My son wants a survival knife...Help, please.

I'd also say go with the ESEE Izula. It's a great knife. I have two and I love it.

The Beckers are also great knives, but may be too large for him. I don't know if a Scout needs a big chopper.

I also think, as others have suggested, you look into a Mora. Those are nice blades for a good price. Something like a Mora Bushcraft will cost you around $30. Not bad.

If you were able to go a little bit higher, but still keep it under $100, you could get him an ESEE-3 or ESEE-4, which he could have and use for a very long time.
 
If its for scouting, has to be a folder. Even for varsity scouts, fixed blades are out. Non scouting I love the BK.
 
I'm 18 and an ex-scout so I know where your coming from. I assume from your post that your son is allowed to carry a fixed blade in his troop, but to be on the safe side I would check with him anyway. Unfortunately I must inform you that your son has caught the Rambo craze. The knife which he suggests is so unnesesary and ill designed for the work of a scout that I fear it would cause him to resent the purchase. Those serrations that you see on the back of many survival knives were designed for pilots so they could cut through metal and escape from a downed aircraft. Also while the hollow handled survival knives are indeed handy it lacks what is called a tang. The tang is the part of the blade that extends into the handle and creates a rigid and strong knife. While a scout knife definitely doesn't need to be full tanged (you can see the metal run all the way through the handle) it really doesn't hurt. I remember having to do some unpleasent tasks in scouts which often involved prying or chopping vigorously with my knife and I believe full tanged would be the way to go. A knife is as only as good as it's sheath so I recommend a plastic, cordura, or leather sheath. I think the best thing you could get your son would be a either a Cold Steel GI Tanto or a classic Mora #1. I personally love my Tanto but remember to tell him to remove the screws and locktite them in place. Combined with this a folding saw such as a Lanskys would be the best present any 15 year old boy could ask for. For more information you can look at nutnfancy's channel on youtube, woodtrekkers blog on blogspot.com, cutlerylover on youtube, dave cantebury's (dual survival guy) youtube account at wildernessarcheryoutfitters, or simply continue to ask the fine members of this forum who I'm sure will be happy to help you in any way they can.
 
Sorry to post repetitively but I felt I needed to get in on the get him what he wants or what he needs arguement.

1) If $10 is what a lesson learned is worth then I would be a millionaire.
2) In my opinion parents are there to keep us from making stupid mistakes. Save the money and instead educate your son (using the great info provided by the nice people on this thread) in making smart choices when it comes to knives.
3) Thank you for taking the time to learn about your sons hobbies. Both of my parents have pretty much determined that I am a knife fanatic and will end up living by myself as a hermit in Arkansas.
4) I know personally as a self taught outdoorsman that if my parents could have helped guide me by demonstrating and explaining proper choices I would not be only delighted but grateful as well.
5) Finally let me say that a knife is a tool and like any tool it must be learned. In the hands of a master it can create works of art but in the hands of the ignorant it can be used for nothing but destruction.

-Wrenn
 
walmart sells a Winchester 22-41206 Large Bowie Knife with Sheath for 22 bucks or you can find it on amazon or where ever else. cheap and he aint gonna break it (he dont got enough strenth to). some people say they break or they are nto well made and what ever but every single youtube review i have seen shows that its a great knife and the haters seem to be the ones which have spent like 500 bucks on something they have never used yet claim their knife will never break and have never even seen others in real life.
 
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Just got back from a Scout leader training session yesterday. Scouts can use sheath knives, but they must be carried correctly. Here is info gleaned from trainers:
1) A sheath knife is safer and more sanitary for cooking uses. A folder can accumulate food, dirt and assorted crud during the course of a campout.
2) A rigid knife won't fold over on a scout's fingers.
3) The majority of uses for a scout knife can be handled very well by a blade four inches long.
4) A rigid blade knife is usually easier for a beginner to sharpen.
That said, last year, Troop 18 (the group I'm associated with) bought 40 Mora knives for the scouts. We got the Mora 840 (I think). The boys use these knives for everything from cleaning fish, to whittling wiener sticks to cooking. Our scoutmaster skinned, gutted and quartered an elk with his Mora, and it was still sharp at the end of the job. Cost of the Mora will be between $14 - $20.
I love my pocket knives, but for a beginner, get a good Mora. Here's a review: http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/05/10/moro-survival-knife-reviewfeed/
Also, a Mora is quite capable of doing the great majority of what your son will need to do in scouts!
Leon (Assistant scoutmaster, Troop 18, Bend OR)
 
1st- the only hollow handle knives i know of that wont break easily due to a 2 piece design is the buck 184 and thats a 300 dollar knife
2nd- i have an ontario air force survival knife and the saw on that SUCKS. it is made for cutting through the aluminum hull of an aircraft not a 4 foot long log
3rd- the only knives within your price range that are quality is the buck fixed blades with phenolic handles. great knife okay steel but absoluetly no grip

conclusion- if that price range is firm then get him a buck 119 if not get him a becker bk9. 3/16 inch thick 9 inch blade 1095 steel big enough for anything you need and a front pouch to put a small necker knife ( preferably a becker) and an altoids tin survival kit. if you dont know what that is look at this link it has everything i just mentioned http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...you-MR-Becker-and-Kabar-BK9-and-mini-kit-pics
 
Eagle Scout here. My troop is based in Socal (nothing over 3" and no fixed) so your scouts are lucky to be able to carry fixed blades.

I'm 24 now so when I look back on the things happening in scouts...I chuckle at a lot of the foolishness. Scout leaders know that boys will throw knives when adults aren't looking, and play the "Mumbley Peg" game (dropping knives between their feet)
...luckily SAKs don't weight much :)

Still most cuts are caused by SAKs during whittling. I have never seen a scout get injured by large fixed knives. Moms are doing their jobs teaching em in the kitchen :)

I had the standard USMC kabar when I was 14 and loved it. I would recommend the newer kabar mark1 (leather seems real nice)

Ultimately, I would recommend that you give him the "right to choose" his knife by having him pay out of his allowance (or working for it). He'll benefit from the research and your guidance as to what constitutes a good knife. Make him learn (I was already knife collecting at 10 and the parents did not want to buy me a Puma :P) so he will value the knife. I had to go through the "powerpoint presentation" with my parents and argue why the USMC kabar was such a great choice. Still with me 10 yrs later and going strong.

I congratulate all parents for turning these young boys into men. It is great to run into other Eagle Scouts and automatically know upon meeting them that these are fine gentlemen.
 
Unfortunately, most hollow-handled knives are somewhat cheaply made. Cold steel should be soon releasing their "survival Edge" which is a hollow handle, but not a sawback. In my opinion a dedicated saw is much much better anyway. Sorry if I'm no help.
 
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