Best sub 4inch survival knife?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

There's definitely a gap in the market in my opinion

[styx]

There is. But when you consider all overbuilt folders that fall in the sub 4 inch range, the long list of neck knives that are more tactical than practical and general rule of 4 to 6 inch survival knife is the best, it somehow makes sense

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I hadn't considered neck knives. 

Trouble is you look on an American knife site then a British one, and you'll see we only get a tiny number of knives imported into the UK

[styx]

tell me about it. and those that get imported cost about twice as much.

although at those price ranges there could be other sources like custom makers that aren't as prolific or even medieval festivals. most of those medieval festival knives aren't some high speed steel, but depending on the maker there would be a lot of value in them

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

We do have some exceptionally good custom makes over here. And if I had my time over I would of liked to have far more customs. There's a guy about forty miles away who used to make the most gorgeous jump knives. Sadly he seems to have fallen of the face of the earth

[styx]

Well that is as unfortunate as it gets. Good makers just going off the rails

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Yeah. That's forums for you though sadly. Shame though as this was about 5 years ago and he was going to make me a warhammer

Couldn't afford one now so it's probably just as well

[styx]

warhammer or not, there is still the issue of a sub 4 inch knife

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I still think it's between the F1/H1 or your Overlander mate

I love the H1 but it really needs a guard

[styx]

the H1 also has a thicker handle that helps with the grip. the blade is also a continuous curve which is harder to sharpen.

and here is another possible contender - BRKT Gunny

as far as the Overlander goes, I like it but I don't love it

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Never heard of the Gunny I'll go and take a look

The curve I actually like, the extra difficulty while sharpening doesn't worry me to much.

Can I ask why you not getting carried away with the Overlander? It seems to tick a lot of boxes for me

[styx]

To me a lot of edge is lost on the guard part, the protruding butt is adding weight it doesn't really need and the jimping is a bit too much for my taste. However all of those can be dealt with one way or another.

The two things that are really the downfall of a pretty nice design are the 1095 steel and the sheath.
The sheath works, however it is not that tight and the clip is fixed on to it with a rivet or something similar. So it spins around 360° which can cause a few problems.
As far as the steel goes, I hopefully won't come off as a snob but 1095 has been a thorn in my side when i had the ESEE-6 and now with this TOPS. I will admit though that TOPS feels like it's light years ahead of the other company in regards to edge stability. But that might also be due to the fact that my Overlander came modified by the previous owner.

You can notice the modifications on this picture


It also shows what I mean about a good amount of edge being wasted. The guard is big, or better said the ricasso is big for a knife this size. Also after trying the knife when it was wet, oiled up and bloody I can say your hand won't slip so the jimping is not needed.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Yeah that is a lot of edge to sacrifice on what is already a small knife

I like 1095, but it really is a rust trap. It's a good steel, but basic and way under par in a knife that costs £120 over here, and an Esee is even dearer

The Gunny is way to pricey as it's not available over here yet so would have to be imported, very good, very competent blade judging by the reviews. The Tops Xcest and Bravo look good, but again a lot of money for basic 440c steel.

I'm thinking that the F1 has pretty much for this category. Great steel, very tough design and punches above its weight too

[styx]

Pretty much my line of thought as well

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Pretty much my line of thought as well

Good to hear I'm not alone

[styx]

Damn, I can't stop thinking about this topic. Normally I am the 5 to 6 inch knife type of guy, still there is wisdom in having a smaller knife for those specific times of the year.

Most knives will do the normal, rather smart use, without a problem. The build, price and design will in the end have trivial meaning.

So we have to go look at the dumbass, irrational thinking of your average drunk redneck to see what design features should be under a magnifying glass. Lucky for y'all, I've sacrificed some time, šljivovica and a few brain cells to git r done 

First let's start from the tip. Position and sturdiness are 2 points to think about. One is simply a preference thing for making stuff like an ojibwa bird snare and other general use, while the second is a bit more important. Who in his or her right mind would make a prying stick to get fatwood, fungus or just about anything else that requires prying when you have a metal object right at your side? Oh and batoning is just vertical prying so that kinda sorta counts too.

Second part comes with the edge and spine. One of these 2 will have to be able scrape. And I don't mean ferro rods, but rather wood, bark and maybe even fish scales (where's a fish scaler when you need one?). Shavings and feathersticks are nice, but scraped stuff works easier.

Now we come to blade height. As mentioned before the great ojibwa bird snare is my favorite way to test out a knifes carving ability. Not much to it except making 1 hole in a stick, but unless you have an awl it can be a smurf to do. Having a lot of that wonderful height can be a big downside in some tasks.

Everything about the handle is somehow self explanatory - should not slip when beer gets spilled while opening it, should not tire the hand while working with the knife.

