Opinions on Blade Widths for Survival Knifes?

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DrIndianaJones

Joined
Oct 29, 2012
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Somthing has occured to me that I thought I would 'put out there.' When choosing a survival knife (My EDC belt knife when I'm hunting, camping and on my exploring adventures) I wanted somthing that was practical and purposeful. I remembered the principle that 'the best knife to have is the one you have with you'. I thought the Fallkniven A1 was the ultimate survival knife and I really wanted one. I then got to thinking how awkward and cumbersome, my thick blade Gerbers were for most of the more common tasks I would perform. Not to mention heavy. So I am in limbo between using my F2 as my survival knife choice, or deciding to buy the S1 or F1??? (I really dont want the A1 as its not full tang and too big and heavy). Some of the European forum members in the link below believe the ideal thickness for a survival knife is 2.5mm to 3.5mm max., and they criticise some of the thicker blade survival knifes offered by fallkiven and so many others as;

- The Fallkniven A1 as carrying around a sharpened crowbar,
- Thick knives are a marketing ploy aimed at insecure men in their 20's, who are brainwashed into thinking this is the ultimate unbrekable knife!
- Both the A1 and S1 were described by users as cumbersome at dressing game, woodwork, food preparation and untility tasks
- A Royal Marine was not barely able to extract a bullet from a jammed gun in combat using an A1

In this link a chef described using and abusing knifes with blades widths of only 2.5mm-3mm maximum all day for years in heavy deboning tasks, cutting through tendons, even battoning and splitting bone and claims he never saw one break! I thought this was fanstastic and it made me love my new Fallkniven F2 I purchased a couple of weeks ago all the more :tongue: (F2=Blade width: 2.5mm, Lengh: 4.3 inches, Weight: Unknown, but estimated at being 65% lighter than even the Fallkniven F1 which is= 150g). In my opinion the F2 is an awesome deboning, fishing, filleting, camping and utility knife.

OK I know you cant batton thick logs with a F2, or a 2.5mm blade. But you could batton small ones in order to get to the dyer wood to start a fire. I considered various common survival situations (and thus commonly includes disaster situations) and possible tasks that may and were required of survival knifes. One of the most important tasks I could think of was prying, E.g. prying open a heavy door like a stairwell door or an elavator door. F2 is not capable of this, but F1, A1 and S1 would be.

One forum member noted that Mora survival knifes are 2.5mm thick and are awesome for utility and bushcraft. Members, at 2.5mm thick, can I start calling my Fallkniven F2 my favourite survival knife, or would you recommend and F1 or S1??? I'd love to here you're opinions :confused:

The below link and my own experience has made me reconsider my next survival knife choice. It is one of the most helpful bits of reading I've seen on the topic of survival knife/ camp knife selection.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-29415.html
 
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Well regardless of what those guys think, I am getting the F1. I am not buying it to kill moose or gutting fish. I just prefer to have a blade thickness of 3mm (at least) for my dedicated survival knife because I feel comfortable with that.

In all fairness, I would almost always have the F1 on my belt at all times. I would also use other knifes for various tasks such as fish cleaning, kindling splitting, food prep, skinning game, etc,etc. I am not going camping or practicing bushcraft with only an F1 with me. I could use the F1 for those tasks but there are better knives for each one of those duties. The F1 or my F1 is for "when I really need it".

Those guys can have their opinions and their choices. I'll sit right beside them in front of a nice fire in camp chairs and carve spoons and such with my carving and hook knives. That's all cool. Save your F1 or F2 for other things and let them tweak their thin blades out on average tasks.
 
DrIndianaJones said:
One forum member noted that Mora survival knifes are 2.5mm thick and are awesome for utility and bushcraft. Members, at 2.5mm thick, can I start calling my Fallkniven F2 my favourite survival knife, or would you recommend and F1 or S1??? I'd love to here you're opinions :confused:
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Since "survival" is an entirely meaningless term....you can call your knives whatever you want. Heck...you said your "survival" knife is your "EDC belt knife when I'm hunting, camping and on my exploring adventures." That doesn't sound like "survival" to me...it sounds like common outdoor recreation.

But if you want to call it (and the knife you use for it) "survival"....then call it that! It's your knife....it's your weekend! :thumbup: Call it "extreme survival" or "minimal bushcraft" or whatever makes you feel best. It's all fine. Have fun!

You can do whatever you want with words that don't mean anything.
 
Speaking solely on the rainforest ground that i reside now,a blade with distal taper that has 5cm in width (belly depth) will make up for thin spine at its thickest part of 5mm.
Again i will prefer an 18" OAL of a parang/head heavy blade for cutting my way through the thick jungle.
A big blade that will do all that's needed.
 
