Survival knives

[665ae]

i think the only essential feature is that it has some kind of an edge on it

After that, it's all about preference... isn't it?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

i think the only essential feature is that it has some kind of an edge on it

After that, it's all about preference... isn't it?

Good point, well made that man

[WhichDawg]

like you said, it has to be reliable (since I'm relying on it!) so made from good, tough steel
and their are many out there (5160, INFI, SR-77, D2, A2, VG-10 etc), but also many poor ones.

if I don't know/doesn't say what steel, I'm not getting it. we have a knife channel and their always tauting their great knifes;
shinny, beautiful, never get a chance again to get this deal but they never tell you what it's made from,
so they never get my business!

also it has to hold an edge, and not chip or break with hard use.

it has to have a shape and feel I like, for my uses and my hand. drop and spear points are my fav.
but modified clip points and sheepsfoot are fine too. handle material is also important, it has to last.

it has to have good reviews from many sources/forums and preferably from people who camp, hike and outdoors men.

and finally for me, it has to be a name brand or from someone I trust or many trust.
for a survival knife, something I may have to put my life on, I want experience and a good history
because some times we won't know until we really use/need it...

[CQC-7]

Here is the ultimate survival knife.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm really torn by the tracker, I really want one, but I'd want to test it first , and at the current UK price, thats just not going to happen

[Benner]

I'm really torn by the tracker, I really want one, but I'd want to test it first , and at the current UK price, thats just not going to happen

What ones would you recommend that are cheap in the UK then Mike?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm really torn by the tracker, I really want one, but I'd want to test it first , and at the current UK price, thats just not going to happen

What ones would you recommend that are cheap in the UK then Mike?

For survival or knives in general

[CQC-7]

I dont think that there is much to test.  It is a big honkin piece of steel that can do anything that you can do in the woods.  I would classify it as one of those tools that saves weight in the end.  You could carry that in place of a hatchet and a large knife although you still might need a multitool or even a mora for those smaller jobs where that big blade would be clumsy.  The TBT2 would be a good choice for all around work in my opinion but it would leave a bit to be desired in the chopping department.

[Benner]

I'm really torn by the tracker, I really want one, but I'd want to test it first , and at the current UK price, thats just not going to happen

What ones would you recommend that are cheap in the UK then Mike?

For survival or knives in general

Both.

No, survival ones.

[CQC-7]

The Mora knife is tough to beat.  It is a great all purpose blade that is tough and yet refined.

[WhichDawg]

yeah something like that I have to try out first, do the serrations really work/saw?
but you could always use it as a 250 dollar pancake flipper!

[CQC-7]

According to an article that I read about the knife everything works as well as expected. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm really torn by the tracker, I really want one, but I'd want to test it first , and at the current UK price, thats just not going to happen

What ones would you recommend that are cheap in the UK then Mike?

For survival or knives in general

Both.

No, survival ones.

I'd go for these two, if it's a survival you need something bigger than your typical bushcraft knife as your going to be puting a lot more strain on it, and it may have to do the job of a hatchet too, that said you still want the control of a smallish blade, so either of these would be more than up to the task

http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Cold-Steel/Cold-Steel-Survival-Rescue-Knife/p-92-127-2202/

http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Fallkniven/F%E4llkniven-S1-Forest-Knife/p-92-139-968/

I've had an Srk since they came out, and I've used it for pretty much everything, and the old girl just gets on with it  , and the S1 Would be the next knife on michaels buying list

[Benner]

They look pretty sweet.

Good price too (for over here)

[CQC-7]

Cold steel knives have a reputation for being tough.  I would stay away from some of their folders though.  I bought one of their recon 1 folder a few years ago and I will have to say that they are the pinnacle of crappy workmanship.  Their original voyager folder have been nothing but great for the price but the recon folder with their smurf cousin of the axis lock is crap.  It is not very smooth and although it never came apart on me it is not the most refined folder that I own.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

They look pretty sweet.

Good price too (for over here)

For the knife your getting, that is good value for money , and to be honest, that type of knife is probably better bought domestically, rather than some over keen customs inspector incinerate it (Does happen )

[WhichDawg]

I think fallkniven is one of the best blades out there, you won't go wrong with them!

