Indians For Guns

Hi Guys,
With the increasing interest in knives among us I have been often asked, how to choose a good survival knife while going out on a trek or camping....
With a wide variety of such knives available, I thought it best to search for this information and here's what I came up with. I do hope this will be of some use in deciding your choice.

How to choose The Best Survival Knife
https://www.knife-depot.com/learn/best-survival-knife/

Fixed Knives vs. Folding Knives
Good survival knives have one thing in common - they're all fixed blades. The reasoning behind this is simple - a fixed-blade knife has no moving parts and is less likely to break. A folder, on the other hand, cannot withstand stronger force and will succumb to pressure by breaking.
Most outdoorsmen will take along two knives, one fixed-blade knife and one folding knife for smaller tasks. But first and foremost, you should focus on a dedicated survival knife.

What's the Ideal Survival Knife Blade Length?
The blade length of a survival knife can range anywhere from four inches to a hefty eight inches. However the ideal length should be somewhere between four and six inches for the blade and it's mainly a matter of preference. While a shorter blade can give you more flexibility to do smaller tasks, a longer blade will give more power and durability for accomplishing heftier deeds.

Straight vs. Serrated
The deciding factor on the perfect survival knife is whether the blade should be straight or serrated. Serrations come in handy when you're cutting rope and doing other tasks, but it's very difficult to sharpen, especially if you're out in the wild.

A fully-serrated edge shouldn't ever be used because a straight edge will be a must in nearly any situation. That's why a partially-serrated blade or a fully straight-edge blade should be your only two options. Simply put, a straight edge is cleaner, easier to sharpen, and doesn't have some of the limitations imposed by serrations, but again, it will depend on your comfort level with the knife and what you plan to do with it.

Top 5 Survival Knives

1. FALLKNIVEN A1 Survival Knife

These knives are the best of the best as they put tender care into every knife they make. It’s 11 inches of pure mastery and boasts a 6.3-inch blade made from laminated VG-10 steel. For extra strength and durability, the handle is made from Kraton and the sheath is made from Zytel. The major downside of this fine blade is the price -- but its’ well worth it for hard-core survivalists.

2. COLD STEEL SRK Survival Knife

With this knife simplicity is the key to its success. It is a high-quality knife that's designed to withstand tons of abuse when you're out in the elements. The blade is six inches long and features a plain edge with a clip point. Reasonably priced, the Cold Steel, is an all-around fantastic survival knife that won't let you down.

3. KA-BAR Becker Companion Survival Knife

This fixed blade knife is one of the most popular among survival knives. The 5.5 blade is made from 1095 Cro-Van steel and features a plain edge with a drop point. At 500gms this is one of the heaviest survival knives, but its weight can be used to your advantage during more labor-intensive jobs.

4. GERBER LMF II Survival Knife

This partially serrated blade is 4.84 inches long and is made from 420HC stainless steel, which is resistant to rust. While a lot of attention gets paid to the blade itself, the unsung hero of the knife is its Kraton handle which feels extremely comfortable in your hand and even features a window breaker on the end for urban survival.

5. ESEE-6 Survival Knife

For survival situations, nothing can beat the ESEE-6, which has the perfect weight, balance and purpose. The overall length is a bit long at 11.75 inches because it boasts the longest blade that puts all its effort on making it completely functional for the outdoors with its comfortable and curvaceous grip that fits perfectly in any hand.

Briha

I am no expert but personally i dont find any one particular knife to be able to do any and every job well. So even with knives it is best to have one for every specific task.

The knife i have on or around me most of the times is the cold steel pendleton mini hunter. Small and light enough to be unobtrusive while in the pocket and fit for most small cutting tasks.
The only other knife i happen to use regularly is the old hickory 7" butcher knife. Use it for food prep during my weekend cooking attempts. This is the cheapest, most used and almost best liked knife i have. I am truly impressed with how this knife performs given its price. It cuts, chops and slices just as well as knives costing 5-10 times as much. Also it takes a keen edge and holds it very well.

I have had no real use for any of the other knives i have, so all the condors, sogs, ontarios, bokers and esees only get oiled and put back into storage. This is what i believe happens to 90% of the so called survival knives that exists in the world today

But yes if i had to get only one knife, it would have to be a fixed blade, full tang, atleast 5 inches, of good steel grade and without serrations. *Esse 5*

Like the old saying goes, you can do small jobs with a big knife but not big jobs with a small knife.

kshitij,

I agree with you that there is no practical use of a survival knife in India at least. There are no trekking routes or camping grounds except a few in the hills. Considering the population in India you are not alone or very far away from civilization and every thing is easily available every where. The best use of your knives would be cutting off a branch of a tree or chop some bushes and feel good about getting some thing done with your knife.
But off-course it is a good and interesting hobby collecting sharp edged weapons. I also own some knives, swords and sword sticks that I love collecting.

Also important thing is that if the cops somehow notice you carrying a knife they could make things unpleasant for you.

Atul

Watch out for local laws especially for blade length, some of these could be illegal and cause many issues. Cautionary note adhere to the laws for such matters
Cheers

I would add a khukri to that list. Not the giant ones, but say a 7" blade. It can be used for cutting wood (brush clearing or firewood), food prep, and even as a self defense tool. Well, peeling potatoes might not be very easy......

No one markets it with "survival" in the name, though!

When it comes to knives, each ones individual choice could be influenced by several factors....
Suggestions & recommendations do help in a small way to choose a knife suited best to individual tastes...
Major influencers are price, availability, aesthetics (design / profile), ergonomics, end use & obsession (ownership)....
To each his own!!!!!!
Briha

well said bricharan survival knives can vary from cheap knives locally made to fallkniven a1 my choice would be sog bowie
some point in survival knives would be
*length 5-9inches
*decent metal (should hold edge or easy to sharp)
*metal thickness 3mm-6mm would do
*blade shape mostly all shape would do i dont know about tanto
*comfort hand grip (shocks should be minimal to hands on longer use)
*hard pommel (incase if you want to break/pound/drive sticks or pegs)
*decent sheath and carry options

"Right tool for the job", else you are doomed. Swiss knife is good for collectors but never serious work.

choombak wrote:"Right tool for the job", else you are doomed.
Swiss knife is good for collectors but never serious work.

Briha

Special point for our country - should pass a random cop check!!