Need help with choosing a survival knife

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Cory413

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Jun 22, 2008
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Hi I'm looking for a decent knife under $130. I'm in search and rescue and i'm looking for a nice sturdy fixed blade knife. The Knives I'm conserdering are the SOG Seal Team Elite or Seal Pup elite, Gerber LMF II, any variation of a KA-BAR knife, or any other knife suggestions you have.
 
I own all of the knives that you've mentioned save the Gerber, and my Rat Cutlery RC4 is head and shoulders above them all. It is also in your price range.
 
Falkniven A1: 6-1/4" blade, VG-10 steel

Falkniven S1: 5-1/8" blade, VG-10 steel

I have both, and they are excellent. :thumbup:
KnifeSupply.com has both in your price range.
 
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I dont own a RAT cutlery RC-4 yet but im pretty sure it will make an awesome wilderness-survival knife!
mine is on he's way to me!
 
Along with falkniven and R.A.T. I think the new spyderco Aqua salt SE would make a great search and rescue blade but never rely on just one knife, I would suggest carrying 3.
 
I'm leaning towars the RC4 or the A1. How do they compare to each other and are the sheaths included with either knife any good?
 
I do not own an RC-4 so I cannot compare from first hand knowledge, but here is what I know.
You can't go wrong with either one of them.
The RC-4 has a 1095 carbon blade (not stainless) but it's coated.
The A1 has a VG-10 stainless blade.
You can't really say one of these steels is superior to the other.
They both have advantages over the other. The RC-4 has a flat grind.(I think)
the A1 has a convex grind. The RC-4 Comes with a kydex sheath, the A1, a zytel sheath. The A1 is bigger and heavier than the RC-4. Thats a matter of personal preference. (I like big blades, Of this I cannot lie!)

Anyhow, they're both highly regarded. Buy one now, get the other one later.
I'm waiting for the RC-5 to happen!
 
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Cory413 said:
I'm leaning towars the RC4 or the A1. How do they compare to each other and are the sheaths included with either knife any good?
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I would go for the A1, but you won't do badly with the RC4 either. The A1 comes with a basic zytel sheath. Nothing special, but it works, and is very easy to clean. You can seem pictures of it at www.fallkniven.com. I haven't bothered getting any custom sheaths for my Fällknivens - the factory sheaths are pretty durable and work well, although they're not the best.
 
As you will not need to stab people in your duties on a SAR team I think a more multi-purpose tool would serv you better. I would look at the CRKT Razel SS7. Big and heavy enough to chop with, the corner point would easily shatter car glass, the serrated back would make short work of seat belts, straps, ropes, netting, etc. It is thick enough to serve as an emergency pry par. It is also supplied with a kydex sheath so moisture retention in the sheath is not an issue. Constructed of 9Cr18MoV, corrosion should be miminal. It is a great design for Search and Rescue.

8351544e37dcf5abe87f58d686d23820.jpg
 
for what i know the sheaths of RAT RC-4 ,RC-3 is well designed and very versatile with is multiple carry options.
RAT Cutlery is a (new) small business owned by good guys,their products are
awesome & completely made in the USA so i think they deserve Support!

http://www.ratcutlery.com/index.html
 
Thanks for the help guy's you've been awesome:thumbup:. I'm probably going to get both sooner or later. :D
 
You also might want to look at the Bark River Bravo 1. Knifesupply.com should have it in your price range.
 
RAT has an RC-6 coming out sometime soon and all of their blades are available with serrations, as someone pointed out above these are good for seat belts etc. The Fällknivens listed above have laminated blades and are not available with serrations but are incredibly though for their size.

You might take some time researching the sheaths as a poor design can get in your way and make your job more burdensome.

Another consideration would be what other equipment do you have available with you on a rescue? If axes and saws are there they maybe a shorter knife would be better, its less weight and easier to shlep around and would look less threatening to someone being rescued. If you have very little other equipment available then chopping and other wilderness survival functions may be needed and a longer blade preferred.
 
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Absintheur said:
As you will not need to stab people in your duties on a SAR team I think a more multi-purpose tool would serv you better. I would look at the CRKT Razel SS7. Big and heavy enough to chop with, the corner point would easily shatter car glass, the serrated back would make short work of seat belts, straps, ropes, netting, etc. It is thick enough to serve as an emergency pry par. It is also supplied with a kydex sheath so moisture retention in the sheath is not an issue. Constructed of 9Cr18MoV, corrosion should be miminal. It is a great design for Search and Rescue.

8351544e37dcf5abe87f58d686d23820.jpg
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Even though I recommended the A1 earlier, and still do recommend getting one. I have to agree with Absintheur' assessment that the CRKT Razel would be better suited for SAR duty. (it just lacks the machocoolnessfactor!:cool:)
Whatever fixed blade you get, you should think about carrying a smaller and lighter folder also. I would recommend the Spyderco, fully serrated, Atlantic Salt. The H1 steel (will not rust) sheepsfoot blade design does not have a fine point so you won't accidentally stab somebody while cutting a harness or restraint system. It's also much more suited for working around inflatable water craft. (Spyderco Atlantic Salt / $61.95 at KnifeSupply.com)
 
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Fallkniven F1-A1-S1 Take your pic
Bark River
Swamp Rat

Take your pick. All will serve you well in the woods. I would stake my life on any of the three makers
 
After all the good things I've heard the Rat Cutlery knives are a good choice for your price range.
 
Wow, I just noticed no-one, including me, has recommended Ranger Knives yet. Well, here goes - you should definitely take a look at Ranger Knives, particularly the Ready Detachment series. I would think there are still some unused specimens sitting somewhere, perhaps at Brigade Quartermaster's. Tough knives, and made in the USA if that is a consideration to you.

Another thing that I forgot to mention before. Some of the knives under consideration here are coated, some are not. Although when it comes to users, being too concerned about their looks would be strange, some people are like that. For the Fällknivens and the likes of the coated Ka-Bar knives, there's not that much difference actually. The coatings will wear in use and get scratched and chipped up. The uncoated satin finished Fällknivens (some of their models can be had with coatings if you'd prefer) are made of laminated steel with soft sides, so they will scratch easily (so easily in fact, that you can scratch them with your fingernails if you'd for some reason like to) - that's the price for increased lateral strength. So, both knives would quickly see some wear on the finish in use. The coated knives do look rougher with chipped and flaked coatings, though. Me? I'd flip a coin if the decision was down to which knife looks better. ;)
 
Elen; The uncoated satin finished Fällknivens (some of their models can be had with coatings if you'd prefer) are made of laminated steel with soft sides said:
I just gave it a couple-o-tries on my A1. Maybe something happened on a molecular level, but nothing I could see. I did manage to deposit a line of fingernail (crust?) that at first looked like a scratch, but it wiped away with some spit and a T-shirt.

Maybe I just don't have enough iron in my diet!
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