Looking for first light survival knife!

Davezfever: I have been looking at getting a better digital SLR camera. I have a number of older SLR's and very comfortable with them. But the sheer magnitude of choices is daunting and it is tough to make a decision. I'm essentially looking at spending $1000. You can buy a lot of knives for $1000. Plunge in and go with the recommendations on knives, use them, learn, and then buy some more.

My recommendation on knives is based only on knives I own or have used. Look at a Swiss Army knife first. Multi-tool devices are okay, but I would rather have a something that is more of a knife than a pair of pliers with a blade on it. I have them too, and so will you eventually. Look for a full sized SAK with a minimum of other tools on it. The other tools add a lot of thickness to the knife and reduces your willingness to carry it in your pocket. A good smaller SAK is the "Soldier" model. That one rides in my pocket every single day. I forget about it.... have walked through metal detectors in public buildings.... have had to take it back to the car a few times.

Check out the SOG line of knives for fixed blades (or folders too). The field pup is an excellent field carry knife for general chores/cutting. The Seal Pup Elite is a bit larger and also a great knife for field carry. I have quite a few SOG blades and the Seal Pup Elite (with no serrations) is my favorite field knife as long as you don't plan on chopping with it. The Twitch II or Twitch XL is a great fast opening pocket knife to carry around if you have leanings that way. I carry it in one pocket and the SAK Soldier in another. The Twitch II gets used a lot.

Mora's are good knives and cheap. You can't go wrong with one. You will buy others.
 
Hey guys glad to see this thread still going! :) Anyway ive come down to some more decisions and have a few more questions before i pull the trigger.

1) Does the new leatherman wave differ from the old leatherman wave in any way? and will a leatherman wave make a good edc? also leather or nylon sheath for it?

2) Im going to get a ontario machete and this site looks the cheapest http://www.knivesplus.com/ontario-knives-machete.html but i read in a article that the 18" blade was worse off cutting large branches and for chopping and that the 12" was more of a large knife. Would you guys recommend the 12" or 18" and black or silver?

3) Ive pretty much decided against the Gerber LMF II, Ka-Bar D2 (although i love the look of it), Fallkniven F1 (although it looks like a great knife), cold steel SRK, and pilots knife.

4) This leaves me deciding between a ontario rat 5 and ontario rat 7. Although this may not be the best choice for survival in the woods, this knife looks like its durable enough to be used everywhere, and halfway threw my knife search i kind of realized, mabye this knife should be able to help me in a urban setting if need be.

Right now this is what im looking at getting. What was originally going to be one knife, has turned into getting: Leatherman Wave, Ontario 12" or 18" machete, a Mora 2000, and a Ontario Rat 5 or Rat 7. I think ill stay away from the Rat 3 and Tak for now because they are smaller, and i also want a folder in the future, but my funds are going to be looking pretty slim after this :)

Ive also got a Photon Micro-Light II LED Keychain Flashlight and a Swedish FireSteel - Army Model comming and am looking into more supplies for a good PSK and general items i might need in case of an emergency. This forum has really opened me up to a lot of possibilities and new tools, and im feeling pretty defenseless. What do you guys think of those 4 items for a start?

Oh and i do like the Bark Rivers and the Grohmann #4 however they both look too nice to be a first knife and i think i would be afraid to use them to their full advantage. Mabye in the future!
 
I'm telling you man, with all the money you'll be pouring into all that, you should really consider a Himalayan imports 12" Ang Khola khukuri. You can't go wrong with it and you'll never have to worry about breaking it.
 
I have to agree about the khukuri. I only have a very cheap one made in India, but it's tough as hell and serves as both a machete and a hatchet, and then some. Then I'd go with the rat 5.

If you're set on the machete, then I'd say go for the rat 7 since it could handle some of the chopping of larger material that you might not want to do with the thin blade of a machete.

Ultimately there is no one perfect choice. Everyone has their own tastes and what works for one of us may not work for you. You have to go with whatever feels best to you. If you can, go to a knife shop or sporting goods store or surplus store and handle a machete and a khukri and see how they feel in your hand, then make your choice.

*Note* My experience with machetes is pretty limited. . . I've just really not liked the few that I've handled.
 
To answer your question about the Leatherman Wave:

The old style Wave is smaller and has dedicated, longer shank screwdrivers. The new Wave has stubby, interchangeable bits and the onehanded opening blades can be opened more smoothly. Of these two, I prefer the old style Wave, but I like the Swisstools best of all.

Also, you should look at the Beckers. If you were at all considering a Kabar or USAF Pilot's knife, then you would like the Becker BK7 and BK10. You could filet a Buick with these things (I think someone actually did), yet they come shaving sharp out of the box and cost around $50 bucks. They may be more pricey now though, since they are getting scarce. I have a BK10 Crewman as my large (-ish) knife.

Stick a multitool in the Becker's sheath pocket and you are ready to rule the planet!
 
I have a few of the knives you are thinking about. The new Wave is a nice tool, I EDCed it for about a year. I may still, but right now I went back to the PST for it's lighter weight/smaller size. The Wave is something you have to use often to make it worth carrying it daily. With the one hand opening blades though, it is good if you are not going to carry another knife. It works well w/ the accesory pocket clip, it makes it like a chunky pocket knife.

