What do you look for, in a knife that will likely never be used?

cotdt

cotdt

Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
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I want to put a survival knife in my car trunk in case of emergencies. Last week my car broke down and I got stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I want the knife to be:

1. carbon steel 5-6" inch blade, plain edge
2. no finger choil, it gets in the way
3. good edge retention, so no 1095
4. can poke a campfire while keeping its temper.
5. have a swedge, may be for fighting a bear, ha ha.
6. can open tin food cans w/o edge chipping
7. digging, to hide my hidden treasure

Remember, the knife may never actually be used, so keep price in mind in your suggestions.
 
cotdt said:
I want to put a survival knife in my car trunk in case of emergencies. Last week my car broke down and I got stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I want the knife to be:

1. carbon steel 5-6" inch blade, plain edge
2. no finger choil, it gets in the way
3. good edge retention, so no 1095
4. can poke a campfire while keeping its temper.
5. have a swedge, may be for fighting a bear, ha ha.
6. can open tin food cans w/o edge chipping
7. digging, to hide my hidden treasure

Remember, the knife may never actually be used, so keep price in mind in your suggestions.
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1095 can have good edge retention if it is heat treated right. I find my rats hold their edge just fine. Almost as good as my a2 blades
 
If I were stashing an emergency knife in a car, I'd choose one with a stainless blade. Car trunks can be moist environments that are not good for carbon steel, nor for the edge retention of carbon steel (the edge shows the effects of corrosion before the rest of the blade as it has a high surface area to volume ratio.) Something like a Buck Pathfinder would work well and not be too pricey. (See caveat below on using your knife to stir the fire.)

That being said, if you want a carbon steel knife for your trunk, you might look at one of the Cheaper than Dirt Rough Use Knives. They'll likely do all the chores you list, though I'd not use any knife to stir the fire. That's what sticks are for.
 
cotdt said:
I want to put a survival knife in my car trunk in case of emergencies. Last week my car broke down and I got stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I want the knife to be:

1. carbon steel 5-6" inch blade, plain edge
2. no finger choil, it gets in the way
3. good edge retention, so no 1095
4. can poke a campfire while keeping its temper.
5. have a swedge, may be for fighting a bear, ha ha.
6. can open tin food cans w/o edge chipping
7. digging, to hide my hidden treasure

Remember, the knife may never actually be used, so keep price in mind in your suggestions.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you are describing a mod Busse Sar5...
 
since my budget is'nt tight;like the d2 ka-bar with ballistic sheath
it will carry a small d.m.t. hone swiss army, & one of the small super lights.
while talking about lights, i replace energizers every 3 yrs,lithium batt. every 5 yrs.keep lights in all vehicles,bugout pack, & every room of house
4 months back we had 3 hr. blackout, need flashlights till you can light candles.
 
cotdt said:
I want to put a survival knife in my car trunk in case of emergencies. Last week my car broke down and I got stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I want the knife to be:

1. carbon steel 5-6" inch blade, plain edge
2. no finger choil, it gets in the way
3. good edge retention, so no 1095
4. can poke a campfire while keeping its temper.
5. have a swedge, may be for fighting a bear, ha ha.
6. can open tin food cans w/o edge chipping
7. digging, to hide my hidden treasure

Remember, the knife may never actually be used, so keep price in mind in your suggestions.
Click to expand...

There's a few that I can think of,

This from Schrade might fit the bill: http://www.jsknivesnmore.com/extreme-survival-grey-metal-wtool-handle-p-1485.html

This from Smith and Wesson is a great deal: http://www.jsknivesnmore.com/bullseye-extreme-survival-wdbl-blood-groove-kydex-p-1036.html

I hope this helps, J.
 
fastcamo said:
?? not even close......geez
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Esav Benyamin said:
.

Riiiiight.
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Sar5 at $167, maybe $50 over a Rat...5" blade...good edge retention...Infi temper can poke a campfire, don't know of anything else that can...has a swedge that can be sharpened...well established Infi can punch tin and dig...

"not even close"? seems to me it's not only close but exactly on target...
 
Ramm9 said:
Sar5 at $167, maybe $50 over a Rat...5" blade...good edge retention...Infi temper can poke a campfire, don't know of anything else that can...has a swedge that can be sharpened...well established Infi can punch tin and dig...

"not even close"? seems to me it's not only close but exactly on target...
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I'm not seeing a lot of SAR 5's for $167. Can you let us all in on that deal?
 
elkins45 said:
I'm not seeing a lot of SAR 5's for $167. Can you let us all in on that deal?
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Sure, Mfg. list price offered at Blade, Ganza and on line...but in reality can still be had for $220 unused...better for a user.

Of course what's that when you want to keep it in your Porche and be able to poke at a fire and not loose temper.
 
cotdt said:
3. good edge retention, so no 1095
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1095 can have great edge retention. It depends on the heat treatment. Any steel can be ran soft enough to totally suck.

4. can poke a campfire while keeping its temper.
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Use a stick.

5. have a swedge, may be for fighting a bear, ha ha.
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Not even worth considering. If you're worried about bears make a wood spear. If you're lucky you can find a branch with another sturdy branch growing out of it you can cut down to a half-ranseur to limit penetration and prevent the bear from running itself through to get to you. Alternatively pack some superglue and strong string and make a wood trident. Or pack a gun. Pepper spray or a chemical fire extinguisher that destroys oxygen can also be very effective.

6. can open tin food cans w/o edge chipping
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Put a swiss army knife with a can opener in your car alongside the other knife. That will handle can opening and all small jobs much better than a 6 in. survival knife ever could.

7. digging, to hide my hidden treasure
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Don't use decent knives for digging. Don't dig with decent knives. Don't take a decent knife and dig with it.

A sharp Cold Steel "special forces shovel" can dig and chop better than a midsized survival knife. Perhaps it may be worth adding to your arsenal.




A 5-6in knife is not going to be very good at chopping pretty much no matter what. Taking a larger knife or even an axe along with the swiss army knife I recommended earlier would be in my opinion a useful combo.



Asking for suggestions in the survival forum here may bring you some very informative and valuable replies.
 
I would suggest to put an axe and a SAK in your car. The axe will be useful in making a shelter and prepare wood for a fire. If your SAK is equipped with at least a blade, saw and can opener, then it will be useful for wood carving, food preparation, opening cans and making traps.

Besides edged tools, tools for making fire and something that can or already does contain water would also be useful.
 
Harayasu said:
I would suggest to put an axe and a SAK in your car. The axe will be useful in making a shelter and prepare wood for a fire. If your SAK is equipped with at least a blade, saw and can opener, then it will be useful for wood carving, food preparation, opening cans and making traps.

Besides edged tools, tools for making fire and something that can or already does contain water would also be useful.
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Great post, I would second that. Always have a SAK or multi-tool in your car. It doesn't take up much room and they are versatile. You can handle 90% of your cutting chores with a SAK. For a knife to toss in the trunk I'd say a KA-BAR, Ontario USAF survival knife, RAT, or Fallkniven S1. Don't be afraid of the 1095, guys like Ray Mears and the US Armed Forces use it in their knives with much success.
 
These have been in my truck for 3 years or better and get used the most often. It has been an outstanding vehicle kit.

Scrapper 6 in a nylon sheath with a LM Supertool. Does it all!
DSC02146-1.jpg


A customized SOG hawk, but any good hawk or small hatchet or axe would work.
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Gloves, a good light with spare batteries and the S&W rescue tool is top drawer.
DSC02298.jpg



;)
 
I've already got a CS Bushman as my trunk/emergency/whatever knife, but one of these would probably do nicely as well.
 
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