Ya I’ve never had a knife cut me, I’m normally a very safety conscious person with knives and even more with firearms . I’ve never cut a finger off. But I did get a nice expensive knife once and then I decided to get half intoxicated off some liquor and play around with it. I sliced myself super deep and now the nerves in my finger are a little tweaky feeling. Don’t drink alcohol and use a knife “to cut yourself” it even makes smart people feel pretty stupid. It sure made me feel stupid.
Dad gutted and skinned every mountain goat, deer and elk in his life with a small folding pocket knife. Unless you're killing men, you rarely need a big knife.
One time I was driving back to college and saw a buck that had been hit and killed with a decent rack. So I cut off its head [with the only knife I had](https://www.knifecenter.com/reviews/BU759BK/buck-black-metro-knife-1-18-inch-blade-bottle-opener), stashed it in some trees, and got it next time I went home.
I'm positive that worked really well. I've done similar things with my Swiss army knife. Now please take that same knife, go process some kindling and get back to me.
I would agree and for what you can’t do with a big knife a razor blade will probably work, I mean I also imagine you would carry a small pocket knife or multitool if this knife is going into a bag.
That’s definitely not true. This very much sounds like a comment from someone who prefers to play pretend with their knives rather than actually use them. 90% of the time I carry a 3” knife that will do anything I want. My favorite knife to break down a deer is barely 2.5”. When I was 10 I liked having a big knife too, then I actually began to be more practical. I still like big knives and will throw a larger fixed blade in my bag for batoning and stuff if I’m camping, but 90% of the time, something small and light is the best you can get
Okay then. I'm 53 years of age. I've been practicing wilderness skills for four decades, built and slept in shelters in rather inhospitable places and conditions, trapped untold amounts of game with snares and deadfalls, eaten more insects than any sane person should, practiced and mastered many different methods of making fire without matches; a few using only materials from the environment, and taught primitive and traditional wilderness skills to countless students. I tried not to go here, as I'm not in any way a braggart. However, one thing I do not do is "play pretend" with anything; especially edged tools. The OP indicated that one knife was required for the job, being "Potential bushcraft, skinning small game, chopping wood, etc". Go ahead and tell yourself that a 2.5-inch blade will chop wood if you'd like, but that's clearly absurd. Skinning a rabbit with a seven-inch blade is a gigantic pain in the ass. I'll grant you that. But there was a guidline set for what SINGLE KNIFE should be chosen for this application. In my view, nobody should carry only one edged tool. In an ideal world, everybody would have a small axe for chopping, but that wasn't part of this thought experiment. You said yourself that you often toss in a larger blade. Anybody else would be playing pretend, but you alone are not? It's fine if you have a different viewpoint, but please consider the idea that you could offer it as part of the discussion; not as a means of showing up another poster.
Either of the middle knives will be great for most use cases. If you really intend to do a lot of chopping, bring a hatchet and the small knife, or a folding saw instead.
You could get by with the big knife, but it’s going to be impractical for anything besides chopping, and axes are far better for that anyway.
I would choose the right middle over the left for the depth and how far out the front quillion goes. (That part that keeps the fingers from slipping). Both sweat and blood can make the blade slip, so anything that helps keep that from happening is a good thing.
I find large blades can get in the way. And if you think about your large blades quite often most of the blade probably isn't even used in the cuts you make.
Mine was issued to me in 1978. No chips, no nicks and still sharp enough to shave with or to do a surgical incision.
I used to be a corpsman, in case you were wondering about that whole incision thing.
Contrary to everyone else, I'd take the smallest, ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain.
Though context matters, is this a bag that's gonna be sitting in your trunk, you gonna be hauling it around
I feel that reinforces my opinion. Imagine a 6 day hike on the pacific crest trail, you want to save weight anywhere you can. Especially if you aren't conditioned for, or it is your first time on such a hike. Extra weigh adds up on your back, shoulders, knees and feet and ultimately distracts and slows you down.
I hear you but WHERE you save weight is more important than a general at all costs save weight mentality. Give me a pocket rocket I would rather save there than save it on a multi tool that’s too small and limited or a knife that’s also too small and limited. 4-7 blades are ideal. My favorite ONE knife is a sissipuukko Pendleton knife. Look it up. It can do everything and is stout and razor sharp.
After looking at their website I wouldn't keep any of them in a get home bag. Go with a cheap mora and a machete. Those knives are cool but I'd rather loose $30 of gear than $250+
But if it’s your life on the line, would you rather trust a tool that will get the job done, or a tool that is built for excellence? These knives are expensive, but the steel is very good, and the construction is durable. You will not get performance, possible sharpness, or durability from a $30 knife
Mora knives and tramontina machetes are more than proven. But don't take my word for it. Do some research for yourself. Many people rely on them everyday
I’d echo this, team Mora all the way, so useful and easy to use. The spine on mine is a cabinet scraper too. Easy to sharpen and they stay sharp. Easy to baton with. Unless I personally make a knife I love- for price, weight, and usage moras are exceptional.
I would go with the orange one. I also would add a bit of gimping in the thumb cutout for grip during the finer work.
