Which survival knife should I buy ?

I second the idea of going to the makers forum and getting a custom. I got a bushcrafter from B.G. Andrews and it by far outcuts any of my multitude of commercial blades and he used my wood for the scales.--KV
 
joyeuxlutin said:
Hey,
First of all, I'm new on this forum, so hi everybody ;)

I'd like to buy a knife, I'm french, so I need to be able to ship my knife to France.
I need something rock solid, the edge retention must be good.

I want a 3 - 6 inches knife.
I often go hicking, I camp and I like too cut wood sticks :rolleyes:
I've read a lot during the last two days, and here are the knives that caught my attention :

RAT RC-5
Benchmade Nim Cub II
Rangers knife : RD6
Busse Tank Buster Combat Grade


It seems that the last one is way stronger than the two others, It's way more expensive too. So I'd like to have your opinion about the one I should buy.


Thanks
Lutin


P.S : Sorry for bad english ; )
Click to expand...
Bark River Aurora or Bravo-I
 
hello, and what about the fehrman knives ?
I like the "Last Chance" it is a bit cheaper than the busses and it is said that the quality is the same, am I right ?
 
Ok GIRLYmann, I won't buy benchmade,
the problem with the "makers" is that I don't know the quality of the blade I'll buy. With the industrial knives, I can have many advises and reviews
 
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joyeuxlutin said:
Hey,
First of all, I'm new on this forum, so hi everybody ;)

I'd like to buy a knife, I'm french, so I need to be able to ship my knife to France.
I need something rock solid, the edge retention must be good.

I want a 3 - 6 inches knife.
I often go hicking, I camp and I like too cut wood sticks :rolleyes:
I've read a lot during the last two days, and here are the knives that caught my attention :

RAT RC-5
Benchmade Nim Cub II
Rangers knife : RD6
Busse Tank Buster Combat Grade


It seems that the last one is way stronger than the two others, It's way more expensive too. So I'd like to have your opinion about the one I should buy.


Thanks
Lutin


P.S : Sorry for bad english ; )
Click to expand...



Whichever one is dull and has a blunt tip.

Don't need you over there sawing off an arm and causing a harsh "talking-to" from the French to our spineless president (his feelings are tender, dont'cha know)!


j/k :D


What do you plan on doing with it?

I mean, aside from hiking and cutting sticks (which a 10 dollar Mora will do).

The RC5 is an all purpose SERE knife, so you compromise on all aspects for a Jack-of-all-trades knife.

If you've got the dough to shell out for a Busse, they're always good.

But my advice?

Get a Fiddleback Woodsman or Bushcrafter. Andy makes some damned fine knives and won't break you up.

ETA: does Andy ship outside the CONUS??

If he doesn't, then I say change the RC-5 to an RC-6. You'll be just fine.

If you like that Fehrman, definitely get it. His knives are all but legends in their own right.
 
I like to play with wood in general, and some "sticks" are bigger than others. Last summer, I cut a small tree, and it was very hard because my knife wasn't keeping the edge. An other time, I broke the blade...
I don't want that kinda stuff to happen anymore, so I want a real good knife that won't break, even if I'm careless.


What steel is used by fiddleback ?
Nobody has advised me "rangers knive", is there a reason ? Too bad, I like blade their with cord handle.

The happy few :
Bark River Bravo-1
RAT RC-5
Busse Tank Buster
Fehrman Last Chance.


I've got to decide by friday or I will keep my research forever ;)
 
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Of the ones you have listed the bravo 1 would be the best choice, the others are more along the lines of a tough combat knife and while they are very strong they would not be my first choice for a good performing woods knife.
 
joyeuxlutin said:
I like to play with wood in general, and some "sticks" are bigger than others. Last summer, I cut a small tree, and it was very hard because my knife wasn't keeping the edge. An other time, I broke the blade...
I don't want that kinda stuff to happen anymore, so I want a real good knife that won't break, even if I'm careless.


What steel is used by fiddleback ?
Nobody has advised me "rangers knive", is there a reason ? Too bad, I like blade their with cord handle.

The happy few :
Bark River Bravo-1
RAT RC-5
Busse Tank Buster
Fehrman Last Chance.


I've got to decide by friday or I will keep my research forever ;)
Click to expand...

Fehrman's Last Chance with CPM 3V steel is in the class of Busse. I have it and also the First Strike, which is the same as Last Chance but with 5 cm longer blade.

I prefer one of the above Fehrmans + a lighter knife: could be Fallkniven F-1 or Bark River BlackJack 1-7 (in my case).

