blades?

LORD of WAR

LORD of WAR

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i know we frequently talk about a shtf gun...but what about knives for survival? machetes even?

you never know what exactly the scenario may be but after watching survivor man and man vs wild i can tell you id never wanna be stranded without a decent knife

i actually went out and bought 4 new knives this weekend

gerber lmf ii
gerber steadfast
sog seal pup
gerber gator machete

any one else have any suggestions? my plan is to attach 1 fixed knife and 1 folder to each of my b.o.b.s/ tac vests
 
I like the Gerber Mk II, actually. Great knife.

I also picked up a surplus USAF bolo to help keep the American bamboo on my property in check. Nice blade...
 
I got the Spyderco 'native', which I like, it is razor sharp and has a nice flat shape that clips into my jeans pocket just right.

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Spyderco seems to have the most amazingly sharp factory edge on their knives, it's scary.


I also considered their 'rescue' model, which is better for cutting ropes and cables, which is mostly what I end up using it for.
 
I have the Spyderco Manix and it is one badass knife! Big thick blade and it is SHARP from the factory, as hminsky said. I'm in the market for a good fixed blade for the BOB/truck so suggestions are welcomed on this end, also! The gator machete and a good hatchet are on my list, as well.
 
Gerber LMF II A.S.E.K
* Overall Length: 10.59"
* Blade Length: 4.84"
* Weight: 11.4 oz.
* Blade Material: 12C27 Stainless
* Blade Style: Drop Point
* Blade Type: Serrated
* Handle Material: Glass filled nylon
* Sheath: Ballistic Nylon

Gerber Steadfast

* Overall Length: 9.4"
* Blade Length: 4.5"
* Weight: 6.3 oz.
* Blade Material: 440A Stainless
* Blade Style: Drop Point
* Blade Type: Fine Edge
* Handle Material: SoftGrip overmold over a hard substrate
* Sheath: Ballistic Nylon

Gerber Gator Machete

* Overall Length: 25"
* Weight: 1 lbs.
* Blade Material: Black oxide coated steel
* Handle Material: Gator®
* Sheath: 400D riveted, reinforced nylon

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top - bottom: Gator Machete (my new favorite zombie decapitating tool), Steadfast, LMF II

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I've got a Browning 3-blade folder I use during hunting season. Has a drop point blade, gut hook blade, and a bone/wood saw blade in one. A bunch of manufacturers are making them now. Would make a great bug out knife. I love it for hunting/gutting. Not great for defense though as it is not quick to open.

I also own Spyderco/Byrd knives exclusively for everyday carry. Great form, function, quality, etc. And the Byrds at $20-25 are pratically throw aways (but still good quality).
 
My old Case

Bought this back in '77 at the PX in Port Hueneme when I was stationed there. It's been my constant companion for thirty years.
It's gutted three deer, several thousand OK, several dozen fish and its been sharpened so many times the points on both blades have changed shape.

I'll never part with this one. [smile]

CaseKnife.jpg
 
I always heard growing in Vermont from the grizzled old hunters that you can judge a person's inexperience in the woods by the length of his blade: the longer the blade, the less skill and experience he had in the woods. No offense intended of course. Just trying to spark some debate. In my experience this has been true.

All of these very long "survival" knives look impractical to me in a survival/wilderness situation. If you've ever tried to dress an animal from small bird to deer, you'll know that small very sharp blades are a whole lot easier to use than wide, long ones. I opt for a small Scandinavian knife like a Helle, Brusletto or Roselli. My latest purchase which should arrive soon is the Brusletto Troll. I have a Helle Earth that is a great knife. The nice thing about the traditional Scandinavian blade is that it has a single bevel on each side. This makes field sharpening without fancy guides a snap. The Scandinavians have been making some of the finest hunting knives on the planet for hundreds of years. Pick up one of these knives and you'll see what I mean. The quality of steel is unmatched, and you can achieve an edge that is shaving sharp.

One note about Scandi blades: they are guardless which freaks some folks out. They're meant to be used by pulling strokes only, so they take some time to get used to. The handles usually get fat at the end so that if you have to push the knife into something, you use a hand on the butt of the handle to do so.

Again, not trying to pee on anyone's picnic. Just offering a different perspective.
 
O/U:

I agree, in general, with your comments. If you are looking for a hunting knife, the ones you describe seem perfect. However, in the tactical knife role, my personal opinion is to go with something a little different. In that case, quillions (finger guards) and a thicker blade may make sense. I agree wholeheartedly about the long blade concept. I think that some folks assume that with a long blade, they can get a knife that can do it all. However, in my opinion, trying to find a knife that can effectively skin a rabbit, kill an opponent and cut brush seems nearly impossible to satisfy in one blade. If you need to skin a rabbit, get a small skinner, and keep it in your ruck. If you need to cut brush, get a machete or Woodsman Pal. If you need a tactical knife, get a knife with a blade in the 5.5"-7" range. Big enough to do the job, but no so big as to become impractical (or to look like you’re trying to compensate for some other shortcoming  ). Some of my personal favorites are:

Randall Model 15 (Picture attached)
Gerber LMFII
Airforce Survival Knife

moreshots024.jpg
 
ranger4-7 said:
O/U:

I agree, in general, with your comments. If you are looking for a hunting knife, the ones you describe seem perfect. However, in the tactical knife role, my personal opinion is to go with something a little different. In that case, quillions (finger guards) and a thicker blade may make sense. I agree wholeheartedly about the long blade concept. I think that some folks assume that with a long blade, they can get a knife that can do it all. However, in my opinion, trying to find a knife that can effectively skin a rabbit, kill an opponent and cut brush seems nearly impossible to satisfy in one blade. If you need to skin a rabbit, get a small skinner, and keep it in your ruck. If you need to cut brush, get a machete or Woodsman Pal. If you need a tactical knife, get a knife with a blade in the 5.5"-7" range. Big enough to do the job, but no so big as to become impractical (or to look like you’re trying to compensate for some other shortcoming  ).
Click to expand...