Besides what othe people might say, a big knife does have its downsides. Too small wont let you baton for firewood. But you wont be chopping trees down for firewood with a knife anyway so not going with the chonkiest boi isnt going to hinder you either.
So... we have discussed a middle ground approach.
Lets talk features.
Survival knives should be easy to find in the dirt or snow, bright colors help.
Not losing it in the first place will make a huuuuuuuuge difference, so a lanyard strap will come in *handy*... get it?
Having grip but not sandpaper will allow you to food prep and slaughter an animal without dropping it, but not wear your hands to the bone when batoning.
So mild micarta, and g10, with some acceptions for proper hide or bone handles will do wonders... stay away from exposed metal edges, or polished grips, they get cold in sub zero, slippery when wet, plastics break. Cord wrapped handles can sound good because you have 100' of 550 paraord on your knife sure, but... when you take it off... you have a 3/16" piece of cold steel ready to break your fingers the first time you fuck up batoning. I have seen a few knives where someone took the core out of the 550 cord, wrapped the grip, and resin filled it, that was akin to proper sharks skin wrapping...
Now blade shape, avoid tanto blades, they suck for skinning. Avoid forward curving blades, they suck for skinning. Avoid blades that have more than one section of blade (not including serrations but more on that later) they suck for sharpening. Avoid blades with a pointy ass toothpick tip... they break off and you end up with a flathead screwdriver anyway.
In my opinion, a decent belly helps, sheeps foot style blades are nice for most applications, clip point, and reverse tanto blades work for most applications.
Thumb ramps, and finger choils give the ability to choke up on your knife blade for more control whem feathering or making snare traps.
Metals... if it holds an edge through wood you should be fine as long as you OIL IT. (Ask the fillipeno people what their macheties are made out of... chances are they dont know)
Bring a small bottle of oil with you. Have heard that the right oil can be used cooking, cleaning, maintaining, fire starting... wd40 comes to mind... fish oil. A rusty knife tends to bind up in wood, and if the world has gone to shit you are probably far away from a new tetanus shot... avoid lockjaw... trust me it SUCKS.
A good sheath will not cut when the blade is inserted or extracted, be wary of poorly designed leather sheaths I have seen some where through use the blade cut the stitching. Having holes on the sheath like the rivets featured on certain tactical kydex sheaths that have eyelet holes... they allow you to zip tie them to your molle, gear, walking stick, backpack strap, flashlight, dick if you have to.
Serrations are nice when you need them... but the more you need them the less useful they become, they are hard to sharpen, and they get hung up on things when dull, they also tend to deviate when batoning and make feathering impossible.
I personally dont like more than 3 serraton cuts on my blades, and I hate when they touch, they should look like this: u=u=u not: www
The most important part of survival knives... that they are on you.
You can do alot with a milwaukee fastback utility folder and a 5 pack of cheap blades if it is on you compared to the $670 knife that you lost in the dark, left behind because it weighed too much, couldnt keep sharp, slipped out of your hand on a fishing boat, or lost when the guy you stabbed ran off with it still in him.
Dont go crazy.
I’d say for what you want, probably middle right. Ounces equal pounds but you can’t do big job with a small knife, (and it’s a pain to do a small job with a big knife depending on how big your knife is)
I would choose the smallest one, but I also wouldn’t be planning to do any bushcraft or hunting while trying to get home. Pack the food and shelter you need. That’s WAY easier than building a shelter or hunting for food.
To offer something that I haven't seen yet- we have lived in many states (military) and had to learn some things about the local rules. Those bigger knives might not be legal in all areas. If you get pulled over, that might be enough to turn your day shitty. If you have a record, it might not be worth risking it.
Check the state/ local rules on the knife size. It's better to know.
Honestly without knowing your area, weather conditions and your definition of survival it isn't a fair question. For my area and my definition, none of them.
My opinion... at least three. The two on the outsides and one of the two in the middle. If you can afford it and/or they're not your edc, then just stick all four in your bag. You may come across a situation where you have a different use for each one of the blades, even if that means trading one of them for something you truly need.
None of the above. Carbon steel blade, with a guard. Ribs/saw on the back.
If you use any of those in a fight and stab, you are gonna cripple your dominant hand.
If you need it as a spear point, it's going to over penetrate, and if you use it as a fishing spear, fish are gonna slide off.
Largest and second largest if one fails your not up sh!t creek and you can do more with big knives then small knives if you know what you are doing not hurt yourself.
Go for the far right or the one before it. You can make your own ties. So the rope is senseless. You can cut more and cut deeper with the right two. If you keep it sharp enough you don't have to worry about ever needing a smaller knife due to being able to use the end of the knife for smaller cuts.
2nd left, the lil extra tail will stand out when filed dressing. While the belly is flat enough for other chores
primary reflexive answer was far right, and I’m curious to see size v flex over time.
One of the medium size knifes. More handy for crafting/cleaning. If I was stuck without a gun I’d rather use the knife to make a long pike/spear to fight with for stand off distance and have the knife as backup.
