Survival knives

Krezyhorse said:
I like exotic, high end steel knives for my EDC. I'm kind of a steel snob.

For a purely survival knife or woods knife, I'd go with a carbon steel. More prone to rust of course, but much easier to sharpen and that's what you need in the field.
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I’m a bit of a steel snob myself LOL. My preferred is M390, but I have a variety of knives including a Fantoni HB-03 with S125V, Spyderco PM2 with S110V, Cruwear, M4, and a few other models in CTS-XHP.

The funny thing is some of the “premium’ knife makers like Chris Reeve still uses S35V (which he helped formulate). Emerson still uses 154CM. I guess there is something to be said for the ability to field sharpen a knife versus having some crazy hard steel that requires specialized equipment.
 
Agree !!!

For a purely survival knife or woods knife, I'd go with a carbon steel. More prone to rust of course, but much easier to sharpen and that's what you need in the field.
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Have to agree as I am into knives as well and even though the SS stand up to the elements better, too many lack the heart of good steel. I regularly sharpen knives, for groups and right off I can tell how serviceable, they are going to be. In my previous working life, I used the bench mounted hardness tester and that gave me a great reference. ..... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
You know that saying that goes something like: The gun in your hand is better than the one in your drawer? etc... I think the same can go for "tactical" knives or pocket knives.

I can pocket carry a tiny 9mm, and a Benchmade Mini Griptillian (among other small folding knives). Small guns are harder to shoot well. Small folders are not as sturdy as big fixed blades. But they will be on me practically every day. That's pretty tactical. If I go from being in my car to immediately being stranded on an island with nothing but a volleyball to talk to, hey! I'm prepared. If my clothes can't support the weight of a firearm (gym shorts) then I can multitask and carry a Cold Steel Recon 1 clip point to fulfill both roles of utility tool and defensive weapon.
 
KaBar is hard to beat. Lord knows how many deer I’ve gutted and skinned with one. It has to run into between 100 and 150 deer, or maybe more. You can reach into the gut cavity on a deer with that long blade knife and cut the guts loose from the tissue suspending them and hardly get blood on your hand. You can chop small limbs and kindling. I’ve had a KaBar in my ‘Possible bag’ since about 1963 or so.

My old buddy Earl, now deceased, did all his deer skinning with a KaBar that he carried on Saipan with the Marines. He used it, he said, on a couple of enemy soldiers.
 
Here is a great guide to knife steels from Blade HQ. While it is impossible to be the best in every category, they seem to agree that M390 is the best of all worlds at this time. It has great edge retention, is pretty tough, and has good corrosion resistance. The main weakness it ease of sharpening, which they rated at 2/10.

Another “best of all worlds” Steel is Cruwear, but it is pretty uncommon and I’ve only seen it on a few folders.
 
I carry a Mora Companion as an everyday working knife
Working the ranch, hunting, hiking, camping, fishing, in town, around the house, Etc
They are the most practical and useful knifes I’ve ever owned
If there’s something it can’t do well there is a better tool than a knife
Wicked sharp, hold an edge well, lightweight, just the right size
Well under $15 so buy them by the box and leave them everywhere
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I agree with all of those points. I've got several, one of them has a fire starter built into the handle.
 
knives

Although I own several, I'm not a real fan of big, fixed blade knives. You can do more with a big knife than a small one, but I never found myself much needing to build a shelter, baton kindling or fight bears :) the sort of thing that a smaller knife can't do well. A Buck Mini Mentor (blade length 3-1/2") is about as large a fixed blade as I ever, if I even carry a fixed blade to the woods hunting these days. Factory sheath for the knife stinks BTW, find something better if you have a Mini-Mentor. Another knife I've been using lately is the Cold Steel Canadian belt knife, again a modest fixed blade. Affordable too! Either one of those will make short work of a whitetail, clear down to quartering the animal if you can manage the hip joints.

