Choosing The Right Fixed Blade Survival Knife For You

Apart from a decent knife being an expensive purchase you need to have the right knife for the job, here at Outdoor Revival we aim to provide you with the information you need to make the right choice, we’ve broken up this article into two, one for fixed bladed knives, below, and one for folding knives which you can read here.

This article from James Madeville will help you to pick the right survival knife for you.

Warning — Familiarize yourself with local laws concerning the possession and use of knives and machetes.

The survival knife

A knife is an indispensable survival item. It helps you build a shelter, start a fire, cut rope, prepare food and countless other tasks, but a knife can also be an effective weapon for both hunting and self–defence. Illustrated in the photo (left) is an MK3 knife by Doug Ritter, which meets all the requirements of a first–class fixed blade survival knife.
Other excellent survival knives

 

 

 

Beware of counterfeit copies of top quality knives made in China. The market is currently flooded with them.

What exactly is, a “survival knife?”

A survival knife is a knife that can be used for a multitude of purposes in a survival situation, so it must be light, safe to handle and very strong. It has to keep a 25° – 30° sharp edge and the handle and blade must be unbreakable. A sheath knife (fixed blade) is usually the best. Carry a folding knife as a spare and it is advisable to always have two knives with you. A folding knife is not as strong as a sheath knife because it has several moving parts and is best sharpened with a 20 – 25° edge and kept for lighter work such as slicing or skinning.

A sheath knife (fixed blade) is usually the best. Carry a folding knife as a spare and it is advisable to always have two knives with you. A folding knife is not as strong as a sheath knife because it has several moving parts and is best sharpened with a 20 – 25° edge and kept for lighter work such as slicing or skinning.

Physical characteristics of a survival knife

Length and strength

A survival knife does not have to have a long blade; the best length is around 10 – 15 cm (4 – 6 inches) long, with the thickest part of the blade being between 4 – 6.5 mm (0.16 – 0.26 inches) thick. Longer knives are cumbersome to carry and the risk of accidents when using them in a tired state is considerably higher. If a longer blade is needed, it is better to carry a machete, kukris or axe. The blade should not be flexible but neither should it be too thick because thick blades cannot do the finer work a survival knife is often required to do. This blade used for chopping and a best sharpened at a 35° to 40°angle

If a longer blade is needed, it is better to carry a machete, kukris or axe. The blade should not be flexible but neither should it be too thick because thick blades cannot do the finer work a survival knife is often required to do. This blade used for chopping and a best sharpened at a 35° to 40°angle

 

Knife blade shapes

 

Construction of a blade

Survival knife construction

The tang of the knife or machete (part that fits into the handle) has to be strong and this is something to look out for when buying your knife. Most knives or machetes fail at the tang or at the point, and a survival knife or machete blade and tang should all be made out of one piece of steel as illustrated in the above photo.

To reduce the weight of the knife and cheapen production, some makers cut away the tang. When you look at the knife handle from the side it looks as if the blade and tang are one solid piece and the tang is sandwiched in the handle. If you removed the handle, you would find the tang is cut away inside (photo below).

hollow tang construction

A half tang blade is cut away, fixing into the centre or top of the handle, as shown in the photo below. Knives constructed in this way are not strong enough to use as survival knives.

half tang blade construction

Ask how the knife is made when you buy it. If the seller is unsure, go somewhere else. Cheap survival knives are often made so that the metal blade is separate from the handle. The weak point on these badly made knives is where the blade and handle are welded, bolted or even glued together.

A cheap knife may have a short tang moulded into a plastic or rubber handle; these knives are not suitable as survival knives. You would do well to avoid such a cheap knife in favour of the superior full tang or narrow tang models where the blade and tang are all made out of one piece of steel without welds.

Avoid “novelty” survival knives with hollow handles filled with “survival equipment” such as compass, fishing gear, etc. (See photo, below.) Even if this survival equipment is high quality (frequently not so) the hollow handle seriously weakens your knife. If you lose your knife (heaven forbid), you have lost some, or all, of your precious survival equipment as well.

How to choose your knife

Rothco survival knife

A compass attached to a knife is a bad idea because steel becomes magnetised and will affect the compass’s accuracy. Keep away from all these gimmicks.

drop point knife bladeA thick, wide, sturdy point is best for survival use. A drop point blade (such as the RSK MK3) is typically best, although some clip points (see photo right) are acceptable. If you look at a clip point blade, you will see it reduces blade strength near the point.

A straight blade edge is usually the best for survival use. A serrated blade is more difficult to sharpen and it is better to use a Commando saw or hacksaw blade if you need to saw something. Chose a single–edge blade because a double–edge blade is not as safe to handle and it is illegal to carry one in many countries. Straight, single–edge blades are useful for carving, chopping and cutting. Though they may not cut through materials as efficiently as a serrated blade, straight bladed knives will still do a good job. A compromise is a blade which is part serrated, such as the ESSE Survival Knife as shown below.

 

Chose a single–edge blade because a double–edge blade is not as safe to handle and it is illegal to carry one in many countries. Straight, single–edge blades are useful for carving, chopping and cutting. Though they may not cut through materials as efficiently as a serrated blade, straight bladed knives will still do a good job. A compromise is a blade which is part serrated, such as the ESSE Survival Knife as shown below.

 

ESSE survival knife

The added advantage of the straight blade is that you can sharpen your survival knife using natural materials should you not have a regular sharpening stone handy, whereas the serrated blade generally needs a special sharpening device and technique.

It is important that the tip of the knife maintains its strength as this is an area where the knife is likely to fail. Do not be tempted to change the shape of your knife by grinding down the end to make a longer, narrower point.

Materials

Stainless steel and carbon steel are used for making top quality survival knives. Stainless steel knife blades are rust resistant and this is vital if you are venturing into wet environments such as tropical areas.

