# What color are the grips/handle of your emergency knife?



## M118LR

If you use the terms Bush-crafting or Survival knife perhaps the exact same model knife as your emergency knife would have a different colored grip/handle?

Does the Orange Micarta grips/handle on the Ontario Ranger Bush Series (RBS-6) knife change it from a Survival knife into an emergency knife?

Reference link: Select Orange Micarta. Ontario Ranger Bush Series Knife, RBS-6 Knife at Ontario-Knife-Store.com

Or are emergency knives a subcategory of specialized single/multiple use knives?


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## A Watchman

At this point, "What difference does it make"?


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## M118LR

A Watchman said:


> At this point, "What difference does it make"?


Bright Orange is extremely visible and usually reserved for emergency equipment. Would the Orange grip/handle change the use, purpose, or category of the RBS-6?


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## NotTooProudToHide

M118LR said:


> If you use the terms Bush-crafting or Survival knife perhaps the exact same model knife as your emergency knife would have a different colored grip/handle?
> 
> Does the Orange Micarta grips/handle on the Ontario Ranger Bush Series (RBS-6) knife change it from a Survival knife into an emergency knife?
> 
> Reference link: Select Orange Micarta. Ontario Ranger Bush Series Knife, RBS-6 Knife at Ontario-Knife-Store.com
> 
> Or are emergency knives a subcategory of specialized single/multiple use knives?


I really don't have an "emergency" knife per say, I have some pocket knives and a couple larger knives. In the event of an emergency there are 2 that would use and I carry one or both every day. The first is a Kershaw Cryo which has a plain jane stainless steel finish. The second is a Swiss Army Knife Hiker with the standard red finish, it would be more of a multi tool type function.


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## A Watchman

For most owner's who would classify as novice's, even though they understand the tool's use and likely are capable users, I would suggest no. However, for a true survivalist who has based his purchases on past experiences and life lessons, it could be a deal breaker.


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## Slippy

I would like a bright orange handled knife. My current line-up are mostly black handled. Please, no racial comments.


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## Operator6

I have no use for bright micarta. I guess it would've useful if you want it to be seen or draw attention.


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## M118LR

NotTooProudToHide said:


> I really don't have an "emergency" knife per say, I have some pocket knives and a couple larger knives. In the event of an emergency there are 2 that would use and I carry one or both every day. The first is a Kershaw Cryo which has a plain jane stainless steel finish. The second is a Swiss Army Knife Hiker with the standard red finish, it would be more of a multi tool type function.


Perhaps my example isn't specific enough. If you have a seat-belt cutting tool (either in a roadside emergency kit or as part of a combination) Is it of any relevance that it has an Emergency Orange Handle/Grip?


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## SOCOM42

Slippy said:


> I would like a bright orange handled knife. My current line-up are mostly black handled. Please, no racial comments.


You can't avoid it, YOU are a racist, where is the "equal" in your inventory???


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## A Watchman

M118LR said:


> Perhaps my example isn't specific enough. If you have a seat-belt cutting tool (either in a roadside emergency kit or as part of a combination) Is it of any relevance that it has an Emergency Orange Handle/Grip?


In that example, it makes no difference to most, as long as it is accessible without any dependency on a bright color to locate it.


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## Sasquatch

I have a mora with a bright green handle but most of my knives are black or have a wood handle. Speaking of wood I wonder if anyone is going to admit they have a rainbow colored knife handle.

Sent from Tapatalk (aka Uranus)


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## A Watchman

Sasquatch said:


> I have a mora with a bright green handle but most of my knives are black or have a wood handle. Speaking of wood I wonder if anyone is going to admit they have a rainbow colored knife handle.
> 
> Sent from Tapatalk (aka Uranus)


Only Cricket.


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## Coastie dad

If we worry about knife handle color determining functionality, we are way over thinking this. My emergency knife is what I have on me. If I can plan my emergencies and schedule an appointment I may change my thoughts.


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## NotTooProudToHide

M118LR said:


> Perhaps my example isn't specific enough. If you have a seat-belt cutting tool (either in a roadside emergency kit or as part of a combination) Is it of any relevance that it has an Emergency Orange Handle/Grip?


ah gotcha. I do have a trunk kit but the knife I have in it is a Walmart Winchester lock back that has a black handle. I don't have a seat-belt cutting tool but it might be a good idea to pick one up, I've also thought about getting one of those tools you can use to shatter windows.

The ones with the bright orange or neon green seem cheap and tacky to me. Just my personal preference


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## A Watchman

A Watchman said:


> Only Cricket.


Ok, maybe ffadmin also.


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## Operator6

M118LR said:


> Perhaps my example isn't specific enough. If you have a seat-belt cutting tool (either in a roadside emergency kit or as part of a combination) Is it of any relevance that it has an Emergency Orange Handle/Grip?


