What Survival Knife should I get?

you don't really need to lash your knife to the end of a stick to make a spear. sharpen a stick, fireharden the point if you want, and you have a spear and a knife.

i'm partial to ESEE.
 
KA-BAR USMC.

You don't need a 10 inch knife.
If you need something that big just carry a machete as well.
 
MattBlade said:
All right guys, I have trouble looking for the right survival knife so I decided to ask you experts. I am currently looking for a survival knife and I need your help to find the right one for me. Below are the things I want to have. Give me your opinion if the specs I choose isn't good. I'm very new to knives just did a bit of research.
- Length of knife: 10 inches is enough
- Full Tang
- Partially Serrated (Only the part which is closer to the handle) The rest should be straight.
-Stainless Steel Blade (Easily Sharpened, Strong, Durable and doesn't rust or corrode!) Higher-end Stainless Steel/
- Drop point blade
- Holes so that it can be converted into a spear.(I like this one.)
- Hammer at the end of the handle.
- Blade and handle - BLACK
- Nice Sheath and a sharpener on it is best! (Optional for sharpener)
Please give me your opinion if the specs I choose for a survival knife doesn't fit.
Click to expand...

- Length of knife: 10 inches is enough
I would say go with much shorter, maybe 5" max

- Full Tang
Agreed

- Partially Serrated (Only the part which is closer to the handle) The rest should be straight.
Serrations aren't very useful. I'd say skip this one.

-Stainless Steel Blade (Easily Sharpened, Strong, Durable and doesn't rust or corrode!) Higher-end Stainless Steel/
For general use, stainless is fine. But for a survival knife that you want to depend on in a life-or-death situation, you want a strong carbon steel that won't break as easily. O1, 5160, 52100, 1095 are excellent.

- Drop point blade
Agreed. Spear point is also good

- Holes so that it can be converted into a spear.(I like this one.)
Agreed.

- Hammer at the end of the handle.
Not sure what you mean by "Hammer," but some exposed tang to pound with is a good idea.

- Blade and handle - BLACK
I think that a coated blade is more trouble than it's worth. There's not really a good reason to coat a blade, and the coating will come off anyway with use. It can make delicate bushcraft chores more difficult, too, by catching and scuffing.

- Nice Sheath and a sharpener on it is best! (Optional for sharpener)
Agreed. A firesteel loop with a good firesteel is an excellent option, as well. That will let you start fires quickly. For a sharpener, I recommend the DMT Diafold. It is very small and light.
 
SRK and Seal Pup have hollow handles, meaning the tang does not extend top to bottom in the handle. If you are looking for a survival knife, this is a big no-no. You will be using your knife to do what is called "batoning", or, holding the knife against a log/tree/branch, etc, with your non-dominant hand then whacking it with a thick branch, stick, rock, etc, to cut the wood. With a hollow handled knife like the seal pup or srk you'll just end up breaking your knife. Now, if you want a fixed blade to carry in an urban setting or around your friends just messing around, SRK or seal pup will be fine, but in a survival situation they won't be able to perform.

The entire Ka-bar becker series, specifically the BK2 or BK7, would work perfectly. I have a BK7 and personally it'd be my first choice in any survival scenario. I cut down trees, cut firewood, rope, etc, and kill zombies with it. The Becker series is fantastic.

As for serrations, there isn't much use for them in my opinion. A small, fully serrated blade, is good to have with you when sailing but that is about all serrations are good for in my opinion. A big survival knife should be and will be able to cut through any rope in one swoop. If it doesn't, you needed to sharpen your knife a month ago.

As for the spear, just get a knife that can turn a branch into a spear. You won't get the same penetration power but then again you won't lose your knife, break your knife, or be completely disarmed if you throw the spear. If you are dead set on making a spear, get a $10 fixed blade from china and make a spear out of that.

http://www.ka-bar.com/knives/

On the left side click "designer" and choose "Ethan Becker." Pick one of those.
 
Get the BK2, then customize it.
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Or wait a few weeks until the BK16 comes out.
 
I have narrowed down to two knives but still don't know what to get. -_-
the KA-BAR Becker Companion BK2 or the SOP SEAL Pup Elite
 
Since you list the Becker—which is a carbon steel knife—as a possibility, I’ll take the liberty of suggesting a few more. Both are coated, to minimize blade rust. Both, alas, come without sheaths.

The Swamp Rat Ratmandu comes close to your 10” overall requirement. It’s a great One Knife Does All blade for camping or emergencies. The butt has an exposed tang, which serves some hammer functions. It’s currently available for about $140.00.

I’ll say the same about the Scrap Yard 711, if you think a 7” blade would suit you better than the Ratmandu’s 5” blade. The Resperine C handle covers the butt, so forget hammering. The price is about the same.

The Ratmandu is no chopper. The 711 chops above its weight.

Both can be tied to a spear shaft, but I’d rather use the Ratmandu for that. Actually, that just means the Ratmandu has more tie holes. Personally I’m reluctant to risk my emergency knife as a spear. I can see more use in tying a saw to a stick.

I don’t like serrations on a fixed blade. Most of what serrations do, a plain edge can accomplish. The killer is that most serrations are right by the handle. That’s exactly the area you want a plain edge on, for detail work. I’d rather be able to whittle a good fuzz stick or trap than have those serrations. Go with the plain edge and carry a pocket knife that has a serrated or partially serrated blade.
 
no serrations ok then :) anyway i heard a survival knife doesn't really need to use the serrated edge unlike a kitchen knife
 
Matt, come see us over in the Becker forum here, we can help.

Moose
 
EagleScouter said:
Get the BK2, then customize it.
100_0901.jpg

DSC03147.jpg

DSC03146.jpg

DSC03149.jpg


Or wait a few weeks until the BK16 comes out.
Click to expand...

I second the Becker BK2. I think it is the perfect size and is a beast. Will handle anything that you use it for, hammering, chopping, hunting, etc.
 
Well...

For making a fire, look no further than the BK2.

For spear fishing, there's no way you could use a BK2, so the Seal Pup Elite would work well for that.

Depends on what's more important to you. Personally, I'd just go 20 bucks more and go with an ESEE 4. Great knife, great sheath, great warranty, plus their serrations are much more easily sharpened. I'd also feel more confident woodworking with a 4 than a Seal Pup.

EDIT: Ya know what, if you're in the market for two knives to do two different things, get the BK2 for woodworking and the SOG Field Pup for finer detail work if you still want to go with a SOG.
 
"Survival" means a lot of different things to different people. It could be anything from a Fallkniven F1 which is issued to pilots. I keep one in my flight bag. Or it could be something much bigger like an ESEE-5 or Becker BK-2, or something in between.

For an all around knife I like the Bark River Bravo-1 or Swamp Rat RMD. Both are very capable and versatile. The Bravo-1 does not have a choil, but the RMD does. I have an use both.
 
Er guys, I'm living in tropical areas so I'm afraid my knives would rust EASILY due to the humidity, so I'm looking for stainless steel blades for longer use.(That's why I'm thinking hard on the BK-2)
 
You oil your blade... and i can pretty much promise you that a Becker will never rust enough to impair your ability to use it in a survival situation

Carbon steel is superior in virtually every important category.

There's a reason why the vast majority of custom knives are made of some form of carbon steel
 
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