Looking for first light survival knife!

Fallkniven S1. Very tough and very light. Comes with quality Kydex sheath.
 
DavezFever said:
Mabye ill look into a military type knife, like you said. I was looking into multitools as well. Was looking into getting a leatherman. What would you guys suggest for multitools?
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I second the Wave or Surge... I don't remember all of the details of the research I did, but I decided on those two. Bought the Surge for my dad, you can exchange jigsaw blades out of it, very nice feature... it's also friggin' huge. Fits my dad's hands fine; actually too big for me (skinny 5'7" fem). Surge is heavy, though, if you're a backpacker. I'm going to pick up a Wave for myself in the next couple of months.
 
hmm,
here are some ideas grohman #4 survival beautiful knife well made take and keeps a good edge.:) SOG seal pup see my post (vacationing in molokai) post
for info.KABAR issue type always a good choice,army survival knife,ask yourself what are you going to use it for and no "survival stuff" is not an answer:)
meaning carbon steel versus stainless steel around the ocean or woods,desert etc.that will narrow it down, primary or secondary to an axe, 4"-6' is pretty
much the standard just remember a "survival knife" isn't much good if you don't have it with you ;) good luck with whatever you chose and train with it constantly

i carry personally all the time when i can leatherman wave or 2000,sog magnadot,sak minichamp,either spyderco endura or bm 730
when in the field i add either my SOG seal pup or my Grohman #4 survival backed up by a 3 brother tomahawk forged in Grants Pass,OR

tyrantblade
 
Thanks for all the very warming replys. Ive narrowed my search down quite a bit and am just debating among about 10 knives. I will most likely get a mora 2000, and one more mora but cant decide. There are many models of clippers or frost mora, hard to choose the best one. Im also thinking of getting another knife I really like the Fallkniven F1. The ontario rat series and tak are also really nice. Im also interested in the cold steel SRK but i hate the handle of it, USAF Pilot's knife is pretty generic but nice, Gerber LMF II is another choice, and the Ka-Bar D2 Extreme Fighting/Utility is another option which i really like. What should i do? Or mabye i should just get a mora or two and a wave? A really sleak EDC folder would be nice too. Too many options!

Oh im also planning on getting a ontario machete, for camp. :)
 
My $.02 for your "first survival knife" would be a multi-tool with a locking blade.

I also carry a +20 year old PX bought USMC KABAR for my shelter/fire making in swamps and low land woods. My main reason; it is comfortable in my hand.
 
JimMLa said:
My $.02 for your "first survival knife" would be a multi-tool with a locking blade.

I also carry a +20 year old PX bought USMC KABAR for my shelter/fire making in swamps and low land woods. My main reason; it is comfortable in my hand.
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Yea im starting to think that mabye i should purchase a multitool first, and go with your guys suggestions on a mora 2000, frost or clipper. Then i could research fixed blades and folders for a while and not feel like im in a rush. Would also be nice to get some experience with a mora first aswell. You guys made me realize that a survival knife wont help you, if its so big you dont carry it everyday. So i think a wave or something similar along with a mora would probably be the best start.
 
get a grohmann survival 4! :D

can't go wrong with it!

i got mine a few weeks ago and have fallen in love with it.

it rides right behind my CS military R1 on my belt.

the sheath that comes with the R4S isnt too too bad but you can get another one for it either through the grohmann company or through many of the custom sheath makers here on the forums.

i'm sure many people here love the grohmann R4S, its a knife that doesn't get alot of talk but is great for 100 bux.

they come in saber grind stainless and carbon flatgrind i believe

cheers.
 
YES, another one for a #4, great freggin knife. True, its has a diffrent look to it, but it will grow on ya'.

I know I love the on I have, for a first knife it will make a great choice.
 
Whatever you get, throw a Mora on your order just to see how they work. The scandinavian grind is different than most every other knife you buy. Basically, you are paying 6-8 dollars just to learn something, which is money well spent, and you are getting an extra lightweight knife for a kit or something.
 
haha fonly i see you like ur grohmann #4 as much as i do

it makes a great all-round hiking, camping, fishing knife

haven't had a chance to skin anything with it... YET :D
 
come on i know theres other people out there who have the grohmann #4 and can comment on it! or even any other grohmann knife.