And not the butt end. Exposed metal is a good thing, for opening beer (DPx HEST fans will make me a national hero because of this one), cracking walnuts and just as handy to pound on when something needs to be pried a bit. But it shouldn't be overkill.

Circling back to all contenders mentioned before, there is an issue of their reviews. I'm guilty of this as well but here it goes - very few show actual use of the knife, and even fewer test the things I've mentioned.
Now there are workarounds and better ways to do things that I've talked about, however this is the consideration on the lowest common denominator where at least one of this points will become a factor. A lot of it simply comes down to personal preference and deal with what you've got.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great post and it echoes a lot of my own thoughts too

I prefer the 4-6 territory too as they'll just cope with more things. One of my first good quality knives was a Cold Steel SRK in Carbon V. I learned a lot from that knife and I'm always a little shocked I haven't actually broken it, considering the utterly stupid things I'd attempted with it

My first priority in any survival knife has to be reliability. It cannot fail, so I don't mind that it takes more effort to do feathersticks etc, due to a overly thick blade as it's worth it for the additional strength a thicker spine gives you. This is an area where I think tactical sharpened pry bars have there place

If I had to write a specifcation for a compact survival knife, it would have these qualities...

80-100mm blade with a minimum of 4mm thickness, preferably 6mm and full tang with exposed butt of at least 5mm.

Drop or spearpoint with the spine running fullthickness almost to the tip for strength while batoning or prying.

Man-made handles of robust material ie micarta.

90 degree spine for shaving wood and striking a ferro rod.

Blade material should be of a quality steel with good edge retention and inherent strength. If a carbon steel then it should have a good hardwearing coating.

A kydex or zytel sheath with more than one method of carrying it on you and offers good knife retention and protection from the blade should you fall in it .

Quite an ask really

[styx]

Ohh the SRK, the knife I never had the guts to try out...

When you really think about it there are people who can do more with an Old Hickory knife than most of us can do with all the McGizmo knives in the world.

Speaking of thick knives, have you ever tried the British military survival knife?

[Gareth]

The Magnum Lil Giant looks like it might be a good knife at a low cost: http://www.heinnie.com/magnum-lil-giant  Depends if you like 440 steel, though I think Boker tend to do a good job with it.

[SAK Guy]

Great post and it echoes a lot of my own thoughts too

I prefer the 4-6 territory too as they'll just cope with more things. One of my first good quality knives was a Cold Steel SRK in Carbon V. I learned a lot from that knife and I'm always a little shocked I haven't actually broken it, considering the utterly stupid things I'd attempted with it

My first priority in any survival knife has to be reliability. It cannot fail, so I don't mind that it takes more effort to do feathersticks etc, due to a overly thick blade as it's worth it for the additional strength a thicker spine gives you. This is an area where I think tactical sharpened pry bars have there place

If I had to write a specifcation for a compact survival knife, it would have these qualities...

80-100mm blade with a minimum of 4mm thickness, preferably 6mm and full tang with exposed butt of at least 5mm.

Drop or spearpoint with the spine running fullthickness almost to the tip for strength while batoning or prying.

Man-made handles of robust material ie micarta.

90 degree spine for shaving wood and striking a ferro rod.

Blade material should be of a quality steel with good edge retention and inherent strength. If a carbon steel then it should have a good hardwearing coating.

A kydex or zytel sheath with more than one method of carrying it on you and offers good knife retention and protection from the blade should you fall in it .

Quite an ask really

Another fan of the SRK here...indestructable!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ohh the SRK, the knife I never had the guts to try out...

When you really think about it there are people who can do more with an Old Hickory knife than most of us can do with all the McGizmo knives in the world.

Speaking of thick knives, have you ever tried the British military survival knife?

Yeah I had one for a while. A good knife, but wouldn't hold an edge for long. You'd never kill one though!

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

The Magnum Lil Giant looks like it might be a good knife at a low cost: http://www.heinnie.com/magnum-lil-giant  Depends if you like 440 steel, though I think Boker tend to do a good job with it.

That is a lot of knife for the money

U might even get one should I ever have disposable income again

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

The Magnum Lil Giant looks like it might be a good knife at a low cost: http://www.heinnie.com/magnum-lil-giant  Depends if you like 440 steel, though I think Boker tend to do a good job with it.

That is a lot of knife for the money

U might even get one should I ever have disposable income again

Ohh the SRK, the knife I never had the guts to try out...

When you really think about it there are people who can do more with an Old Hickory knife than most of us can do with all the McGizmo knives in the world.

Speaking of thick knives, have you ever tried the British military survival knife?

Yeah I had one for a while. A good knife, but wouldn't hold an edge for long. You'd never kill one though!