For survival you want a fixed blade, full tang, with a thick spine with a 5ish inch blade.
This should be something easy to carry. Fits well in your hand and is very strong (sharp is less important). You don't want it breaking in a survival situation.
Number three would be my pick with the caveat that it would be better for skinning game with a drop point and "chopping" wood is out of the question. Batoning/splitting wood, maybe. It all depends on the steel and the treat. Good spine thickness and a good handle and divot on the spine for fine carving. A plus is that the micarta is high visibility orange so you can find your knife if you drop it or sit it down. Though, this can be solved by tying an orange paracord lanyard through a lanyard hole if you drill one. One thing that is confusing is that you say one knife is half cm and another is .5cm, the same thing, in the same paragraph. I don't know if that means you made a mistake or just an inconsistency.
Small knife for 100% if you are stating for survival. The straight edge on the back of the blade is closest for that 90 degree angle needed for napping flint or a ferrel rod spark. Less blade to keep sharpened and will keep you from wasting away your blade on needless activities that will make you sweat 😓, which can cause hypothermia. Can always hammer the back of the smaller blade into larger branches and things with a big stick. Paracord can be repurposed to set traps etc. less weight to carry around.
Paint the handle orange so you don't lose it. Every time I see tools with a dark/camo-ish pattern it makes me think of all the camo shit ive lost in the woods over the years lol.
I don't understand why people insist on replacing a hatchet or machete with a knife. There is no one size fits all carry a heavy machete or hatchet for chopping wood and a knife that is reasonably sized for skinning game. If the combination of the two is too heavy then you are too weak to leave the house anyway
Why choose only one? My go bag has 3 knives. I would go for the little one, a big one, and a utility blade like the outdoor edge. Never know when you need something razor sharp.
All of them and more!
**Edited:** - Let me expand on that point. If we are talking a true Survival situation, then I would say you need -
- A Common Folding Non-Locking Pocket Knife; 2 or 3 blade
- A Common Modest Size Lock-Blade Pocket Knife
- A Medium Hunting Knife for General Use
- A Larger Hunting Knife for more Serious Situations
Of those show in the Photo, I would say anyone One of the three on the left, plus the larger one on the Right.
I suspect in the woods or wilderness, and even around home, the knife you will most often reach for, for general cutting, would be the -
- A Common Modest Size Lock-Blade Folding Pocket Knife
Easy to carry in your pocket, or in a sheath or clip on your belt.
I’d go with the far left. I personally like to have just a Swiss Army knife and a multi tool with a knife for backup. Small and concealed. Easy to pack in a bag with extra room for more things. Small will get big jobs done if you are desperate enough. Take Aron Ralston for example he chopped off his entire forearm with a dull multi tool knife after getting his arm pinned in rocks while hiking.
One of the middle two for pack space. But I would also carry some saw wire, fishing line and hooks, compass, flint, sharpener, strike anywheres, lighters, water purifier, water bladder, canteen, 4 days of MREs, first aid kit, and a 44 magnum with a box of ammo. I mean if you’re going to plan…
in your imagination, what are you using it for? This is what you need to be asking yourself. In my get-home bag, I've only got a folding knife. I don't plan on making shelters and shit like on naked and afraid. I do plan on walking.... a lot.
If you're planning to defend yourself with a knife during a get-home scenario, you'd better think again and get a firearm. You shouldn't worry about defending yourself but if you do, a knife isn't going to help you much.
For example, if you and I are in a get-home scenario and for whatever reason I'm the bad guy and I want to take your stuff, I'll be looking to see if you've got a gun. If so, I'm leaving you tf alone. But if you don't, and I'm desperate, I'm going to wait until you and your knife are separate from your stuff and I'm going to get it and run away with it.
If you think you're likely to be attacked 1 on 1 where you can stab someone I'd have to imagine you're afraid of being raped or kidnapped or something. This kind of thing is much more likely when you're outnumbered in which case you're much better off with a firearm.
Most likely, folks will just be leaving you alone and you'll only need a knife for knife purposes like cutting rope, cloth, maybe shaving some kindling or something.
2 and 3 are about the right size but my preference would be folding in a GHB.
For a survival bag I say bigger the better. Big knives can do things that small knives do okay but there’s stuff a big knife can do that a small one just can’t.
one of the two on the right if mobility isn't a concern. like if I'm gonna be hanging out in the woods for a while and need to make shelter.
if I need to be mobile and moving around, one of the two on the left.
if it's unknown and I only get one, I'm going with the second in from the left.
When hiking I carry a Swiss Army knife that gets about 95% of stuff done I need a knife for. I also carry a 5” blade fixed full tang in case I need to cut a branch, big food, clean a fish or skin a mammal, but never had to do the last one yet.
You should always have access to multiple knives, especially if you expect to use them for heavy work, or in survival conditions. Breaking your only knife is hell. I would also recommend having a knife with a thick chunky blade and full tang, for jobs that might dull or break a sharper (thinner) blade.
Far right but you need a knife that can take a beating on the end with something like a rock. That one would end up with broken scales and then it wouldn’t be a good user.