:D
 
Interesting thread! Now you see how fascinating knives really are:thumbup:

My suggestions are RAT 3 but with the Ram's Horn scales, looks and feels excellent, light but strong, watch out for the sharpness though:D

The other one is Bark River Classic Light Hunter, superbly made as all Barkies are, very light and safe to use,mass of beautiful handles to choose from(14 I think) and being stainless this has some advantages for the newcomer.

but admit it, you are going to be an old knife junky just like the rest of us very soon, at least I hope so:cool:
 
jca21 said:
haha fonly i see you like ur grohmann #4 as much as i do

it makes a great all-round hiking, camping, fishing knife

haven't had a chance to skin anything with it... YET :D
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I have no doubt it will work, I didnt buy mine for hunting, but it could do it if its needed.
 
Dave, if you're like most of us you'll decide on a couple of knives now and eventually end up trying as many of the others as you can over the years, as well as the new stuff as it comes out, as your budget allows. I'll definitely be picking up a couple Moras as a result of this discussion. I haven't put a lot of thought into the knives I've bought over the last couple of years and I've recently come to realize that I've got a few too many tactical type knives and not much that's really well suited to regular use for camping/hiking/backpacking. Thanks for starting all of this, and thanks to everyone who's offered suggestions!
 
Dave, as for a first survival knife, a multi tool with a locking blade is a good beginner option. When it comes to the issue of effecient and quick shelter making, you, and everyone, should consider a Himalayan Imports 12" Ang Khola khukuri. They are about as long as a traditional Ka-Bar but will out chop any knife it's size. Directly from the website, they run $100 delivered, but if you look in the HI forum, you can occasionally find them for less than that, most often around $65. Either way, you will be getting a knife that is guaranteed for life and damn near indestructable. Just do a search for tests of Himalayan Imports khukuris and you'll see what I mean.
 
If you end up deciding on a Gerber LMF II, check out lapolicegear.com. They've got em for $60. It took 3-4 weeks to deliver, but I wasn't in any hurry anyway.
 
Glock, Kabar, Cold Steel Bushman are all extremely powerful well built and long lasting knives. Kabar tends to rust easy, bushman holds and edge great, and Glock is just Glock. You really cant go wrong with too many knives out there. The other guys have posted some good ones too. I just got a true flight thrower too and it HOLDS an edge. Can be made into a spear/ axe with ease, thrown, and is cheap in a good way.
 
Checkout a Cold Steel Master Hunter. The cold steel website says 120 or whatever but I got mine for 95 from the local knife store. This is a simple no bullshit blade, durable, designed as a hunting knife which I think is important if you ever wind up in a survival situation.

The mora knives at small light and look awsome as fuck but I like to have a bit of weight and size to my general purpose knife for hammering and chopping if needed.
 
DavesFever, welcome!
I know I'm jumping in late, been out of town with limited access.

I don't own a bark River or Grohmann, but everyone says they are top notch. These guys in here know their stuff, they "use" their knives and can give a lot of feedback, if they say Bark's are good knives, then they are probably excellent.

You mentioned maybe some Urban survival needs?
You have an SAK, as stated, and that is very good, don't discount it, that is high quality folder sure to last a long long time.

The Ontario Rat series gets a thumbs up from me. 1095 steel.
I have the RAT7, I really like it, thick enough to use for bigger jobs, but still manageable. The stock sheath has a accessory pouch, perfect for a multi-tool, your SAK, or Fero-rod or fire-making kit.
If you were going as small as the Rat3, I would consider the Ontario TAK1, very similar but I think the TAK1 has a slightly larger handle for grippage.

Kabars are not to be discounted. 1095 steel. :thumbup:
I would suggest, for survival pruposes, maybe a different model than the one you mentioned, which is more of a fighter-tactical model.

No one mentioned Beckers, as they are drying up due to a factory closing. They will probably be back, manufactured by someone else, but , no timeframe for that. But, if you found yourself a BK7, BK2, or BK10 in the Becker line-up, they too are well regarded, and owned by a lot of guys who post in here.

Moras. What can I say that has not been said? I like them too.
However, I do think they are complemented by a larger/thicker knife, machete, or small hatchet.

In the urban setting you mentioned, you would need some "beef". I knife with some weight behind it. The Ontario RATs and the Beckers would give you the exposed pommel steel for breaking glass, and pounding, if need be.

Good Luck with your choices! ;)
 
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