Folding Survival Knife.

Hi all.

I have read a few threads on this board about survival knifes but they all seem to be about fixed blade knifes. Nothing wrong with that at all and they really have their place in survival.

Lets look at basic emergency / survival kit.
A folding knife takes up less space and when thinking that a basic back up survival kit maybe very limited in size.

Have any of you looked into a decent folding knife for survival, if so what have you purchased ??
The blade I feel maybe needs to be between 3 to 4 inches.
Looking on line I have seen many on sale but I am looking for some experienced heads out there who could point me in the right direction.

BTW, I already have a few fixed blade knifes one of which is the frosts mora clippa. This knife is a great knife and it is very kind to the budget.

Many thanks.

colec

FIxed blade full tang knives will outlast any folder even if abused. If you want a true survival knife get fixed blade full tang

This being said, have several knives is always best. A good locking mechanism folder is excellent backup. I have a gerber with about 4 inch blade, i used it as can opener, screwdriver, all kinds of applications it was never meant for. Had it for 7 years, sharpen every 2 months or so, still working beautifully

Not an experienced head but I would imagine if you were after something that small it may be worth getting a multi-tool, particularly if you already have a fixed blade. Perfect for an EDC.

reply to post by Nirgal


I still have my 20yr old leatherman but some of the new generation Multitools look
pretty good.

I have a folding lockblade that I bought at a dollar store yrs ago.It works great and I have used it for alot of things.
Sometimes the cost doesn't matter.

I'm on my second leatherman, droped the first one in 600 ft of water. I have the Leatherman Wave. Has alot of practical tools on it. I also have an old Airforce survival Knife, Kbarr, and Buck fixed blades. I kind of like the Airforce survival knife cause it has a handy dandy sharpener with it.

reply to post by Hallberg Rassy


Best all-around knives esp for durability.

2nd line.

Originally posted by colec156
Hi all.

I have read a few threads on this board about survival knifes but they all seem to be about fixed blade knifes. Nothing wrong with that at all and they really have their place in survival.

Lets look at basic emergency / survival kit.
A folding knife takes up less space and when thinking that a basic back up survival kit maybe very limited in size.

Have any of you looked into a decent folding knife for survival, if so what have you purchased ??
The blade I feel maybe needs to be between 3 to 4 inches.
Looking on line I have seen many on sale but I am looking for some experienced heads out there who could point me in the right direction.

BTW, I already have a few fixed blade knifes one of which is the frosts mora clippa. This knife is a great knife and it is very kind to the budget.

Many thanks.

colec

I swear by Cold Steel Voyager Tantos in large and extra large blades 4 and 5 inch, For heavy duty the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter is exactly that, the ultimate folding hunter, its lock back is a beast and the blade is 5 mm thick, Its absolutely awsome. Also the Blade Tech Hunter Lite is a very very very good quality blade, its a Tim Wegner design. You can read and view the quality of the CS range on www.ltspecpro.com

tis a pity you live so far south or you could come and inspect my collection of folders, probably could have given you one as well.
NR

[edit on 30-1-2009 by Northern Raider]

Thats it NR, go on and tease me why don't you.
I will check that website out so thanks for the link.

Colec

I carry a Cold Steel recon 1 in my left pocket and a Emerson CQC 15 in my right pocket. I love the Emerson very sharp blade its what our boys in nasa carry on the Space Station. The Cold Steel is my rugged every day use love it too, also very sharp blade . Both have a four inch blade both are Modified tanto points..
The Emerson also has the Wave opening feature witch allows for one hand opening out of the pocket. It has a tang that grabs the pocket edge and is also locked into place with titanium liner locks. Very sturdy as well as the Cold Steel.

As far as for my bug out kit I have a few fixed blades from SOG Seal Pups to some other 6 to 8 inch fixed blades.

Also a few smaller assisted open knives and a leatherman Surge.

I don't think you can ever have enough steel around when you need it. Also may be good barrtering items if we come to the Shtf .

I'll give you a voyager if you get off your arse and come and get it, and you can choose between a clip point or a tanto. Now isnt that a sickener

I see someone beat me to the Benchmade line, I must admit their axis locking system is perhaps the most solid mechanism ive ever seen on a locking blade, even tops the unique CRKT liner-locks. I might have paid 175$ for my Benchmade but its outlasted any other folding knife I have ever owned including my CRKT and the mechanism is just as solid some 5+ years later as the day I took it out of the box.

Originally posted by Hallberg Rassy

FIxed blade full tang knives will outlast any folder even if abused. If you want a true survival knife get fixed blade full tang

This being said, have several knives is always best. A good locking mechanism folder is excellent backup. I have a gerber with about 4 inch blade, i used it as can opener, screwdriver, all kinds of applications it was never meant for. Had it for 7 years, sharpen every 2 months or so, still working beautifully

I already have two very good fixed blade knifes but I agree a good multi toll is always good to have ready to go.

Originally posted by Helig
I see someone beat me to the Benchmade line, I must admit their axis locking system is perhaps the most solid mechanism ive ever seen on a locking blade, even tops the unique CRKT liner-locks. I might have paid 175$ for my Benchmade but its outlasted any other folding knife I have ever owned including my CRKT and the mechanism is just as solid some 5+ years later as the day I took it out of the box.

I had a Benchmade Griptilian but got rid of it, It was great as an EDC knife, superb for use in town, BUT that weird exposed lock used to clog in no time at all with blood, scales and feathers when it was used to gut and clean game etc. As a folder it is indeed first rate but I think its role is more police / tactical than as a hunters tool. My choice is still the heavy duty lock back mechanism on the Cold Steel blades.

reply to post by Northern Raider


I was at our local market today and there were a couple of traders selling knives but it is hard to judge the knives of what are good and what are not.
They were under a clear plastic case.
I still need to get a folding knife but I was also looking at the whole military belt and webbing pouch.

It's a shame NR that I have no reason apart from bugging out to go north mate.
Thanks for the offers anyways.

colec

i have been carrying a ed halligan stiff k.i.s.s. since 2002 its been thru a raging fire that meltd nearly everything made of metal in room knife was just fine had to replace cord on handle thats it folding knives and me don't work so well i have tried buck ,gerber ,crkt m-16 and all of them the locking mechanism became unusable within 6 months. if you need a small knife why don't you btry a neck knife lots of companies make them fixed blades or multitools are the way to go .
.

Take a look at the Spyderco Military which is a good defensive knife with a 4 inch blade made of super steel S30V. Or check out the Benchmade Rukus with it's 4.25 inch S30V blade and double thick liners it's one TOUGH beast of a knife. Both have G10 scales but the Rukus uses half G10 and half mikarta.

If I had to bet my like on a folder it's probably going to be the Rukus which won knife of the year in like 05. MONSTER knife and the AXIS lock gives a very solid lockup.

To the OP, as you are in the UK you might find this site of some help www.bkcg.co.uk... I have bought several knives from them and they were all excellent quality.

cheers

Cold steel really makes some fine products, just because a knife is cheep on that site does not mean that it won't preform wonderfully. Folders have their uses, especially with smaller, more delicate tasks. But i prefer Kukri knives more than anything else. You can find a cheep carbon steel one that can withstand alot of punishment for under $20.

reply to post by big gee


I will testify to this. If memory serves I had to wait a little while as their stock came from MOD surplus and this meant a delay in delivery.

That said the stock supplied appears to be of reasonable quality. I say that only because I am no expert in this field. The gear arrived, albeit eventually, and seems to be pretty good.