real survival knives

T

TomW

Joined
Oct 7, 1998
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I'm planning on clipping a knife on each of the life vests on my sailboat along with the strobe,whistle etc. and include one fixed blade for my bail out bag.
How about some suggestions. Knives on the lifevests will be folders,. must be non rusting because they will be in the boat 24/7.
Might be possibly be used in a real life survival situation so no junk but no high priced customs either. Since I need 6 and there is always more gear needed than money.
 
Hmmmm

A small fixed blade is out of the question? I used to have a small Gerber "river" knife that would fit the bill but it was fixed blade. Also if you know someone who has one of those "foodsaver" vaccuum sealers you could seal the knife against the elements until it was needed (hopefully never) then salt/rust would not be a concern.
 
Tom, for the money I doubt you could beat some of the Frost/Mora Swedish Army knives that run about $7-10 a piece. Good steel, excellent cutters, plastic handled and stainless so they'll be fine in a marine environment.

I've heard nothing but excellent feedback from friends who are real users and think they're about the best bargain out there.

Smoky Mountain Knife Works sells 'em as I've seen 'em in the catalog.

For folders, I'd think something light and inexpensive like the old Gerber LST models would hold up well and cost very little for a folder that's light and highly rust resistant.
 
TomW,

That sounds like a great idea. I would recommend David Boye's folders and fixed blades. He has some dendritic cobalt knives that will not rust. I own one of his small fixed blades and have been carying that several days a week; it holds an edge very well and indeed does not rust.

You can check his website by clicking the link below:

http://www.boyeknives.com/

Hope this helps.
 
Good idea with the mora. I'm going to grab a couple just to stash around the boat.
It's kind of silly owning many knives with very few, more like none,
that I would take into that kind of environment. But I'm probably not alone there.
 
I've had a Mora2000 for a couple of years now. Very impressive for a $26 knife! I used mine all summer (2001) and came away with a new respect for thin blades! Interesting grind too. A good conversation starter.
 
It is really hard to beat the Mora stainless knives for the money. The blades are hard enough to hold an edge, ridiculously easy to re-sharpen and stainless enough to retard rust and cheap enough to buy en-masse. The plastic handles and sheaths are not so bad as some would lead you to believe. I have several and they are just an outstanding value for the money. I paid like $11.00 apiece for mine and though they can be had for less I still feel like I came out ahead of the game.;)
 
If Moras are of interest, be sure to check out www.kellamknives.com.
Their S Series knives are $12.00 and sharp as they come; and if carbon blades will work, look at their M-series #M571 with a forged carbon blade. Plus they are super people to deal with.
 
The first that comes to mind would be a Spyderco Rescue, or Endura, but I don't know how well they would stay clipped to a life vest. Therefore, I would suggest Victorinox Rucksacks, or one of the Swiss Army breeds.
 
For the vest knives I would check out 1 of those Phantom-made knives, look pretty neat, not cheap. For the fixed blade? Wow, lots of choices. My favs are Simonich and Rinaldi blades. Great stuff that will take a days work and just smile at ya:)
 
I think either Buck or Gerber, but I have seen a small folder with a stainless blade that has a carabiner clip built into th ehandle. As I recall they were in the $25.00 range with around a 3" blade.

Of course as the SOSAK members would say, you certainly couldn't go wrong with one of the Victorinox SAK models on a lanyard.

jmx
 
and paid 9 bucks each plus shipping.

My parents are in the seafood processing business and I order a dozen at a time. These knives are always in a salt water enviornment, the come with a plastic scabbard and seem to take neglect very well.

They're "Laminated" which I believe means that they are constructed of three layers of steel where the center of the knife is very hard, so that the blade can take an excellent edge, while the outer layers are softer, giving the blade a stronger, elastic qualities. In essence, it's the same concept as Cold's Steel's San Mai 3, for 9 bucks.
 
I need a little more info. The boat sinks and all 6 passengers are in the ocean approximately 30 miles off shore. Is the knife primarily for shark killing or for survival once you arrive at the Blue Lagoon?
 
Oh I ask a reasonable #%#*&@ question and the Tom guy who is strapping 6 knives to flotation devices calls my question STUPID??!!!Let's not get rude and someone have to go back to MODERATOR school.
 
I called your question stupid because it's stupid.
being a moderator doesn't mean I can't call stupid replies stupid.
if you have something useful to say go ahead and say it but be a moron and you'll be treated like one
 
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Even though stupid replies don't really don't deserve a serious answer I think I'll elaborate a bit.
It's a little known fact that sea worthy vessels rarely sink but every year numerous people die at sea.
Usually stupid people so maybe I can save the life of a psychologist.
When do morons put on their life jackets? Duh when the boat is sinking.
But boats rarely sink right?
Right BUT in my boat the life jackets go on whenever there are children, elderly,not physically fit. Whenever there is bad weather ahead. Rough seas. even going on deck alone
At any of these times a person can be in a real survival situation and the need to have a knife nearby can be very real.
Can you find a knife in the cabin of a boat being thrown around the ocean in 15 foot seas or 50k winds? Forget about being on deck.
Sharks??? that part really is too stupid to address
 
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