If we were doing survival, rather then just playing survival, we would want to have a broad array of knives and edged tools. We would have proper chopping tools, trail clearing machetes, utility, game and food preparation knives. We might not haul all of that stuff ourselves, but it would certainly be distributed within the group. Trying to find the one knife that will do it all is a quest for the mediocre.

n2s
 
I have an F1, its a solid blade, one I would depend on.

That said, I'm wanting an S1 now, for some reason......

Oh, I'm a knifenut, that's why. :D

Moose
 
I generally like thinner blades, but these survival questions always involve too many variables for a simple answer.

In the rainforest where I live, winter survival is most likely going to involve building a shelter and making a fire with wood that is most likely going to be wet. A small knife is not enough for these jobs. I tried a bowie that I liked with a 7.25 inch 3V blade 0.2 inches thick (5.22 mm), which is fairly thin for a bowie. It chopped well, and the edge held up, but it was not nearly as effective as a 3V bolo with a 12-inch blade. But that large of a knife is not easy to carry around.

Summer survival in the rainforest is less a challenge. Chances are it's not going to be raining. It would be cool to warm, so shelter is less an issue. There would be dry wood to be found, so even a small knife would be enough to get a fire going.

The bolo is the best knife to have in my most likely survival situation, but it is too large to just carry around in case I get lost, especially if I'm in rain gear and everything is wet. I decided that my EDC is going to be my main survival knife, except in special circumstances. I also carry a magnesium fire starter on my key chain and a wind-proof pocket lighter.

The best approach is to develop survival skills before you need them. Then you always have them with you.
 
I have an F1 and like it a lot. I later purchased several Blackjack classic fixed blades (1-7 and 125). I am far more comfortable using the 125 and it has in fact become my "survival knife" of choice. It is a little larger than the F1. I like my Kabar Becker BK-2, but it truly is a sharpened prybar. It is there if I need a knife such as this or one to provide to another that might be participating in the survival experience. Certainly the BK-2 would be better for batonning, but frankly, I have seldom batonned anything with a knife. My 125 seems to fill my survival knife needs for now.

If I need a big chopper, I will have my Condor Pack Golok with me as well.

I suspect that in a true survival situation (one you are thrust into), the only knife I will have with me is my SAK unless I am already in the woods and have my 125 with me.
 
That A1 is a frightfully handsome blade that will do just about everything. It would be mighty comforting to have it by your side if you REALLY needed a robust blade. I have two of them, love the design and feel great about their utility. The real-world choice though, goes to the more portable F1. You are more likely to have this one on you as it rides very well and is hardly noticed.

Thin edges make me smile when pure cutting and slicing is at hand. The F1 is plenty strong as long as you don't beat it with a ten pound hammer. It would be hard for me to imagine a better, well rounded survival blade than the F1. Rest assured, you are not going askew by buying any of the Fallkniven line.
 
Well I live in a true big woods setting. I have several custom knives.I just had a bowie made for me for my type of survival situation.It has an 8 inch blade 2 inches wide and 5/16 thick.I have used it to gut and skin a deer I recently shot.Is it a little big for a lot of jobs yes but I have been working with large bladed knives for 30 years. I can do anything with a big knife that you can do with a small knife.I figure the Mountain men used huge bowies.the weight evens out the handgun on my other hip.Just my 0.02 cents
 
Depends. My favorite carving knife is an Izula 2 with the scales taken off. Both skinny in the handle and thick in the blade which completely goes against everything the guy in the link had to say about it. IME thick knives suck at cutting veggies. Everything else they're fine at assuming the rest of the geometry is done well. Overall thickness doesn't really tell you the whole story of a knife. How thick is the edge? Is it scandi grind or FFG? Where does it balance? Is it differentially hardened? Etc... There are a lot of extra factors that go into a knife that you can't really say everything over X thickness is crap.

Cody Lundin uses a skinny stick tang mora. Ron Hood used super thick Busses. And countless others use something in between. It really is a persons preference. My guess is that guy in the other thread either had a poor example(not sharpened properly?), didn't put enough time behind the knife to really form a good opinion of it, or(most likely) formed an opinion of it off the bat and then just used it long enough to validate his opinion. Never listen to just one man's opinion. Take it all in and decide what works best for your needs.

To your question specifically; IMO 3/32" thick, depending on the knife, is plenty strong for a belt knife. I wouldn't pry with it but light batoning and everything else is doable with that thickness. If you want prying, I'd say 3/16" thick is more realistic.
 
The way i look at the definition of a survival knife is:

Let's say you're going about everyday life say out getting supplies or meeting friends or family, COMPLETELY uprepared for any kind of outdoor skirmish, then BAM! Captured and blindfolded by the SAS and thrown out in the middle of nowhere, not a clue where you are.

