Choose the best survival knife for you.

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.     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.

Here are some of our favorite, reasonably priced, quality fixed blade survival knives:

Tops Dawn Warrior USMC Ka-bar. SOG seal pup. Kershaw Roughneck. benchmade CSK. Gerber LMF II. Ontario TAK 1. Ontario ASEK.

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:

Benchmade griptillian. Ka-Bar Mule. Ontario XM. Kershaw Boa. Cold Steel Recon 1. SOG Vulcan. SOG Tomcat

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:

SOG Power Lock w/ V-cutter Leatherman wave (pictured w/ micra)

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.  

Visit our SURVIVAL KNIFE FORUM and show us your survival knife !