Survival knife

[soap]

I like my mk3 mod0 better than my kabar

That's nice.

[helosailor]

I like my mk3 mod0 better than my kabar

The old (pre-Vietnam) Kabars were tough to beat. But, you're doing it right. In the truest sense, that is an excellent survival knife.

[BlackGT]

I don't have just one. I have knives and machetes to cover all tasks.
Kershaw
Cold Steel
Kbar
Etc.

[Danny46]

+1 on the mora knife. I have one and it is a great knife especially considering the price, best bang for buck knife out there IMO. I've used mine to field dress an animal, cut cordage etc.

[Chili]

+1 on the mora knife. I have one and it is a great knife especially considering the price, best bang for buck knife out there IMO. I've used mine to field dress an animal, cut cordage etc.

Pretty long video, but a very telling torure test, and surprising results for a $10 knife..

[ceyko]

Alright assholes, put the gun down and quit breaking my arm. I'll buy one.

[Chili]

Alright assholes, put the gun down and quit breaking my arm. I'll buy one.

Haha!

[Jimbo]

Alright assholes, put the gun down and quit breaking my arm. I'll buy one.

Same here, just ordered two. Thanks for the recommendation.

[FunFordCobra]

Ontario Rtak II. When knife test.com was up, out of a scale from 1-10 stars it got 11 nuclear explosion clouds. He said it was the hardest knife he had destroyed. I think it was around 100.


Then I have a Kbar kukri beater. It was only 40 bucks but on that same site got very high reviews.

[YALE]

I have both a Benchmade Nimravus and a Contego, a NY KaBar, an SOG Trident, a Lonewolf fixed blade of some kind, and a bunch of other shit. I've kind of abused the piss out of my employee discount at this gun store.

[Danny46]

Good article right here explaining and comparing the different metals used in knives.

http://bestpocketknifetoday.com/discovering-the-best-knife-steel/

quick excerpt

[QUOTE]In choosing the best pocket knife you should pay particular attention to the type of steel used in the blade. Steel is really the essence of the blade and primarily responsible for how the knife performs. Steel is essentially an alloy (i.e. a mix) of carbon and iron that is often enriched with other elements to improve certain characteristics depending on the desired application.

In the knife industry different types of steel are created by varying the types of additive elements as well as how the blade is rolled and heated (i.e. the finishing process). Refer to our Knife Steel Composition Chart for more details on these elements.

Ultimately, the different types of steel used in knife blades each exhibit varying degrees of these five key properties:

Hardness

logocircle-smallHardness is the ability to resist deforming when subject to stress and applied forces. Hardness in knife steels is often referred to as strength and is generally measured using the Rockwell C scale (aka “HRC”).

Toughness

logocircle-smallToughness is the ability to resist damage like cracks or chips when being used in heavy duty applications. This also defines the steel’s ability to flex without breaking. Note that the stronger or harder the steel the less tough it will likely be. Note the measurement of toughness is less standardized as hardness.

Wear Resistance

logocircle-smallWear resistance is the steel’s ability to withstand damage from both abrasive and adhesive wear. Abrasive wear comes from softer surfaces coming in contact with rougher ones. Adhesive wear occurs when debris is dislodged from one surface and attaches to the other. Wear resistance generally correlates with the steel’s hardness but is also heavily influenced by the specific chemistry of the steel. In steels of equal hardness, the steel with larger carbides (think microscopic, hard, wear resistant particles) will typically resist wear better.

Corrosion Resistance

logocircle-smallCorrosion resistance is the ability to resist corrosion such as rust caused by external elements like humidity, moisture and salt. Note that a high resistance to corrosion does involve a sacrifice in the overall edge performance.

Edge Retention

logocircle-smallEdge Retention represents how long the blade will retain its sharpness when subject to periods of use. It’s what everyone talks about these days but unfortunately the measurement of edge retention lacks any defined set of standards and so much of the data is subjective. For me, edge retention is a combination of wear resistance and an edge that resists deformation.

Unfortunately the “best knife steel” is not simply a case of maximizing each of the properties above….it’s a trade off. The biggest trade off is balancing strength or hardness with toughness. Some blades can be made to be exceptionally hard but will chip or crack if you drop them onto a hard surface. Conversely a blade can be extremely tough and able to bend but will struggle to hold it’s edge. Also note that the term ‘stainless steel‘ is generally misleading as all types of steel will show some kind of discoloration if left exposed to the elements for long enough. By knowing how you plan to use the knife you will generally be able to determine the best steel for your situation./QUOTE]