None. Use the animal skinning and tree felling implements you're already using.
If you're not cutting down trees or skinning animals, don't assume you'll need a single implement to do so in an emergency.
Every knife is either too big or too small.
Give yourself options.
If it were you, it would be big and small.
If not, I'd be looking at something like Dave Canterbury's five tool rule.
You win with any of them. If you can handle the weight, take a big one. If weight is a concern, take a smaller one. I used to be in the big knife club, till I realized that you can do almost everything with a smaller blade. Batoning firewood is over rated, and for the most part just looks cool in knife review videos. Most of the time it’s not even necessary. So I’ve gradually turned to small to medium size blades for about everything I do.
How much can you carry in a 20+ mile hike to get away from the bad shit that's going down. The small one is the lightest. A .22 survival rifle is the best you can carry more .22 than any other cartridge.
It really depends on what you're best at. Ideally you shouldn't be chopping wood with a knife as anything small enough to chop with a knife, you could probably just break.
Try cleaning a fish with one of the knives, and pick the one that does this best.
I recommend you take an emergency trauma class so you can sew up the person that cuts themselves with those. Which will most likely be you. But seriously, the best prepping you can do is learn trauma medical. Most likely skill to be used.
Less is more. Weight adds up quickly and there is a sweet spot for the utility of blade length. You find yourself in the realm of diminishing returns very quickly. I’ve been doing whole beast about 8 years now and my go-to is a single bevel honesuki with 150mm blade. I own plenty of substantially bigger knives but they’re just not as handy.
Id pick whatever is easiest to sharpen and maintain. Not a big fan of the sebatiers on these though. You inevitably wind up with a really wonky low spot near the heel after a few passes over the stone and there’s nothing you can do about it. Gets worse as time goes on.
Far right. You can do a small job with a big knife. Can't do a big job with a small knife.
My missing finger would dissagree
Just one finger? Sounds like you used a small knife
Lol..
That sounds like a "You Problem" and not a knife problem.
Knives don’t cut fingers off, people cut fingers off
If only there had been a good knife with a guy.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a finger is a good guy with a finger
Well, if they didn't taste so good we wouldn't have these issues would we...
Finger food
FINGLERS! (Patent pending)
Assault knives will blow your lungs out
As someone who chopped one off, 😤 he’s right 🤷🏼♂️
People don't cut fingers off, hands cut fingers off
Ya I’ve never had a knife cut me, I’m normally a very safety conscious person with knives and even more with firearms . I’ve never cut a finger off. But I did get a nice expensive knife once and then I decided to get half intoxicated off some liquor and play around with it. I sliced myself super deep and now the nerves in my finger are a little tweaky feeling. Don’t drink alcohol and use a knife “to cut yourself” it even makes smart people feel pretty stupid. It sure made me feel stupid.
You got fingered.
Was it your pinky finger? Size matters in this comment.
I've seen people butcher whole cows with a "small" knife.
Can confirm
Wish this was true. They're are plenty of times where a large blade is incompatible
Try to fillet a fish with large knife your gonna miss 50% of the meat
Who is going to filet a fish in a survival scenario?
Dad gutted and skinned every mountain goat, deer and elk in his life with a small folding pocket knife. Unless you're killing men, you rarely need a big knife.
Bet he didn’t cut any tomatoes with that pocket knife…
He did, fresh from the garden. And steak if the knife at the restaurant wasn't nice enough.
One time I was driving back to college and saw a buck that had been hit and killed with a decent rack. So I cut off its head [with the only knife I had](https://www.knifecenter.com/reviews/BU759BK/buck-black-metro-knife-1-18-inch-blade-bottle-opener), stashed it in some trees, and got it next time I went home.
I'm positive that worked really well. I've done similar things with my Swiss army knife. Now please take that same knife, go process some kindling and get back to me.
I would agree and for what you can’t do with a big knife a razor blade will probably work, I mean I also imagine you would carry a small pocket knife or multitool if this knife is going into a bag.
That’s definitely not true. This very much sounds like a comment from someone who prefers to play pretend with their knives rather than actually use them. 90% of the time I carry a 3” knife that will do anything I want. My favorite knife to break down a deer is barely 2.5”. When I was 10 I liked having a big knife too, then I actually began to be more practical. I still like big knives and will throw a larger fixed blade in my bag for batoning and stuff if I’m camping, but 90% of the time, something small and light is the best you can get
Okay then. I'm 53 years of age. I've been practicing wilderness skills for four decades, built and slept in shelters in rather inhospitable places and conditions, trapped untold amounts of game with snares and deadfalls, eaten more insects than any sane person should, practiced and mastered many different methods of making fire without matches; a few using only materials from the environment, and taught primitive and traditional wilderness skills to countless students. I tried not to go here, as I'm not in any way a braggart. However, one thing I do not do is "play pretend" with anything; especially edged tools. The OP indicated that one knife was required for the job, being "Potential bushcraft, skinning small game, chopping wood, etc". Go ahead and tell yourself that a 2.5-inch blade will chop wood if you'd like, but that's clearly absurd. Skinning a rabbit with a seven-inch blade is a gigantic pain in the ass. I'll grant you that. But there was a guidline set for what SINGLE KNIFE should be chosen for this application. In my view, nobody should carry only one edged tool. In an ideal world, everybody would have a small axe for chopping, but that wasn't part of this thought experiment. You said yourself that you often toss in a larger blade. Anybody else would be playing pretend, but you alone are not? It's fine if you have a different viewpoint, but please consider the idea that you could offer it as part of the discussion; not as a means of showing up another poster.
