What makes a good Survival knife ?

nemoaz said:
Well, I think I've been convinced. I need a TRUE SURVIVAL KNIFE. I think I'll strap it to my inner thigh and cut out the front right pocket of all my pants. It will be right there, with me all the time. :D :D :D

Gotta run guys. Not trying to jerk any chains. Really, I'm not. Just trying to make you consider other options. Maybe you don't really need that $300 8" knife. Just consider it.
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Don't know how my EDC Benchmade folder convinced you to start carrying an 8" TRUE SURVIVAL KNIFE, but I think you missed my point.
 
sherlockbonez said:
Wouldn't carving a wedge accomplish the same thing?
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You want to take the time to carve a wedge out of wood, to try to drive back into perhaps harder wood?

no, I dont think thats the way to go.
, the best way to use your blade is to lay it across the top of the end of some firewood, then drive it into the wood with a branch hammer...and allow the steel of the thicker survival blade to split the log for you.
 
So you want a Bk-9 or something to that nature? I'm aware of batoning. The SAS survial guide got a picture of what it is and how to do it. I've also done it with most of my knife just for sh!ts and giggle, but I don't think that it's a first priority in getting a outdoor knife.

I've decided for me that I'm gonna stake my life on my hacket and a solid folder/ fix blade than to carry just one big knife.
 
I know I never go anywhere with out an axe or large knife of some sort, as well as a smaller knife and a saw.

I've got all my bases covered.
 
Hey Fonly, how has your "custom" harness working out for you? I cut a big gash on my thumb when I tried to place the blade back into the sheath on the weekend.
 
sherlockbonez said:
Hey Fonly, how has your "custom" harness working out for you? I cut a big gash on my thumb when I tried to place the blade back into the sheath on the weekend.
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ouch, well not bad actually, Though I traded out the ka-bar for a small gerber sheath that holds some stuff from the other kit and a Vic OH fireman. Less bulk (though there wasn't much) and its just my kit now, if I want the ka-bar, its going on the belt ;) :D
 
sherlockbonez said:
I've decided for me that I'm gonna stake my life on my hacket and a solid folder/ fix blade than to carry just one big knife.
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Yes, a hachet and a little pocket folder can do things a real survival knife cant do as well.
But the maker of a real survival knife never intended his knife to do everything as good as a leather man and an axe.

The design aim of the survival knife is that it should be able to help you "to live" when you only got it and the shirt on your back.
So yes, I also carry a bunch of toys with me when we go camping, but thats not the point.
What if you didnt have the other things?
What if you didnt have the hatchet nor the little pocket folder?
What if you have just the one blade alone to handle every situation?

From personal defence against drunken fools, or big old bears, to building a shelter, to chopping down a few trees, to chopping a fishing hole in the ice, to taking down a wild pig, to getting some firewood split.

For such are the needs of a person in a real life survival situation, and if you only got the one knife and the shirt on your back, then the design of that knife better be such that it can handle the job.http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/wc1.jpg
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/wc3.jpg
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/wc2.jpg
 
I agree that if I only had one knife and my shirt (hopefully pants as well), then I want something like that.

However, for me, IF I didn't have my hacket and my manix, than I most likely wouldn't have the big blade either, so it's a moot point.
 
magneto said:
Hey Pit Man, Being that knife is not quite up to par, I tell you what I am going to do. Send me that bad boy and I will pay for the shipping AND handling! Then you will be free to pursue a better knife that will fulfill all your dreams and visions.:D
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Yeah good idea !
I have been thinking for a while now how the Busse family don't have a clue when it comes to making knives....good job they are cheap !!!;)
 
pit man said:
Yeah good idea !
I have been thinking for a while now how the Busse family don't have a clue when it comes to making knives....good job they are cheap !!!;)
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yeah, isnt their quailty control bad these days, what a shame ;) :D
 
nemoaz said:
What a laugher. The majority of the world gets along just fine with small folding pocket knives, Swiss Army knives etc.

The Rambo knife phenomenom began, of course, with Rambo. The power of television is amazing. Now everyone on this board thinks that you must have a Rambo knife at least the size of a their penis. Adn you use it to make a spear and jump at pigs. OR batonning wood. At term that I've never even heard of prior to this board. Everyone thinks they need to know how to suture themselves also to be like Rambo. Whatever.

