# What knife



## mnavarro9 (Mar 30, 2019)

Hi, I'm looking for an all purpose hunting, camp, and everything back country survival knife. I'm not interested in a Havalon but shieldon knives seems very good to me. What do you guy's use and what would your recommend?


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

For the abuse that any hunting/camping/survival knife will take, avoid anything with a pivot/hinge.

A general use knife will be fairly, well... generic.
Fixed blade, full tang, thick 90 degree spine, 4-5", small enough for easy maneuverability, large enough to baton through small logs.
Esee and Tops make some great options that fit these criteria.
Just outside of my budget, so I go went with the Gerber Strongarm.
For lighter and smaller work, Morakniv makes some excellent options for a great price. I have more than one of these.


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## Real Old Man (Aug 17, 2015)

You could do a lot worse than an Ontario knife company kephart. Only about $40 or so


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

You can't go wrong with a Kabar or a Buck 119/110.


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## RedSky (Sep 5, 2021)

mnavarro9 said:


> Hi, I'm looking for an all purpose hunting, camp, and everything back country survival knife. I'm not interested in a Havalon but shieldon knives seems very good to me. What do you guy's use and what would your recommend?


You don't need A knife. You need a lot of knives. Medium priced, full tang, thick spine / blade length ratio, balance of toughness and hardness, good grip. Small enough for processing small game and routine tasks, long enough for harder work. I favor my Morakniv ($81 now, was cheaper when I bought it), my ESEE, and some Ka-Bars; but I've processed a lot of squirrel and done a lot of work with my $15 Ozark Trail camp knife. I'd take 10 of those over one top-end Benchmade. Good enough and plenty of it, is how you win a war, or just survive.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

*You don't need A knife. You need a lot of knives.*

While a nice thought, it is an expensive idea. If I was going to provide an emergency letter for a boss, sure, I might use all caps and lots of ink! Of course, that angle is properly finished about 20 years ago. I doubt emergency written items have the seriousness we may have used decades ago--and usually now with simplistic words consisting of known, shorter contacts.

Bosses now don't seem to sit on every initial used. They take scans and then send it off to another--lower--contact...


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## Wryter (Jan 30, 2015)

NotTooProudToHide said:


> You can't go wrong with a Kabar or a Buck 119/110.


Been using a Buck Pathfinder for 50 years.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

The decades old standby, the KA-BAR USMC fighting knife is a good all around field knife. Much better in this role than as a fighting knife. I carried one in Vietnam, as did most in my Army unit. Mine got plenty of use but i never had to use it in close combat. Thank you Jesus!! I have two today, a 20 year old commercial model, and a WW2 USN/USMC issue.

Someone mentioned the Buck 119 - I have one of those as well. Excellent knife, it's hard to beat a Buck.

TOPS Knives began as ex-GI's making knives for their Brothers In Arms, and I don't think you'll find a bad review out there. Their line is continually growing. Thanks to the generosity of one of our members I am the proud owner of a TOPS 3.5" Tanto locking folder. I plan on adding one of their fixed blades to my line up in the near future.

Someone here, or another board i belong to, recommended the Ontario SP-10 Raider Bowie. So, I took a look at those at Smoky Mountain Knife Works. USA made, 1/4" thick 1095 steel, 9'8" blade, only $64. I have an Ontario Jet Pilots Survival Knife, and an Ontario USGI 18" machete that rides in my truck. They build stout knives.

Several of my younger veteran friends swear by ESEE. They are not cheap, but they are USA made and use 1095 steel. I don't own an ESEE yet. Not yet.

I also have some Chinese fixed blades, but those are just beaters, I don't have to worry about breaking one due to their cheap price.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

The Tourist said:


> *You don't need A knife. You need a lot of knives.*


Truth!!
Knives are tools, and there is no such thing as one to do it all.

If you see me in-town you can bet I have a small folder in my pocket, a 4" or 5" fixed blade on my belt, and in the truck will be a machete on the rear floorboards and an Estwing hatchet under the back seat.
Different tools for different jobs.


