tactical/survival/utility/fighting knives???

You didn't list it but since you asked the question I would suggest getting what the military uses in all sorts of nasty places. It is called an M9 bayonet/knife. It was selected after extensive testing.

www.M9Bayonet.Com
 
That bayonet is a POS. The only thing it's good for really is on the end of a rifle, and for cutting wire. As a knife it sucks. Thick edge, uncomfortable handle, doesn't hold an edge well at all. It's ok at chopping I guess, but I wouldn't use it as a general purpose knife.
 
Mugen said:
I would prefer the Benchmade Nimravus. Though, you should hold one before you buy, because different people seem to find it more/less comfortable than others. I find it great for my hands.
Click to expand...


Speaking of Nimravus, Do you guys think that blade is strong to handle heavy duty cutting and pounding ?
 
BK9 with an aftermarket sheath and if need be work on the handle a little. For the money they are hard to beat and take a hard beating :)
 
id choose the BK-9 as well.
the sheath isnt so bad - most people are so used to kydex jobs these days that theyve forgotten how comfortable a sheath like this can be :)
the BK-9 is dirt cheap and one of the best values for the money ATM... which also means it is very easily replaceable, so you will actually use it without hesitation. the handle ergonomics are excellent (unless you have small hands), and the knife is a beast - its taken everything i can throw at it (although i havent abused it with heavy prying yet).

cheers,
-gabriel
 
There is a great review of the RD-7 linked from the Ranger knives web site.

Here is a picture:

rd75.jpg


Regards,
Walt

and the link for the review
http://www.theporcupine.dk/rkrd7test.htm
 
I know a lot of people who swear by their Ka-Bars. I would be the first to admit that they are a great fighting knife. I own a Next Generation. I don't have anything bad to say about it except for the finish. I found that the finish on the blade wore off very easily after very little use. So I stripped off what was left with some paint remover and hand polished the blade with some wet-dry sandpaper. But i won't recommend this for a general purpose survival knife. The center of balance is too far back. This makes it a great fighting knife, very quick and agile. But its hell for chopping. For a general purpose backpacking knife I would stongly recommend the D2 Impact Series Combat. Its a bit smaller than the fighting/utility knife, but IMHO very useful in a survival situation.

I also own a RAT-7/D2. It has good geometry and edge holding properties and would make a good survival knife. My only complaint about this knife is the handle. The edges are a bit too square and cause hot spots when doing a lot of chopping. I rounded my handles with a file and finished them with 400 grit sandpaper.

I recently got a Swaprat Ratweiller. I haven't had the opportunity yet to use this in the field, but it should prove to be a great survival knife. Check out the other Swaprat products. You should be suitably impressed.

A couple of other knives you should consider arethe Blackjack Grunt and the Ennis Entrek Companion. Both are a bit smaller, but most survival "experts" recommend a 4"-5" blade for survival sitations. Personally, I prefer something a bit larger, in the 7" range. That's why I went for the Ratweiller. You should also consider the Entrek Buffalo.

Keep in mind that you have to consider what you are going to be doing with your knife and match your knife to the situation. No single knife will do everything well. So you might want to consider carrying one large and one small knive.

-- Blue Orca
 
A lot of people have had a lot of good things to say about the RD7. Depite the realatively low price, availability might be an issue. Similarly, everything that I've read about the SwampRat Ratweiller in this forum has been positive. I would be very interesting in reading a Cliff Stamp comparison of these two knives.

-- BO
 
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