Length cutoff for me personally is 10 inches for a main knife, and 6 inches for a backup knife. From a few veterans that I've met the "one is none, two is one" still sticks with me
My favorite knife is my Ka Bar USMC. Good enough for my uncle to carry through Vietnam. He gifted it to me when I was fourteen. I'm fifty two now, still as sharp as the day I got it. Second fav is my Schrade Old Timer. Those two and an ancient roofing axe I've had for decades serve me well.
CV. The perfect trifecta, especially the tomahawk!!! A "war face"😡, maniacally screaming and swinging a tomahawk🪓 can take the fight right out of an enemy, or at LEAST make them "re-think" their strategy,🤔 😱 HAHAHAAAAA!!!😆 😜 😉
My survival knife has beena Cattaraugus 225Q for over 50 years! I know it is a WWI era made knife but it has always been the best knife I have ever used in mountains, deserts, regular terrain and even the water.
I have the SRK in SK5, Recon Tanto and Warcraft Tanto. I've had them for years and use them in various kits and bags and they seen a ton of use and are still holding strong. They are beasts, though the SRK and Recon Tanto are more combat knives than bushcraft or survival knives.
@@henryvandeventer2457 They'll still work as suvival knives though. Especially the SRK, it's such a basic blade shape that it lends itself to a whole host of task, and having something is better than nothing.
@@kageorochi18 Definitely. I love my SRK. It's an awesome all purpose workhorse. It's a beast that will handle almost anything you throw at it. The Recon Tanto is definitely more a tactical combat knife, though it does perform well as a survival knife.
@@henryvandeventer2457 Gotta agree on that, I have the Recon Tanto, used it mostly for woodsplitting, I do think the tip of the Tanto is stronger than the SRK, but I still want the SRK too. Jammer genoeg kan je ze in dit land buiten je tuin etc niet echt gebruiken zonder geklaag van mensen etc, als ik een vast mes draag buiten huis is het een Brisa/Enzo Necker met curly birch handvat en een lederen hoes, maar feitelijk mag het onder normale omstandigheden niet. (denk dat je nederlands bent dus vandaar het einde) Groeten kerel!
I carry a full Tang 5-in handle 5-in Ozark trail blade that I have been caring for 12 years. I purchased the blade from Walmart when Walmart actually gave a damn about providing good quality products, the Ozark trail was the best. It stays Sharp for quite a while it came with a crappy sheath I made one out of leather with a f ferrisarium rod holder. I recommend this knife because it holds a good edge and does everything I need it to do. Bushcraft, woodworking, skinning animals, batoning I have even used it for small emergency surgery.
Not a fan of most "survivor" knives. I need a knife not a toolbox. My favorite is an old hickory that I paid $3 for at a garage sale. That with an boys ax and a folding saw I'm good.
It seems these guys went to different schools then we had when I was a ranger. Survival knife is the knife you have when you need it. The thing about fancy knives. People never seem to carry them. It's best to learn how to use a worthless knife and make it work. Just remember Survival situations never happens when you plan it. So having a million knives at home, will help you as much as the gun in the safe. When your being robbed. .
I like Sog Trident 🔱 because of weight and shape. I don’t like fancy knives either,you spend money and you barely use it, I get Mora and beat Shyt out of it..Actually Moras knives are good knives and Companion MG Carbon always by my side…
@Mr. Shlock Don’t you worry Brother I got them all HD,HQ,Craft Line,Kansbol except Garberg …Right now 7 knives 🔪 around me..No I lied,Balisongs were hiding behind the pillow..Always sneaky and trying to hide…
To be fair, the Cold Steel fixed blades are full tang, they're hidden full tang, but full tang nonetheless. The PROBLEM with them is actually a different one. The problem is the transition between blade and handle is at a sharp 90 degree angle which obviously creates a stress riser. They're still strong, but I have seen them break. Visible full tang is of course always going to be a better and stronger design imho.
@@cheapmovies25 coincidentally, a fat Busse Ash 1 is what I carry around the farm everyday. Heavy as heck but I know it'll outlast me no matter what I do with it.
I look at what the pioneers of old used, like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett and find one like that. Now for a great weapon knife, a good size Bowie knife will do since that is the legend behind it's creation. Love the video and your reasons for some knives and not having others. Thanks for a great informative and entertaining video. Stay safe and well 👍👍👍
Was cool seeing the Okc-3s here, disappointed you didn’t comment on it. I really don’t feel like it’s a great survival knife, just because the bayonet hole makes it really difficult for me to get a real close, tight and controlled grip, I kind of have to put my thumb awkwardly through it. That being said, for me personally, being a marine, I find the Okc-3s and it’s predecessor, the Ka-Bar to be some awesome, really cool knives, with great history to them, I just think my Esee-5 is a far more practical and indestructible all around knife.
I like the Topps sheath. If you make the straps tight enough you can use the knife with the sheath on as a slap jack. The handle can do damage too. The sheath may break down eventually , but fits into a pocket well if you want to carry it concealed. Topps knives are awesome quality.