Emergency items would be an exception for me no matter the material, I would want high viability.


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## Sasquatch

A Watchman said:


> Only Cricket.


Speaking of her would someone please PM her and ask her to PM me so I can get my password reset? I can only view the site through Tapatalk. I'm locked out on my PC and for some reason can't PM her through the phone app.

Someone help a Squatch out!

Sent from Tapatalk (aka Uranus)


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## A Watchman

Sasquatch said:


> Speaking of her would someone please PM her and ask her to PM me so I can get my password reset? I can only view the site through Tapatalk. I'm locked out on my PC and for some reason can't PM her through the phone app.
> 
> Someone help a Squatch out!
> 
> Sent from Tapatalk (aka Uranus)


Isn't she supposed to be reading this crap?


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## A Watchman

Hey @Cricket Contact Sasquatch ^^^^^^^^^^^


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## M118LR

Coastie dad said:


> If we worry about knife handle color determining functionality, we are way over thinking this. My emergency knife is what I have on me. If I can plan my emergencies and schedule an appointment I may change my thoughts.


Well, I was always kind of wondering why the only Orange Handled item in my Military issue LPA/SVU-2 was the emergency shroud cutter?


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## Sasquatch

A Watchman said:


> Isn't she supposed to be reading this crap?


I guess I'll have to start using vulgar language to get her attention. 

Sent from Tapatalk (aka Uranus)


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## SOCOM42

NotTooProudToHide said:


> ah gotcha. I do have a trunk kit but the knife I have in it is a Walmart Winchester lock back that has a black handle. I don't have a seat-belt cutting tool but it might be a good idea to pick one up, I've also thought about getting one of those tools you can use to shatter windows.
> 
> The ones with the bright orange or neon green seem cheap and tacky to me. Just my personal preference


My primary window breaker is whatever handgun I have on me, seat belt cutter is part of a S&W folder in the CONSOL, has black aluminum scales just like my EDC Gerber.

Most others (Cold Steel) have black rubber molded grips, save the Kbars which are leather.


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## rice paddy daddy

The handles on my "emergency knives" are black.
An M5 bayonet for my M1 rifle.
An M6 bayonet for my M1A rifle.
They both work best when attached to a rifle.

And yes, I have been well trained in the US Army's Spirit Of The Bayonet. Back in the day when we had rifles made of wood and steel and weighing 10 pounds.


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## M118LR

Am I reading this wrong, or are most emergency knives stowed in an normally inaccessible spot? Or are emergency knives tied to a place of a specific emergency?


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## A Watchman

Depends on the preparedness mindset of the guy or gal, a fixin to get in an emergency.


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## M118LR

A Watchman said:


> Depends on the preparedness mindset of the guy or gal, a fixin to get in an emergency.


I'm thinking that was one of the best replies yet A Watchman. Is there really anytime to transition from that seat-belt cutting tool before your vehicle sinks, to all the other emergency tools back Home in the footlocker?


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## rice paddy daddy

Since I always am armed with a handgun of some type while outside my house, even just going to the mailbox out on the dirt road, I find a 4" or 5" fixed blade knife on my belt plus a common pocket knife adequate. 
I do not live in Zimbabwe.


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## M118LR

rice paddy daddy said:


> Since I always am armed with a handgun of some type while outside my house, even just going to the mailbox out on the dirt road, I find a 4" or 5" fixed blade knife on my belt plus a common pocket knife adequate.
> I do not live in Zimbabwe.


Got to ? the Zimbabwe. Folks in Texas and a couple of other Eastern Coastal States have been finding emergency knives a bit more useful during the last couple of flood filled months! It's a little difficult to shoot your way across a suddenly flooded road rpd. I might go so far as to consider your sidearm nothing more than useless ballast on your swim for life.


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## Denton

Sasquatch said:


> I guess I'll have to start using vulgar language to get her attention.
> 
> Sent from Tapatalk (aka Uranus)


I'll be your huckle bearer.

:vs_smirk:


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## Sasquatch

Denton said:


> I'll be your huckle bearer.
> 
> :vs_smirk:


That's funny right there.

Sent from Tapatalk (aka Uranus)


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## NotTooProudToHide

M118LR said:


> I'm thinking that was one of the best replies yet A Watchman. Is there really anytime to transition from that seat-belt cutting tool before your vehicle sinks, to all the other emergency tools back Home in the footlocker?


In all honesty wouldn't it be quicker to just hit the button and click, your belt is undone? If it was to the point where that wasn't operational you're in deep you know what whether you have an emergency knife or not. I think if you have a good EDC knife then its more than adequate for most emergency needs, you can't carry gear for every situation. Adapt your strategy to what the situation is and what tools are immediately available to you.



