Survival Knife: Saw or no Saw?

F

FerFAL

Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
180
Just what the title says. Would you like a saw on the spine of your survival knife, yes or no.
The type of saw would be Aitor Jungle king, one of the more effective ones Ive tried out.
The saw wouldnt extend to the final portion of the blade so as to leave a straight area for battoning without chewing up the stick used as a baton.
Interested to know what everyone has to say.
FerFAL
 
It would depend on where I was planning on surviving. Not being a James Bond type I don't wind up in Norway one day and then the next assignment is Jamacia.

For walking distance were I am now I think I'd want the saw. But still a bit of regular spline for a ferro rod.
 
Danke42 said:
It would depend on where I was planning on surviving. Not being a James Bond type I don't wind up in Norway one day and then the next assignment is Jamacia.
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That's the only scenario where the "all in one survival knife" makes sense.

And that is coming from someone (me) who is still kinda sucked in by them.

But. If you are going somewhere then bring the appropriate knife. If you are going to Lappland or a pine forest or a desert, don't bring a machete.

You know where you are going and we all have more than one knife.
 
marcinek said:
That's the only scenario where the "all in one survival knife" makes sense.

And that is coming from someone (me) who is still kinda sucked in by them.

But. If you are going somewhere then bring the appropriate knife. If you are going to Lappland or a pine forest or a desert, don't bring a machete.

You know where you are going and we all have more than one knife.
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I kinda like that Case Astronaut knife but they're hard to find and I'd have a harder time using it as a beater.
 
I just got a Glock 81 with the saw. The blade stock is so thick that using the saw would be hard going, but probably still easier than chopping with a dull knife.

Best is to have the survival knife with a sharp edged spine (to use with ferro rods) and then a separate folding saw or hatchet.

I think it makes the most sense on the spine of a machete, as they are long enough that it could be more useful and the blade stock is also a lot thinner.
 
I'm a pretty avid hiker and outdoors person and like to always have a serrated or saw blade when I'm out. I'd rather have it and not need it than the other way around. Little things, like cutting a stick or rope or anything like that can be easier with the saw blade.
 
Smaug said:
I just got a Glock 81 with the saw. The blade stock is so thick that using the saw would be hard going, but probably still easier than chopping with a dull knife.

Best is to have the survival knife with a sharp edged spine (to use with ferro rods) and then a separate folding saw or hatchet.

I think it makes the most sense on the spine of a machete, as they are long enough that it could be more useful and the blade stock is also a lot thinner.
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That's why I clarify the type of saw. The saw in the Glock 81 (as great as a knife that it is) the saw jusr sucks. The saw on the Jungle King on the other hand, its sharp and will cut through wood with reasonable efficiency. It wold also have the lower part of the spine without saw and at a sharp 90 degree for firesteel use.
Of course its better to have a hatchet, folding saw, machete, but the idea of a survival knife is to have one tool that somewhat gets you through without all of those. At best what I can have a is a small skinner in the plastic sheath (with stone, ferro and small survival kit) , but no more than that. If there's a saw, it has to be on the spine of the actual survival knife.
 
Danke42 said:
I kinda like that Case Astronaut knife but they're hard to find and I'd have a harder time using it as a beater.
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How could you not! Its not a survival knife....its a space survival knife. What's cooler than that?!?
Maybe only the Randall Astronaut knife!

Neither is going to do more ones survival than a Leatherman and a folding saw, but they do way more sexy.
 
marcinek said:
How could you not! Its not a survival knife....its a space survival knife. What's cooler than that?!?
Maybe only the Randall Astronaut knife!

Neither is going to do more ones survival than a Leatherman and a folding saw, but they do way more sexy.
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Exactly. You can merely survive or you can survive & look good for when the SAR helo shows up.

This really should have been a poll!
 
marcinek said:
I think a Leatherman or SAK (especially a Classic) gives one a much more awesome "I survive with my brains and skills" look, honestly. Wayyyyy cooler.

Hollow handled sawback thing is kinda lumpen.
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Also I have decided that you absolutely must have a compass and monocular.
 
Saws are very much more efficient than chopping , but most saws on survival knives aren't great . :(

A SAK or folding Silky type works better , IMO . :cool::thumbsup:
 
No. Saws on the back of the blade don't work worth a damn. The original sawback was probably devised around WW I, as a tool to cut through the wooden posts stringing barbed wire between enemy trenches. I doubt they worked very well then, either -- imagine lying flat in the mud, bullets zinging overhead while you attempted to saw through a post with a sawback bayonet on the end of your rifle. A compact folding saw or something like the Buck T-handled game saw work much better.
 
Alberta Ed said:
No. Saws on the back of the blade don't work worth a damn. The original sawback was probably devised around WW I, as a tool to cut through the wooden posts stringing barbed wire between enemy trenches. I doubt they worked very well then, either -- imagine lying flat in the mud, bullets zinging overhead while you attempted to saw through a post with a sawback bayonet on the end of your rifle. A compact folding saw or something like the Buck T-handled game saw work much better.
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To say nothing of the ones designed to cut through plexiglas.

As you and eveled eveled pointed out, a folding saw is lightweight, compact, reasonably priced, and will far outperform a sawback on a knife.
 
Avoid saw back knives unless you have a very specific use for them.

n2s
 
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