Lets Talk Survival Knife!!!

S

savageman

Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
149
Ok, I am looking for a fixed blade, full tang knife that will be carried on canoe/hiking/camping/hunting trips for years to come! I am at a loss though of what to pick for length, steel, handle, price.

Length: I have heard that somewhere in the 4"-6" area will work best for a general purpose belt knife. But this leaves me with a knife as big as a buck 119 at 6" or a BRKT Highland as small as 4". Theres a big diff in the size and weight of these two knives. Gotta be used for bushcraft, field dressing, light battoning. Do I need a big 6" knife for this or will a 4.25" blade do most of the chores well??

Steel: Should I be looking at a Stainless Steel with a satin finish or a Carbon Steel with a satin finish or maybe a Carbon Steel with a black coating. Then theres the thickness issue, I think something around .150"-.200" should be fine for precision work as well at rough work.

Handle: I see materials such as G10 and Micarta used alot aswell as all sorts of Exotic Woods and Stag Bone. What will be the most durable and provide the best non-slip surface?? Will Stag Bone hold up as well as Micarta??

Price: Given that I am a younger man with not alot of money to throw around, I would like to get this knife with a well made sheath for around $100 give or take. We can rule out all the custom high dollar $200-$500 blades right now as I dont have the funds or heart to carry those out in the field with me!!

Please give me your opinions and try and save the "its all personal preference" card as I have no preference which is why I am asking these questions. Thanks
 
Seems like three knives that are always recommended with excellent reviews and that would fit your needs are:

1. RC-4
2. Bark Rivers - maybe a Bravo or Aurora
3. Fallkniven F1

I really don't think you could go wrong with any of them. I do know the RC-4 has an amazing warranty. You can read about it on the Rat Cutlery forum on this site.
 
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I'm thinking of this knife - Buck 119 since it's cheap but still decent use for survival. Air force pilots use to rely on that for survival during the viet nam war...


FYI Survivorman also uses this knife. So it's a cheap knife that I think would be a decent choice.


PS another knife that I think would be a good choice would be the Gerber LMF II. I like it because it's 1) cheap, and 2) versatile. It has lanyard holes to attach the knife to a stick to make a spear, and the knife looks like it can take a beating and still keep on chopping.
 
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Buck 119 is an excellent choice. I might also suggest an Ontario Pilots Survival knife (the one with the leather handle) as an excellent inexpensive option. For 60 bucks, a Benchmade CSK II, or 40 bucks a Benchmade Rant. The Rat series are excellent as well. You could also look at a Mora 2000 - which might be a bit thin, but is still an excellent blade. Additional stainless option - Spyderco Moran, or one of the Spyderco H1 Aqua knives.
 
Fallkniven A1 if you want a 6" blade or Fallkniven S1 if you want a 5" blade. The only advantage to the 6" is that it is better for batoning and chopping, but otherwise they are both excellent choices.
 
I do like the looks of the new Benchmade 10502 Rant DPT. It states that it is now made in the USA and has a 4.5" blade of 440C and is .175" thick with a nice drop point blade design.

I wonder what the tang looks like, is it a full tang that extends out the butt of the handle? Or is it full length tang but gets thinner further back. Anyone ever seen the tang on these BM 10502, or had any experience with one??
 
outdoor_guy08 said:
I'm thinking of this knife - Buck 119 since it's cheap but still decent use for survival. Air force pilots use to rely on that for survival during the viet nam war...
Click to expand...

geez, that's 12 mins of my life l'll never get back..
nice knife though ( l have one )
flaps his gums a lot but dos not really say a lot,
cheers
 
Same way I feel about Nutnfancy.


I recomend the benchmade csk 2 or RAT cutlery RC6, the scrapper 6 and yard guard are also excellent examples from Scrap Yard Knives, the Busse skinny ash would also be a good choice.
 
+1 for the RC-4









+10 for the nutnfancy timewaster reference....man, he just talks and talks.
 
Don't discount the customs altogether. There are some good deals out there in the $100 range. Keep an eye on the makers forum and watch what comes up for sale. If you see a maker there that you like you can always e-mail him to see if he can make something you design.

Of those mentioned above I'd suggest a good hard look at the RAT line.

SDS
 
The BRKT Bravo-1 stainless will be coming out in the next week or so. Get one in black canvas micarta - it's the cheapest and will last forever. The handle will come very polished, but wash the handle in warm water with a mild dish detergent, and the hand will get a nice surfacr to it that gets grippier when it's wet.
 
Fallkniven F1
I prefer the micarta, though either will do.

f1riglc9.jpg

f1rig3pf2.jpg
 
+1 for the Buck 119
Also if you check the knife makers forum you will be surprised to find some knifes that fit your needs in the $70-120 price range.
 
+1 for BRKT Bravo-1
+1 for Fallkniven F-1

(RC-4 to be arriving soon :))
 
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