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Cold steel knives have a reputation for being tough.  I would stay away from some of their folders though.  I bought one of their recon 1 folder a few years ago and I will have to say that they are the pinnacle of crappy workmanship.  Their original voyager folder have been nothing but great for the price but the recon folder with their smurf cousin of the axis lock is crap.  It is not very smooth and although it never came apart on me it is not the most refined folder that I own.

I've got a tanto voyager, and your right, there bloody fine knives , but I'm not really into tac folders these days, but if I was I'd be looking toward benchmade or spyderco, rather than cold steel

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I think fallkniven is one of the best blades out there, you won't go wrong with them!

No you can't, peter really does know a thing or two about making knives, for tough conditions

[CQC-7]

I have goten out of the whole tactical thing lately.  Although I want a sog bipolar.

[WhichDawg]

I've heard/read so many negative things about CS, except the bushman I can't seem to motivate myself on them.

[CQC-7]

I have a few CS folders and I will have to say that overall, I go what I paid for except fot the recon 1

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I have goten out of the whole tactical thing lately.  Although I want a sog bipolar.

Sak's and Multi's will do that to you

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I've heard/read so many negative things about CS, except the bushman I can't seem to motivate myself on them.

The biggist problem CS has is Lynn Thompson, the knives are bloody awesome, just watch proof and you'll see what I mean, But Mr Thompson, is so good at rubbing everyone up the wrong way, being a self publicist is fine if A) you  know when to draw the line, or B)your any good at it

[WhichDawg]

I should just get some of their stuff and find out for myself, their prices are good and they do have some things I like.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Cold Steel makes some fine products at a very reasonable price and unlike some other manufacturers, they don't skimp on materials to get a better price.

I'll admit the PROOF videos are a little overdone, but I actually enjoy them.

And, despite what an ass Lynn can come across as, it's very hard to argue with the quality of their knives.  I'm not saying that no one else's knives will handle that kind of punishment, but no one else is willing to go to such lengths to prove their products either.

Plus, there are things available from Cold Steel that you wouldn't be able to get anywhere else.

Def

[tomcrx]

I am probably going to open a can of worms but here goes....

The best survival knife is the one you have on you when the crap hits the fan.

I find that most people who wax eloquent on about Busse, Ranger etc made with unbreakable steel etc. usually have it parked in their safe. They take it out occasionally to wack down some poor redbud tree in their backyard or take it on the last overnight weenie roast they went to.

Knives all over the world made of cheap leaf spring steel, i.e. Tramontina, Okapi, Douk, SAK's etc have seen more hard use and pulled more a** out of the fire then any $600 knife ever made.

Sorry to sound bitter but I have a brother in-law how is a Busse nut. I constantly have to hear about them ad-nauseum. I just sit there and smile preserving the family peace. I swear if I see him shave arm hair one more time I am going to gather it off the floor and knit a noose for him out of it. Comparing experience, he has never spent more then 3 nights in a row in the woods and I have over 10K trail miles during all four seasons.

Arrgh.

[WhichDawg]

LOL I have Busse's and Rangers and I do think some people go over board on their luv of them. It's an obsession I guess,
any collection can be. I just snicker and watch em vent and go on. I believe any knife you find that fits your needs and uses is the right survival blade for you too.

[Sea Monster]

he has never spent more then 3 nights in a row in the woods

Are "The Woods" especially dangerous elsewhere in the world? outside of starvation (which for some reason I foolishly buy "spacefood sticks" from the Cereal isle to prevent, despite their rubbish flavour and likely zero nutritional value), "The Woods" around here (I live with farmland to the west, national parks to the south, and water to the north and east) are reasonably friendly, the most dangerous thing being Spiders (and I suppose irate Wombats)
I've got a $30 hardware store hatchet, a SAK, and some nice woolen socks, so far they've all been "Tactical" enough for the usual Hammock & Tarp adventures. (Which I'll admit rarely last more than 5 days anyway).

-

In any case I'll agree with WhichDawg with an opinion expressed often at this site- the right tool is the one you've got at the time. (Despite the Drill Instructor wannabe sound of that kind of rhetoric, it applies to most things. The right sandwich ingredient is what you've got in the fridge, et cetera - I think they said something about Birds and Bushes once, and I'm not sure they were talking about the ladies)

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

There is a lot to be said for the whole ''the best survival is the one on you'' My point is though, if you were taking yourself off to some seriously hostile enviroments, what knife would you take and why

When I go back backing/bushcrafting I can get by with a Vic Farmer , but I've always got plan B in my rucksack