knife use

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ktomes_340

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Jun 21, 2007
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I was wondering if it would be feasible to use a double edged dagger type of knife for a survival knife. I was thinking about a Cold Steel Peacekeeper 1 or 2 or a Boker Fairbairn Sykes commando knife. I know it might partly effective if it dosen't have a thin blade or point.:confused:
 
Nope. I want the edge to come all the way to the handle and have an area to put my thumb for pressure cuts. Also, I want to be able to hold onto the spine of the blade for doing more tight tip cuts.
 
I stay away from them for a number of reasons:
Not the safest
I push on the spine a lot
You can't really baton a double edged knife
IMHO they aren't as strong a blade because they're thinned down top and bottom, so don't have a strong spine.
 
Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it my personal preferance? No. However, I've known people who carry daggers for sporting purposes, including their hiking/camping blades. Two that come to mind are the Randall Model 2, and the Gerber Mark II.
 
Be careful. Kentucky does not consider double edged knives, daggers, or dirks "ordinary hunting knives".

500.080 Definitions for Kentucky Penal Code.
As used in the Kentucky Penal Code, unless the context otherwise requires:

"(4) "Deadly weapon" means any of the following:~~
~~(c) Any knife other than an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife;"

http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/ky.txt

Many states do not allow the carry of double edged weapons. Others, while they may not specify, will frown upon a knife that does not appear to be a "ordinary hunting knife". It is up to the discretion of the law in these cases.

I'd vote against carry of such a knife.

chris
 
Never had much use for one, but I will admit to admiring the aesthetics of a finely crafted dagger. As an hunting/camping/survival knife, I think they're lacking in many aspects. I suppose you could make do with it, but there are other designs that would suit your purposes better, I think.
 
Carolina River Rat said:
Never had much use for one, but I will admit to admiring the aesthetics of a finely crafted dagger. As an hunting/camping/survival knife, I think they're lacking in many aspects. I suppose you could make do with it, but there are other designs that would suit your purposes better, I think.
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As a hunting blade? I've got to disagree. As a skinning blade, yes, I think they are lacking. But, for actual hunting (feral hog comes to mind) I think you'd be hard-pressed to out-do the venerable Randall Model 2. YMMV. :)
 
oh, CAN you use a double edges dagger as a survival knife? Well, yes. It won't be ideal for a whole lot of things, for a whole lot of reasons. But it will cut some stuff and a cutting tool is a tool.

There's some very good listed reasons why a dagger of that shape isn't ideal - the hilt can get in the way, the edges tend to be VERY steep to keep a spine thickness that provides a combat strength blade, the top edge makes it difficult to baton or to use the knife with a blade grip for fine work.

If you really wanted one for whatever reason, I'd go for a broader blade- say 1.25 inches, about 6.5 inches long, with only 2 to 2.5 inches double edges. Spearpoint, of course.
 
If you come to Michigan, don't let the law catch you with a double edged knife, unless you have a concealed weapons permit.
 
EMT_Lee said:
As a hunting blade? I've got to disagree. As a skinning blade, yes, I think they are lacking. But, for actual hunting (feral hog comes to mind) I think you'd be hard-pressed to out-do the venerable Randall Model 2. YMMV. :)
Click to expand...

Good point (har!). I wasn't even thinking of feral hogs, since I'm way too much of a wuss to ever try taking on a hog with anything other than a big gun.
 
Yes you can use a double edged dagger as a survival knife. I di so successfuly with a Gerber Mk II when in the Corps. However they are intended mainly for combat survival.

The smatchet is a great survival tool and combet knife, but it is not as desireable as a kukri for survival purposes and it flat out will not perform finer tasks at all safely. A kukri is also a far better chopper than the smatchet as well as drawknife etc.

For 90% + of common survival chores all that is needed is a 4-5" single edged blade of many possibe configurations. Which is also legal in most every state especially out in the woods.
 
pvicenzi said:
If you come to Michigan, don't let the law catch you with a double edged knife, unless you have a concealed weapons permit.
Click to expand...

Michigan does not have a Concealed Weapon Permit like Florida and other states. Michigan has whats called a CPL (concealed Pistol Licence). That means, if you have your CPL, you can carry a pistol or revolver only. No other weapons.

A double edged blade is illegal to carry in Michigan no matter what. Even with a CPL.
 
Didn't the Plains Indians use a double edged dagger from Sheffield imported by the Hudson Bay Company? I'm guessing they used it for just about everything.
crowstabber1-1.jpg
 
In a true survival situation, darn right. I'd exploit the properties of whatever I could get my hands on.

With forewarning, knowing I'm likely to be in a precarious situation, I'd pick some sort of utility pattern. If I felt that I really needed something with plunging power I'd also carry a simple sharpened screwdriver under the guise of a marlin spike for untying knots, honest.
 
Rupestris said:
Michigan does not have a Concealed Weapon Permit like Florida and other states. Michigan has whats called a CPL (concealed Pistol Licence). That means, if you have your CPL, you can carry a pistol or revolver only. No other weapons.

A double edged blade is illegal to carry in Michigan no matter what. Even with a CPL.
Click to expand...

I find it ironic that Michigan is known for sturdy, independant, outdoorsman and yet has very intrusive laws about carry; even in the woods. I can see no double edge knives in the big cities i.e. Detroit etc. Out in the country where I lived, there was no real need to interfere in personal rights.

I think a more productive law would be no drinking until you get your first deer, and then only at camp :) Please guys, just because you see movement, it isn't necessarily a deer! You Michigan folks know what I am talking about.
 
I would be sure to cut myself on a double-edged blade. Heck, I tend to cut myself on single-edged ones every so often.:eek:
 
Thanks, everybody for the input. That was a question I have had on my mind for a while. The main knife that got me asking that question was finding the Boker Applegate/Fairbairn knife in desert colors. Thanks again for the help.:D
 
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