Here they are

BlackJack_A003.jpg


BlackJack_A008.jpg




Here is a Last Chance with Ang Khola kukri + Fallkniven F-1:

LastChance_A023.jpg


And do not forget to take a Sebenza with you

MyHighEnd_011.jpg



Franco

P. S. I lived some time ago in France - Paris, Marseille, Cassis.
 
joyeuxlutin said:
I like to play with wood in general, and some "sticks" are bigger than others. Last summer, I cut a small tree, and it was very hard because my knife wasn't keeping the edge. An other time, I broke the blade...
I don't want that kinda stuff to happen anymore, so I want a real good knife that won't break, even if I'm careless.

What steel is used by fiddleback ?
Nobody has advised me "rangers knive", is there a reason ? Too bad, I like blade their with cord handle.

The happy few :
Bark River Bravo-1
RAT RC-5
Busse Tank Buster
Fehrman Last Chance.


I've got to decide by friday or I will keep my research forever ;)
Click to expand...




Carelessness is the number one way to break a knife and get yourself cut real nice and deep.

Any knife will break if you're careless with it.

Any knife will require routine edge maintenance and "field sharpening" at some point. Nothing holds a shaving edge forever.

Ranger knives were kickass at one point, but I don't know about the quality since he started letting Ontario produce them for him (Ontario's quality has slipped a little).

Your best bet would be the RC6.

The RC5 is a knife built for somebody with a little more experience. It's a quarter inch thick (wait, you're in France...crap...what's 1/4" in centimeters?!), has a divot for a bow drill and sabre grind. It's a heavy mofo for just 5", too.

The RC6 gives you all the goodness of an RC blade, with less of a trade off.

I definitely say get yourself an RC6.

If you like it and once you get a little more knife usage under your hat, you'll still have the money to get that RC5.

Hope that helps!!
 
joyeuxlutin said:
I like to play with wood in general, and some "sticks" are bigger than others. Last summer, I cut a small tree, and it was very hard because my knife wasn't keeping the edge. An other time, I broke the blade...
I don't want that kinda stuff to happen anymore, so I want a real good knife that won't break, even if I'm careless.


What steel is used by fiddleback ?
Nobody has advised me "rangers knive", is there a reason ? Too bad, I like blade their with cord handle.

The happy few :
Bark River Bravo-1
RAT RC-5
Busse Tank Buster
Fehrman Last Chance.

I've got to decide by friday or I will keep my research forever ;)
Click to expand...

Of the ones you have narrowed it down to I would vote for the Bark River Bravo 1.

However, you really need to understand that each of us has offered you our opinion on what knife is best. What is best for us as individuals, may or may not suit your wants, needs, and preferences.

For example: Of the 4 knives you have it narrowed down to I own a Bravo 1 and a RAT RC4. My personal preference would be for the Bravo 1 because I like it better than the RAT RC4.

Not because the RAT isn't a solid well built knife and very capable of handling any task you want to put it to, but because I don't like the feel of the handle slabs. I find them block like and unrefined. But this is my opinion based on how the knife feels in my hand.

Another user may find their RAT knife the most comfortable knife they have ever owned. And their opinion is every bit as valid as mine, based on their experience.

I have no hands on experience with the Busse or Fehrman, but based on what I have read here on BF I have no reason to believe they are not excellent knives, as are both the Bravo 1 and RAT RC series.

What I'm putting accross to you is, not one of us can definitively say any particular knife is the best choice for you. Only your experience can determine that after you have had a chance to use the knife for awhile.

It is difficult to make a decision when shopping on line and you can't hold the knife (or other product) in your hand to get a feel for it.

I believe any one of the knives in your list will be a high quality, capable knife that will handle any "woods" task you find yourself faced with. But, regardless of which one you choose, there will be a chance you will find it doesn't fully live up to your expectations. You may need to go through a few knives before you find that "perfect fit". In fact you may find that one knife just doesn't work for all your expectations. You might end up with two or three that you rotate through depending on what you expect to encounter on any given foray.

So take our advice and opinions with a grain of salt and buy whichever one you want, and hopefully it will serve you well and be 'the one".

Kevin
 
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An axe or folding saw would be the most efficient tool for chopping trees. However, seeing that you're set on buying a knife, from the 4 you listed, I'd go with the Bark River Bravo 1.

But if you ask me, I'll take a Fallkniven F1 or RAT RC4/6. And if you're on a budget, a Cold Steel SRK or Kabar Becker BK7 will do. On a side note, Frost Mora's are the best bang for the buck. Check em out..

I highly suggest you get at least 2 edged tools. A chopper, like an axe, folding saw, kukri, or a big knife. And a smaller fixed blade knife to compliment and compensate for everything that the chopper cant do. Also, a folding knife or multi-tool would be a good idea to have.
 
You can't go wrong with the RAT cutlery.

The tank buster is a awesome knife, but I don't think it would make the best survival knife even though it would take one hell of a beating.
 
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