I carried the military Kabar to the woods for a short while, but abandoned it early on. The sharp edge on the back clip was a hazard, I ended up dulling it with a round file. Useful on a fighter for a backslash I guess, but plain pain for a field knife. The down sized copy of the military Kabar looks interesting, but is about as big as I'd go.

I'll admit that a military fixed blade I have been carrying a bit is the Glock field knife, NOT the blade with the root saw. Its not so much the knife as the sheath. The belt clip goes on and off easily, and is secure. The blade locks into the sheath with a novel thumb snap arrangement and is also very secure. If your into the tactical upside down carry on your web gear, one could tape this to the harness, and the knife is not coming out till you want it. The polymer sheath is bombproof. The knife is darn tough too. Originally a bayonet, it's bit thick, but flat ground and strong.
 
Got my Esee 5 the other day. You guys were right, this thing is a tank and fairly heavy. Not opposed to that but you can definitely feel the weight when clipped to your belt. When I get another knife i'll likely get the Esee 4......maybe even a Mora.
 
I agree with the others who are espousing the "use the right tool for the job" mentality. I have hunting knives and utility knives. (I'm currently considering a Ka-Bar as a tactical/fighting knife, although the reality is that the likelihood of me actually getting in a knife fight is right up there with me shooting zombies at TEOTWAWKI.) For anything that a normal knife can't handle, I have better tools, such as a machete, hatchet, ax or even a collapsible bow saw. When I see someone batoning wood with a large knife, I just shake my head and wonder why they'd want to expend unnecessary amounts of effort, end up doing a worse job, and destroy a knife, to boot.
 
I still have a vintage Case "Outlander".
A thermometer on the side of the handle. Compass on the hilt. The leather sheath has a pouch with fish line & sinkers. Whistle , and a waterproof match.
Vintage mid eighties. A down sized looking Rambo goes to a BBQ ... Black , anodized stainless . Still 95% cond.
That said , a K bar would be better all around knife ,with my SOG trident as my pocket blade backup.
 
Warhammer said:
I agree with the others who are espousing the "use the right tool for the job" mentality. I have hunting knives and utility knives. (I'm currently considering a Ka-Bar as a tactical/fighting knife, although the reality is that the likelihood of me actually getting in a knife fight is right up there with me shooting zombies at TEOTWAWKI.) For anything that a normal knife can't handle, I have better tools, such as a machete, hatchet, ax or even a collapsible bow saw. When I see someone batoning wood with a large knife, I just shake my head and wonder why they'd want to expend unnecessary amounts of effort, end up doing a worse job, and destroy a knife, to boot.
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This is pretty much my line of though too. A combination hunting/survival knife that is also a tactical knife? I get into tactical situation somewhere with someone I'm pulling out a 9mm, not a knife!
 
One time I arrested a hooker for stabbing another hooker over fifteen times. Apparently she wasn’t getting the response she thought she should be getting. If you’re thinking there exists for you a possibility of using a knife in self defense you might want to do some research and training. I’ve never had to really use one in self defense but I have had to defend myself in such attacks on several occasions. Lot different than when someone whips out a gun.
 
Considering you're looking for something that can be used for hunting, tactical, and situations without spending a fortune, I'd recommend the ESEE P4 and P6. With a little maintenance, the 1095 carbon steel holds an edge well and will last a lifetime. The Gerber LMF II Survival and Gerber StrongArm are also tried and true knives you can't go wrong with. Here is a good list of knives to check out.
 
I'm a fan of the Esee 4. They go for around a hundred bucks. Well made, easy to sharpen. I find myself more likely to carry around an Esee Izula II while out in the boonies though.
 
I can recommend the Esee 4. Mine is for bushcraft but I don't see why it couldn't be used defensively either.

Before that I used a Cold Steel SRK and that's been a good knife as well.
 
This is probably blasphemy for a Marine to say, but for a fighting knife I prefer a full sized ka-bar Tanto.
 
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