Great post and it echoes a lot of my own thoughts too

I prefer the 4-6 territory too as they'll just cope with more things. One of my first good quality knives was a Cold Steel SRK in Carbon V. I learned a lot from that knife and I'm always a little shocked I haven't actually broken it, considering the utterly stupid things I'd attempted with it

My first priority in any survival knife has to be reliability. It cannot fail, so I don't mind that it takes more effort to do feathersticks etc, due to a overly thick blade as it's worth it for the additional strength a thicker spine gives you. This is an area where I think tactical sharpened pry bars have there place

If I had to write a specifcation for a compact survival knife, it would have these qualities...

80-100mm blade with a minimum of 4mm thickness, preferably 6mm and full tang with exposed butt of at least 5mm.

Drop or spearpoint with the spine running fullthickness almost to the tip for strength while batoning or prying.

Man-made handles of robust material ie micarta.

90 degree spine for shaving wood and striking a ferro rod.

Blade material should be of a quality steel with good edge retention and inherent strength. If a carbon steel then it should have a good hardwearing coating.

A kydex or zytel sheath with more than one method of carrying it on you and offers good knife retention and protection from the blade should you fall in it .

Quite an ask really

Another fan of the SRK here...indestructable!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure how good the new ones are, but the old carbon V ones are bloody fantastic field knives

[styx]

Thing with the SRK is that it can be seen as an entry level knife but it preforms way out of that class. An by entry level I mean try it out, see if you like the blade length and then it's easy enough to resell at a minimal loss while shooting for some higher end knives

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I always figured that if the smelly brown stuff hit the fan, that the SRK wouldn't be far from my side.

It was on "loud noise in the middle of the night" duty for years

[SAK Guy]

The Magnum Lil Giant looks like it might be a good knife at a low cost: http://www.heinnie.com/magnum-lil-giant  Depends if you like 440 steel, though I think Boker tend to do a good job with it.

That is a lot of knife for the money

U might even get one should I ever have disposable income again

Ohh the SRK, the knife I never had the guts to try out...

When you really think about it there are people who can do more with an Old Hickory knife than most of us can do with all the McGizmo knives in the world.

Speaking of thick knives, have you ever tried the British military survival knife?

Yeah I had one for a while. A good knife, but wouldn't hold an edge for long. You'd never kill one though!

Great post and it echoes a lot of my own thoughts too

I prefer the 4-6 territory too as they'll just cope with more things. One of my first good quality knives was a Cold Steel SRK in Carbon V. I learned a lot from that knife and I'm always a little shocked I haven't actually broken it, considering the utterly stupid things I'd attempted with it

My first priority in any survival knife has to be reliability. It cannot fail, so I don't mind that it takes more effort to do feathersticks etc, due to a overly thick blade as it's worth it for the additional strength a thicker spine gives you. This is an area where I think tactical sharpened pry bars have there place

If I had to write a specifcation for a compact survival knife, it would have these qualities...

80-100mm blade with a minimum of 4mm thickness, preferably 6mm and full tang with exposed butt of at least 5mm.

Drop or spearpoint with the spine running fullthickness almost to the tip for strength while batoning or prying.

Man-made handles of robust material ie micarta.

90 degree spine for shaving wood and striking a ferro rod.

Blade material should be of a quality steel with good edge retention and inherent strength. If a carbon steel then it should have a good hardwearing coating.

A kydex or zytel sheath with more than one method of carrying it on you and offers good knife retention and protection from the blade should you fall in it .

Quite an ask really

Another fan of the SRK here...indestructable!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure how good the new ones are, but the old carbon V ones are bloody fantastic field knives

I always figured that if the smelly brown stuff hit the fan, that the SRK wouldn't be far from my side.

It was on "loud noise in the middle of the night" duty for years

+100 on the Carbon V!!!! The #1 choice in my Trouble/Weather/Wildfire bags

[raistlin65]

+100 on the Carbon V!!!! The #1 choice in my Trouble/Weather/Wildfire bags

(Image removed from quote.)

Two of them. Nice! I would love to have one of the older Carbon V ones

I got the SRK SMIII about a year ago when I found them on sale for $80. Love it! I just sold my Ka-Bar USMC. It was not going to ever get used again.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm glad I'm not the only SRK fan then

[raistlin65]

I'm glad I'm not the only SRK fan then

They are like SAKs and Leathermens. Everyone should have one 

Although, I must admit, I got my son (15) a Recon Tanto for a survival knife this Xmas cause I knew he would find it sexier than my SRK. Should have seen the look on his face when he pulled that out of its sheath.  I'd still take the SRK for it's blade profile, but the Recon Tanto is no slouch either.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I always wanted a Recon Tanto, but never got round to buying one. I really wish I had now

I can well imagine how much he loved it though