Survival Knife Guide

Survival Knife Guide

 When It comes to blades there are many choices out there. Everything from ninja stars, throwing knives, push knives, bayonets, folding pocket knives, multi-function blades, multi-tools, survival knives, bowie knives, hunting knives, axes, saws,  machetes, and swords. All these blades have their own uses and a variety of specialized purposes. When it comes to picking out a survival blade, I recommend first the survival knife.

"That's Not A Knife..."

What is a survival knife? A survival knife simply is a knife that serves as your tool for survival. If the only knife on you is a Swiss Army Knife, well guess what, that's your survival knife. For the purposes of this article, however, we'll go a step further. A survival knife is a fixed blade, full tang knife made of stainless or carbon steel between the lengths of 3 inches to 1 foot long. Whoa, that's quite the definition, what does all that mean? We'll get to that. But first, don't let anyone tell you your knife is not good enough. Purchasing knives is a subjective experience. There are hundreds of styles of survival knives out there and many of them are just as good as the others. Becoming informed about what is on the market will help you choose the one that's right for you. 

The survival knife might just be the most important survival tool you can have. If it came down to just you and the elements your survival knife will save you a million times over. Great for making shelter, setting traps, chopping firewood, forging a trail, hacking brush, digging, prying, hunting, self-defense and a million other uses. So what should you look for in a quality survival knife?

How to choose the right Survival Knife for you.

1. Tang (Not just a delicious orange flavored powdered drink mix for astronauts)

Tang

Tang is the most important feature of a durable blade. Tang is the piece of metal that extends from the end of the blade and into the handle. Some knives have little to no tang, a medium size tang or a full tang. A full tang will extend all the way down to the very end of the handle. A full tang blade will give you more strength, power and durability. A full tang also means the knife is a fixed blade knife as opposed to a folding style knife. And while folding blade knives have their place, a good survival knife should be a fixed blade. Knives that have no tang and stop at the handle will eventually break with heavy use. So when you are shopping for that survival knife and you see that awesome knife that has an empty handle that will keep your matches waterproof and topped off with a fifty-cent compass at the end, keep on walking. I do not recommend that type of knife for a survival knife.

2. Metal

Most knives are either stainless steel or carbon steel. Both are strong, quality metals. The trade off comes with a personal choice, carbon steel will most likely hold an edge and stay sharper longer, but carbon steel tends to rust a little easier. If you are willing to put in a little bit of care into your knife, this will not be much of a problem, if you are going to leave this in your garage for years, maybe stick with a stainless steel. Just a dab of oil once in a while will help keep any blade form rusting. With the exception of some machetes, however, blades longer than a foot or two long, such as swords, should be heat treated carbon steel.

Doesn't my knife look huge?

3. Size

When it comes to survival knives, size does matter. But, you don't have to be like Rambo or Dundee carrying around huge knives. What you want is a size that feels comfortable to you and is appropriate for the tasks you will be using your knife for. Earlier I said a survival knife is 3 inches to a foot long. That's a big difference in sizes. These movie guys seem to have enormous...  knives, looks like just over a foot long blade for Mr. Rambo there. For most uses, except maybe hacking your way through a jungle, that's going to be way too big and you don't want to end up hurting yourself. Besides, if the blade were any bigger these guys may just want to carry a machete instead. On the other hand, a knife less than 3 inches really isn't going to help you do much more than whittle or pick your splinters out. So really I made up my size definitions based on those parameters. Ideally, I would recommend 5 to 7 inches, but again go with what is comfortable for you. When it comes to thickness, about 3/16 to 4/16 of an inch will be durable enough for wood chopping and prying. You will want a blade that does not have a lot of flexibility. My advice, pick up some knives, compare different sizes, think about what your main uses are going to be and how easily you want it to be to carry.

4. Cut

Serrated or straight? A serrated blade can be great for light sawing and cutting rope, but the draw back is that serrated blades often require a special tool to sharpen, whereas, straight cut can be easily sharpened on a stone. In the U.S. most blades are sharpened on both sides but some countries will only sharpen one side of the blade.

5. Handle

The handles of knives are also a very subjective choice. They come in rubber, polymers, wood and many others. Some are ergonomically designed to fit your hand some have tools built in, and ends that are made for hammering. Some have holes to put a holding loop through. I like rubber polymer handles. They tend to have a nice grip, last a long time, prevent blistering and are waterproof. Just do not buy a knife because it has a compass on it! Hollow handles and two piece blades equal bad.

6. Sheath

Last but not least, the sheath. Again a subjective choice, sheaths come in nylon, hard plastic and leather to name a few. And while these all have their pros and cons, my favorite is the KYDEX sheaths for both knives and firearm holsters. Kydex is a thermoplastic acrylic-polyvinyl chloride material, basically it is used as a substitute for leather but looks and feels like a hard plastic, great stuff. Sheathes can have holes around the sides or bottom for securing the sheath to your leg, clothing or backpack, some have a loop for your belt as well. Many good sheathes will also have a snapping or Velcro strap that prevents the knife from falling out.

7. Cost

Lucky for you a good survival knife doesn't have to cost a fortune. Some cheap blades can be found starting at around $10 that will work just fine, the average prices range from $30 to $60 and up to $100 or more. Prices don't always mean quality, so find what works for you first then compare prices second. If you are on a budget that's OK too, but be sure you are not buying something that is going to fall apart on first use or you are just throwing your money away.

Your survival knife should be your first tool for survival. You have a lot of information now to make an informed decision. Just remember your survival knife should be a fixed blade, full tang knife made of stainless or carbon steel between the lengths of 3 inches to 1 foot long, otherwise you can't go wrong. 

I bought my first survival knife only a few years ago and I couldn't be happier with it. I have put it through a lot of abuse and it's still holding strong with a very sharp blade. Up until now, I've only ever owned a small Buck knife, a Schrade folding knife, small and large Swiss Army knives, a multi-tool and a kitchen fillet knife for fishing. I will post a review of my first survival knife shortly. 

Meanwhile, here is a list of knife manufactures that are known to make quality blades.

Ka-Bar
Cold Steel
Gerber
SOG Specialty Knives
Smith & Wesson
Buck
Remington
Leatherman
Victorinox - Swiss Army Knives