# My "Survival Knife" setup



## J.T. (Nov 10, 2012)

Hey folks, new guy here so I wanted to start a thread on my survival knife setup as my initial contribution to the forums in hopes that it may give others some ideas.

Everyone has a different idea of what a survival knife is. And while I have several knives, for my go-to survival blade I wanted something that could be carried on the belt and fill the gap between a big chopper and a small bushcraft knife; as close to a "do all" knife as I could get. Enter the *Fallkniven A1*.

Hailing from Sweden, it is their army's official survival knife and for good reason. The blade is stout, the handle feels very ergonomic and very grippy, and the edge came absolutely _wicked_ sharp. The fact that it is made of VG-10 (a very high quality stainless steel instead of a high-carbon steel) was a huge plus for me as I don't want to have to worry about rust in a long-term survival situation. It has a full tang (very important for overall dependability in a knife) and the tang actually protrudes out from the bottom of the handle just slightly for hammering/smashing duties. I also like how the spine of the A1 is squared off instead of rounded because it throws sparks out from a firesteel like no other! Seems like the Swedes thought of everything when desinging this thing.

Now, you have the option of getting a leather or a Zytel sheath when you buy this knife. I opted for the Zytel sheath instead of the wide, thick leather one and here's why: I found that a Maxpedition pistol magazine pouch fits perfectly around it. I've always been a firm believer in having a multi-tool with you and this setup ensures that I will always have my knife, a multi-tool (in this case a Victorinox Swisstool) and a firesteel on my person even if I get separated from all my other gear. I also fitted a mini Photon light with some paracord as well.

I must warn you, the Fallkniven A1 is not an inexpensive option, but you really can feel the superior quality and craftmanship just by handling this thing. Plus, for an essential piece of gear (of which I strongly believe a knife is) and for something that I may have to depend heavily upon, I wanted the highest quality that I could personally afford. Anyway, hope I didn't bore anyone with this review. On with the photos....


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## whichfinger (Nov 12, 2012)

Nice looking blade. Should get you arrested in most jurisdictions. ;-) j/k!

The Swedes make some great knives. Among my many knives I have a Mora Companion and a Schrade SCHF9. These two would definitely accompany me on any excursions into the wild. My EDC is a Kershaw Volt II.


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## sargedog (Nov 12, 2012)

I have never had a Mora knife until Saturday, I went to SMKW and they had them for $12.98 and I bought 2 just like you have posted. They seem to be sturdy and sharp right out of the box. I also bought a Condor medium bushcraft knife, which I was surprised at how nice it was.


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## joec (Nov 12, 2012)

I have a large collection of knives from kitchen to combat type including a working katana and wakzashi. Cutting tools I have cover including hatchets, axes and machete.


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