Ranger,

I concede my point and agree 100% with you. You would probably be in big trouble if you used a Scandi knife for tactical situation.

I guess the take home is selecting the right tool for the right application. Just as you wouldn't hunt a squirrel with a .44 mag, you wouldn't skin a rabbit with a SOG tactical blade. It makes sense in a survival situation to have a variety of tools at your disposal, though I will say in a combat situation I would rather have the tool on the right in Ranger's photo than the one on the left.
 
I've got some tactical folders, SOG, Benchmade, etc. but for a knife to strap to my side I'd pick the Ontario Knife Co. Spec Plus Tanto shown up top. Its over 15" long, and very heavy duty.

knives3.jpg
 
My standard carry knives are a Kershaw Leek, a Case Hobo Trapper and (sometimes) a SwissChamp. If I expected to need a knife for combat, I'd be carrying a ParaOrdnance P12.45.
 
I usually have at least 2 knives on me. As was pointed out, different jobs require different tools. My biggest problem these days is I've recently gotten hooked on damascus steel, and although my little shop is trying to turn out damascus blades, my most recent passion if making the steel. The problem is that it is so pretty, I don't want to use them and stick with my store bought knives as carry knives. [hmmm]
 
I carry various knives...usually my own. For camping i carry two knives. One is a made-to-spec cutting competition knife (Max 15", blade no wider than 2", 5" max handle) that i use for heavy tasks. Its O1 toolsteel, nickel silver, and presentation desert ironwood burl.:
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The other is a small fixed blade i use for everything else. 1095 with differential heat treatment, stabilized burl, copper and nickel silver:
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For EDC, i carry a nice little blacksmith's knife I forged from 1084 with differential heat treatment.
b4.jpg
 
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Wow! Gorgeous knives!

I really like that last one. Something about those more primitive blades really get me going.
 
Thanks!

Yeah forged blades where you can "see" the forging work are rare these days. Most of the time people see a beautiful hand made knife and dont realize it was beaten from a small hunk of steel. Nothing can really note the difference between a stock removal blade from barstock and one forged down unless its made in damascus. Some say the forged blade perfoms better, but most of that myth is due to the forged blade, by nature of being heated and cooled multiple times during forging, has had its grain reduced by multiple heating/cooling cycles. Theres a whole absurdly complicated science side to forging and heat treating that is largely ignored/misunderstood by knife users. Youll often find people hollering about one steel being better than another, completely ignoring the heat treating process as 100% the most important part of a blade's performance. You can make a blade with nice S30V steel, but if its not heat treated properly, its no more useful than a letter opener made of wood. I lean towards carbon steels...some shy away because they have no idea how to properly care for a knife and want to be able to resheath it dripping wet and have it come out unscathed. I would guess gun owners take better care of their knives than the average knife owner since they understand a little bit about maintaining a quality tool of any kind.
 
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My 'utility' knife which I've had for quite a few years now and has held up rather well is:

Columbia Knife and Tool Polkowski/Kasper "Companion"

Companion.jpg


I have one sheath attached to the strap of my hiking pack so its a simple grab and reach. The Belt sheath can clip just about anywhere and keep the knife handy, but the sheath is a too tight to allow a very young child to pull the knife free. Not a great 'tactical' knife as it does rattle a little in the sheath, but does its job well

Here are the specifics:

The Polkowski Kasper is an AUS 6M full-tang, medium size fixed blade design that has a deep finger choil, pinky catch, finger groove, a half-guard and thumb serrations, all in an effort to improve the grasp of the knife. The scales are contoured with swells at the pommel and have a textured non-slip surface. The dual sheath system is injection molded Zytel and permits the knife to be carried or mounted in various ways.

The CRKT Polkowski/Kasper Companion is based on Al's custom Companion. Its dimensions were chosen for convenience and utility, or as he says, "I wanted a knife that the average person could carry."

Used by: Bob Kasper, Kelly McCann

Model Name Polkowski/Kasper "Companion"
Manufacturer CRKT
Type Medium fixed blade
Weight 6.5 oz.
Overall length 8.56”
Blade length 3.56”
Handle length 4.5”
Blade thickness 0.14"
Color Matte black handle, bead blasted medium grey blade
Blade type Single edge drop Point
Blade material AUS 6M 55-57 HRC
Blade finish Bead blasted
Handle material Injection molded POM
Handle finish Matte Black
Sheath 2 Dual Zytex, general purpose & trouser carry

Ergonomics: Superior feel for normal size hands. Very large hands will have problems because the return on the butt confines the hand. Thin handle feels good. Deep finger choil feels great. Knife feels comfortable in all grips.

Carry: Dual Zytex sheath was made for belt, it sits comfortably and draws fast.

Concealment: Thin knife can be easily concealed.

Deployment: Can be drawn very quickly. It would be nice to have a Nealy concealed rig system for this knife.

Maintenance: Simple, wipe and keep clean

Legal issues: Be careful in states with fixed blade restrictions.
 
I'd want to have an M-9 bayonet for the wire cutter and a sharp folder.I usually carry a spyderco military.Benchmade and Gerber make great knives among many others.
 
MrTwigg said:
Bought this back in '77 at the PX in Port Hueneme when I was stationed there. It's been my constant companion for thirty years.
It's gutted three deer, several thousand OK, several dozen fish and its been sharpened so many times the points on both blades have changed shape.

I'll never part with this one. [smile]

CaseKnife.jpg
Click to expand...

I have that same knife, my father gave it to me. No lanyard hole though.
 
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