I have the 12" Ontario machete, and it is fine. Some say the steel is too hard on the Ontarios, so I figured I would not be as hard on the edge w/ a shorter blade. It still got a ripple in the edge doing some heavy chopping, but I steeled it out. It is very portable, but I prefer something longer w/ a thinner blade. You can chop w/ any of them, at least on stuff up to a few inches thick.
 
I know you didn't ask but I'll offer my opinion feel free to disgard it if you want but why not get a ontario 12 inch (mine works great so far but I've only had it for a month) a mora 2000 (people seem to love these I do not have one but love my stainless mora clippers which are similar in size) and a victorinox SAK with scissors and a saw...all are quality work horse tools and all together will cost you about 70 bucks the price of one rat knife you can use all that extra cash for more gear...if you want to throw in an extra 10 bucks get yourself an opinel folder there awesome carbon steel folding knives (an opinel #7 rides in my jacket pocket everyday to compliment the Sak field master in my pants pocket,,,With this selection you can pretty much handle any thing you'd need a blade for. Good luck
 
I have a 12" Ontario machete. I like it. I don't like the fact that it does not come with a sheath. You have to find one yourself or have one made.

On the machete vein, the KaBar Cutlass is one mean machete. I like the handle a lot better than any of the Ontario machetes. My hands just never got along well with machete handles. The KaBar has an 11" blade and comes sharp new unlike the Ontario machetes. Sheath is okay too. It is a bit more expensive than the Ontario machetes though.
 
Get a 510 KJ Eriksson Mora knife. Rubber band a fire steel around the sheath. And get a Tramontina Machete. Whole thing should not cost more than 40 bucks. For that money, you get razor sharp blades, the ability to ignite a fire and the ability to blaze a trail and/or gather wood.
 
Here's a few suggestions...

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20889&hasJS=true

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20889&hasJS=true

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20889&hasJS=true

As for a multi-tool...
I had the SwissTool but I think it's too heavy to lug around hiking.
I have an old style Leatherman Wave but I don't like the non-locking tools.
I checked out the new Wave but I did not like the stubby bit-drivers.

And then I checked out the Leatherman Blast! :thumbup:
IMO, It just about the perfect EDC multi-tool.

Good luck,
Allen
 
Well i just ordered up a Mora 2000, and Mora #860 in Military Green from ragweedforge, for 49.50. I went to some stores around my area to look at some knives and none of them carry any fixed blades other than a few military ones. I also looked at the leatherman wave, and it was a lot bigger than i imagined. I wouldn't be using it nearly as much everyday to make that a EDC. Im also holding off on the machete because i dont think i would use it as much and would be a waste, would rather invest in a nice tomohawk or axe. Im still debating on getting another fixed blade, like the ontario rat 5, but im going to hold off until i play around with the moras for a while. Also i see a bunch of people with these lanyards on their knifes, where can i find these? Thanks for all the help, ill post some pictures up when i get them. :thumbup:
 
I think you've made some really excellent first choices! :thumbup: (Also a great place to purchase from). It was doubly wise to wait until you get a chance to play with the moras before moving on to something else.

As far as lanyards, did you have a specific one/type that interests you? Most peoples' that I've seen are homemade. There are some online tutorials available for the more complex types, which I'm sure someone else will be along with!

There is a whole forum here, if you haven't seen it, for axes/hawks. I haven't enjoyed the various cheap hatchets I've had in the past, but recently picked up a Fiskars for $20 and really like it. Lightweight, very sharp, comfortable...
 
Oh i guess most of the lanyards ive seen are homeade, where can i get the material to make it though?
 
Most will be made from a magical item known as 550 paracord. When it's the real McCoy, it's really great stuff. It's got a seven-strand inner core with a woven outer 'shell'. Very strong for it's size. Anyway, lots of us end up going nuts and 'cord wrapping' everything in sight, or at least making lanyards out of it. Doing a search here about it will yield lots of threads, no doubt.

It's available lots of places online, like cheaperthandirt or campingsurvival.com.

Some links:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458309
http://www.boondoggleman.com/
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368871&highlight=550
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=296441&highlight=550
 
Also i see a bunch of people with these lanyards on their knifes, where can i find these?
Click to expand...
DavesFever, as the others noted most lanyards are home-made. Below is a link to a tutorial I put up here on BFC. It shows how to make a non-snagging lanyard that, with the quick slide of a bead/knot/toggle/rubber washer constrictor, converts into a wrist loop.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=395370
 
The RAT knives should be able to handle any task you may want them to do.

Getting comfortable with the Mora's before buying anymore knives is a good idea. You will have a better idea of how you are going to use a knife and what will suit your needs.
 
Hey guys, one last post for this thread, just wanted to say thanks for all who recommended mora. I received these knives really fast and they are awsome! Really light and look strong. Heres some quick pics.

knives3vg6.jpg


knives1zk5.jpg


Sorry about that ugly background, damn mouse pad.

Now its time to find a nice folder to get or mabye a multitool, and learn how to use paracord to make those awsome lanyards or bracelet. Need to get some PSK's going and start learning how to survive properly! ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top