Best Survival Knives Available in 2021 

What about the sheath tho??

@Pete not totally. If i like the knife enough ill fab my own kydex sheath but I'd be lying if i said it wasn't a factor in my choice.

Dude look into forming kydex. Its actually pretty easy, there are tons of videos on yt. It can be noisy in the field but you can take once finished to an upholstery shop and have them fab a cover if thats an issue. Honestly i take into account the sheath when selecting to try and avoid it all together. Some knives are worth it though.

Why would you accept the premise that after buying a knife, you will find it necessary to spend $50 to $150 for a decent sheath, when it is the responsibility of the knife maker to supply a quality sheath with his knife? If the knife does not come with a well designed sheath, then you might want to re-evaluate the quality of that knife.

@Pete I agree that sounds a bit pricy but perhaps this leather shop dude is a real pro and using the best quality veg tanned, full grain leather. Hand stitched, wet molded, burnished edges, etc all take some time, elbow grease, and pricy tools. Given china’s aptitude for knocking off designs and sourcing cheap labor/materials, it can be hard to swallow prices for American handmade goods, but “buy nice or buy twice” and “ you get what you pay for” usually ring true for me. If you are good at hanging onto your possessions, and maybe want to pass your blade down as an heirloom, I think $200 - $250 for a reliable and sexy knife and sheath could be worthwhile.. it’s all relative I suppose. Always nice to support the local American artisans when possible.

Dumb question!

@Michael Slaney 48 (STUDENT) Glad it worked for you. Not the first choice but better than a sharp rock...

Hello fellow Alaskan!

This is true.

True! It's also nice having orange grips so you can find it when you set it down while field dressing. Case makes some nice ones like that.

An old hunter once told me that while field dressing a boar he forgot to bring his skinner and had to use an old slipjoint knife, the damn thing broke and nearly took his fingers off, he finished the job with his hatchet, which he admitted he should have used in the first place.

❤️❤️❤️ GREAT INFO. AND GREAT JOB! THANKS FOR SHARING YOU'VE HELPED ME ALOT!🌹

Older guy here reading your comment and I agree. To the statement about no one standing in knives on RU-vid , this guy mayor fuglycool tests knives and actually does stand on them after hammering them into a board. He also does pull-ups with the blades. He is kind of fun to watch also. Just FYI

You are absolutely correct. I have carried a knife since 1967. I’ve been depending on my knife (many different ones over the years) for over 45 years. Countless days, weeks, and even months at a time in the bush have taught me how valuable life is, and how much that life depends on a good blade. With the right knowledge and skills, you can make do in the field with just about any kind of junk that’s available...except for your knife. Get a good one, your life may well depend on it some day. 👍🏻

@@gvines I bought a Gerber Strongarm after watching mayor fuglycools video on it.

younger guy here reading your comment and thinking wow, this guy is apparently old and yet he knows little about philosophy of use of survival knives and better yet uses obscure and unlikely examples of knife usage to justify his advice on carry options. Cost is an important issue in deciding what tool to go with. I will, for better relation use two old age sayings which should be better understood by the oldage viewers..... BUY CHEAP BUY TWICE and YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. to compare esee to a falkniven is Ludacris, for one esse is like mass produced with machines and lower quality materials, whereas the falkniven is made from premium high technology materials, superstainless steels with lamination and hand finished to create a premium quality and time tested product. Blade geometry is another big consideration old folks, the esse usually have cheap and dirty full-flat (crap grinds), suited to more slicing uses, whereas the falkniven has a quality convex grind which is the best of the best for wood working bushcraft.The grind is literally designed to bite and split the wood fibres in the most efficient way possible. however rant aside i can also shed some old timer knowledge which may well overwrite my above opinions....... THE BEST KNIFE IS THE ONE YOU HAVE ON YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST. and BIG KNIVES CAN DO ALL THE TASKS OF A LITTLE KNIFE BUT A LITTLE KNIFE CANT DO THE TASKS OF A BIG KNIFE. all in all its just user preference and consumer economic status. you get what you can afford but with it being an all-important useful and longlasting implement for survival such as a blade, perhaps one should go above and beyond their paygrade and get something which is proven.

Totally agree. I was so impressed with it, I had to get the 3V Recon Tanto too, just because... 😃 I do hope they come out with a 3V SRK-C, too.

