What is your Go To Survival Knife?

[Underdog 1,593]

What would you choose for your survival knife? I guess a budget knife would be no more than $150 and probably under a $100. I don't think the difference between say a $80 survival style knife and a $300 survival knife is enough to justify the difference, and it seems like an $80 knife is the sweet point in terms of quality steel in the blade, the ability to hold an edge, etc.

 

There really would be two categories, an all-out survival knife and perhaps a bushman-style knife.

 

My number one choice for Bush knife would be a Tops Brothers of Bush Knife, followed by an ESEE SK5, or a Ka-Bar Becker (beefy) BK2 (BK22 with updated sheath). I am also fond of the Ontario Black Bird or the budget-minded Ontario Rat 5. The ESEE 5 is a little more and might have a better sheath than the Ontario SK-5.

 

Still, another contender would be the Ka-Bar Becker BK10. It's sort of a cross between the Becker BK7 and the Becker BK2, essentially a lighter, thinner-bladed BK2 with a combat blade tip. I am also fond of the Ka-Bar Navy Mark I with the Kraton handle which is another awesomely priced knife for the money.

 

As far as a real budget survival knife, I like the regular Cold Steel Bushman with the Secure X sheath. This can be attached to a pole for some real versatility creating a spear. I am not sure if I like the Bowie version of the Bushman as much. And, I like the Schrade SCHF10. It would be an awesome knife if it was made out of the 1095 Carbon steel used in the SCHF9, though it corrects many of the SCHF9's shortcomings even though Schrade decided to use an inferior steel. Maybe it is more rust resistant.

 

I have bought into the Becker (Beckerhead) fanboy club. I like all the Beckers and feel they are a very good knife for the money. My main issue with them is that they don't come with Micarta scales and you have to pay upwards of $40 to get them as add-ons. And, I don't like the grips on the mid-sized Beckers that much, even though the midsized Beckers, the BK15, BK16, and BK17 are also very nice knives. In particular I like the BK17. It's kind of like an updated version of the Air Force Survival knife I had as a kid.

 

As far as the other larger Beckers go, the Becker BK7 is also very sweet, and so is its big brother the Becker BK9. However, these seem a little too big for me and for the amount of times you would need a really big knife, the smaller 5" approx. ones are just more versatile, even though they cannot do what a large knife can. The BK9, that is a formidable blade and awesome! I like it better than the shorter ESEE 7. The BK9 coupled with a BK14 would be an incredibly well-rounded and versatile survival knife setup in which you could do just about anything required by a fixed-blade knife.

 

I much prefer the shorter 5 plus inch the BK10 Crewman Survival Knife. Similar to the BK2, but thinner and a lot lighter, but still hefty enough for most things. That would also be nice coupled with a BK14 or BK24 (with a different steel and different finish) for finer bushwork. Or, a Mora (or 3 of them for that matter at their price point), either of which would be good for fine knife work.

 

I'm also a fan of the modestly priced Cold Steel Kukri machetes, but that's another thread.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

What would be your ideal length, Blade shape, grind, etc? Do you like the drop point, clip point, or spear point?

[rightisright 3]

What constitutes budget?

 

For under $100, I'll take the tried and true Ka-Bar all day long. 

 

ETA:  In case I was unclear, I was referring to the old school USMC type Ka-Bar. 

[SgtToadette 59]

Cold Steel makes some pretty good, inexpensive (relatively) knives.

[Purple Patrick 638]

Ontario blackbird sk5 retails at $110 on amazon and won best knife of the year 2012. It's a really nice knife with good features for the price

 

 

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[Underdog 1,593]

I really like the ESEE 5, and it has a good warranty, perhaps the best in the industry.  It's similar in design to the Ontario Blackbird SK-5 and its cheaper brother, the Ontario Rat 5.  I have to say, though, the Ontario Rat 5 at,$63.95 w/ Micarta handles on Amazon, is a bargain.  Another choice is the ESEE Laser Strike.  I like the Laser Stiker more than the ESEE 5 or the Ontario Blackbird SK-5, but it is twice as much as the roughly comparable RAT 5. When all things are considered, but it still doesn't have the best sheath.  The Laser Strike might be a better deal than the Ka-Bar Beckers that I'm very fond of, though, especially, when you figure out what you are getting extra and what you would potentially have to put into the Beckers. The RAT 5 certainly appears to be an outstanding deal.  Yes, the Ontario Rat 3 and Rat 5 quality has improved vastly in the last couple of years.  The RAT 3 is a very nice fixed blade EDC knife.  The Tops BOB is still a very nice top contender for a Wilderness Survival Knife and cannot be overlooked.

[Underdog 1,593]

What constitutes budget?

