You don't need to spend a fortune on a survival knife

I have been using one for several years now. Car camping, solo hiking, in the truck toolbox.

I have challenged anyone to describe a real life survival situation that knife xyz can handle that this one can't.

Buy one for every kit you have.
 
I have liked the hell out of everything Ontario that I have ever had. I have the Marine knife and its been beat to hell for decades.
 
I thinned the edge on mine down to a Scandi edge. That knife has served me in some really tough circumstances including a long period of survival living. It has even held up to being used as a wood chisel to cut holes through logs. It is still in fine shape.

Though I have other knives now. It remains one of my favorites.
 
Having a thick edge is the only complaint I've had with some of those knives. But we have many great guys on here that can put scary edges on them for a reasonable price. I used a diamond hone and spent about an hour on mine to get the edge where I wanted it. I definitely wouldn't feel underknifed at all with one of those.
 
The rope cut was rather underwhelming and he has a very poor spark stick method. He would have warmed up just fine trying to get a fire going!
Think I will keep my Fallknivens
 
My brother in law is a USAF pilot and went through SERE and all that. I've [obviously] got many hundreds of dollars worth of bush knives that he saw, but he doesn't have room in his heart for anything but that USAF survival knife. He actually bought me one as a wedding present! I was most appreciative, though it's not necessarily my style.

I will say, however, that he does constantly sing the praises of the Mora triflex craftsman I bought him, and how impressed his pals are with it.
 
I have used the version in the Ontario Spec Plus line of that knife, and it's tough.

What are the tangs like in the Spec Plus line? Still stick tangs?
 
Dinkum said:
The rope cut was rather underwhelming and he has a very poor spark stick method. He would have warmed up just fine trying to get a fire going!
Think I will keep my Fallknivens
Click to expand...

Nothing against higher end knives like Fallkniven (I own two), Rat, Busse, Bark River etc. Just a nice alternative for folks on a budget. I see countless examples of these knives on ebay that have been used hard and are still going after 40 years. Same with KA-BARS. I'm not even a big fan of carbon steel, but these are great knives for the cost.
 
I hear folks talking about how they've "heard the stories" of SOF folks "breaking their KABARS" and so forth. Well, I had the opportunity to be part of that community for the latter half of my 22 year military career, and have worked within that same community in a "civilian" capacity for the past 16 years since retirement. I've owned and carried Mk. 2's and Pilot's Survival Knives from one end of this planet to the other, and have done, and seen done, things with and to these knives that should never be done to a cutting instrument...and I've never had one fail...or seen one fail. Are they the "perfect knife?" No. There is no such thing. But they are "hard use" knives (to steal the "thunder" from a famous knifemaker). Would I stake my life on one? Yes...I have a number of times.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Ron
 
coolhand68 said:
Nothing against higher end knives like Fallkniven (I own two), Rat, Busse, Bark River etc. Just a nice alternative for folks on a budget. I see countless examples of these knives on ebay that have been used hard and are still going after 40 years. Same with KA-BARS. I'm not even a big fan of carbon steel, but these are great knives for the cost.
Click to expand...

Actually I meant he did the knife a disservice! :)

I would like to see it with a convexed edge and a small section of the spine squared off for the spark stick.
 
I love the pilots knife. Mine was the first tool I ever impressed my wife with when we were dating almost seven years ago. It had been raining for days when we went on a pre-planned over nighter out on the Cumberland Trail. I used only a pilots knife (to baton with), some fatwood, and the ferro rod on a mag stick to get our fire started. That knife stays in a small pack that stays in my truck. It's not the best cutting tool but one really tough really versatile little knife.
 
I've had mine for years but I could never get it sharp enough and I never loved the ergonomics. That said, it would certainly work as intended but after buying a Falkniven F1 and then a second one, I've put the Ontario away.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top