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## Mr.penguin (9 mo ago)

I sport a good utility knife with a fresh razor blade. Or a knockoff leatherman that gets more use than an outdoorsman's knife where I live.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

My admission today is far from the original entry first seen here. I'm an "easier, quieter, sweeter" little love-bunny now that my calm-ness punched its way into my brain somewhere along the line. Oh, I still polish knives--in fact, I did one yesterday for a fellow Wisconsinite who needed a very sharp edge on a very damaged (and worthless folder) item that he needed.

If you do some research and carefully repair a folding knife, the little unit will carry you for decades.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Us old traveliing salesmen likes Kamp Kings. It could cut the onions and tomarters plus spead the Kraft Mayo on the baloney sandwiches in the motel room so we would be ready to go find some cute ladies. It also had handy screw drivers and bottlle openers..leather punch etc..and will testify have heard it aint nice to get stabbed with it. 


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

FYI, Dvor is running an event on KA-BAR knives.
$10 flat shipping.








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## Spenser (5 mo ago)

mnavarro9 said:


> Hi, I'm looking for an all purpose hunting, camp, and everything back country survival knife. I'm not interested in a Havalon but shieldon knives seems very good to me. What do you guy's use and what would your recommend?


Well it is probably never a good idea to disagree with a moderator...especially a super one, along with disagreeing with well most everyone else too, but a survival knife is what it all cuts down to.

Buck 110 & 119 is definitely not a good choice for a survival knife. I own a Buck 110, and it has been sitting in my "memories" drawer for 2 decades. the 110 is a folder so by default it's not a good survival knife. Can't chop down trees, split wood with it. The 119 is more of a hunting knife and not a survival knife, wrong tip n spine & grind.

as Kauboy mentioned your going to want to look for a fixed blade full tang knife so nix all the folders when talking about survival/Bushcraft knifes. 



Kauboy said:


> For lighter and smaller work, Morakniv makes some excellent options for a great price. I have more than one of these.


If you are talking about the Morakniv Garberg (which I think you are not since u said so to speak reasonably priced) then I agree, but every other Morakniv knives are NOT full tang but rather partial tang. I would never use any knife that has a partial tang unless it was a cooking knife.

I also disagree with regard to ESEE knives. They do have a rock solid warranty, well made, high quality, but not high durability. I am a gear reviewer and have spent a good deal of time on the phone finding out how many returns they get a year for broken knives... Fact is for true Bushcraft/survival, their blades are just too thin. Seen too many of them break. If NOT for survival but a camp or field knife, these are perfect just not for survival.

The USMC Ka-Bar is a great combat/ hunting knife but not a survival/Bushcraft knife, for the same reason as the Buck 119. Instead get the Ka-Bar BK2 Companion. Unlike the USMC version, this has the drop point tip, and flat grind, 1/4 inch thick and weighs ~ 1lb. and specifically designed to chop down tree and split wood. I own it and it is worth the money.

I would also recommend the Condor Tool and Knife Rodan Camp Knife.

For states with stricter knife size laws, the TOPS Spie Mil Spec 3 knife is a good choice, it is in the drawer to my left. Also Boker Magnum lil giant isn't too shabby, but only 0.025 inches thicker then the ESEE so for lighter work. Same with the Oerla TAC OLF-1008




rice paddy daddy said:


> Knives are tools, and there is no such thing as one to do it all.


And that says it all. A true knife guy has one knife for cooking, another for camp, a survival knife, a machete or an Indian Kukri, Hatchet, Axe, & wedge & saw. Trying to combine everything to a single knife means that it will excel in some tasks and lag behind on others. If you are still going with one knife, and one of the features you want is for it to be a survival knife, then your looking at the Ka-Bar BK2 Companion types of knifes. You are looking for a drop point, (Tanto possibly but that limits certain Bushcraft choirs but not Survival issues) 1/4 inch thick, flat or Scandi grind and a knife that has some weight to it to assist in chopping/baton.

Every year on my Bday & Xmas I buy myself a survival knife for the past like almost 40 years now ( I started at a young age) not to say I didn't buy other knives during the year, just these 2 times are when I lay out real $$$ on a knife. Most all are $200 & under.

Kitchen cutlery knives on the other hand I own over $4,500 worth of knives mostly Zwilling JA Henckel's Four Star and Professional series and a Miyabi Birchwood 9 inch Damascus Chef knife that's ~ $500. (ok so I am a serious cook, and love cooking) 

Just mentioning the above for readers to see how deep my interest in knives are.