> My primary window breaker is whatever handgun I have on me, seat belt cutter is part of a S&W folder in the CONSOL, has black aluminum scales just like my EDC Gerber.


That's been my mindset as well but it couldn't hurt to have one even if you forget its in the glove box.


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## M118LR

And with all due respect, can we get back to the regularly scheduled programming?

So what about that are emergency knives specialized tools question?
Since it appears that many might have to fit other emergency knives into places of otherwise specific niches! Irregardless of the emergency Orange handles/grips.


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## M118LR

NotTooProudToHide said:


> In all honesty wouldn't it be quicker to just hit the button and click, your belt is undone? If it was to the point where that wasn't operational you're in deep you know what whether you have an emergency knife or not. I think if you have a good EDC knife then its more than adequate for most emergency needs, you can't carry gear for every situation. Adapt your strategy to what the situation is and what tools are immediately available to you.
> 
> That's been my mindset as well but it couldn't hurt to have one even if you forget its in the glove box.


(Sorry NTPTH, I'm a little preoccupied giving GPA kisses to the folks traveling back to Fort Stewart till the weekend. A bit of an unexpected journey.)

With today's technology, that click it while it's moving experience might be more hazardous than originally expected.

So for those asking about lifesaving tips, it ain't what you have prepared for that ruins your day. It's what you neglected to think about that makes you adapt that determines how long your stay on earth is. JMHO.

Perhaps that runs along the same lines as your thinking NTPTH. Jmo.


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## NotTooProudToHide

M118LR said:


> (Sorry NTPTH, I'm a little preoccupied giving GPA kisses to the folks traveling back to Fort Stewart till the weekend. A bit of an unexpected journey.)
> 
> With today's technology, that click it while it's moving experience might be more hazardous than originally expected.
> 
> So for those asking about lifesaving tips, it ain't what you have prepared for that ruins your day. It's what you neglected to think about that makes you adapt that determines how long your stay on earth is. JMHO.
> 
> Perhaps that runs along the same lines as your thinking NTPTH. Jmo.


That's exactly what I'm thinking. The most important piece of survival gear you can have is that thing thats between your ears. Tools are important but if you use your brain and come up with a bit of ingenuity you can overcome a lack of equipment. People living in wild places and soldiers have made due with what they have, faced unexpected situations, and thrived since the beginning of time.


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## Kauboy

There always seems to be some undertone to these posts, but I'll skate passed worrying about that and just answer the question.

My "emergency knife" is a Morakniv with a blaze orange sheath, hilt, and pommel. I chose the knife for its cost-benefit ratio and I chose the color because it could be crammed inside an unlit bag where visibility will be diminished. If I need it, it should be easier to spot than anything else in there. However, I'll likely lash it to the exterior after finding it so I won't have to go searching again. Can't do that now with little hands around always looking for the next bright and shiny thing to play with when daddy isn't around.


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## bigwheel

Black is beautiful.


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## M118LR

Yes Kauboy, there is an undertone. Yes NTPTH there is only one "Best Weapon" for survival. How you prepare can effect how much you need to tax the best weapon for survival. If you enter a situation with all the proper tools and the only thing required is the will to survive. If you find yourself in a situation without any of the proper tools, the only thing that you have is the will to survive. For this tidbit of knowledge Please Thank Ed Flow, flight engineer on an ill fated Ditch into the cruel cold merciless sea of the arctic ocean. Younger, stronger, better equipped folks found themselves thrust in the situation. Yet, the only recollections that I shall not share with y'all, are the experiences of Ed Flow, who survived the ordeal. So my lifesaving tip, should you find yourself in this circumstance seek out Ed Flow and request that he pass along his Survivors Testament. (Sorry Ed, but it's time your tale was told outside the World of Experience.) JMHO. (Thank You for sharing that other's may survive)


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## stevekozak

I dont feel like I have drank enough whiskey to properly follow this thread. I will get to work on that! :vs_wave:


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## M118LR

Okay, so now that I have taken Y'all past the point that Medic33 and many others considered out of thier comfort zone. 

Is the purpose of Emergency Orange Physiological, and adopts your method of thinking into a do or die framework? Or it is all about the ability to find required lifesaving items above and beyond everything else?


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## New guy 101

M118LR said:


> Okay, so now that I have taken Y'all past the point that Medic33 and many others considered out of thier comfort zone.
> 
> Is the purpose of Emergency Orange Physiological, and adopts your method of thinking into a do or die framework? Or it is all about the ability to find required lifesaving items above and beyond everything else?


I should know better....I really should....but...I'll take "The rapist" for $500

and my answer is...What is "it's coloring is an attempt to compensate for a potential difficulty in locating a specific tool in a crisis situation where luminosity may be diminished"......Bob.


