Hi ya'll, just looking for your help on choosing a survival knife. I have a custom, hand-made bowie with 13'' blade and elk antler handle. Blade was forged from old sawmill headsaw, It's razor-sharp and I've never cut anything with it. That's my knife for fighting, God forbid I ever need it!
What I'm looking for is a "practical" 9''-14'' sheath knife for cutting, prying, and hacking in a survival situation. Would like to spend under 100$ if possible. Here are the choices I've narrowed down, just looking for people who own one to tell me how they like them, ease of sharpening, edge retention, durabilty, ergonamics, breaking points.
1. Cold Steel bushmaster
2. K-BAR
3. Ontario Knife Works RAT
4. Mora
5. Buck (don't know model, the big one that has a black handle w/silver cap that is in every Wally-World)
Thank Ya'll in Advance!
Thrillbilly
I have used surplus K-Bars to clean Elk. They get the job done, but it dulls the edge pretty quick. They sharpen reasonably fast, but based on my experience they do not appear to be designed to be razor sharp. They hold a wider angled edge a lot longer then a sharp one.
Probably better for prying then a nice hand made custom knife that holds an edge forever though.
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vegetarianism" ~ R. W. Inge
Give some thought to turning a Swedish Mauser Model 1896 bayonet into a survival knife. Being able to store a very basic survival kit in the hollow handle is not a bad idea. All you have to do is remove the locking lug retainer and thread the inside of the hande to take a cut down (cut WAY down!) 3/4 inch bolt. It'll hold a good endge for you and bayonets are designed for tough work anyhow.
Whats with all the BIG knife stuff? lol Especially for fighting, something large is a hinderence, not an advantage. A six inch blade is plenty long enough to reach any vital organ in the human body. Heavy and unwieldy mean dead and dying in a real knife fight.
Although some companies try to market things as such, I don't believe there is such a thing as a do it all survival knife. You'll need a knife to hunt spear clean etc, but you'll need other things like an axe or machette too and a saw. So I'd say pick which knife seems the sturdiest, feels best in your hand, and can do the basic things you need and go with it.
I have a big knife because I can! I also figure my 6'7'' reach coupled with 13'' of blade means that hopefully I can reach 'em before they can reach me. I have used machettes and hate carrying one, freakin' way to big. I also have hunting knifes, so I just want a knife to cut wood, rope, and other stuff I don't want to cut with my "flesh'' knifes. I find fighting knifes kinda useless anyway, don't plan on running out of bullets!I have seen ''The Hunted'' several times, so that makes me a expert! LOL
I have a big knife because I can! I also figure my 6'7'' reach coupled with 13'' of blade means that hopefully I can reach 'em before they can reach me. I have used machettes and hate carrying one, freakin' way to big. I also have hunting knifes, so I just want a knife to cut wood, rope, and other stuff I don't want to cut with my "flesh'' knifes. I find fighting knifes kinda useless anyway, don't plan on running out of bullets!I have seen ''The Hunted'' several times, so that makes me a expert! LOL
Well, if you're 6'7", then I suppose a bigger knife is in order. You'd look silly otherwise. LoL I think if you buy a copy of the Hunted, it comes with a knife-fighting certification to hang on the wall.
Actually, Tommy Lee Jones' character in that movie is based on a real person, but for the life of me I can't remember his name. Civilian trainer for military personnel on tracking, survival, knife fighting, etc. Kind of a Modern Mike Echanis.
You really can't beat a Ka-Bar. They are hearty knifes with a proven legacy at a more than fair price. Mine does everything, and holds an edge pretty well too. I have the 1245.
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If the Founding Fathers were alive today, they'd probably rather be dead.
But, oh by the way, I'm sort of a traditionalist, so I'd go with the K-bar. several generations of marines can't be wrong.
Whaaaat! Marines are always wrong!
Sorry I couldn't resist, I'm Army brat all the way! LOL
BTW, I think I will get a K-BAR. (I may get one of each, don't tell my wife, she never looks in my footlocker, so she won't know if ya don't tell her!)
p.s. I love the cold steel video, but he should really rethink those shorts!
Last edited by thrillbilly; 05-01-2009 at 12:33 AM.
Location: Oz, right next door to The Lollipop Guild HQ
Posts: 120
There are soooo many choices out there these days for a quality knife, it can be burdensome just trying to sort through it all.
Some makers worth checking out are: Becker Knife and Tool-awesome heavy duty working knives, fairly inexpensive prices. Excellent construction. Ontario Knives-Their "Spec Plus" line is offering knives that are excellent bang-for-the-buck knives. I have several and am very happy with their performance. Cold Steel still makes great knives although one needs to stick to their straight Carbon steel knives to prevent sticker shock. The SRK is a classic straight Carbon steel knife with a 6" blade. I owned three at one time. Still have one left that will never leave my ownership cuz it is just too good. Their Master Hunter is another wonderful working knife that won't break the bank. Kershaw has some fixed blade knives done in collaboration with custom knife maker Ken Onion which are AWESOME and don't make you take out another mortgage to afford one. Great stuff there.
So many more I could list it's dizzying to think of them all. Today's brand name factory knives offer performance and value knife nuts(like me ) could only dream of a couple of decades ago.
Good luck in your search!
__________________ Gettin' old ain't fer sissies...
If you dont mind a Marines input. I've carried a Ka-Bar standard issue ever since it was issued to me in 98. Before I picked this one up it was issued to another Marine etc etc since its forged date. Its seen combat and activity in half a dozen countries.
It holds a steady edge, strong, and the intimidation factor is pretty effective. Something alot of people over look when using a knife. Ka-Bar's are known world wide and seen as a fighters knife.
Ka-bars will hold a razor edge but after use just like every other knife it will need resharpened. Also depends on what foundry yours came from. If you can pick one up from the New York Foundry they are probably one of the best on the market. Most are found available on Military / Marine PX. Try some military surplus stores as well.
Location: Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C.
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I carried an Ontario version of the K-Bar when I was in the Army. It's a good general purpose knife. Lex1785 is right the K-Bar is seen as knife fighters or war knife. I would recommend you order a krytex plastic sheath for the knife. USCav has them as do other retailers. If you do an on line search you can find K-Bars for $15.00 to $20.00 off regular store prices.
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Try out eBay for knives, really good resource. Got my hardly used Ka-Bar 1245 for $41 shipped to my door with the plastic sheath. Went to a local outdoors store and had an old-timer there sharpen it, he sharpened it to a razor for five bucks.
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If the Founding Fathers were alive today, they'd probably rather be dead.
Knives-input needed 
