Stainless 'survival' knife - suggestions?

M

Mr Wiggles

Joined
Jul 11, 2014
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Hello everyone. Recently I have been looking to buy a stainless steel 'survival'/camp knife. Usually when I'm camping I take the RAT RC-6 and although rust/corrosion isn't really an issue, I would like to add a stainless steel option to my collection. Ideally it would be similar to the RC-6 so flat grind, blade length of around 6 inches, robust and not stupidly expensive ...I'm having trouble finding such a knife and need some suggestions.

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks :)
 
One of my knives in that range is my SOG Force , plain edge. That knife is a tank , sharpens easily , batons well , slices well , and has a strong tip that I doubt you could break. It's not too heavy either ; 10 ounces I think. A lot of folks here don't like Sog , but some of their Fixed blades are pretty good. The Tini coating doesn't interfere with anything and is pretty smooth.
Plus , in the U.S. , you should be able to score it for under a c-note. The molle sheath is pretty good also , so the whole package needs no mods and is good to go.
If you want to spend more money , I'd look into the Fallkniven A1.
 
Paging marcinek... lol
I suggest a maker here on bladeforums. There are lots of makers here that can make you exactly what you want for cheaper than you think.
 
Mr Wiggles said:
Hello everyone. Recently I have been looking to buy a stainless steel 'survival'/camp knife. Usually when I'm camping I take the RAT RC-6 and although rust/corrosion isn't really an issue, I would like to add a stainless steel option to my collection. Ideally it would be similar to the RC-6 so flat grind, blade length of around 6 inches, robust and not stupidly expensive ...I'm having trouble finding such a knife and need some suggestions.

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks :)
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I used to use a RAT RC-6 as well, but prefer stainless fixed blades because of the lack of maintenance and the better cutting performance of non-coated blades.

I recommend Bark River's Bravo 1.5 or Bravo 2, both are available in S35VN which performs very well. Even though the BRKTs are .200" thick, they are great slicers thanks to the convex grind.

If you can afford it, Spartan Blades Difensa is a 6" S35VN with a super comfortable handle, but they're pricey. They do come with great sheaths, among the best I've ever used, and a great guarantee.

If you want to spend less, Cutlery Shoppe sells the Gryphon Knives line, there's a clip point survival knife in stainless steel. I believe that the Gryphon line is made at the same factory as Fallkniven's Japanese knives, they are assembled very similarly. Otherwise Fallkniven makes great SS survival knives.
 
I've heard good things about the SOG NW Ranger in AUS-8

The Ontario SK-5 Blackbird comes in 154CM. Seconds are $90.

The SK-5 was the really the only knife I can think of that is constructed like your Rat, without breaking the bank.
 
I would look for something that suits your needs in 3V - Koster, Bark River, Survive Knives, or custom maker like Big Chris. Unless you are going to leave it sitting for days unattended in acid rain, it should not give you any corrosion problems. If you want something similar to the RAT-6, the Koster MUCK should be ideal for you - it's a lot of knife in a lightweight package. Only drawback is if you want something heavier for light chopping / hacking.
 
Fällkniven S1, VG10, 6 inch blade if I recall correctly and zytel sheath. As made for wet and cold conditions, price may vary on where you live.
 
My Falkniven F1 lives in my daypack. I've used it for everything from campcraft to field dressing big game. Very ergonomic, compact, tough, superb steel.
 
Fallkniven: A1, PHK, SK6, NL 2 or 3, V1 (volcano)
Their 3g steel is excellent and worth the coin in the phk.
The laminated cobalt steel in the SK6(KRUT) is phenomenal stuff too.
VG10 is a solid performer and has been for years
 
Mr Wiggles said:
Hello everyone. Recently I have been looking to buy a stainless steel 'survival'/camp knife. Usually when I'm camping I take the RAT RC-6...
Click to expand...

What do you take when you are surviving? (That's for shinyedges.)

Seriously, call "camping" "camping" for heaven's sake, and, Bob's your uncle, get a Fallkniven like the others have suggested. Perfect for you.

"Survival." :rolleyes: Blimey!
 
LOL figured you stop by. My guess is most people take marshmallow and chocolate when their surviving lol surviving makes em hungry..

Mr.wiggles ( interesting screen name) what are you planning on surviving and where? Indefinitely?
marcinek said:
rofl :d
Click to expand...
 
Mr Wiggles said:
Hello everyone. Recently I have been looking to buy a stainless steel 'survival'/camp knife. Usually when I'm camping I take the RAT RC-6 and although rust/corrosion isn't really an issue, I would like to add a stainless steel option to my collection. Ideally it would be similar to the RC-6 so flat grind, blade length of around 6 inches, robust and not stupidly expensive ...I'm having trouble finding such a knife and need some suggestions.

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks :)
Click to expand...

Fallkniven A1, although to be honest I don't think many stainless steels lend themselves to 6 inch choppers that well. I would personally stick with your RC-6 for that role and simply add in a more manageable Fallkniven F1 or S1.
 
Mr Wiggles said:
Hello everyone. Recently I have been looking to buy a stainless steel 'survival'/camp knife. Usually when I'm camping I take the RAT RC-6 and although rust/corrosion isn't really an issue, I would like to add a stainless steel option to my collection. Ideally it would be similar to the RC-6 so flat grind, blade length of around 6 inches, robust and not stupidly expensive ...I'm having trouble finding such a knife and need some suggestions.

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks :)
Click to expand...


Hello! As was already suggested, the Fallknivens are well-known in outdoor circles.

Just to expand your options though, I offer three more: TOPS Pasayten Light Traveller (154 CM), Ontario SK-Black Bird (also 154 CM) and the Boker Plus Vox Rold (D2).

Just to clear though, the first two are only 5" or an inch shorter than what you strictly wanted and the Boker is D2, which while not an actual stainless, is a tool steel that is extremely corrosion resistant though.

Have a look at the vids below -

TOPS Pasayten

[youtube]xxQmNU2DxuU[/youtube]

Below he's using the Ontario Blackbird

[youtube]kUb-bkja9gE[/youtube]

Boker Vox Rold

[youtube]5NBW_e7rEnM[/youtube]

Hope that adds to your options.
 
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Thanks for the suggestion, the SOG force seems like a solid choice ...and I've noticed that too I don't know why people have beef with SOG, some of their knives aren't great but that can be said for nearly all knife manufacturers.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions it is a big help. I think I'm gonna go with the Fallkniven A1, seems like the knife for the job :)
 
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