Survival Knives

[JFarkle]

Lets see what your go-to blades are for SHTF, heavy outdoor use or possibly abuse, bushcraft, and survival.   

I've got a bunch, but my favorite knife of all time is the Bear Grylls signed Bayley Knife. They run $1k and up, so I went with the DHgate chinese knockoff.  ATS-34 stainless, g10 scales, scout style sheath. If you can get past Bear's name on the sheath and blade, it's a fantastic looking, feeling, and functioning knife.   

 

[MacGyver]

Jim Randall and Mike Perrin’s ESEE-5 is my longtime goto.  I’ve got a lot fancier knives, but I grab that one first whenever I’m in the field.

You can do a little knife job with a big knife - but not the reverse.  

[JFarkle]

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Edited Friday at 06:49 PM by JFarkle
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[Defender]

Nice!  I like my Gerber LMF Infantry, I have one in black and one in desert.  Pretty tough knives.

[JFarkle]

4 hours ago, Defender said:

Nice!  I like my Gerber LMF Infantry, I have one in black and one in desert.  Pretty tough knives.

I bought a $10 knockoff of one of those in OD green and the quality was parallel. Worth a look even on sites like Temu. I search high-end knives. 

[MacGyver]

14 minutes ago, JFarkle said:

I bought a $10 knockoff of one of those in OD green and the quality was parallel. Worth a look even on sites like Temu. I search high-end knives. 

I want to push back on that a little bit.  First on quality - then on principle.

That $10 knockoff isn’t the same quality knife.  Steel, heat treating, quality control - none of that is the same.  I’m not an LMF person - but I’d be willing to wager putting an original and that knockoff edge to edge and then hammering the spine - the original will cut through the Temu knockoff.

Second - it hurts the maker.  Gerber will be fine.  It hurts someone like Rob Bayley.  It’s worth supporting makers we care about.

 

[JFarkle]

5 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

I want to push back on that a little bit.  First on quality - then on principle.

That $10 knockoff isn’t the same quality knife.  Steel, heat treating, quality control - none of that is the same.  I’m not an LMF person - but I’d be willing to wager putting an original and that knockoff edge to edge and then hammering the spine - the original will cut through the Temu knockoff.

Second - it hurts the maker.  Gerber will be fine.  It hurts someone like Rob Bayley.  It’s worth supporting makers we care about.

 

It hurts the makers when they charge an arm and a leg. My rebuttal is it helps determine if you want to pull the trigger on a $700 safe queen or not. Knives are tools in my opinion, and I'm a broke 20 something year old. 

[JFarkle]

Like this is a $6 Victorinox Swiss Champ. I AM NOT PAYING $120 for a knife that will get taken by TSA.

[FrankD]

I'm with MacGyver on this one, I will save up and support the creators rather than buying a knockoff.  Sure they are higher priced but you are paying for the time and effort of design as well as the assurance that you are getting what you paid for.  I highly doubt that a company that is willing to blatantly rip off a design is going to use the same materials as the original and charge significantly less.  Unless you've got some high end tools you are taking the vendor's word that the Magnacut, D2, S90V, whatever steel they are claiming is what you are actually getting.

As to the original question I would have no regrets grabbing my ESEE-5 for any hard use outdoor task.  That thing takes an absolute beating and keeps on ticking.  I will admit lately I have been bit by the MKC knives and while I don't think they would stand up to the same abuse as the ESEE-5 they are super lightweight and do a fantastic job at their intended purpose.

[Links2k]

Mine is the First Edge 5050 fixed blade survival knife. I’ve had it and many other knives for several years. I believe this one might have come from one of Willis’s group buys a few years ago. I keep this one loaded on a cart with a few other essentials in case  we need to get to my truck quickly. 

Edited Friday at 07:37 PM by Links2k

[JFarkle]

Is that a RAT clone?

[MacGyver]

Similar bushcraft profile - but it’s in a whole different class.  Elmax wasn’t really a thing when the original ESEE’s were made.  Those are 1095 - which has the advantage of being easily sharpened to a blistering edge - but also needs proper care.  That Elmax blade on the FirstEdge could sit in saltwater for months and be none the worse for wear.  It’s good at edge retention - but if you let it get dull - it’s gonna be a chore to get sharp again. 

[JFarkle]

5 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

Similar bushcraft profile - but it’s in a whole different class.  Elmax wasn’t really a thing when the original ESEE’s were made.  Those are 1095 - which has the advantage of being easily sharpened to a blistering edge - but also needs proper care.  That Elmax blade on the FirstEdge could sit in saltwater for months and be none the worse for wear.  It’s good at edge retention - but if you let it get dull - it’s gonna be a chore to get sharp again. 

Stainless doesn't come painless.

[BigK]

SHTF - my first choice would be my kukri because size matters, LOL, but I can get more done with my Victorinox Huntsman.

[JFarkle]

13 minutes ago, BigK said:

SHTF - my first choice would be my kukri because size matters, LOL, but I can get more done with my Victorinox Huntsman.

 

i use this thing long enough and even for a 10" kuk, it still weighs on on with that 1/4 inch spine.  me gusta latin and folok style machete if im being real.

Edited yesterday at 12:46 AM by JFarkle

[Spots]

If i need big and nasty I bring out the bowie. 13" of 1084 hand forged steel, 1/4" spine with lots of weight for big chops and lots of belly so it slices like a saber.  But for most task I deal with in the woods or on the farm I can handle with the Case Copperhead in my pocket or the Buck 110 Auto Elite on my belt. 

[Ronald_55]

This one does nice. Take on a kephart. 

 

[JFarkle]

12 hours ago, Ronald_55 said:

This one does nice. Take on a kephart. 

 

Who made that one? Kephart is one blade style I have never owned. i can imagine the simple handle shape is actually really comfortable for extended use. I have a condor bushcraft basic and its the best handle shape for that sort of work. very similar.

[bubbadavis]

If I need a survival knife, I'm grabbing one of these Grand Torino creations. Both are more than adequate!