When you’re caught out in the wild and things are getting serious, a
quality survival knife is a crucial tool to have with you and can be
used for a wide variety of survivalist tasks from building a shelter,
skinning game, splitting firewood, cutting rope, opening cans, and much
more. Now, before you shell out you’re hard earned coins it’s important to know what to look for. I discuss the general rules of buying a good survival knife below and then share my own list of the top survival knives currently on the market.
In
a survival knife, you want something that will be readily available for
chopping, thrusting, prying, pounding, and rigorous cutting. Hence for
survival, folding knives just don’t…well…cut it.
Yes, I know that there are folding knives advertised as survival knives and many of the best folding knives are damn solid, so why do I insist on a fixed blade? Look, many folders are indeed tough but they’ll never take a beating like a solid fixed blade. Another reason is speed of deployment. With a folding blade, you have to open the knife and ensure it is properly locked before you can use it. In an emergency situation, you want a knife that is ready to go the minute you pull it out of its sheath. When speed and safety are essential, a fixed blade knife is much better than a folder.
Rule #1: Fixed blade, not folding
My passion in life is folding knives but I stand by this statement when it comes to survival knives. A good folding knife is perfect for everyday carry, but in a survival situation you want a fixed blade. Part of the reason for this is that the joint (or pivot) of a folding knife is a weakness when it comes to the rough abuse your survival knife will endure.
Yes, I know that there are folding knives advertised as survival knives and many of the best folding knives are damn solid, so why do I insist on a fixed blade? Look, many folders are indeed tough but they’ll never take a beating like a solid fixed blade. Another reason is speed of deployment. With a folding blade, you have to open the knife and ensure it is properly locked before you can use it. In an emergency situation, you want a knife that is ready to go the minute you pull it out of its sheath. When speed and safety are essential, a fixed blade knife is much better than a folder.
