| |
Choose the best survival knife for you.
|
When you are considering what type of knife will be the
best survival knife for you to buy, there are some key factors
to consider:
there are basically three types of "survival
knives", each has its own place and purpose.
1. Fixed Blade Survival
Knives.
2. Folding Survival Knives.
3.
Multi-tool knives.
|
|
Fixed Blade Survival
Knives...
|
Hands down the best survival knife in an outdoors or
wilderness survival scenario. These knives are are designed to
take abuse. Fixed blade knives are invaluable tools in the
outdoors for tasks related to fire building, shelter building,
hunting, and prying. It will often be used to split wood, and
chop branches, but that doesnt neccessarily mean it has to be
a huge knife or a machete... a 4 to 6 inch blade is adequate
for most tasks.
Here are some of our favorite, reasonably priced, quality
fixed blade survival knives:
As
with everything else, not all survival knives are created
equal. There are a lot of cheap so-called survival knives with
the built in compass and hollow handle that should be avoided.
A good quality fixed blade survival knife will have full
tang construction - meaning the steel of the blade extends all
the way through the handle. It should have a comfortable
non-slip handle, and a preferably a lanyard hole.
We dont
think any single knife can truly be THE "Best Survival Knife",
so just remember, quality counts here. Consider your
needs carefully. Also, if you are headed outdoors, you
really should have a folding knife for the smaller cutting
chores in addition to your fixed blade knife.
Fixed blade Bargains: Here
are some great cheap survival knife choices for those of us
putting a survival kit together on a budget: Some
good quality survival knives that wont break the
bank.
|
Folding Survival knives.
While not as
durable as fixed blade knives, a folding knife may be the best
survival knife option for you. Folding knifes are more
compact, lighter, and easier to carry than fixed blade knives.
Again, a good quality knife is important, but you dont need to spend
hundreds of dollars. While a fixed blade knife is probably
overkill in a car
survival kit for example, a good folding knife is well suited.
A quality folding knife will lock solidly into position when
opened, and not loosen after continued use. It should have a feature
that allows you to open it with one hand, in case of injury or
entrapment, and again a lanyard hole is a handy feature.
Here are some of our favorite folding survival knives:
Multi-Tools.
Multi-tools
are a great way of carrying a mini tool set on your belt. Though not
entirely the best survival knife in a wilderness environment, they
are a very handy item in a more urban setting... and a great tool to
have in your car
survival kit . Leatherman is widely regarded by most
multi-tool fans, as well as Gerber, Sog, and Victorinox. There are
plenty of cheaper multi-tools on the market also, but one good twist
with the pliers on a cheap multi-tool, and you'll see why they say
"You get what you pay for".
Here are our favorite
multi-tools:
So, which is the best survival knife for you ? Well, as
you can see, there is a place for all of them, and your choice will
depend largely on your intentions. Chances are if you are an
avid outdoorsman, you already have your favorite knives and tools in
their place, and wouldn't part with them for anything. If you
are looking for a knife to add to a survival
kit, or general emergency preparedness, anything on this page
will be a great choice, and will serve you well when you call on
it.
Carry a pocket
knife.
One other thing...You dont normally associate an
everyday carry pocket knife with "Survival", but sometimes, the best
survival knife is whatever you have available to you. There are
endless stories of people who have saved their life or the life of
someone else with nothing more than a simple pocket knife. If
you work outdoors everyday, a small pocketknife with a clip on the
inside of your front pocket or on your belt will soon become very
useful to you. It will be just like putting on your watch, or
picking up your wallet in the morning. If you work
indoors, you can still find a good lightweight pocketknife that
wont feel bulky in your pocket. If you dont want to carry a
pocket knife, there are plenty of small knifes that you can put on
your keyring. The leatherman micra makes a great keyring and
packs a lot of function into a small form. The important thing
is that it's there when you need it. If you dont want to carry
a knife on your person, keep one in the glove box of your
vehicle.
Machetes
In addition to knives, there are also a lot of useful tools
employed in the outdoors that take a lot of the work out of
certain tasks, one such tool is a good Machete. Below are some of
the Machetes we've reviewed:
Visit our SURVIVAL
KNIFE FORUM and show us your survival knife !
|
