Outdoor Knife that last

[JCH]

Hi Everyone,

I need a good (SERIOUS) recommendation on a heavy duty outdoor / outdoor survival knife that will handle cutting, slashing, chopping, sawing and last for 5 years. For the past 18 years my friends and I would go on to multiple outdoor survival camping trips. We'll pack very light, no more than a backpack, a sleeping bag and a knife.

Almost every other years I'll have to purchase a new knife. Reasons... handle had broken off, Blade had a large chip, cost of sharping is more than a brand new knife etc, etc...

Example.
My last / current knife is a Boker USA Arbolito Timberwolf, tip had broken off.

Any recommendation???

Thank You All

PS
I do not abuses my knife/s and **YES** I do know how to use it and take care of it.
So keep your 2 cents to yourself.

 

[TheBladeMerchant]

I guess it depends on your budget or how big you want to go.

Check out the new 154BK or 153BK from Benchmade. I have had several people come in and comment how much they like it.

There are a lot of good ones out there and I am sure you will get some good recommendations here.

 

[Fanglekai]

Get a Becker or ESEE.

 

[Noswad0208]

Almost every other years I'll have to purchase a new knife. Reasons... handle had broken off, Blade had a large chip, cost of sharping is more than a brand new knife etc, etc...

I do not abuses my knife/s and **YES** I do know how to use it and take care of it.
So keep your 2 cents to yourself.

You know how to take care of a knife, but you can't sharpen a chip out? Or even sharpen at all?

That said, Becker.

 

[bruno_go]

IMHO, I would get Tops Tahoma.

It´s a hard use knife, with great handles (for me - big hands). Batoning, chopping, slicing, etc etc. This knife fits masterfully in any outdoor task that I test and besides all of that the price is reasonable.

 

[Angus McGunnigle]

Cold Steel recon scout or kabar-Becker BK9 or the Condor Varan. I have a Varan and I cannot is we hurting it. All I did to improve it so far was sand the handle a bit.
They do not have a saw back and I know that was one of your wants.
Maybe add a small folding saw to your kit and with that combo, you should be able to build yourself just about anything you want in the woods. Have fun !!!

 

[JCH]

noswad0208...
When a knife has a large chip in the blade, to fix it I'll have to sharped it out. Small chip is easy, if the chip is large than 1/16 of inch to 1/8 of inch deep.....
That is A LOT of steel you'll have to sharp out.

Also, enable to have a laser like sharp knife you must take it in to a knife smith 2 or 3 time per a year... Unless you have the equipment at home.

Do keep in mind this is a survival camping trip not a weekend BBQ camping trip.

 

[stabman]

Also, enable to have a laser like sharp knife you must take it in to a knife smith 2 or 3 time per a year... Unless you have the equipment at home.

No you don't.
I use silicon carbide wet/dry paper on a granite floor tile...the floor tile was $6, and the silicon carbide paper is pretty damn cheap.

 

[dynamicmoves]

I'd be interested in seeing pictures of these knives. Just because I like seeing well used knives, even if they're slightly broken.

I also recommend Becker. And learning how to sharpen a knife.

 

[LEGION 12]

 

[skyhorse]

noswad0208...
When a knife has a large chip in the blade, to fix it I'll have to sharped it out. Small chip is easy, if the chip is large than 1/16 of inch to 1/8 of inch deep.....
That is A LOT of steel you'll have to sharp out.

Also, enable to have a laser like sharp knife you must take it in to a knife smith 2 or 3 time per a year... Unless you have the equipment at home.

Do keep in mind this is a survival camping trip not a weekend BBQ camping trip.

You may want to learn to sharpen a knife being a survivalist.

 

[collim1]

I can't imagine a Kabar Becker not making it home from a trip. I can and have used a Mora no 1 for many years now and its still going strong. My only "hard use" knife is a BK9, which I bought just for fun. I guess I am pretty easy on my knives as I have barely put a mark on the finish of the BK9 since I got it over a year ago.

 

[Noswad0208]

noswad0208...
When a knife has a large chip in the blade, to fix it I'll have to sharped it out. Small chip is easy, if the chip is large than 1/16 of inch to 1/8 of inch deep.....
That is A LOT of steel you'll have to sharp out.

Also, enable to have a laser like sharp knife you must take it in to a knife smith 2 or 3 time per a year... Unless you have the equipment at home.

