Choosing the best survival knives can be an easy task or it can be a hard one. If you have the money to buy the best survival knives, than by all means, get a good one. Quality and durability are the most important factors to take into consideration when choosing the best survival knives. It would be a shame to be somewhere lost in the bush and your survival knife decides to give out on you because it was poorly made. Remember that knives are supposed to be sharp and their blades should be able to be sharpened as well. Folding or fixed blade, which do you prefer? There are pros and cons of both. What is full, half and partial tang? Below I will dive into some of these topics and provide you with enough information to help you pick the best survival knives.
When picking the best survival knives, quality and durability should be one of your top concerns. If you happen to find yourself in a survival situation, your survival knife or knives can be one or the only life line you have. The survival knife should be able to handle a beating and still hold up. If you have ever watched Man vs. Wild, you would understand what I mean when a survival knife needs to be able to take a beating. Bear Grylls puts a heavy drubbing on his survival knife by cutting down small trees for cover or shelter, and building fires. He usually takes a heavy stick and I even seen him use large rocks to bash the back of the blade to cut through the trees. Your survival knives should be able to stand up to this type of beating and any other purposes that you use the knife for.
All knives should be sharp, especially survival knives. In any survival situation, energy is extremely important. If you have a dull survival knife, this will require you to work harder and exert more energy. Your survival knife should be extremely sharp and have the ability to be easily sharpened. There’s no point in buying a survival knife that cannot be sharpened, you need the best survival knives. Think of the things that a knife could do in a survival situation and many of them require the knife to be sharp. You should also find yourself a good sharpening utensil or stone to carry with you.
What blade do you prefer, folding or fixed? Here are some pros and cons of both fixed and folding blade survival knives :
The fixed blade is usually more durable than the folding one. The fixed blade would be like gold for a wilderness survival situation as they are more durable. You can cut down small trees to build fire, shelter, and possibly weapons and traps. Fixed blade survival knives are made to take a beating. Some cons are they are bulky, heavy, and less portable. Most consider fixed blades as the best survival knives.
Folding blades allow you to open and close the blade. Folding blades are considered to be weaker than fixed blades but it depends on the quality of the blade. I’ve seen Bear Grylls use folding blades on Man vs. Wild and they did take some punishment. Folding blades are very portable because they don’t weigh as much.
The best survival knives are constructed from one piece of steel. Tang is the length of the blade that goes into the handle. The best survival knives that are considered full tang are constructed from one piece of steel with riveted handles. There are other tangs such as half and partial tang. These knives are usually less durable.
Conclusion : Survival is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you happen to be an avid hunter, hiker, or camper, a great survival knife should definitely be something you have. A survival situation can be right around the corner, you just never know. I personally carry three knives with me when I am in the bush. I have my survival knife, pocket knife, and multi-tool. This way if one fails, I have a backup plan. A pocket knife and multi-tool would be great for lighter chores and I recommend having one or both. I hope this article has helped you understand how to pick the best survival knives.
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