*Mnavarro9*, this is what I bring Where it's legal: Ka-Bar BK2 Companion, when not: Tops Mil Spie 3, for camp: the Schrade 47OT Old Timer Beast Lock blade Knife with Nylon Sheath, for kitchen: Zwilling Ballarini knife set, and I bring the Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Champ for all the repairs I end up doing. I also have backups/alternatives to all of these above like for example the SAK WorkChamp XL.

I am a survivalist and not a prepper for the record which may be why I disagree with knife selections...


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Spenser said:


> If you are talking about the Morakniv Garberg (which I think you are not since u said so to speak reasonably priced) then I agree, but every other Morakniv knives are NOT full tang but rather partial tang. I would never use any knife that has a partial tang unless it was a cooking knife.


I'm aware they are not all full tang, and prefaced that recommendation with "for lighter and smaller work" to imply they are not to be used like the big boy knives.
I stand by my recommendation though. They use good steel, an excellent grind angle for small work, and always sharpen to a razor edge. The rubber grip inlays keep a firm hold, and the price is great. For a small utility knife you don't mind abusing, Morakniv knives are great.
For bigger tasks, use a more appropriate tool.


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## Spenser (5 mo ago)

Ah good not banned for disagreeing... For lighter and smaller tasks, I have no doubt it handles well, but the original posters specified the knife to also be used as a "*Survival Knife*", and being a partial tang & thinner blade, IMO that nixes the Mora line with exception of the Mora Garberg which is indeed full tang and a thicker steel. The Mora Garberg would be a fine example of a "Survival Knife" which is why they made that Mora line a full tang and thicker.

There are a lot of great knife manufactures out there with numerous knife models, but when it comes to a "survival knife", you want something that you know can handle all tasks without the fear of having it break. It is the same reason why I shot down the awesome ESEE knives, they have amazing craftsmanship, but almost all of them have too thin a blade for a true survival situation (especially if looking at long term survival).


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## MrLemonade (5 mo ago)

mnavarro9 said:


> Hi, I'm looking for an all purpose hunting, camp, and everything back country survival knife. I'm not interested in a Havalon but shieldon knives seems very good to me. What do you guy's use and what would your recommend?


I'm a bit of a knife, blade, ax collector and can offer some insights from observations and use. 

For a bush knife I like full tang, ability to lash to a stick for spear making (fishing, defense), and kydex sheath), I prefer a useful tool on the pummel: my top choices would be, depending on size and budget but all in the $30 to $150 range -

#1. Cold Steel Survivalist. $70. This is probably my favorite. Made of ball bearing steel, in a single stamped piece, so a full tang of course. Videos of abuse show it to be seemingly indestructible and holds a great edge. No serrations is a plus or a minus depending on viewpoint. Excellent balance. Excellent hard plastic sheath won't rot, holds knife secure. If it had a flat pummel it would be the perfect knife.

#2. Gerber Prodigy ($80) or LMF II ($130). Two sizes of a great knife. Full tang. 1/2 straight blade and 1/2 serrations for rope cutting. Well balanced, full tang, glass breaking tip on pommel, and excellent plastic sheath. A glass breaking tip is ideal IMHO because when you need to break tempered glass nothing else will do in an emergency (let's say your jeep rolls over off a trail into a river, and you're trapped in a sinking jeep). This is a comfortable knife that I carried on combat deployments in OIF. 

#3. KBar ($80-125). Proven track record, full tang, can get a blade with 1/3 serrations if desired. Get a kydex sheath to avoid leather rot. 

Other considerations depending on needs/budget (all full tang): Essee-4, Essee-6 ($125), Ontario Rat-7 ($70), various sizes of the KBar Becker knifes ($100-150), and various budget friendly Schrade and Cold Steel fixed blade knives in the $30 to $50 range (just make sure the knife has full tang and quality steels). 

A comment about serious "bush" use. While many like to batton with their knives, this is abusive and the wrong tool. Carry a inexpensive flat hatchet for harvesting wood and similar chores. Such tools are made of different less brittle steels, designed for this work, and can be very inexpensive and lightweight. $20. 

* A comment on the fixed blade Buck series, I think they do NOT have full tangs, which immediately eliminates any serious knife from consideration.


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