I'd never choose that Buck hand axe as my blade of choise in a survival situation. I have used many axes and hand axes and they can be great in certain situations but their range of tasks is too limited.

Dark knite, Great to hear your family has a solid history with a khukri!! Mine is also a classic older version that pre dates WW2 and still is ready for duty when ever I need it. Do you still have the origional companion knives?

I love the way a kuhkuri handles, but I can't see how it's strictly superior to a hatchet in situations where you're not surrounded by jungle. You can fight just as well with a tomahawk, and there isn't a knife on this planet that can fell a tree as quickly.

Not to mention that a kuhkuri is not well-suited to small, delicate tasks.

They're superior combat knives, but I still don't see why, given your choice, you wouldn't rather have a hatchet and a small, high-quality fixed blade knife.

If you only get to have one tool, I can see the merit in your choice. This isn't a hypoethetical desert island situation though, this is a discussion on how to best prepare for a survival situation.

Just sayin'...

To the poster who linked to ebay: (i meant to quote you, but I guess I hit reply instead)

Same shape all right. I don't have any use for the laser etching, though. But yes, that's the one I like.

The Khukri has got obvious advantages, just by looking at it. Reminds me of a bill hook, a device used in Medieval europe for lopping limbs off trees. It was the peasants' favorite weapon in England and France.

I think the forward bend in the blade must really focus the arm's force inside the curve of the cutting edge. I think it would probably work quite well as an axe for dressing lumber, say putting a point on a stake or tree limb. The blade is thick enough to use as a digging tool, to boot.

If I could only have one tool, I'd probably want that.

But if I could have two, I'd want a game knife and a small axe. The straighter, 90 degreee angle of the axe handle makes it easier to split wood. Axes are also handy for scraping hides. Any kind of curved blade is a nightmare if you are trying to remove the membrane off the inside of a hide. I'd want a short, 3 or 4 inch blade for work like that.

It would all depend on the context of your own situation, and what you wanted to accomplish.

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A khukri comes with two small companion knives that are great for smaller tasks, much like a small buck knife. They are stored in the same sheath so no need to grab a second item. I can fell a tree much faster with a khukri than I can with a good quality hatchet and due to the angle it is much less stressful on the wrist. I have used them for skinning game, foraging, building shelters, chopping firewood, trail clearing, and discouraging improper behavior. I have traveled to many dark corners of this world and have been in serious life threatening survival situations. My khukri has been put to the test in real life emergency conditions and I never found it lacking.

The topic was best hunting/survival knife. Axes are great tools but a bit bulky to carry around and not at all suited for most daily chores other than felling trees or chopping wood. You can mill some lumber quite nicely but thats about it.

Multipliers are great for an urban survival tool if you need to mess with technology such as fix anything mechanical. They are great for camping, opening cans, and superb on the job site. In a wild survival situation they would become more limited. Not that great for hunting. No ability to work with large timber. Not good as a self defence weapon.

Large hunting knives such as a Buck are quite good for most general tasks involved with hunting and camping. Dificult to fell trees with or to mill any timbers. Great for self defence.

[edit on 2-12-2006 by Terapin]

Kukris all the way.

Get caught out with just an axe...well its not so hot in a fight. Get caught with a multi tool..well ditto.

Get caught out with a khukri, and you have a lopper, a chopper, and a fighter all rolled into 15 inches of fury if it is needed.

oh yeah! carbon steele is the way to go.
that knife looks expensive...gonna check it out further

um... but it needs to be able to cut lines and rope as well - unless your gonna have a seperate knife for that.

Clean blades are great for mil use, but serrated reverse would be handy for those unplanned moments stuck in ropes that need rapid cutting.

Serrated blades render the knife useless for most traditional uses like carving, cutting and game-handling. And if you know how to keep your blade sharp a clean blade cuts the ropes quickly enough.

Serrations are for Rambo-wannabees... Out here we have used clean and relatively small blades for forrest survival for about the last 500 years, the m95 sissipuukko is about as far you can go from the original desing without making a knife that's useless or suitable for a single duty only (m95 is a bit longer and thicker)

I've never needed a serration in a knife, alltough i carried a serrated pocket knife for years (including a year in FRD Recon)

Serrated blades definitely have their uses. Ever try and sharpen on under survival conditions? The type of serrations on the knife above require very specialized equipment to resharpen them properly. That could be a serious disadvantage if you are far away from a work bench. With a standard, un-serrated blade you can when necessary, sharpen them by simply finding the right kind of natural stone.

For me, unless I am sailing, or doing serious rope work, I don't find serrations a requirement in a good survival knife.


[edit on 12-12-2006 by Terapin]

I was wondering if anyone has ever considered a sword for any reason. Not something that I probably would carry, but you never know what others think.

[edit on 12-12-2006 by Terapin]

The closest thing I have to a sword is a short machete.
Dont know how it would handle in a close battle, but it is light weight enough for a bob article.

I would still carry my folding BUCK on my person. I have discovered one limitation on the traditional BUCK, it lacks the ability to flick open by thumb. I know they make newer models but I LOVE this knife.

I posted earlier about italian switchblades, but they are most illegal to carry.

CRKT Ultima has had great reviews, but i haven't tested it yet.

I carry a Böker Magnum series folder around, clean blade and solid. Best thing about it is the price: 15€, so it's cheap enough to put into cahce, if you're building a one... definately not the best around, but great bargain...