Advice for a survival knife

[rtrwv]

hello all,
I.need some advice about a survival knife. It needs to be high carbon steel with a blade length of 9"inches or more. Blade coating not important but would still appreciate input. Handle material santoprene , g10 , kraton or other suggestion. Weight from 12oz to40oz price less than 300$. I have looked at so many.on the internet and was hoping for some real life references and input.

 

[BCCL]

First one that jumps to mind and won't break the bank is the Ontario Spec Marine Bowie

http://www.ontario-knife-store.com/sp10-marine-raider-bowie-knife/

 

[rcmodel]

If you need a 9" blade, you really need a smaller 5"-5 1/2" knife to use for 95% of the things you need to do to survive.

And an 18" machete for the remaining 5% chopping chores the 9" knife won't do nearly as well anyway.

rc

 

[JN01]

Kabar Big Brother, around $75.

 

[JShirley]

Ontario has a couple of Gen 2 large knives that are 5160, and priced well under $100. A bowie is not a good survival/outdoor knife.

 

[hso]

Why so large?

Look at the BKT line from KaBar, ESEE knives, Tops

 

[rtrwv]

Why so large?

Look at the BKT line from KaBar, ESSE knives, Tops

I wear a size 18 wedding band , have winter gloves custom made. I am 6 foot 8 inches and weigh 450 lbs. What works for me best in my experience is usually proportionate to my size.

 

[AStone]

This may be an interesting thread given the criteria of the OP.

I'll just watch what happens. No opinion ... yet.

Well, OK, maybe just this. rtrwv, you may find some interest in this thread.

 

[lobo9er]

If I needed a blade that size and a budget of $300 the swamp rat rodent9 would be an easy decision. Lots of options a kukri would fill a bill too.

also why 9?

 

[Gordon]

Hell I'd get one of Sam's Camp Defenders and call it good! Always better getting a fine custom instead of store bought.

 

[floorit76]

Remember that just because your hands are big, the things you are cutting may not be. What will that thing do to a squirrel or a rabbit?

 

[AStone]

^ Precisely.

 

[Tomcat47]

These are 2 of my favorites from MOD on the Upper Price Range.

I have both of these and actually made these knives for MOD before they sold to Blackhawk. The Mark 5 is a tank and is very utility minded on top of being tactical, giving you prying and hammering abilities without consequence to the knife.

The Nightwing came along about the time they sold to blackhawk and it is a tough knife and I like the SV30, however it does not have the ability of the Mark 5.....The Mark 5 is in a class by itself in my opinion.

These are not made anymore, but can be found online and on ebay from time to time in the $300 or less range, and they are worth every penny!

 

[JShirley]

While they may be worth what they cost, neither seems well-suited to be a general-purpose outdoors knife.

John

 

[Tomcat47]

OP Stated survival Knife........

 

[AStone]

So, I guess the next question is this:

What's the diff between a 'survival knife'
and a general-purpose outdoors knife?

<turns heat up a notch ... >

 

[Sheepdog1968]

The knife I keep on me is the larger size Swiss army knife in the style they issue to their military. It's not perfect but I always have it on me.

 

[JShirley]

A "survival knife" is a general purpose outdoors knife, since doing many things well is conducive to survival. Many people also want their survival knives to be very capable of defense as well. I agree with this latter school, but if the knife isn't very useful in general, its fighting effectiveness doesn't matter much.

These ideas are in fact why I designed the Camp Defender. It's a great fighter, but that's a function of balance, mass, and grip.

 

[AStone]

^ Yup.

As one who first walked in the woods in 1956,
then did multiple above-treeline expeditions in
NM and southern Colorado, I say, 'yup'.

{The rock marked by the red line is the size of a 'convenience store'.}

 

[Fred Fuller]

Lots of makers turn out big honking knives for folks who want them. Lots of folks buy honking big knives.

Lots of honking big knives mostly wind up left at home in a drawer or somewhere safe, once their purchasers figure out (1) what a pain it is to lug all that knife around all the time, and (2) how impractical a big honking knife actually is for most of the things people really need do with a knife in the outdoors.

Folks generally learn things two different ways - they benefit from the experience of others, or they do it the hard way themselves.

I'd buy something like a Fallkniven F1 which has more handle than blade, and call it good in the knife department, but that's just me. http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Survival-Thermorun-Handle-Sheath/dp/B001JA9Y66

Throw in a good folding saw, and that covers a lot more of the territory lots of people seem to have in mind when thinking about buying an oversized knife.

 

[T Bran]

Have you considered a bayonette I keep several around just because I like them but they are way to large as a knife in my hands yours may be a better fit.
Luck in your search.
T

 

[AStone]

... Fallkniven F1 ...

Now, that's a knife.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Timely Topic

I just wrote a long-ish post in the other survival/outdoor knife thread.

Rather than repeat it here, let me [post=8185891]link to it[/post] instead.

I may be just an average guy (six feet is average, right?) but I find that having better control of the blade is a Good Thing.

If I'm doing up-close work -- and most camp work is up-close work -- I find that a long blade has a couple of drawbacks: 1) for certain tasks, the blade length works against me as a lever, 2) for other tasks, the extra inches of blade just get in the way of the job I'm doing.

If I'm in the kitchen at home, and I need to process a few pounds of strawberries by hand, I don't reach for the 8-inch butcher knife or the 5-inch slicer, I reach for a 3-inch paring knife. The paring knife handle is four inches long on some, five inches on another, but the actual blade is three inches.

It's the job that determines the tool, not my size.

 

[hso]

rtrwv,

You are a big guy! A buddy of mine's the same height and he's a big knife fan too.

What tasks will you be using it to perform?

 

[22-rimfire]

I prefer a smaller fixed blade as a general outdoor knife/survival knife. The Fallkniven F1 is a good general purpose knife but there are so many good ones. The Blackjack knives are excellent too and the 1-7 is a large blade. I prefer the 125, but only after I purchased the 1-7. You might like the large handles on the Blackjack blades.

The Condor Hudson Bay is a fun knife too and pretty inexpensive if you like the big ones.