Xmas Ideas?

O

Oxshay

Joined
Sep 13, 2008
Messages
4
With Christmas coming up I was wondering the output from you guys on what is the "best" survival knife?

& I was wondering if anyone has purchased a Red Scorpion Six Raven WSK, from the looks it's the closest thing to the old Becks as I can get instead of TOPS.

Any input would be greatly welcomed! :D
 
Oxshay,

Welcome to the forums. I'd suggest you do a search of the WS&S forum as this question is raised over and over. As for the Red Scorpion or any "Tracker" style knife, I don't particularly care for them. Search the forum and you'll find my opinion over and over about that too.

Kev
 
THere are alot of differing opinions on what a survival knife should be able to do..what your interpretation of what those things might be will help in determining what knife to carry..for me a knife should be sharp, and should be easy to keep that way and resharpen, it should be pointy and and ost important it should be light enough to be carried on you the best survival knife in the world is useless if it gets left at camp either because it is too heavy or too big..for me the ability to perform delicate tasks is imperative in a suriival situation... I can break wood if I have toofor a fire or shelter. (even easier if I have a saw) and while a tracker knife is uber thick and indestructable I have a hardtime seeing it as usefull for cleaning a squirrel or a brook trout..Most times I just use a 10 dollar carbon steel mora knife...they are wicked easy to sharpen and take a razors edge.. and are great for wood working... but they are not tanks,, and shouldn't be used to split logs..but that's just me, Alot of foks have alot of different opinions on what the ideal survival knife is... but to be honest once you reach an understanding of your abilities, anything will work...People survied for millions of years with sharpened bits of rock, granted the average life expectancy was 35...but it can be done... a knife is a knife skills and knowledge are what makes an outdoorsman and a survivor..In my opinion at least.
 
My idea would be 4in blade, 3/16 carbon steel, drop point, full comfy handle w/ micarta slabs, full flat ground, and a very well built sheath of leather or kydex.
 
Oxshay said:
& I was wondering if anyone has purchased a Red Scorpion Six Raven WSK, from the looks it's the closest thing to the old Becks as I can get instead of TOPS.
Click to expand...

If it has to be a tracker, I'd rather have a Schanz WSK, but it costs a LOT!


That being said, I don't need one and there are many things on my list with a way higher priority than a tracker knife.

There are many "best" survival knives on the market. You'll see that survival/bushcraft is not about a specific material or shape, but about your skills and needs.
 
If it was only about skills, we wouldn't be here at Bladeforums talking about knives and other equipment. :) We wouldn't have so many knifemakers in demand at the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum.

Of course, the right knife is a big help, and right varies for each of us, based on personal preference, environment, and specific needs like hunting or camping or hiking.

That said, Red Scorpion is not the happiest choice for any purchase. The company is not welcome here because of past spamming and scamming and dishonesty about where and how the knives were made.

Ordinarily, I would move a question like this to the FEEDBACK forum, but I think the guys here can help you with a better choice, so let's keep it in W&SS.
 
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Great points have already been made.

I have never been a fan of the Tracker designs, but if you're interested in them, check out some of the recent threads started by pitdog. He has been using his tracker regularly, and reporting on his experiences. And he seems to like it!

Personally, for all-around outdoors use, I recommend something with a 4-5" blade, a comfortable, contoured handle, and a decent sheath. Consider puukko-style and Mora-type knives, with Scandinavian grinds. This design is great for bushcraft.

If you're looking for something bigger, consider the new line of Becker knives that Ka-Bar is putting out. I have used my BK-9 extensively, and it is a great chopper.

In terms of makers who frequent this forum (and who design knives with W&SS in mind - bear in mind this is not a complete list), check out the offerings of Koster, Fiddleback Forge, and JK Knives. Their blades see regular use for wilderness fire-making, chopping, food prep, etc. - all important survival skills! Also check out Bark River Knife and Tool.

All the best,

- Mike
 
You need a TOPS/Horndog special !!!

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The Swamprat ChopWeiler also makes a great Survival blade....

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Esav Benyamin said:
If it was only about skills, we wouldn't be here at Bladeforums talking about knives and other equipment. :) We wouldn't have so many knifemakers in demand at the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum.
Click to expand...

I also mentioned needs. Of course there is much to discuss about knives and there's much to be optimised for everyone. But skills and individual needs come first. What you need depends on your environment and abilities.
That's my way of saying that there's no such thing as a "best" survivalknife, or else "we wouldn't have so many knifemakers in demand at the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum." ;)
 
It's a ,matter of choice. I would consider a Mora carbon clipper and a lightweight hatchet to be about perfect. In the end as someone else has stated, if you don't have the skills then no knife at any price is going to save you, If you do have the skills, anything from a SAK to a Kabar camp knife would serve you well. Right now I usually carrry the Mora 740. I convexed the blade and pinned the handle.

http://www.greenmanbushcraft.co.uk/...-740-high-carbon-bushcraft-survival-knife.htm
 
Many here are quick to suggest a Mora (I'm not knocking you guys), but I would rather use a paring or sharpened butter knife. I'm not a huge fan of the WSK style either, but Daniel Koster and Brian Goode both have what I would consider to be good alternatives to the Red Scorpion.
For a very well made and useful blade I would suggest checking out (to name just a few of the many great) Stomper's Kephart, Fiddleback's Bushcrafter, Ray Laconico's HWK. That is a drop in the bucket and purely based on my experience and bias. Good luck in your quest, I'm still on mine.;)
 
I think this is the second time I've told Pitdog, his knives arent nice, HE NEEDS TO SEND THEM TO ME!:D

Honestly, get an RC 6 or BK7, thats what I see as a survival knife. Just want a round user, their are many 4" blades around, certainly go back a few pages on this sub forum, you'll find alot!
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I think a few questions need answering first.

1.) What are you trying to survive? Do you need to be able to cut your way out of an abandoned missile bunker? Cut your way out of an airplane that got shot down by grizzly bears with stinger missiles? A general bushcrafting blade that's just overbuilt so you don't have to worry about it breaking?
Most of the recommendations you get here will fall into the latter category.

2.) How much experience do you have with knives? If "not much" would be your answer, I'd stick to som eless expensive factory knives, rather than dive into a custom right off. Once you find what works best for you, then start in on the customs.

3.) How much are you willing to spend?

If you want a really good blade at a really good price, check out the RAT Cutlery RC line. The RC-4 was intended as an all-around woods blade. Or you can go with an RC-6 and RC-3 combo. Check out the RAT Cutlery forum here on bladeforums.

IF you want to up the ante a bit, you can go with one of the Busse family of knives. You can start with the pretty darn reasonable Scrapyard blades, move up to the more expensive Swamp Rats, or go to the "Oh my God, I spent what on a blade?" Busse Combat knife.

For a less "tactical" looking blade, Bark River (BRKT) makes some really great knives. My favorite being the Aurora:
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Althought BRKT aren't exactly inexpensive, they are worth what you pay.

Another gem I found for cheap is the Himalayan Imports (check out their forum here as well) R-10:
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