I carry a Rapala fillet knife sharp as hell straight out-of-the-box. Great for filleting fish or skinning out an animal. Best survival knife you'll ever own!
Also excellent as a self defense weapon. It cuts human flesh just as easy.... A nurse i knew, who worked in the Trauma units in Toronto and Vancouver, told me that the worst wounds with a knife she had ever seen was used by a Thai Gang in Vancouver who expressly used fillet knives. By a long shot, she said.
Awesome vid! I also have TOPS knives (19) and some ESEES (7) and have trouble deciding which one to choose if I could only have one. ESEE 5 would work just fine though. That TOPS sere is both bad-ass and practical which is what I love about their knives. Never liked scandi grind knives....I know some people swear by them but I just don't like that style at all.
TOPS fan here also. The Armageddon is my absolute favorite. Have to rotate the edc, but have the Tahoma in one bag, the Condor Alert in another, and a Firestrike 45 in my get-home kit. The M4X Punisher is in the Jeep kit. Would be very challenging to pick just one. Mike Fuller was a great man by any standards, and his legacy is in good hands with the folks running the company now.
@@arctodussimus6198 Yeah the Armageddon is one I never picked up for some reason even though it deffinetly is one of their best overall survival knives it seems. And I've seen your posts on the Facebook page so I know you're very into their knives and the company and they are very cool down to earth guys at TOPS. And they are very much into the knives just as much as everyone else is which is awesome.
To me they are all camp knives and you bring depending on what you expect you need. I fully agree that a saw back or even jimping is nonsense. A 'survival' knife for me is the knife I bring just in case I need one but don't expect to need it often or at all.
My "go-to" knife is a Buck/Tops NightHawk Gen.ll... With a 1/4" thick blade, it batons and chops like an axe. I've filleted fish with it, along with butchering deer/hogs and holds an edge really good. Since I don't need the Oxygen bottle valve tool, I did some minor modding on it to turn that slot into a bottle opener... The sheath is ballistic nylon with both MOLLE and belt mount system and includes small pouch for wet rock...!!! But good luck finding one... Out of production since mid 2000s...!!!
I believe the Ontario USAF Survival Knife is the real deal, they do make a cheaper version they sell at walmart with a chinese sheath though. Ontario was one of the manufacturers for the U.S. government starting in the Vietnam war.
Woody Down Under. That was very informative and very interesting. I enjoy watching and learning. Im from the Northern Territory in OZ and my Son and I do a bit of hunting and love our knives. Hope to follow your Comments in the future. Stay Safe Mate.
Great video! I agree with you about a survival knife. My sweet spot is 5 inches. My go to are my ed martin t3 sere(now called to e&e),my winkler survival striker, or my bark river bravo 1.25. I don't have any of your knives yet,but plan on getting one.
Bark River and Esee are my favorites. If I could only have 1 survival knife it would probably be B.R. Bravo 1.25 3V. It checks all the boxes for my needs .
Good criteria. Have you checked out the BPS Knives coming out of the Ukraine? Mora Pricing with full tangs and wooden handles. Plus they're sold on Amazon. Reminds me of Condor before they doubled their prices. Have a Happy Birthday, America!🎉🇺🇸👍
I have a Becker BK7, a RAT 4, a Kershaw Camp 10, and a Cold Steel kukri machete that see use as regular camp knives that I would trust my life with. I have a Becker BK9 I have a Böker Persian that's the right length but the handle is lacking. Some new scales would fix this and then it'd be my edc camp blade for sure with the RAT as a backup. I also have a Becker BK5 I picked up when they discontinued it (it was on sale) that's a bit long for it's thickness but makes a good cooking knife or backup to my BK7 if I've got an axe for chopping.
71 year old Canadian. I keep a Gerber LMFII, Schrade SCAX5 and a folding saw handle made by 'Lenox' that takes sawsall blades in my urban disaster bag. If life becomes so horrible the only place to live is in the woods I'll probably be dead. Even though I have some wilderness survival knives they are not my first choice. Hurricanes, earthquakes etc. If I'm trapped in a building I don't need a bowie knife. Urban vs wilderness survival.