Do keep in mind this is a survival camping trip not a weekend BBQ camping trip.

Oh, sorry for my uninformed comments. I thought you were your average weekend warrior, obviously not the case. :thumbup:

I suggest a United Cutlery One Shot One Kill Survival Bowie. One of the greatest knives ever made for your modern day survivalist.

 

[marcinek]

Hi Everyone,

...

Thank You All

PS
I do not abuses my knife/s and **YES** I do know how to use it and take care of it.
So keep your 2 cents to yourself.

Welcome. Nice start.

1) These trips of yours sound like plain old overnight hiking/camping. Not sure how they are anything different than other people do. What turns them into "survival"?

2) Unless they have a saw back, knives don't slash, cut, and saw. Your Timberwolf didn't saw.

3) No, you do not need to take a blade to a knifesmith...ever. Unless you trash it by not maintaining it. There's my 2 cents. Deal.

4) I'd get a 4-6 inch slicer, let's say a Fallkniven F1, and a folding saw. Boom. You are set up to go out and play survival.

5) If I really wanted to do "survival," I'd do it with a Case Peanut, a Vic Classic, or better yet, no knife at all. Doing "survival" with a good knife setup is like doing a marathon in your car.

 

[Inazone]

If knife maintenance is not your cup of tea, you should be comparing warranties. There are all kinds of knives in all kinds of steels, and there is an overwhelming amount of information available on each. Year after year, 1095 seems to retain its place at the top of the heap for outdoor tasks, with the understanding that it needs to be kept clean and oiled from time to time. Blade length and thickness, handle material and ergonomics will depend on your needs and wants. Some manufacturers (Ontario being one) seem to be introducing more and more 5160 blades, but I don't know if it's really any better or worse than 1095 in any real world comparisons.

I mentioned Ontario, and I am a fan of their knives in general. I think they're great "bang for the buck" products across the board, assuming you don't need bells and whistles. I was thrilled when the 499 AFSK was (in my opinion) upgraded in the form of the now-discontinued SP25, and I love the likewise discontinued SP19. An Ontario SP41 accompanies me on camping and hiking trips for situations where I need a fixed blade but not a big chopper. That said, the 1095 or 5160 will rust if I don't keep it clean and dry, and while I am not a stickler on fit and finish, some people find Ontario knives (the Spec Plus line, anyway) pretty rough around the edges. There are definitely some more refinements found in the Becker and ESEE knives, and ESEE in particular offers some better sheaths. That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course. You could go full custom with materials and dimensions picked to meet your specific needs. I've spent triple the cost of my most expensive Ontario on a Lester River Bushcraft SBK with an A2 blade and bocote handle, and while it's beautiful and feels great in the hand, I'll never get three times the use out of it that I would from one of my cheaper knives. It's just not going to happen.

My dad is nearly 75 years old, and he has been using the same Herter's "Improved Bowie" since his father handed it down to him decades ago. It has clearly been sharpened many, many times, clearly not by an expert hand, and is quite tarnished and corroded, but it's always on his workbench and always his go-to knife. Sure, it has not been used to baton or chop wood, but my point is that it has been neglected but never broken over two generations of frequent "DIY" use.

 

[dynamicmoves]

There is also Survive! Knives. They even have survive in their name.
Noswad, marcinek, I wish I could rep or upvote or do something along those lines to your posts.

 

[kjd2121]

Busse or Swamp Rat - These knives are tough and carry a no ask warranty - Even if you abuse them, but please don't. These will last more than your lifetime.

 

[I.N.F.K]

My 15 dollar Marttiini is one of my favorites for all round use, but I pair it with a 2lb axe. I've broken tips off of my knives, and serverley chipped the edge. It wasn't nothing that a file, a double grit whetstone, ceramic rod, and my belt couldn't handle.

 

[stabman]

Busse or Swamp Rat - These knives are tough and carry a no ask warranty - Even if you abuse them, but please don't. These will last more than your lifetime.

Can still get chips.
I had to sharpen out some chips on my brother's Rodent Waki.
He uses the hell out of it...and lets anyone who's around use it too.
So it's hit more than a few rocks along the way.

The chips still sharpened out, and it was good to go again. :thumbup:
There will be more dents and chips in the future, though.

 

[Zuluninja]

I do wanna see pics too