The Ultimate Survival Knives Shootout
The debate over which are the best survival knives is ongoing and extremely heated. When looking for the best survival knives, there are so many options it’s mind boggling. I have searched for a long time, read hundreds of reviews and tested survival knives over and over again and have come up with my elite list of the top 5 survival knives on the planet. Why five? The truth is that every knife is different, every person is different, and what survival knife is best for you may not be best for someone else. By the end of this review, you should have an idea of which survival knives are best suited for your needs.
The 3 Most Important Things to Look for in a Survival Knife
Before looking at the top 5, it’s important to see why I selected what I did. Survival knives are not your standard chefs knives and should be made to withstand anything you throw at them without even suspecting they will break or fail, let’s face it, survival knives are made to handle a potential life and death situation. Here are the top 3 things that all survival knives MUST have.
1 fixed blade – With recent technological improvements, folding knives have come a long way, but in the end they will NEVER be as strong or durable as the tried and true fixed blade knives. Fixed blade survival knives have a full tang that extends to the end of the handle, and each of my top 5 photos is a full tang, fixed blade survival knife.
2. First class steel – This might be the most important thing to look for in a survival knife and is certainly one of the most debated topics when it comes to survival knives. While there are literally hundreds of types of steel, my top 5 photos are either stainless steel, carbon steel, or a combination of the two, which is my personal preference.
3. Thick sheet and/or heat treatment – Let’s face it, survival knives aren’t made for slicing tomatoes for your next catering party, these knives are meant to slice, slice, slice, peel and save your life! We need a knife that won’t let you down when failure means death. That’s why we look for a blade thickness of at least 1/8″ combined with a reputable company that gives the knife proper heat treatment for maximum strength.
The 5 Best Survival Knives in the World for 2012
Wow, quite a big claim, right? Well first let me give you a little disclaimer. I know some of you will read this and say, “No way, X/Y/Z makes a $500 knife that is so much better!” The truth is, you may be right, but I don’t know about you, but I don’t like spending $500 on a knife. This list is the 5 best survival knives FOR THE MONEY! Each of these knives will give you the best bang for your buck, and each will typically blow any $500 survival knife. I should also preface this by saying that these survival knives are in no particular order and none of the Manufacturers listed here have paid me to favor none of these survival knives, this is just a list of my personal use and experience with these survival knives Enough talk let’s get to it!
1. KA-BAR 7″ Combat/Utility Knife– You can’t look anywhere for quality survival knives without coming across KA-BAR. These knives are tried and true and have so much history and experience in the field that many won’t even consider going with another brand. KA-BAR uses 1095 Cro-Van steel, which is a blend of stainless and carbon steel that is extremely strong and highly durable, yet soft enough to hold a razor sharp edge. There are many types of KA-BAR survival knives, but my favorite is the 7″ with the Kraton G handle, they make a leather handle, but I found the Kraton G to be much better for grip and MUCH more resistant to chipping. the weather . Also, make sure you buy it with a Kydex sheath, Kydex beats leather hands down, don’t worry about the extra few bucks, just get it! This knife can literally do it all and has been used by the USMC for years as their standard knife, and for good reason, this knife is just amazing.
2. Becker BK2 Campanion Survival Knife– Ethan Becker broke the mold when he created this bad boy, with a blade thickness of 1/4″ this thing could withstand a nuclear attack! With a true full tang design where the handle is literally 2 pieces of Givory glued around raw steel, it honestly has to be the toughest knife out of all of my top 5. The Becker BK2 is tough as nails, I’ve seen videos of people putting Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of weight on the knife without it flinching, combine that with a beautiful drop stitch design and one of the best designed sheaths in the business and You’ll have a knife that will cut and handle most $400 survival knives at a fraction of the price! My only problem with these survival knives is that the blade can be a bit short for beating wood, with that being said, when I tried this knife I actually found it to be the easiest to beat due to its super thick blade. The big brother to it, the Becker BK7, has a 7″ blade as opposed to the 5″ blade of the BK2, but it is a bit thinner and comes with a nylon sheath instead of kydex, very disappointing. That’s why I choose the BK2 over the BK7, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with either.
3. Gerber LMF II infantry knife– I was never a big fan of Gerber blades as most are outsourced these days, however I’m not a big fan of Chevy cars…but Chevy makes the Corvette which I adore and this survival knife This, my friends, is the Gerber Corvette of survival knives. In my opinion, it’s the last redeeming quality of Gerber. Made in Portland, Oregon from super-tough 12C27 stainless steel, this knife requires very little, if any, maintenance. This super thick and sharp blade can make any survival task short. Survival knives come and go these days, but this one is a tried and true legend in the military and is used a lot in times of war. These survival knives have a strong steel blade that can be used as a strike weapon or a hammer and the sheath is one of the best designs I’ve ever seen. These survival knives are simply amazing, and for a cheap price you get a bombproof essential survival tool.
4. Cold Steel SRK (Survival Rescue Knife)– If you’ve ever seen Cold Steel’s marketing, been terrified or grossed out, personally, although I feel it’s a bit misleading, it proves a point, Cold Steel makes some of the BEST survival knives in the world, if it can cut a cow whole. will probably do the trick. Jokes aside, Cold Steel makes many types of survival knives, some cheap, some incredibly expensive. For the price, the Cold Steel SRK is one of the best designed and best made survival knives in the world. It’s made from AUS8 steel, which happens to be my overall favorite type of steel for edge retention and durability, it has a super-tough, super-comfortable Kraton handle (think super-tough rubber). While the blade length is small, it is very thick (3/16″) and very durable. It has a great Kydex sheath that men’s survival knives don’t have these days. I love the drop point style blade design, I have always felt that drop point blades are the best survival knives. Cold Steel makes amazing knives and this is the best for the money, hands down!
5. Buck 119 special– What can you say about the Buck 119 special? The reputation of this knife is as strong as that of KA-BAR. Many outdoorsmen swear by this knife and rightly so, its design has stood the test of time. Buck’s philosophy is: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and who can argue with that? This knife is super strong, razor sharp, easy to clean, maintenance free, hassle free and would you notice how gorgeous this bad boy is? 420HC stainless steel is used in the blade for increased durability and if it ever breaks or fails Buck carries a 100% lifetime guarantee – a class act! My only complaint would be the sheath, which is leather, so make sure the blade is dry when you store it, or don’t store it inside the case. The handle can get a bit slippery if wet, but I find this knife to be very ergonomic and fits perfectly in my hand so it doesn’t slip off, definitely a survival knife among survival knives!
Survival knives are so important in a survival situation, that if you could only carry one item with you, you would be foolish not to choose a good quality survival knife. While survival knives come in many shapes and sizes, this list of the world’s 5 best survival knives will narrow that list down quite a bit. Every one of the ones discussed above you could trust with your life and believe me many have. Survival knives can also be used for family camping and many other uses around the house, making them invaluable tools for everyday use.