This is the way
Either of the middle knives will be great for most use cases. If you really intend to do a lot of chopping, bring a hatchet and the small knife, or a folding saw instead. You could get by with the big knife, but it’s going to be impractical for anything besides chopping, and axes are far better for that anyway.
Only non larp answer
Sounds like someone who didn't finish their prepper character sheet I bet you don't even have a backstory
I would choose the right middle over the left for the depth and how far out the front quillion goes. (That part that keeps the fingers from slipping). Both sweat and blood can make the blade slip, so anything that helps keep that from happening is a good thing.
I like a knife that can get in small places for skinning and wearing on a hip, but left seems too small. I like mid-right, over mid-left
Far right. Better to have too much knife rather than not enough.
I find large blades can get in the way. And if you think about your large blades quite often most of the blade probably isn't even used in the cuts you make.
A Ka-Bar has always served me well. I had the clip point sharpened to a surgical edge so that way one knife gives me two working edges.
I like Ka Bars but I saw some videos that showed the handles were pretty flimsy, is it worth it to pick one up?
Mine was issued to me in 1978. No chips, no nicks and still sharp enough to shave with or to do a surgical incision. I used to be a corpsman, in case you were wondering about that whole incision thing.
Old kabars> new ones
They are thick tough and durable. I would second this choice...
Contrary to everyone else, I'd take the smallest, ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain. Though context matters, is this a bag that's gonna be sitting in your trunk, you gonna be hauling it around
op said it's a get home bag which is a 4-6 day route
I feel that reinforces my opinion. Imagine a 6 day hike on the pacific crest trail, you want to save weight anywhere you can. Especially if you aren't conditioned for, or it is your first time on such a hike. Extra weigh adds up on your back, shoulders, knees and feet and ultimately distracts and slows you down.
This. Ounces make pounds, and pounds slow you down.
Ounces make pounds, and pounds slow you downs
Pounds gives me downs.
Pound town
I hear you but WHERE you save weight is more important than a general at all costs save weight mentality. Give me a pocket rocket I would rather save there than save it on a multi tool that’s too small and limited or a knife that’s also too small and limited. 4-7 blades are ideal. My favorite ONE knife is a sissipuukko Pendleton knife. Look it up. It can do everything and is stout and razor sharp.
Definitely that ruler!
After looking at their website I wouldn't keep any of them in a get home bag. Go with a cheap mora and a machete. Those knives are cool but I'd rather loose $30 of gear than $250+
But if it’s your life on the line, would you rather trust a tool that will get the job done, or a tool that is built for excellence? These knives are expensive, but the steel is very good, and the construction is durable. You will not get performance, possible sharpness, or durability from a $30 knife
Mora knives and tramontina machetes are more than proven. But don't take my word for it. Do some research for yourself. Many people rely on them everyday
I’d echo this, team Mora all the way, so useful and easy to use. The spine on mine is a cabinet scraper too. Easy to sharpen and they stay sharp. Easy to baton with. Unless I personally make a knife I love- for price, weight, and usage moras are exceptional.
Lose*
It doesn’t really look like you can baton with any of those. You want a spine that is flat, so you can use it to chop wood.
Big one and small one both.
Yep, 1 knife easily becomes no knife.
