpened the rear clip point of the blade so that it also cuts on the back stroke.

I find them handier than the larger Ka-Bar USMC blades though the latter is stronger for certain tasks as fellas have mentioned.

tipoc
 
Well I would imagine that the USAF knife is made to be used in the woods in a survival situation, so doesn't that make it optimal?
 
adrolak said:
Well I would imagine that the USAF knife is made to be used in the woods in a survival situation, so doesn't that make it optimal?
Click to expand...

You would think so, but unfortuneately not, for several reasons:
1) it's also made to be used to bust out of a downed aircraft, which is a very tough job.
2) it's designed as a survival knife. that is to say, the one tool the carrier is likely to have with them when they are stuck. so it sacrifices some knifey value so it can be used in place of an axe ect.
3) it was designed by the govornment, which means that saving money is also liable to have been a consideration, as was mass production. as civilians we can purchase one or two of a survival knife, and so it doesn't have to be made in huge numbers (custom makers ect can produce the designs). a govorment has to purchase several thousand or more.
 
Well actually that makes sense, your right about the fact it was probably designed to be used as more of an axe, wouldn't the be required though? If you were stuck in the woods wouldn't you want to be able to chop, cut, and hammer all with the same knife? The low budget aspect sounds right though.
 
adrolak said:
Well actually that makes sense, your right about the fact it was probably designed to be used as more of an axe, wouldn't the be required though? If you were stuck in the woods wouldn't you want to be able to chop, cut, and hammer all with the same knife? The low budget aspect sounds right though.
Click to expand...

if you where stuck in the woods, yes. if you where out there by choice, it would make more sense to pack a small axe, and a knife more suited to slicing.
 
I've got 3 or 4 of the AF model, including a 1967 Camillus given to me by a pilot in my squadron, along with his Schrade MC-1. I've got 2 of the USMC, a KaBar and an Ontario. Truth be told I could make do with either, but I prefer the AF. A retired Marine buddy of mine told me of breaking a KaBar working on the tracks of an APC. Anything short of that and you should be good to go.
 
Had a Ka-bar in the Army & snapped the tip off it prying. It was a good knife, but I replaced it with an Air Force model because I wanted something more compact.
 
Personally I'm not the biggest fan of the Air Force survival knife having used it when I went though survival training. I saw several bend where the handle and the blade meet because the tang just isn't that strong in the knife. Most of that was a result of batoning larger pieces of wood.

For about 50 bucks I picked up a Cold Steel SRK and I much prefer it over the USAF knife. The tang is much stronger and it's still a pretty light package. My Squadron also no longer puts the standard USAF knife in our survival kits and instead we get a Benchmade Nimravus. If we need to break out of the canopy we have a canopy breaker tool specifically designed to break plexiglass.
 
I would take either into the woods any day, and have. I've come to prefer the AFSK mainly because it is more compact and large enough for my needs. I also like the way the sheath holds tight to my side. I don't have any use for the saw teeth, but they're not in my way at all and I pretty much forget they're there. You will need to re-profile the edge as it comes much too thick from the factory. Once you do that, you'll be surprised at what a cutter it can be. IMO, if anyone is breaking these things they either don't have much experience using a knife or really need an axe instead. YMMV.
 
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