What you want and do not want in a survival knife
You would never want to be caught short without a survival knife when surviving is what you need to do. In the great outdoors it is really is a must. With such a blade, you can fashion many things in order to help your quest to survive. A good knife is tough, versatile, and simple to use. But there are five things in a knife that you would do well to avoid.
Hollow handles
Hollow handles are not a good feature on any tool which needs to be strong. With a hollow handle, the knife has no integrity. It could break in half at any time. A hollow handle means that the blade is a separate component to the handle and the join would be a weak point. This can make the tool quite dangerous to use if you put it under strain.
Good grip
If the hollow handle has an inappropriate grip as well, it is a double whammy. It could cause blisters on your hand or slip out of your grasp, potentially causing serious injury. You will want a knife that feels comfortable in your hand and one that you can grip properly.
Quality steel
When the blade is cast in a low quality steel you never know what might happen. There are a lot of different types of steel, all of which have different properties. There are two types you need to consider for the purposes of a survival knife. These are carbon steel or stainless steel. These two are both suitable for the conditions you can expect to find where you need to use them for your survival.
As with most things in life, you generally get what you pay for, so it would be a good idea to pay a little more for your knife especially considering you could well be depending on it to save your life. Do not search for bargains in the knife department. You may be impressed with the price, but the quality is sure to leave you disappointed, or worse still, in danger!
Spines
Do not buy a survival knife with strange spines that claim to double as a saw. If you feel that you will be needing a saw in the wilderness, you should probably pack one. The spine of a survival knife is too thick to make a good saw anyway. Your survival knife needs to be thick and very tough. You should be able to smack it with a baton in order to chop firewood, for example, and it must be able to stand up to any other demands you make of it.
Simple
A survival knife is a survival knife, and it has a specific purpose. It is not a multi-tool or a Swiss Army knife with a dozen functions. Gizmos are not good for a survival knife. Sure, these can be useful but do not confuse the two. Adding fancy features to your knife takes away the effectiveness of it.
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