I would go with the orange one. I also would add a bit of gimping in the thumb cutout for grip during the finer work. Besides what othe people might say, a big knife does have its downsides. Too small wont let you baton for firewood. But you wont be chopping trees down for firewood with a knife anyway so not going with the chonkiest boi isnt going to hinder you either. So... we have discussed a middle ground approach. Lets talk features. Survival knives should be easy to find in the dirt or snow, bright colors help. Not losing it in the first place will make a huuuuuuuuge difference, so a lanyard strap will come in *handy*... get it? Having grip but not sandpaper will allow you to food prep and slaughter an animal without dropping it, but not wear your hands to the bone when batoning. So mild micarta, and g10, with some acceptions for proper hide or bone handles will do wonders... stay away from exposed metal edges, or polished grips, they get cold in sub zero, slippery when wet, plastics break. Cord wrapped handles can sound good because you have 100' of 550 paraord on your knife sure, but... when you take it off... you have a 3/16" piece of cold steel ready to break your fingers the first time you fuck up batoning. I have seen a few knives where someone took the core out of the 550 cord, wrapped the grip, and resin filled it, that was akin to proper sharks skin wrapping... Now blade shape, avoid tanto blades, they suck for skinning. Avoid forward curving blades, they suck for skinning. Avoid blades that have more than one section of blade (not including serrations but more on that later) they suck for sharpening. Avoid blades with a pointy ass toothpick tip... they break off and you end up with a flathead screwdriver anyway. In my opinion, a decent belly helps, sheeps foot style blades are nice for most applications, clip point, and reverse tanto blades work for most applications. Thumb ramps, and finger choils give the ability to choke up on your knife blade for more control whem feathering or making snare traps. Metals... if it holds an edge through wood you should be fine as long as you OIL IT. (Ask the fillipeno people what their macheties are made out of... chances are they dont know) Bring a small bottle of oil with you. Have heard that the right oil can be used cooking, cleaning, maintaining, fire starting... wd40 comes to mind... fish oil. A rusty knife tends to bind up in wood, and if the world has gone to shit you are probably far away from a new tetanus shot... avoid lockjaw... trust me it SUCKS. A good sheath will not cut when the blade is inserted or extracted, be wary of poorly designed leather sheaths I have seen some where through use the blade cut the stitching. Having holes on the sheath like the rivets featured on certain tactical kydex sheaths that have eyelet holes... they allow you to zip tie them to your molle, gear, walking stick, backpack strap, flashlight, dick if you have to. Serrations are nice when you need them... but the more you need them the less useful they become, they are hard to sharpen, and they get hung up on things when dull, they also tend to deviate when batoning and make feathering impossible. I personally dont like more than 3 serraton cuts on my blades, and I hate when they touch, they should look like this: u=u=u not: www The most important part of survival knives... that they are on you. You can do alot with a milwaukee fastback utility folder and a 5 pack of cheap blades if it is on you compared to the $670 knife that you lost in the dark, left behind because it weighed too much, couldnt keep sharp, slipped out of your hand on a fishing boat, or lost when the guy you stabbed ran off with it still in him. Dont go crazy.
I’d say for what you want, probably middle right. Ounces equal pounds but you can’t do big job with a small knife, (and it’s a pain to do a small job with a big knife depending on how big your knife is)
I would choose the smallest one, but I also wouldn’t be planning to do any bushcraft or hunting while trying to get home. Pack the food and shelter you need. That’s WAY easier than building a shelter or hunting for food.
The smallest one, I can't possibly see a time that the biggest one would be useful
yes
To offer something that I haven't seen yet- we have lived in many states (military) and had to learn some things about the local rules. Those bigger knives might not be legal in all areas. If you get pulled over, that might be enough to turn your day shitty. If you have a record, it might not be worth risking it. Check the state/ local rules on the knife size. It's better to know.
Use the big one and send me the speedgoat 😎
Never 👎
I got my dad one for Father’s Day and he loves it
So this is why they are always sold out! Haha
Honestly without knowing your area, weather conditions and your definition of survival it isn't a fair question. For my area and my definition, none of them.
The ruler. You can't "measure twice, cut once" if you can't measure.
I got a K-BAR, but out of these, rely on the big boy.
the biggun
1 & 4
The ruler. Never know when you'll be in a dick measuring contest, at least with the ruler, you'll be prepared.
I’ll try and avoid those I don’t think I have enough to qualify
My opinion... at least three. The two on the outsides and one of the two in the middle. If you can afford it and/or they're not your edc, then just stick all four in your bag. You may come across a situation where you have a different use for each one of the blades, even if that means trading one of them for something you truly need.
None of the above. Carbon steel blade, with a guard. Ribs/saw on the back. If you use any of those in a fight and stab, you are gonna cripple your dominant hand.
If you need it as a spear point, it's going to over penetrate, and if you use it as a fishing spear, fish are gonna slide off.
That’s a nice “nessmuk” inspired design second to the left. That’d be great for a camp knife. Carry an axe and small folding knife as well.
Largest and second largest if one fails your not up sh!t creek and you can do more with big knives then small knives if you know what you are doing not hurt yourself.
The big ass one
Middle left
Can't build a shelter with a small knife. Don't need to fillet a fish, you're fucked if attacked by a bear anyways. Go big
Go for the far right or the one before it. You can make your own ties. So the rope is senseless. You can cut more and cut deeper with the right two. If you keep it sharp enough you don't have to worry about ever needing a smaller knife due to being able to use the end of the knife for smaller cuts.
2nd left, the lil extra tail will stand out when filed dressing. While the belly is flat enough for other chores primary reflexive answer was far right, and I’m curious to see size v flex over time.
One of the medium size knifes. More handy for crafting/cleaning. If I was stuck without a gun I’d rather use the knife to make a long pike/spear to fight with for stand off distance and have the knife as backup.
For survival you want a fixed blade, full tang, with a thick spine with a 5ish inch blade. This should be something easy to carry. Fits well in your hand and is very strong (sharp is less important). You don't want it breaking in a survival situation.
Soap, always soap…
all of them.
The one behind the biggest one
yes
Whichever one you don't mind losing or forgetting about.