 

For under $100, I'll take the tried and true Ka-Bar all day long. 

 

ETA:  In case I was unclear, I was referring to the old school USMC type Ka-Bar. 

 

 

Nothing wrong with the USMC Ka-Bar, but its a little big for my tastes, and the quillon would get in the way of bush work.  Nothing wrong with the ESEEs or the Ontarios, either.  The Becker BK7 or BK10 would be my choice, though, for budget and quality and customization, etc.  These are what I would get, a Ka-Bar Becker Becker BK10 Crewman Survival Knife or the slightly longer BK7 Combat Utility Knife.  And, a Becker BK14 Necker with the additional scales.  I would give the nod to the BK10, as it is a little shorter and more manageable, but wish Becker came out with something in the 6" blade length. 

 

I would also want a Cold Steel Bushman as a backup, and a Leatherman Wave with the bit extender, and for the money a couple of these would be nice as well to keep in cars, etc. Mora  On a very limited budget, it would be this...  Shrade SCHF9 (better steel) or Shrade SCHF10 (better design and grip).  Or, perhaps this:  Ka-Bar Navy Mark 1 Kraton.

[intercooler 41]

I have my dad's Vietnam  ka bar

[Contrvlr 17]

Vietnam era Navy Mk1

Cold Steel  SRK

Greco Camp knife

[Underdog 1,593]

This setup rocks!  I'd get it with the BK10 instead of BK7, though.  Not sure if there is a Kydex sheath out there for the BK10. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZeNpR-mCYw

 

Is there anybody locally that works with Kydex that could put this rig together?

[Vlad G 345]

Buy some cheap $20 knives and go break them a lot in the woods. You might be surprised how well cheap knives work and also how often you will break things.  I say this having put a couple of small nick in the edge of my Fallkniven F1 doing nothing more arduous then skinning/cleaning a rabbit. I still like my F1 but a $10 Chinese knife would have done the job just fine too.

 

So now I own good knives AND cheap knives.

[Underdog 1,593]

Agreed, cheap knives can do a lot.  Take the Mora for example.  It will do just about any of the fine tasks needed, but there is a balance between comfort, accessories, sheaths, etc. and the steel.  Better knives hold a better edge and can be readily sharpened.  For me, the sticking point is a knife in the $80.00 range such as a Becker.    Lastly, in a survival situation, it might be better to have half a dozen cheap knives around, but if you could only carry, handle one, you would want a dependable one (to the extent that you could).  I'm not sure how  you damaged the F1 that easily.  Maye it wasn't tempered properly.  All mass-produced things can fail.  But something with a tested design, reputation, and with your own testing would probably work better in the long run than some cheap knives which will add up.   You should have gotten a Ka-Bar Becker BK2 tank. 

[Vlad G 345]

F1's are easy to chip if you don't pay attention.  It has a thin VG10 core which is awesome for being sharp, but really easy to chip if you don't pay attention and cut through bone. It sharpened out.

 

I have a BK2, it lives in my car based pack, its just not what I would call a skinner or all that suitable for cleaning small game, is it? I use a gerber folder of some sort for that now.

[Underdog 1,593]

Get one of these for small game....

 

Morakniv Bushcraft Carbon Fixed Blade Knife

 

Or, even just this one...

 

Mora Companion Outdoor Knife

 

 

And, you can attach a fire kit....

 

Mora Knife Fire Starting Kit

[Vlad G 345]

Mora's are great but carrying multipe fix blade knives gets awkward which is why like the full size and folder combos. Firekits are fine, but they don't need to be attached to my knife. Also lighters are cheap and last a good long time.

 

There is a place for fero rods, and I have a bunch of them, but turns out a 12pack of lighters is actually cheaper, lighter, easier to use, etc. I know that bushcrafting lore says I should be ready to survive in the woods for years with only a knife and a fire drill, but realistically if we are down to that we are pretty much dead anyway. I much rather have a lighter that I don't need to stress about under a already stressful situation. Yeah, it will run out faster then a ferro rod, but so what? How long do you envision having to light fires? Also, you can carry 4 or 5 and that should probably cover you a year or so.

[Underdog 1,593]

Mora's are great but carrying multipe fix blade knives gets awkward which is why like the full size and folder combos. Firekits are fine, but they don't need to be attached to my knife. Also lighters are cheap and last a good long time.

 

There is a place for fero rods, and I have a bunch of them, but turns out a 12pack of lighters is actually cheaper, lighter, easier to use, etc. I know that bushcrafting lore says I should be ready to survive in the woods for years with only a knife and a fire drill, but realistically if we are down to that we are pretty much dead anyway. I much rather have a lighter that I don't need to stress about under a already stressful situation. Yeah, it will run out faster then a ferro rod, but so what? How long do you envision having to light fires? Also, you can carry 4 or 5 and that should probably cover you a year or so.

