Good survival knife choice

[Patronus]

Maybe I'm cheap but I'm sticking with my Cold Steel GI Tanto:

View attachment 110985

Also have the Magnum Kukri Machete inside the frame of my BoB.
View attachment 110986

 

[AR556]

The Gerber LMF is a decent knife but I have been hearing that their recent production run is bad. I am a big fan of the Becker, Ontario, and ESEE knives. If you are only going to carry on knife go for a blade length of 4 to 7 inches.

+1 on ESEE

http://www.eseeknives.com/index2.htm

 

[Outlander]

Maybe I'm cheap but I'm sticking with my Cold Steel GI Tanto.

Also have the Magnum Kukri Machete inside the frame of my BoB.

[

If it works for you..who cares if it is cheap? Cold Steel and SOG make some decent knives.

 

[Creeper]

KABARs served our military and others around the world very well. Just because they doin't cost $200 doesn't mean they not good.
Cold Steel RECON is the BEST for the money.

 

[Lost Mountain]

USAF Survival Knife is in my bag. It's old school but it works. I've used it to split wood, dig holes, hammer tent stakes, as a prybar, and for general camp chores. The saw is mediocre but it can and will get the job done. The sheath is well made and comes with a sharpener.

This plus my Ka bar

 

[Luthier]

Gerber Knives are insanely good, I've had this bad boy all my life just about. it's just for killing, double edged dagger.

 

[SIGnificant]

I have the se knife but in the ASEK model for air crew survival. I've got a coyote brown one and a foliage green one. They even have a built in sharpener. Good knives.

It's what I carried for SAR and what I keep now in my GHB. Have lots of knives and if I only could have one, this would be it.

 

[Chris Mac]

I'll chime in, only because we focus on stocking lower cost/higher quality knives ($75-$200 price range). I can't speak to the more expensive stuff out there.

1. The Ontario ASEK Survival System is a great value. Brand new these can be picked up for around $125-$130. Be careful if you see them for more. Very well built knife, sheath is excellent. I like the #1410 model over the #1400. The 1410 is a camo style sheath that blends well with military gear.

2. I like the Gerber LMFII Infantry, but wasn't aware there was a quality problem in recent production runs (thanks for letting us know, Outlander - I was just about to order a dozen or so). The sheath is really tight on these knives and takes a while to loosen up, which can cause abrasive wear on the blade coating but at the same time you can fall off a cliff and the knife will NOT come out of the sheath. If you keep a thin coating of oil on your knife until the sheath breaks in, you should be fine.

3. The SOG Seal Pup is also a good low cost choice.

4. The Ontario USAF Survival Knife is well respected and they can be bought new at a very reasonable price.

5. For all around simplictiy and toughness, the KA-BAR D2 Fighting Utility Knife is a great value. Very tough knife with a decent hard sheath. The Becker BK7 Combat Utility is a close second. Just my opinion. Both are supplied by KA-BAR.

6. If you are financially challenged, don't overlook the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival knife. It's not a bad deal at around $50-$60. They had production and quality control issues when the knife was first released, but those have been resolved. It's sturdy and I haven't been able to break mine yet. Sheath is pretty good, comes with a firestarter. If you can stand the colors, it's not a bad knife to throw in a get home bag or under the seat of your car. My only concern is corrosion resistance, but again, if you take care of a knife, this shouldn't be a problem.

7. The Becker BK3 surprised me. Very tough knife. Very affordable. Has some heft to it for utility work. It needs to be sharpened when you get it. Sheath is tough and functional.

ESEE has a couple of their knives that have been paired with a survival style sheath. I believe it's the model 5. Very good knife for the price, but I haven't used one personally. We're waiting for confirmation of our account setup with ESEE, and then we'll be buying a broad selection of Model 4, 5 ,6 knives. A couple of people here turned me onto ESEE. They split out of Ontario Knife Company, but I like their knives a bit more. These knives typically fall in the $125-$175 range depending on the model and features.

Don't forget a good, solid pocket knife. There's a reason I carry Victorinox Swiss Army knives in our lineup. I've always been a big fan, and have used mine hundreds of times over the years. In my opinion, you can't go wrong carrying a Victorinox for the smaller stuff. 9 times out of 10, it's the first knife I reach for in everyday tasks and you can keep it on you all the time.

 

[harley1903]

I still use kabar, but i also use ESEE and love their knives. Good piece of kit to have...

 

[TattooedGunner]

Kabar Becker line. I think only the bk3 has serrations, but I wouldn't want serrations on that type of knife personally.