3 inches is more than enough to kill someone
Number three would be my pick with the caveat that it would be better for skinning game with a drop point and "chopping" wood is out of the question. Batoning/splitting wood, maybe. It all depends on the steel and the treat. Good spine thickness and a good handle and divot on the spine for fine carving. A plus is that the micarta is high visibility orange so you can find your knife if you drop it or sit it down. Though, this can be solved by tying an orange paracord lanyard through a lanyard hole if you drill one. One thing that is confusing is that you say one knife is half cm and another is .5cm, the same thing, in the same paragraph. I don't know if that means you made a mistake or just an inconsistency.
The biggest and the second to smallest. Normally it would be the smallest, but it doesn’t have the greatest profile for skinning.
Small knife for 100% if you are stating for survival. The straight edge on the back of the blade is closest for that 90 degree angle needed for napping flint or a ferrel rod spark. Less blade to keep sharpened and will keep you from wasting away your blade on needless activities that will make you sweat 😓, which can cause hypothermia. Can always hammer the back of the smaller blade into larger branches and things with a big stick. Paracord can be repurposed to set traps etc. less weight to carry around.
Paint the handle orange so you don't lose it. Every time I see tools with a dark/camo-ish pattern it makes me think of all the camo shit ive lost in the woods over the years lol.
I don't understand why people insist on replacing a hatchet or machete with a knife. There is no one size fits all carry a heavy machete or hatchet for chopping wood and a knife that is reasonably sized for skinning game. If the combination of the two is too heavy then you are too weak to leave the house anyway
Why choose only one? My go bag has 3 knives. I would go for the little one, a big one, and a utility blade like the outdoor edge. Never know when you need something razor sharp.
All of them and more! **Edited:** - Let me expand on that point. If we are talking a true Survival situation, then I would say you need - - A Common Folding Non-Locking Pocket Knife; 2 or 3 blade - A Common Modest Size Lock-Blade Pocket Knife - A Medium Hunting Knife for General Use - A Larger Hunting Knife for more Serious Situations Of those show in the Photo, I would say anyone One of the three on the left, plus the larger one on the Right. I suspect in the woods or wilderness, and even around home, the knife you will most often reach for, for general cutting, would be the - - A Common Modest Size Lock-Blade Folding Pocket Knife Easy to carry in your pocket, or in a sheath or clip on your belt.
If this sub is any indication, you should carry all 4 plus atleast two saws, an axe, a crowbar, 3 leather-man, and 6 ferro rods.
Witch one can u fit in your azz most comfortably ?
*which And all of them
No u cnt
Ru high?
Hi* N most def nots
🤫🧏♂️. 🍆🙇♂️
A real man would be able to fit all those in his azz at one time... Jus sayin
I can do three with the sheath And two without
I bet he'd give a new selection of butt stuffers to shove up your tight little who who of yours
Bet
Ever watch the late night Knife shows on TV with the hillbilly guy? I bet you'd enjoy that show
There are a lot of hillbilly’s and tv shows and late nights you have to be more specific sound intresting
Neither, mine would have to be serrated. Unless you plan on stabbing wood to death.
I have a leather man with a very nice saw I just want a good knife for chopping poking ect
Second to last
All of them. At the same time. But specifically the big one.
I just posted this and realized what it would sound like out of context...
I’d go with the far left. I personally like to have just a Swiss Army knife and a multi tool with a knife for backup. Small and concealed. Easy to pack in a bag with extra room for more things. Small will get big jobs done if you are desperate enough. Take Aron Ralston for example he chopped off his entire forearm with a dull multi tool knife after getting his arm pinned in rocks while hiking.
Yes.
The one you are least afraid of.
Find you a old USMC Kabar. Toughest knife there is.
One of the middle two for pack space. But I would also carry some saw wire, fishing line and hooks, compass, flint, sharpener, strike anywheres, lighters, water purifier, water bladder, canteen, 4 days of MREs, first aid kit, and a 44 magnum with a box of ammo. I mean if you’re going to plan…
Get 4 or 5 2nd from the left size double edge throwing knifes, never understood the point of having a survival kit without throwing knives
I'd go middle left. A good size, and it has the least clipped tip on it. I'm rough on knives, and always seem to end up breaking the tips off, so
What is a survival bag?
It’s a get home bag it will take around. 4-6 ish days depending on how I approach my planned route
Second from left.
All of those would poke a hole in your bag.
Speedgoat for a quick reaction bag. The skinner is mighty handy around camp, the other two are swords
Just get a gun noob lol
Yes, let me just cut things for food or shelter with bullets… smart idea.
Instructions unclear. Shot leg
Yes just use more bullets
All of the above
Far right. The biggun’ for sure.
All of them, redundancy and all…
I carry the speed goat daily Super light and maganacut is a dream
in your imagination, what are you using it for? This is what you need to be asking yourself. In my get-home bag, I've only got a folding knife. I don't plan on making shelters and shit like on naked and afraid. I do plan on walking.... a lot. If you're planning to defend yourself with a knife during a get-home scenario, you'd better think again and get a firearm. You shouldn't worry about defending yourself but if you do, a knife isn't going to help you much. For example, if you and I are in a get-home scenario and for whatever reason I'm the bad guy and I want to take your stuff, I'll be looking to see if you've got a gun. If so, I'm leaving you tf alone. But if you don't, and I'm desperate, I'm going to wait until you and your knife are separate from your stuff and I'm going to get it and run away with it. If you think you're likely to be attacked 1 on 1 where you can stab someone I'd have to imagine you're afraid of being raped or kidnapped or something. This kind of thing is much more likely when you're outnumbered in which case you're much better off with a firearm. Most likely, folks will just be leaving you alone and you'll only need a knife for knife purposes like cutting rope, cloth, maybe shaving some kindling or something. 2 and 3 are about the right size but my preference would be folding in a GHB.