Stainless steel knives require less maintenance than carbon steel knives. They tend to be more expensive, are more difficult to sharpen and may not hold an edge as well as carbon steel, but stainless steel is the best all–round material for a survival knife.

 

Carbon Steel knife blades will rust if not used regularly unless they are coated with a protective layer. They tend to hold their edge better than stainless steel knives. It is a matter of personal choice, I would always choose a stainless steel knife as this copes with the harshest working environments.

Handle

The handle of the knife has two uses — to ensure a firm and comfortable grip and to enhance or act as the finger guard to stop the hand sliding down onto the blade. Typical materials used are wood, a high impact plastic or high density rubber. Nine times out of ten, a survival knife ends up as a chopping tool at some point in its history.

Take this into account. A beautiful, polished, rosewood handle may look good but when you start whacking the knife around it may not last long if you miss the blade and hit the beginning of the tang.

The handle must be unbreakable in extreme use and, therefore, much stronger than the handle of a general–purpose knife. These small details separate the survival knife from the everyday, run–of–the–mill sheath knife. Used carefully, a hardwood handle is fine and should take plenty of punishment but a tough composite material is better.

Fixing methods

Look at the way the handle fixes to the tang as this a potential weak point. A variety of methods may be used — screws, rivets, moulded to the tang or a combination. Satisfy yourself that the fixing method used is durable.

Metal handles

The all metal knife is very strong but bear in mind that a metal handle has its drawbacks. It significantly increases the weight of the knife; it is impractical in very cold conditions because it will freeze to the skin or at the least become uncomfortable to hold for extended periods. Some people recommend wrapping a handle in Paracord or some other covering, never do this, as there is a risk the wrapping material will fail and you will harm yourself if the knife slips.

Which is the knife for you?

Buying a survival knife is an investment, and there is large choice. Bear in mind that a survival knife is stronger in construction than other knives and its concept is that of a general purpose knife. It is not designed to take a 20° edge, for this purpose you need to carry a folding lock knife or other smaller sharper knife. It is not designed as a hatchet or machete. In use, it falls between these two blades. It is important to buy the very best knife you can afford. It is also a good idea to get the feel of the knife before you buy it, go to a shop and have a look at several suitable knives, even mass–produced knives can fall out very differently.

Decide if you want a factory produced knife, or if your budget allows, consider a hand made knife; there are many excellent knife smiths around and generally, their knives are better made.

It is possible to buy a factory made knife that is not too expensive and there are many cheaper survival knives around that will give years of good service. The compromise on price usually means the knife is made from lower grade steel (hence more difficult to hone and maintain a sharp edge) and the handle is more likely to be high–impact plastic bonded to the tang. This makes it more difficult to know if the blade is full or half tang construction, which is why it is best to buy from a retailer who is knowledgeable about their products.

 

We are all different, and when choosing a knife find one that is easy to hold, has a good balance and it not too heavy. Bear in mind your local knife laws, and choose a blade that is not too long. A part serrated blade is useful if the serrated section does not fill more than one third of the blade length (remember you need a sharpener for the serrated edge).

All new survival knives come ground at 25° to 30° but they are not honed. So you will have to sharpen it. A good retailer can start you off by performing the initial honing for you, if they can’t do that, go somewhere that can. After that, you will just have to touch up the edge with with a ceramic rod. If you want to learn how to re–profile and hone a blade yourself.

Getting the best out of your knife:

• Never use a knife as a lever; no knife is made for this purpose and you will damage the knife and possibly harm yourself.
• Never throw your knife or use it to make a spear point. A survival knife is not balanced as a throwing knife and you will cause injury, damage the knife, or lose it.
• Keep your knife clean and sharp at all times. After you use it, clean and sharpen it. A couple of strokes on a sharpening stone are all that is usually necessary to maintain the edge.
• Get into the good habit of keeping your knife in its sheath when not in use. I have seen people cut themselves on a knife left lying around and it is possible in a survival situation to walk off and forget your precious knife in a tired or anxious state.
• Always have a cord fitted to the lanyard hole. Fasten the cord to your belt as an added protection against losing your knife. Wrap the cord round your wrist when chopping to prevent the knife from bouncing away if you lose your grip.
• Never run with your knife in your hand or be off balance when using it. Sounds obvious? Many accidents with knives are caused this way.
• Never heat your knife blade in a fire (using it a cooking skewer) unless you have a very real need to do this, such as cauterising a wound. Heating the blade will weaken it.
• Wash off saltwater, blood, etc., in clean water immediately after use; clean off and dry your knife before replacing it back in the sheath.
• Never stick your knife into the ground because this will blunt it and you run the risk of sticking the point into rock or a stone and damaging it.
• Learn to cut away from the body; peel fruit, etc. the same way.
• If you are cold, hungry, tired or not focused because of the trauma of the situation you can easily inflict serious damage to your person or others with a knife. Treat your knife with the same respect you would treat a loaded gun. Do not risk any personal injury, as this will just make your situation worse.
• Always buy your survival knives from a specialist supplier and in my book, a specialist supplier is defined as one who knows his or her products in detail and can advise on care and best use of the knife. Most mass produced survival knives, even quite cheap ones these days, are of good quality stainless or carbon steel (the price difference often comes in the knife construction as mentioned previously).

Please take the opportunity to read the second article in this series on picking the right Folding knife for survival which can be found here : Choosing The Right Folding Survival Knife

 

Thanks to James Manderville for this article.  Jame is an ex-Army survival instructor and runs the popular survival website site Survival Expert.

He has many years experience in difficult terrain, notably the Amazon, the African bush and climbing in various mountain regions including the Drakensburg Mountains and the Andes.

 

 

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