Picking both a carbon steel and stainless steel knives for survival

M

MattBlade

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Mar 14, 2012
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Hi all, I am looking to buy 2 survival knives, one stainless steel and one carbon steel just to test both of them out.

I would prefer them to be about:
1) About 5 inches
2) Around 10 ounces (reasonable chopping capabilities, light enough to not affect comfort.)
3) Around $100 (may change)
4) Pommel for light hammering
5) Tough, with good edge retention (Not too brittle and not too soft)

I am looking at the Fallkniven S1 but I feel that its a bit too light for chopping, but then again I will not be chopping too much.
The BK-2, I feel its a little bit heavy for a knife of this size. Is anyone affected by this? Personally, I may not be bothered by it too much though but I'm looking at at all of your opinions.
I might also go with the BK-10 as a lighter BK-2.
 
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Five inches does not a chopper make.

the stupid thick knives in that length range are near worthless IMO. Handling both the bk2 and ESEE 5 is a completely underwhelming experience. I can't find anything they are good for besides splitting wood.
 
I have a TOPS B.O.B and love it. It seems to do nearly everything very well. It is not an all star chopper but does well at batoning
 
MattBlade said:
Hi all, I am looking to buy 2 survival knives, one stainless steel and one carbon steel just to test both of them out.
Click to expand...



What are you trying to evaluate in your testing?

I can tell you that in your price range a carbon steel knife will have better toughness and edge retention.

The stainless knife will be more corrosion resistant.

As you move up to more expensive stainless steels performance can rival carbon steels.


I'd recommend one knife in something like CPM-3V, it would give you better performance both in edge holding and toughness while still being fairly corrosion resistant.


That's based on my experience of testing both carbon and stainless steel blades for 40 years.



Big Mike
 
Mora Bushcraft carbon
Mora Bushcraft stainless

Not exactly what you are looking for but the the same knife with two different steels might be a good test.
 
No Agenda said:
Mora Bushcraft carbon
Mora Bushcraft stainless

Not exactly what you are looking for but the the same knife with two different steels might be a good test.
Click to expand...

I agree completely. Plus they're both plenty strong, and much better knives than anything in the ten oz range for that size.
 
No Agenda said:
Mora Bushcraft carbon
Mora Bushcraft stainless

Not exactly what you are looking for but the the same knife with two different steels might be a good test.
Click to expand...

Not only is it a good test...it is the only test. If you are comparing knife X in stainless and knife Y in carbon you have nothing to compare. You can draw no conclusions. No "controls." Don't people have to do the 6th Grade Science Fair anymore?!? Scientific method? Controlled experiments? Anybody?
 
I don't know what you mean by testing, but if you just are looking for a good carbon steel knife, try something from Scrapyard like a Mudd Mutt or Safety Mutt. A little outside of your price range, but can be found used here sometimes for good prices, and well worth the extra money.

I agree with what people have said before though. If you're looking for a chopper, look at something larger, or something more designed for it, and if you are trying to adequately test carbon vs stainless in that price range, then the Mora Bushcraft is your best bet.
 
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