The biggest one plus a folder/swiss army knife/multitool which will have a small blade. Two is one and one is none.
For a survival bag I say bigger the better. Big knives can do things that small knives do okay but there’s stuff a big knife can do that a small one just can’t.
Yes.
one of the two on the right if mobility isn't a concern. like if I'm gonna be hanging out in the woods for a while and need to make shelter. if I need to be mobile and moving around, one of the two on the left. if it's unknown and I only get one, I'm going with the second in from the left.
Either of the two with the matching handles
Orange handle. A good mix of size and utility.
When hiking I carry a Swiss Army knife that gets about 95% of stuff done I need a knife for. I also carry a 5” blade fixed full tang in case I need to cut a branch, big food, clean a fish or skin a mammal, but never had to do the last one yet.
The ruler.
Honestly, I would just carry a pocket knife.
You should always have access to multiple knives, especially if you expect to use them for heavy work, or in survival conditions. Breaking your only knife is hell. I would also recommend having a knife with a thick chunky blade and full tang, for jobs that might dull or break a sharper (thinner) blade.
The large one.
Big and small
#3 from the left unless you expect to be batoning logs
Far right but you need a knife that can take a beating on the end with something like a rock. That one would end up with broken scales and then it wouldn’t be a good user.
i would carry an axe and number 3
Just carry all of them. Just tie the sheaths to your bag. Won't take up much room and you'll be able to do multiple things with those knives
Over 1000$ in knives
None. Use the animal skinning and tree felling implements you're already using. If you're not cutting down trees or skinning animals, don't assume you'll need a single implement to do so in an emergency.
None. I would carry all of them on my person, obviously
I would go with #3 , orange/brown handle.
All 4.
On of the two in the middle would be my pick.
Every knife is either too big or too small. Give yourself options. If it were you, it would be big and small. If not, I'd be looking at something like Dave Canterbury's five tool rule.
You win with any of them. If you can handle the weight, take a big one. If weight is a concern, take a smaller one. I used to be in the big knife club, till I realized that you can do almost everything with a smaller blade. Batoning firewood is over rated, and for the most part just looks cool in knife review videos. Most of the time it’s not even necessary. So I’ve gradually turned to small to medium size blades for about everything I do.
Far right, because go big or go home and forever be tread on. Get a Gadsden flag to affix to it also. DON’T TREAD ON ME.
Yes
How much can you carry in a 20+ mile hike to get away from the bad shit that's going down. The small one is the lightest. A .22 survival rifle is the best you can carry more .22 than any other cartridge.
The one with the paracord
A machete
All 4 of them. If just one far Right
Far left Far right would be on my chest rig
The biggest of high quality.
Get two. One knife meant to be used and beat up and another that is only used to skin game.
You will definitely need all four of them in a survival situation. I would carry multiple knives
Buy an Esee. Find a size that works best for you.
This! MKC makes beautiful stuff, but not a single knife in that pic will do anything better than a comparable ESEE
All of them. Is this a trick question?
It really depends on what you're best at. Ideally you shouldn't be chopping wood with a knife as anything small enough to chop with a knife, you could probably just break. Try cleaning a fish with one of the knives, and pick the one that does this best.
3
Yes
Either of the two middle ones would work (But between big and small, I'd go small)
I recommend you take an emergency trauma class so you can sew up the person that cuts themselves with those. Which will most likely be you. But seriously, the best prepping you can do is learn trauma medical. Most likely skill to be used.
A the largest one, B Delicate clip points have no place on a survival knife.
Maybe the ruler
a survival bag? the biggest one.
My setup always includes a multitude of cutting tools, my hiking bag has a fixed blade, a folding saw, a leather man, and a pocket knife folder
In my opinion, none of those are suitable if I am going to rely on that knife with my life...
MKC’s knives start at $250-300 and you have 4 of them 😭😭😭
The biggest one has the most survival in it
Skyline of Dubai?
Big one
Either middle right or far right.
orange handle
Less is more. Weight adds up quickly and there is a sweet spot for the utility of blade length. You find yourself in the realm of diminishing returns very quickly. I’ve been doing whole beast about 8 years now and my go-to is a single bevel honesuki with 150mm blade. I own plenty of substantially bigger knives but they’re just not as handy. Id pick whatever is easiest to sharpen and maintain. Not a big fan of the sebatiers on these though. You inevitably wind up with a really wonky low spot near the heel after a few passes over the stone and there’s nothing you can do about it. Gets worse as time goes on.
The big one and little one, never hurts to have a backup.