I got my bark river grizzly cub in 3v and love it. But had to sell 2 knives t buy it... I gotta check out Cold Steel again, I remember ppl warning me against buying them years back saying the QC was brutal. Obviously must have changed.

Yeee reliable when I'm in the hood

@@Kman31ca it has. Felt same way for yrs do steered clear of anything Cold Steel and stick with brands I knew and trusted like Benchmade, Spyderco, Tops, etc..

@@souljayt8411 Ya ok kiddo. The "hood"😂

Yeah I definitely must agree with that approach. It's not too much to ask to carry two knives really, in which case you can choose options more ideally suited to specific purposes rather than an "all-rounder".

agree but I'd say 6 to 8 inch, not 6 to 7

Have you dealt with the sheath or found a good custom maker? I've got the original, original sheath and I'm embarrased to even use that, hear the new one's not that much better.

Thank you Nate! A lot of thought went into that design, and I'm glad you appreciate it good sir. -DCA

William Sheehe same! I’m in the northwest tip of NJ. Been binging Knife Center vids all day.

Im in jersey i carry a hogue ex-f01 7" nd 5.5" best buck for your dallor hands down

@@jamesanderson562 great knives BUT not good for survival or extreme tactical situations tbh.

@@dieseldabz7104 ya ok, what the hell was the knife made for then?

Except for that hollow handled knife looking thing.😂

Agree!!!BK-9 had been my go to blade.

Correct, but with the right skill set and a little know how you can certainly still accomplish most large knife tasks with a solid 4 to 5 inch blade.

And there cheap I really like mine and to add there field proven as well

LMAO 😂

@Paul Smith I accept that answer. Cheers.

@@jasona.palmer6993 Yeeeah. But masculinity isn't an excuse for immaturity. Look at the Rock, or Denzel Washington, or James Bond, very masculine, but also have their shiz together. Keep your shiz together on camera. Men can do that.

Dude 🤣🤣

@@ryaandnice The Rock is a casual and just keeps it low, there is nothing masculine about keeping it low, it's just a preference and choice of the pros/cons given in doing so. Also, there is nothing masculine about having body-issues and using steroids.. Some of the people you referred to, might have childhood trauma and express it in the way you described, but most don't. Some people just have fun, don't be a "wanna-be psychologist" on the internet mate

Agreed with the best is the one you have on hand! That is why we tried to stick with suggestions that wouldn't be too annoying to carry. Thank you for your service!

Infantryman here as well. 10 yrs and tour later and my #1 knife that saved my ass and STILL in amazing shape to this day would be my Benchmade Nimravus Black class fixed blade. Not super premium steel yet 154CM with G10 scales and Kydex/Carbon Fiber sheath. Actually haven't seen a sheath of this quality since buying this and my Black class Ares folder in '97

I think so too, but I am a bit biased lol. Thank you damyr! -DCA

@@knifecenter Dammit -DCA!. I thought I was done with grail knives for a while.. The longer I studied the geometry and craft.. Yeah that Pilgrim's my knife. Wish me luck with Canadian exchange rate at that price. Another awesome Update/Review man. Grabbed a Gerber Strong arm for a work beater recently after wearing out all folder systems, she's solid but the sheath has been nothing but a hassle especially below 0 degrees C. Serious contraction. Good point about top guards. Does get in the way for detail work.

Good setups! -DCA

Touche! lol

Cold steel is made in China. Even after this fake China flu people still buying junk. Ha ha ..

@@mikecarr1484 Cold Steel is not made in China.

I don’t know what they’re like these days, but the reason I’ve stayed away from them is because they sucked.....

STILL wouldn't trust the lockup on it and fixed blades are ALWAYS stronger especially when full tang!

Amen

As in every case, skills and a positive mental attitude are more important than the knives.

@@knifecenter Egg-Zack-ly. Thanks for the back up. Any knife will do, if you know what you are doing. Stay frosty brother.

PJ Colella 8 €@&

How old are you? Not to be rude.

Great story PJ. Thanks for sharing.

@@privateparker5698 at least 72

Awesome, obviously quality of people and products had gone down tremendously. Thanks for your comment. Nothing makes a knife cooler than the blood and sweat of your ancestors and the pride of passing it along.

You might come across an Amazon package in the woods with an unassembled bike in it??

Because people who make hollow handle knives know NOTHING about knives.😂

So you can adjust your scope on your AR?

Same. I piggyback a CRKT Incendiary on the sheath for small chores.

