Survival Knives: A Discussion with 7 Recommendations

By Cade Shadowlight

What makes 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 means 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 means 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 (razor edges are best for detailed work, such as leather work).

Full-tang means the blade and handle are one piece, not separate pieces joined together in some way (welding, screws, rivets, etc.). Separate pieces joined together creates weak points in the knife, which is okay for some uses, but not the heavy use of a survival knife. 

Fixed blade means 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 means that the knife's design allows for many different uses. 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. The intended purpose 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 is an important function of a survival knife. 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, whatever). The knife will come to a jarring halt. You want the knife's finger guards to prevent your fingers and hand from slipping forward causing you to slice open your own hand. If you do that, you will likely 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. 

What isn't needed in a survival knife? 

In my opinion, a useless gimmick is the hollow handle. They are advertised as a survival knife, and have hollow handles with a screw-on cap, often with a mini-compass on top. Inside the hollow handle are a few basic survival supplies like matches, fish hook and line, or band-aids. I think this hollow design weakens the knife, and creates potential problem spots. And the compass and survival supplies are usually cheap junk. Skip these.

Also not needed in a survival knife is a huge price tag. You can find survival knives with price tags for many hundreds of dollars. But you can find good-quality survival knives for around $100 or less. 

My Recommendations:

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 in my opinion. On Amazon: https://amzn.to/4g5eqKa

3) Ontario Knife Company Air Force Survival Knife - I also have this knife and its one of my favorites. 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  Currently sold out on Amazon and at the manufacturer.  Beware poorly made knockoffs. Wait for the next run by OKC. 

Past Recommendations From My Readers:

4) Gerber Strongarm Knife (Amazon link)

5) Condor Bushlore Knife (Amazon link)

6) Morakniv Garberg Survival Knife (Amazon link) 

7) Glock Field Knife (Amazon link)

   

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