Survival knife

[wickedblkgt]

Looking for a good quality knife to throw into a go bag, what does everyone have?

[Stephen]

I have a benchmade with a partially serrated edge I like a lot

[NoClassic]

Do you need something that can chop wood or will there be an axe or saw in your bag?

[svauto-erotic855]

I keep an old school Ka Bar in my bug out bags. They can be had for $50 and you can put a great edge on them.

[jluv]

I keep an old school Ka Bar in my bug out bags. They can be had for $50 and you can put a great edge on them.

I dropped my Ka-Bar in my closet and it landed vertically butt side down on the carpet and the blade snapped off where it met the handle. It wasn't much of an impact at all, and the blade never even hit the ground until after it broke. Wtf? Now, I must say that I called them and they were super cool about it. Cheaper Than Dirt, where I bought it, didn't want to exchange it or do shit for me, but the lady from Ka-Bar called them and made sure they had a new one waiting for me when I got there. I have not had any issues with the second one, but I haven't dropped it or done anything rough with it, either. And heck, if your in any kind of survival situation, great customer service isn't going to matter.

I have a Kershaw Blackout that I like, BUT that motherfucker has opened up in my pocket two different times, so I stopped carrying it in my pocket. Could have gutted me just for sitting down.

I don't have great luck with knives. I know that's not much help here. Carry on!

[dsrtuckteezy]

I like my mk3 mod0 better than my kabar

[Stephen]

This one has pretty solid reviews

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001H53Q6M/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1445568369&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=ka+bar&dpPl=1&dpID=31LG-3zYPRL&ref=plSrch[/ame]

[ceyko]

I prefer an old model Shrade knife. The new (past 2001) version are cheaper (don't hold an edge for shit) Chinese made knives.

These are not made anymore, but there are a bunch out there to be acquired.



There is another model/version if you prefer serrated on the blade.

In regards to the ka-bar posted above, I'd go ahead and start using/abusing it. Does no good not to have confidence in it - although that is strange it broke under that scenario.

Edit: Before we get any whiners from outside - this is not a picture of my particular knife. This was used from a quick google search, but my knife is identical.

[ceyko]

This one has pretty solid reviews

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001H5...PRL&ref=plSrch

Link is not working for me...not sure about others.

[Jose]

Don't own one yet but this is a future knife purchase. Essee-5.

[Chili]

I recently bought the Black Bird SK5, from Ontario Knife Company. It's a stainless steel, flat ground, full tang knife with a 5" blade. I really like it:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LW4J04?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o05_s00[/ame]





I also have several Mora fixed blade knives. These are smaller, less expensive knives, with blades ranging from 3.6" top 4.1" blades. All are high carbon steel, scandinavian grinds, blade thickness varying, depending on the model. Although inexpensive, they are good quality, made in Sweden, and come shaving sharp with a plastic sheath. These are the Moras I have:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T3DCVVG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o06_s00[/ame]



[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SROLRDK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o06_s00[/ame]



[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TNWD40?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o06_s00[/ame]



Resized images..

[ceyko]

Ontario KC make tends to make a good overall knife. I'm curious though why you prefer that blade style. I noticed for the "survival knife" there tends to be 2-3 blade types preferred. My preference is posted above, but a lot of folks like your style. A lot of the local homemade knives are like (Hell, my favorite knife is like that - but it's my favorite all around knife - not for this specific purpose)...etc.

[Chili]

Ontario KC make tends to make a good overall knife. I'm curious though why you prefer that blade style. I noticed for the "survival knife" there tends to be 2-3 blade types preferred. My preference is posted above, but a lot of folks like your style. A lot of the local homemade knives are like (Hell, my favorite knife is like that - but it's my favorite all around knife - not for this specific purpose)...etc.

Couple of reason's for choosing that one.. Most related to all around usability. My main reasons for this knife:

-I wanted stainless for the primary knife, as opposed to high carbon steel, to avoid rust issues.
-As to the shape, I prefer the modified drop point / spear tip, whatever, mainly for aesthetics, but functionally it is good for stabbing (can be lashed to a pole for use as a spear) and you can do detailed carving with the curved portion using your thumb as leverage. Good for making pot hangers, figure deadfall traps, etc. Not as good as a smaller knife, of course, but better than many large blade shapes.
-Full Tang for obvious strength reasons. You can baton well with this knife, without worrying about blade damage.
-Flat grind for a good middle ground making it adequate for slicing, carving, feather sticks and whatnot. Also, the back of the blade is flat, so the edge on the top of the blade is sharp, which is good for scraping wood (for tender) and for striking ferrocerium rods.

I'm not a fan of serrated blades or the saws on the back of the blade. Instead of the saw on the blade, I bought a Bahco Laplander for $20, and it works great for it's size, and far better than any knife blade would.

A lot of people prefer high carbon blades because they can be used for striking flint to get spark (in addition to better edge retention and strength). Many also prefer the Scandinavian grind, which work better for wood processing and they are generally easier to sharpen. I got the Mora's for some of those reasons, since they are cheap.

I really like the Esee like Jose posted too, except I don't like teh pommel on them. I like the flat pommel on mine because it can be used for light hammering (like for ground stakes).

The reviews were really good on this knife, which ultimately pushed me over the edge.

[ceyko]

Good rundown, appreciate that and makes a lot a sense. I agree saw back blades...the saw aspect is about worthless, but I use that aspect for other things.

Any way, I was curious and got my answer. I suspect this is a lot like guns and all the preferences around that.

[Chili]

Good rundown, appreciate that and makes a lot a sense. I agree saw back blades...the saw aspect is about worthless, but I use that aspect for other things.

Any way, I was curious and got my answer. I suspect this is a lot like guns and all the preferences around that.

Pretty much.. There is no 'right' answer. Way too subjective.