All you have to survive is what you are wearing, and what you are carrying, and you're probably not going to have like 10 different knives on your person for every task.

if you were clever you would have had at least one smallish concealed EDC knife on you, and what knife is that? Survival Knife. and which knife should it be? i have not a clue haha

This situation is actually carried out by royal marines recruitment and training, they bag your head, smack you around a bit and ditch you in the middle of nowhere, still blindfolded and hands tied.
But they leave a knife around you somewhere to free yourself, they then leave you to fend for yourself for a week. hope they leave you a decent knife eh aha
 
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As posted by Twindog "The best approach is to develop survival skills before you need them. Then you always have them with you."

In my opinion, this will more than likely end up saving your Butt. Most "survival" situations occur without the good fortune of knowing beforehand, unless you go wandering in the outback looking to get lost or stranded. Then you can carry all you can physically haul with you. Anything else is just speculation and the excuse to buy/have the knife of your dreams. (Not all bad by-the way)

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
Moosez45 said:
I have an F1, its a solid blade, one I would depend on.

That said, I'm wanting an S1 now, for some reason......

Oh, I'm a knifenut, that's why. :D

Moose
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And after you get that S1, you'll "have to get" the Thor:p You know, just in case:).
 
IMHO, you can get away with any knife thickness---until it breaks. Then you will wish you "brought enough knife." Go with what you are comfortable with. I rarely go out with just one knife anyways. Combo's are good. Small, med, large & maybe even a small axe. If just one, mine is gonna be 1/4" thick or more every time. But thats just me.
 
Stubai said:
That A1 is a frightfully handsome blade that will do just about everything. It would be mighty comforting to have it by your side if you REALLY needed a robust blade. I have two of them, love the design and feel great about their utility. The real-world choice though, goes to the more portable F1. You are more likely to have this one on you as it rides very well and is hardly noticed.

Thin edges make me smile when pure cutting and slicing is at hand. The F1 is plenty strong as long as you don't beat it with a ten pound hammer. It would be hard for me to imagine a better, well rounded survival blade than the F1. Rest assured, you are not going askew by buying any of the Fallkniven line.
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You think like I do. Its nice to have a thin edge isnt it! But, I guess if I were in a real survival situation and could only have one knife it would be the A1 hands down. But I can see why the most practical compromise is the F1 and like 'clayton C' said it is likely THE knife you are going to have with you in a survival situation.

That said I agree with 'Moosez45', and have not ruled out, that the S1 ia an compelling choice as well. This is because with a blade length of 5.1" it is a good alround knife, that is capable of chopping with its 5.1" blade, yet it is still light at 190g (F1=150g). I am hearing on many forums that die hard F1, A1 and bigger NL series knife enthusiasts are leaning toward the practicality offered by the medium sized S1. I believ this is a knife some people may have overlooked for the F1, depending on needs and personal preference of course.

I think the F1 is perfect if you're purpose is super portability. I hear montaineers and serious hikers prefer the F1 due to there light weight. I am neither of these, but I still want one! There is just somthing I like about the F1's small size and powerful blade. To use a metaphore the F1 reminds me of a pit bull, whereas the A1 reminds me of a wolf! I'll always have my F2 with me, because it is so light, great for utility and camping tasks and a great personal defense knife when I'm out in the middle of no where.

One thing you said to me woke me up. 'It would be mighty comforting to have it by your side if you REALLY needed a robust blade.' I live in the Northern Territory, Australia (crocodile dundee country), so I would'nt want to be without a brutishly capable knife should I need one:eek: I'm getting the A1. My F2 will suffice as my practical blade for now. I will most likely get an F1 at some stage. Its just such a loveable knife!
 
I have fixed blades ranging from 1/8th to 1/4 inch thick. Needless to say the ones that are 1/4 inch thick rarely ever do anything other than act as camp knives. They are good for tasks in camp but I wouldnt want to carry it around on my belt all day. I would say my personal choices are fixed blades in the 1/8th to 5/32 inch thick range. Again this is personal taste but if I could only have one knife it would be something in the 5-6 inch range most likely 3/16 inch thick in 3V or similar steel.
 
A good survival knife should be able to spread peanut butter and peel potatoes and of course skin game. And you must like carrying it!
 
Absolutely no less than 3/16" for me, and generally not more than 1/4".

I am a firm believer in a 4 knife senario, Leatherman or Sak, good quality folder, small fixed, large fixed.

If I am not in an Urban Environment I will have at minimum 4 knives as described above.

In an Urban area I usually leave the large fixed in car or at home, the small fixed in backpack or on belt.

This does not account for the little outdoor edge mini blaze that is always on my keychain.

Knives are good, and best used in combonations to maxamize overall effectiveness.
 
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