 

All good advice.  I was slightly exaggerating on the number of Moras needed, but rather discussing the uses and the thriftiness involvedi n the purchase.  They are cheap enough to throw one in each vehicle and toss some apple cores around it.  I like Djeep lighters and agree there is a difference between survival and primitive bush skills.

[neon333 0]

I just got my Mora Bushcraft Carbon today and I'm very impressed.

[Underdog 1,593]

Nice choice on the Mora, and relatively light. 

[Duppie 73]

With respects to Mora knives...just about every car,boat, truck,snow mobile,tool box,workman's belt,knapsack,ski and rifle bag in Norway,Sweden and Denmark has one and they can be purchased everywhere from the corner news stand to the largest outdoor supply.

I received my "dress" model at my confirmation and still pack one I picked up in Oslo in 1986 for the equivalent of $17.00 US before going backpacking to North Cap...it's got some dings and bruises but still holds a good edge and can fillet a fish with the best of them.

[Stonecoldchavez 92]

Any thoughts on this knife?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ontario-ASEK-AircrewTM-Survival-Egress-Knife/dp/B000NPFP9I/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&qid=1394316382&sr=8-45&keywords=survival+knife

[Vlad G 345]

Seems overpriced. You can get a Gerber LMF kitted up the same way for $70

[Damjan 73]

Glock model 81

 

http://www.amazon.com/Glock-KB17281-81-Field-Knife/dp/B000W32PIK/ref=pd_sim_sg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0GA5QWSW621BJJTKGE76

[Stonecoldchavez 92]

Seems overpriced. You can get a Gerber LMF kitted up the same way for $70

Thanks Vlad G. What about the quality of the Ontario ASEK-AircrewTM Knife though?

[usnmars 136]

go for the real thing.....  The best you can buy and hand made.  All the modern ones are "wanna-be's"

http://www.ima-usa.com/original-19th-century-nepalese-gurkha-long-leaf-kukri-fighting-knife.html

[Wojo 98]

One knife is never an option really. I like the KaBar Tanto for the price and durability. I have a Swamp Rat Camp Tramp, the BK2 and an old Gerber that survived two years of hard use in Alaska as my flight-crew knife and took with me on a 5 day cold weather survival school.

 

I tend to have a folder, a fixed blade and a modern tomahawk in any kind of kit..like in all my auto BOB's or my hiking LBV. 

[AlexTheSane 236]

I like the Schrade SCHF10

[Heavyopp 167]

I know it small for a "survival" knife but it's the knife I'm most likely to have on me

 

Essee Izula2 --  Worn horizontally on my belt at 11 o'clock I forget it's there 

 

If "survival" means an unplanned SHTF then this is the knife I'll have with me 

[wooly bugger 1]

I know it small for a "survival" knife but it's the knife I'm most likely to have on me

 

Essee Izula2 --  Worn horizontally on my belt at 11 o'clock I forget it's there 

 

If "survival" means an unplanned SHTF then this is the knife I'll have with me 

+1. I'm much more likely to need to do fine work like skinning a small rodent than engaging in CQC with a rabid bear, so I like a small knife. Izula is top quality, made in US, and I like the carbon steel. It's easy to carry, and the skeletonized handle would probably make it amenable to lashing to a stick as a spear, although I've never tried it.

 

Close second would be my Mora triflex.

[Underdog 1,593]

+1. I'm much more likely to need to do fine work like skinning a small rodent than engaging in CQC with a rabid bear, so I like a small knife. Izula is top quality, made in US, and I like the carbon steel. It's easy to carry, and the skeletonized handle would probably make it amenable to lashing to a stick as a spear, although I've never tried it.

 

Close second would be my Mora triflex.

 

The Ka-Bar Becker Model 14 or 24 are a joint collaboration with Izula and Becker and are also very nice. 

[wooly bugger 1]

go for the real thing.....  The best you can buy and hand made.  All the modern ones are "wanna-be's"

http://www.ima-usa.com/original-19th-century-nepalese-gurkha-long-leaf-kukri-fighting-knife.html

Mine just arrived in the mail. Wow. This thing is a beast. The steel is thick: 1/2 inch at the base. It's 19" long and weighs 2 pounds. The wood handle is in near perfect condition, and the blade has a nice patina and is greasy from storage. It's actually somewhat sharp.

 

I'm going to order another one as a user, and my cheap Chinese machete is going in the garbage.

[Norseman 2]

ESEE 6 with the accessory pouch/sheath.

 

 

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