I'll bite, in return for the length of the video and depth of discussion. I have an Esee 6P-B that sits on the Lead Devil belt. Still fussing over how it will sit in final configuration, though - for the reasons you mentioned. I've still got some gear to aquire to fill out the rest of the belt. Leaning towards range use with a flex into hunting capability. The Esee I consider a very good mid-range production survival knife. They didnt put a bunch of rediculous serrarions or bottle openers all over it (looking at you, Tops). The handle is naturally comfortable, the micarta and hardware is grippy when wet, and non-reflective which is a big consideration for SEER types as well as hunting. It's .25" thick, which is about where I expect a 'survival' blade to be. And it's relatively lightweight, and whippy in the hand - big plusses. When it was *gifted* to me, my brother and I had actually exchanged knives. So he received my Kabar USMC fighting knife in D2. That had been with me on many, many camping trips over the years, and up until I got a bit more into wood processing, it had done just fine. That squared off rat tang behind the ricasso just couldnt handle some 2.5 inch dried pine though, and it took a slight bend before I corrected it. Having used Kabar and Esee for years now, I'll just say Esee is the more capable tool, and leave it at that. To each their own. Some people swear by getting lost in the woods with a Mora.. but like you mentioned, I think that series of knives really shine in the backpacking, lightweight, and finishing use cases. Two years ago I found out about Great Gurkha Khukuri House. Run by a guy named Purna who's colaborated with Jason Knight in the past. I wound up with just under a dozen of their blades after a bit of a buying frenzy and at the moment, if I had to throw ONE blade into a bag and drag my family into the woods, it would be an even split between either the 10" Jungle Khukuri, or the 13" Void Walker. I have several other larger Khukuris from their smithy but those two (and maybe the 15" sirupati) are ideally suited for woods work in my area. I live in dense Oak woodland, with some Mountain Cedar (basically Juniper) thrown in. Fields ans streams are sparse so any blade I use has to be capable of handling extremely hard, dry oak - as well as pitchy, soft cedar of large diameters. For those, the geometry of the khukuri makes it a truly capable multi-role survival blade. Honestly their own weakness is the hide and fig-wood sheathes that seem to such moisture right out of the air and are a bit unweildy. I'm looking into ordering some custom Kydex to address those issues. Thanks for showing off some of the 3River Blades! I'm going to take a look at your 5" survival model, the 3/16ths unit to possibly replace the Esee. The Esee works well as a vehicle knife and I like the capability of your blades as a true survival option. Cheers, from Texas.
I keep my bk9, and tops apache falcon razor sharp!!! One or the other gets paired with a bahco Laplander, and a smaller knife like a carbon garberg or bk18 and a folder and if I can a machete or axe to go with!!!
How in creation did the knife industry come up with the word "Jimping" for the thumb grooves on top of the knife? Can you picture that conversation: "What should we call these ridges this guy asked me to put in for his thumb grip?" "Ridges?" "No." "Serrations?" "No, confusing. " "Grooves." "No, too vague." "Climping, grimping, Jimping, hell I don't know..." "JIMPING! Yes that's it. It's not even a word. "
Thank You 🙏 for the Video I enjoyed watching it just to see what other people think and carry.. I have no preference unless it’s a mission,then I have to think 🤔 otherwise SAK in my pocket is sufficient..Anything else Esse 6 and Husqwarna hatchet 🪓 or WorkPro with built in saw…
FYI, my friend - Kabars are NOT rat tail tangs. They are "tang-through". The same blade is used as the tang, but the tang is narrower than the upper portion of the blade.
I've found that for a survival knife I like the kabar big brother it gives me a big blade that's light to carry on my belt and for me a axe becomes very important in the winter imho
I have a Swamp Rat Ratweiler that I bought new in 03. I bought into the Busse hype train. And believe that some of the survival knives they designed are excellent. I have a huge collection of their survival knives. I don't buy swords or fantasy inspired stuff they do put out. I have other custom knives as well. Scott Gossman being my favorite custom guy. I've bought production knives from Esee. Ontario and Tops before. My sister has a Ontario SP50 that she's beat to shit. I bought her that for Christmas one year. She's good at sharpening on rods and it's always sharp.
While I don't have all these knifes if I had to take only one it would be my KA BAR 1213 Kraton. Solid enough for survival. Long enough to fight. Light, sharp and easy to sharpen.
Have used several of those showed... as for Mora, there are many models, some actually full tang (example Mora Garberg). Plastic? Look at Morakniv Finn 14083 Ash Wood then. Very nice (not sure about the tang, but the tang is not EVERYTHING).
Great Video but I have a FYI the USAF Survival Knife that you showed in your video at time index 9:00 is not a Replica but the Real DEAL because I was Issued one from my Supply Dept at my Squadron and it was put on my Air Crewmen Survival Vest in the US NAVY back in 2003. You can tell that is the real knife by the sheath having both the a ribbed and sewed in Strap to secure the knife. I ended up with three of those knives by the time I was put out to pasture after my flight line accident that ended my Naval career and put me in a wheelchair.
Hi new subscriber here :)) quick question? Did the Army make a version of the Ka-Bas marine fighter, but tge Army version has a shorter blade I 🤔 is that right. Thanks keep up the great videos 📹
The best survival knife is one of those ones with the hollow handle containing fishing equipment. then no matter what situation you find yourself in, you can survive indefinitely because you have unlimited food.
I use a Gerber strongarm for most things,tough blade,just about the right size for most applications, wrapped paracord around the sheath with a ferrous rod,also have the Ka bar,don't have a lot of faith in the rat tale.only hollow handle survival knife I would consider is the Schrade,solid one piece steel rather than blade pinned to the handle,that'll break on you in a real situation....guaranteed
Esee 6, Swiss army Alox farmer or a Ontario rat 1 in d2 (make sure you loctite the screws) on a lanyard larks headed around my belt loop and in my pocket and a silky saw
Hey people, need some advice, i was thinking bout getting a tomahawk or a parang which is a big blade like machete but used in jungle. Which is more recommended in terms of stats and uses.