What makes a survival knife, a survival knife?
Let's be clear on one thing - there is no official definition of a survival knife. It is possible for decent and knowledgeable people to have different opinions on the subject. Here is my personal definition of a survival knife.
Survival Knife - a good-quality, rugged, full-tang, fixed-blade knife that can be used for multiple purposes, including self-defense.
Good-quality - a well-made knife with a sharp, easy-to-maintain blade. This excludes the super-cheap $10 "survival" knives you sometimes find at places like Walmart.
Rugged - a knife that is tough and sturdy, and will hold up to heavy use. For the purposes of a survival knife, this means full-tang and a thick blade. It also means a sharp, but not razor sharp, edge. Razor sharp edges are hard to maintain, and nick and fold too easily under heavy use.
Full-tang - simply put, the blade and handle are one piece, not sperate pieces joined together in some way (welding, screws, rivets, etc.). Separate pieces joined together creates a weak point in the knife, which may be okay for some uses, but not the heavy use of a survival knife.
Fixed blade - the knife does not fold-up like a pocket knife, but rather is permanently rigid. Typically, a fixed blade is carried in a sheath.
Multiple purposes - all knives are meant for cutting, but there are many different ways knives can be used - cutting plants, cutting flesh (skinning), cutting other materials, chopping, making finely detailed cuts, fighting, throwing, and so forth. These different purposes determine a knife's size, shape, materials, sharpness, and other design elements. A knife should be judged with its intended purpose in mind. No one knife is perfect for all situations. A survival knife is intended to help you survive in difficult circumstances, which means its uses may include anything from general camp activities to self-defense. A good survival knife won't do everything perfectly, but it will do many things well-enough.
Self-defense - one purpose of a survival knife is self-defense. Hopefully, you will never need to defend yourself with a knife, but if you do, you are going to need a a few things from the knife. Size matters. Toughness of the blade matters. And it needs to have some good finger guards. Why? In a knife fight, you are likely to hit something hard (armor, bone, a buckle, or whatever). The knife will come to a jarring halt. You want the knife to prevent your fingers and hand from slipping forward causing you to slice open your own hand and fingers. If you do that, you lose the fight. Which probably means you die. So, a good grip and finger guards are a necessity in a survival knife.
What about straight-edge versus serrations? Many survival knifes come in two variations, straight-edge and serrated-edge (like is found on many steak knives). This is a matter of personal preference, and is entirely up to you.
What isn't needed in a survival knife? In my opinion, a useless gimmick is the hollow handle. You have seen these knives at places like Walmart and Harbor Freight. They are advertised as a survival knife, and have hollow handles with a screw-on cap, usually with a mini-compass on top. Inside the hollow handle are a few survival supplies like matches and band-aids. I think this design weakens the knife, and creates potential problem spots.
3 Good Quality, Affordable Survival Knives
A survival knife is an important piece of gear, and it is worth spending a bit of money to get a good one. However, most of us, including me, are not independently wealthy, and we only have so much money we can spend on a knife. This list of knives that I consider to be good quality survival knives is limited to knives that cost under $100.
1) GERBER Prodigy Survival Knife - This is my main survival knife (I have the partially serrated edge version). I've used it for over 10 years. Very good quality, rugged and tough. It has a rubberized no-slip grip with finger guards. Tip of the handle is formed into a glass-breaker, which is a nice addition (wear gloves or wrap your hand and wrist in a shirt or jacket before using the glass breaker). On Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OOwCLS
2) KA-BAR US Marine Corps Fighting Knife - The classic warrior's knife, and possibly the most famous fixed-blade knife in the world. Bigger than the GERBER Prodigy, this knife has a leather wrapped handle with metal finger guards. Technically it is a rat-tail tang (meaning full length but not full width) rather than a true full-tang, but this is a technicality. On Amazon: https://amzn.to/4g5eqKa
3) Ontario Knife Company Air Force Survival Knife - I also have this knife and really like it. This is the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army issued survival knife. Leather wrapped handle with blood grooves and metal finger guards. Like the KA-BAR, it is technically a rat-tail tang. The leather sheath comes with a pouch and sharpening stone. On Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OKjwQ3
Skip the prodigy and go for the strongarm. Much stronger. The Kabar is a good knife for many uses, but the rat tail tang is very weak. Go for the glock field knife. The air force survival knife shares the same weak construction as the kabar and the hex butt piece is very uncomfortable. I like the mora garberg in this size.
ReplyDeleteMy "survival" Knife is a Condor Bushlore with a Micarta handle. It's the perfect knife for me. I can just short of abuse it and then hit it my whetstone and it's back to good. Can it protect me in a fight? Of course it can, it's a knife not a banana.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the OKC bayo? Belt sheath or on the lug, it's good to go.
ReplyDelete