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## M118LR

Isn't that an Alex answer? 
Possibly even a Double Jeopardy Question? 
Isn't it supposed to drag you out of the terror of panic and make you perform the tasks you have been trained for? 
After all it's the same exact tool, the only difference is the silly Orange Handle? 

Welcome Aboard New guy 101. Fear isn't diminished by a silly Orange Handle!


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## rice paddy daddy

Well, I must admit that I misunderstood the original subject.:vs_peace:
After all, someone with the OP's posting history here made me jump right to "emergency knife" as being the one clenched between my teeth as I swim from the lurking submarine to the hostile shore. :tango_face_wink:

No, I do not have a dedicated emergency knife beyond what I carry normally. In my almost 68 years of life I have so far managed to get along without a dedicated rescue tool.:vs_cool:


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## Kauboy

I had a feeling this thread was a facade for something else.
Always seems to go that way for some reason.
Some folks just can't help themselves, yet feel a strong desire to help others who've not asked for it.


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## Medic33

don't need a seat belt cutter when walking around the woods or bagging the corn fields nor a glass breaker - to me the handle color doesn't really matter as long as the knife is functional and serves a purpose.
I have an emergency knife it is an old swiss army with the red handle has like four different blades and cuts through every thing not real fancy but works and is always on me.


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## Boss Dog

Good grief. A knife is a knife is a knife. 
Select the right one for the job at hand. 
If you know your woods skills you can make do with any decent knife.


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## M118LR

Other than the Orange Micarta RBS-6, the only thing else in my ruck that is orange is the 5 in 1.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Sur...99657&sr=8-3&keywords=5+in+1+survival+whistle

Perhaps my government training taints my equipment choices, or maybe I never got over that little orange shroud cutter, but only the highest priority emergency items in my normal ruck seem to be a High Visibility Orange.


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## Operator6

M118LR said:


> Other than the Orange Micarta RBS-6, the only thing else in my ruck that is orange is the 5 in 1.
> 
> link: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Sur...99657&sr=8-3&keywords=5+in+1+survival+whistle
> 
> Perhaps my government training taints my equipment choices, or maybe I never got over that little orange shroud cutter, but only the highest priority emergency items in my normal ruck seem to be a High Visibility Orange.


That knife is similar to a few Esee knives I keep.


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## M118LR

Operator6 said:


> That knife is similar to a few Esee knives I keep.


Ontario and Randall Adventures partnered up on the RAT Series. As a last ditch emergency knife I prefer the flat toothed butt with a lanyard hole of the RBS-6 over the more traditional glass breaker. Once you get the coating off the little teeth/nubbs, the butt makes an effective striking surface for a faro-rod or Magnesium Bar Striker.

PS: it don't poke you like the glass breakers always seem to manage to do.


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## Operator6

Yes, Randall is a Bama resident... I support my fellow Alabamians when I can. 

Check out Malkoff devices, another homegrown Alabama business making high quality flashlights. I have several of his Maglight drop in modules that are killer.


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## M118LR

With all the references to the BK2 & ESEE etc, I guess I just assumed that others would have added a designated emergency knife of this type to thier ruck. Is it likely that my MK2 belt knife becomes damaged or lost, probably not, but once afield should something happen if you don't have a backup in the ruck what's next?


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## 8301

I'll show M118LR the respect of a straight answer. 
I keep a two tone Gray handled Mora knife in each of my bags for emergencies. Mora also offers several knives with orange which could be useful in a BOB in the woods. If you've ever dropped a knife in the leaves you know orange or yellow will help you find it.


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## bigwheel

It takes a real dumb member of the minority commonity to bring a knife to a gun fight. Straighten up.


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## bigwheel

I feels your pain Sir. As Joe Friday always told the hysterical potential witnesses..."We just need the facts ma'am." Otherwise STFU..was the impllication. As nearly 50 year veteran of happily wedded bliss. He was sure right. Do they ever shut up?


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## M118LR

bigwheel said:


> As nearly 50 year veteran of happily wedded bliss. He was sure right. Do they ever shut up?


Almost 50 years served on a life sentence and you still ask questions like this?

Mora's & bic's, light weight low cost and effective. I believe every tackle box in America should have a Mora. Some of US Old Folks just like things a little more solidly built. Zippo's & a complete full tang are more my style John Galt. But yours is a solid selection.


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## jim-henscheli

When I do tree work, my tools for that are all painted fluorescent green and orange, in case I drop them in brown leaves. I also paint some of my climbing hardware bright colors so as to make it easier to see from the ground..
So there is an advantage to bright colors. 
As to whether color is a psychological advantage, yes. I think lots of people are not happy unless there carry gear is all black or camo.even if that makes it harder to find.


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