I spent a few years in army special ops. They don't issue Rambo knives. Some guys bought them, mostly the newbies or the REMF radio guys. When a warrior carries a knife, it's usually something like a double edged Randal. And it's used (theoretically) as a backup or for silent kills. I say theoretically, because I've never seen or heard of anyone actually needing it for that role. If you are to that point, things have SERIOUSLY gone wrong.

Yeah, Rambo knives look cool. They also weigh about as much as a handgun and have few uses that aren't better served by something else.

I'm lucky in that I still get paid to spend almost every day in the field under rough conditions. My first knife in my kit or on my duty belt is a leatherman, though a ;locking SAK would work too. (I use the pliers and tools more than the blades, so I like leatherman over SAK for my purpose.) I could easily get by with just this. I also carry a small sharp knife, usually a Spiderco. Precise cuts are this knife's forte. In my pack, I often carry a small hatchet. It weighs about as much as a Rambo knife and chops much better.

If you are hunting and skinning a lot, I can see the need for a fixed blade so that the cleaning is easier. Most of the Rambo knives I've seen recommended here wouldn't be able to fill this role. As far as I can tell, the role of the Rambo knife is batonning and spear making. These tasks are very low on my priority list.

When I see some 8" knife flapping around on some guys harness or leg, I think wannabe, psycho, or clown. Many other professionals feel the same way.
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We were talking Survival knives who ever mentioned Rambo knives ?
Maybe you should write a book and let those clowns such as Ray Mears,Cody Lundin,Tom Brown Jr and Mors Kochanski know what they should be carrying !!!:thumbup:
 
There is nothing wrong with a folder.
But I would never expect it to work and act as stong as a real survival knife.
Thats because their handle design is always a weakness for them.

If you want to know if your folder can be called a true "survival knife' just take a look at some of the things that a survival knife can do with ease, http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/wc1.jpg and key to the spliting firewood in this photo is not just wacking down on the point sticking out, but also the ability to smack down hard on the handle too.

If you have a folder that can take this type of beating all day?..well, thats a good knife, but I have never seen a folder (even one sent to our troops) that I would attempt this hard of work with.
 
pit man said:
I have been thinking for a while now how the Busse family don't have a clue when it comes to making knives......)
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Exactly what I was thinking..... so hows bout I just swing by and pick it up? I could save a buck or two on shipping, maybe buy a sheath.:D
 
Fonly said:
its obvious a folder wont work, take a BK7 or something :D
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Exactly Fonly ! If all you have on your person is a Folder then of course you would have to make the best of a bad job but if you know you are going off the beaten path then a stout fixed blade of at least 4"+ is what you should be taking with maybe a SWAK or multi-tool as a back-up !!!:)
 
pit man said:
Exactly Fonly ! If all you have on your person is a Folder then of course you would have to make the best of a bad job but if you know you are going off the beaten path then a stout fixed blade of at least 4"+ is what you should be taking with maybe a SWAK or multi-tool as a back-up !!!:)
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Thank YOU!

Its what you have on you, what if you just on a run down around a hill pass, you have a folder for shits and gigles, its not a hike, just a run. You slip, fall down the hill, now your at the bottom of the hill, an unexpectetd situation, and you have a folder, you cant get back up, you have to make you way around the hill, Lets say it'll take you untill the next morning. and you have is you folder, uh oh!

If your far enough out, and dont have a fixed 4+ plus, you shouldnt be out there, theres a place for diffrent knives, when I run I take a folder, not a "survival knife" those are needed when you really far out, and situation may arise when you need shelter and a fire.
 
In my eyes, a 8" survival knife (~BK7, 8" tanto in my case) is an ok way to replace an axe, if weight is an issue for you.
 
I meant to ask you Fonly, do they make a kydex sheath for that #4 Survival knife you have ? If they did that would be good for your chest rig design !
 
Allan Molstad said:
There is nothing wrong with a folder.
But I would never expect it to work and act as stong as a real survival knife.
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Hey Allan, would you by any chance have a pic of a re-ground knife? Sometimes I can be a little dense, hitting me with a sack of taters usually does the trick, or some visual aid.
 
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