He has a few designs out there. His Pilgrim LT and Skipjack fixed blade pocket knife are up on KnifeCenter's website. His Lapwing and Canteen Knife are currently only available on his site, but will be returning to the KnifeCenter when the next batches are made. Cheers, Ian!

Of all the ones I've seen the pilgrim is definitely my favorite. I almost pulled the trigger on one. Ended up getting the LT Wright GNS in 3V last minute.

@@knifecenter I didn't know he has more knfe designs, I'll definetely check them out!

I've got the Becker companion bk2, love it.

Thank you THF! -DCA

Yeah. And why did he say they’re made in Japan?😂

We consider that a Bushcraft knife, rather than fitting into the "survival knife" genre. Will it work to help you survive though? Absolutely! -DCA

@@knifecenter Fair enough, but with the multi mount MOLLE sheath option it really sets itself up for bushcraft and tactical/survival style work.

The cutting edge rusts on all of mine also. Other than rusting there great knives wish they made them in s35vn or something similar.

I personally hate knives with coated blades for several reasons like once it's started to wear off there's NO stopping it or fixing it yourself unlike a polished blade or even stonewashed for example. The only company I'm aware of that will recoat the blade back to factory specs are Benchmade, but at a cost!

I know what you mean. I have a BK9 and love it.

BK7 is a tank. It's a little heavy if you're carrying a full survival pack but not to the point of it being a liability, and if you're just taking it camping or in your vehicle for when you need it. A Great Survival/Combat knife.

No way you would use s90v in a survival knife, waaayyy to chippy. The m4 version would be a lot better for that.

The Strongarm is just overpriced for 420HC, IMO.

Patiently waiting for the SRK-C in 3V steel. That'll be a sweet knife

Mora could

Warcraft!!! Colas Steel. 🤘🏻

@Bert Clayton serious

I got a CS GI Tanto years ago just bc it cost $25 at the time and it’s a solid knife. I was surprised how durable it was especially for the price. I used it for chopping and everything

From how I understand it, that only applies when concealed -DCA

@@knifecenter I think you’re right, but that includes wearing a jacket over your knife, which I would be doing more than 1/2 of the time. We don’t have many months of jacket-less weather in the Colorado mountains. I guess I’d prefer to stick to the longest legal limit for concealed, and then not worry about what I’m wearing. Of course, 3.5 inches would only be a ‘nuisance’ wound, should I need to defend myself from a bear. Not that I’d have great odds anyway . . . 😂

Had a CQB1, passed it to my son.

@@richardhatt6541 Top notch QC on those. Nice knife.

@@Rickster2791 two tours in Iraq, a knife I could trust my life with. Sad to see the company sold.

the cold steel srk comes in 3v

The prices on those old blades are outrageous, the nostalgia market really plays dividends.

Yeah, I work here, and they still have to kick me out sometimes :D -DCA

Behind you by 6 years and have supplies for earthquakes. No problem at all when the stupid people came out and emptied the stores of toilet paper, pasta, rice, flour, sugar, etc. Just went to the earthquake supplies that we use and replace on a rotating basis. I have asthma and my wife is a cancer survivor so we are also staying at home. I agree some of the knives shown are a little to expensive for me. (Would love a Falkniven but never pulled the trigger.) I have several Beckers, K-Bars, and Esees acquired over the years (many from KnifeCenter) when they were less expensive. All made in the USA, except for a couple of Moras. I will not buy a knife from China for any reason. Taiwan and Japan are o.k. If no comparable American made knife. I agree with you wholeheartedly about serrated blades. I carry a Spyderco Manix II folding knife daily along with two mini-multi tools and it is amazing how often I use them.

none of these are that expensive lmao you get what you pay for especially w knives

Hear hear, the Ka-Bar would be my pick also.

I've seen several of them and also pilot survival knives and a Case bowie break when thrown by Navy SEALs into trees for practice. They are all the same steel and it is too brittle to count on as a survival knife. It has never survived an arctic survival course for that matter either. A specific survival knife is one you may have to count on not for three days or so, but for the rest of your life. The military contractor who made it is usually the lowest bidder who proves he can provide an item the govt wants. Not always, but usually. Those knives that broke incidentally were always broken at the junction of the handle and the blade, right at the guard.

Great knife, and a very underrated company! Love what they are doing. -DCA

Rye Waldman Bark River is at the top of their game - currently tied with TOPS (for me) for affordable unbreakable irresistible fixed blades pretty much across the whole lineup.