The survival knife is considered by many to be the most important piece of your survival gear. With a good knife and proper training you can make or obtain whatever you need in a survival scenario. That is why you want to take the time to select a knife that will satisfy your needs if you ever find yourself in a true survival situation. Below you will find all of my survival knife reviews. After the reviews I also offer some guidance on things to consider when selecting a survival knife.
Survival Knife Reviews:
Spyderco Moran Drop Point Review
I’m always amazed by what I don’t know. For example, before I got my hands on this Bill Moran and Spyderco collaboration, I never knew who Bill Moran was. That sounds like sacrilege on a knife website, but I’m being honest. This isn’t an article on the greatness of Bill Moran, but he makes some ...
ESEE-6 Review
It has been a while since I’ve reviewed a large fixed blade. Regular readers know I’m in S.W. Florida. It’s a nice place to live, but it’s not exactly a mecca of bushcraft. I mostly moved here to be by the beach. The land itself is either dry and scrubby, or dank and marshy. It’s ...
Doug Ritter RSK® MK1-G2 Review
Everyone who has been around the knife industry for a while knows Doug Ritter. Doug is the founder and chairman of Knife Rights, an advocacy organization that promotes pro-knife legislation and opposes anti-knife legislation, and they also work to pursue knife owner civil rights. It’s a hugely important organization for knife owners and the industry. ...
The ESEE Expat Libertariat Mini Machete Review
I’m a big fan of ESEE knives. They tend to be strong, well made, and designed to last. On top of that their knives tend to be very affordable and very simply made. Their target audience is often the outdoorsman, the hunter, the prepper, and general adventurer. The Expat line is a specialty line of ...
ESEE Laser Strike Review
Alright, I’ll admit it – I’m a huge fan of ESEE Knives. I own a Candiru, Izula-2, and JG3, and I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing an exquisite PR4. So, when the opportunity to sample their Laser Strike model landed in my inbox, you can guess the speed of my reply. Buy the ESEE Laser ...
Gerber StrongArm Review
One thing I have always had is a healthy respect for is a good fixed blade knife. As a young infantryman I fell victim to some clever marketing from Gerber and purchased the Gerber LMF II Infantry. It had infantry in the name so I couldn’t go wrong right? While I may have been a ...
Schrade Frontier SCHF52 Review
Sometimes, you just need a big, dumb knife. Thus was the rationale behind my purchase of the Schrade Frontier SCHF52, a tool designed “with extreme wilderness survival situations in mind.” While I don’t consider myself an extreme sort of guy, I do certainly enjoy both the wilderness and the thought of surviving. Buy the Schrade ...
Mora Garberg Review
Last Updated: July 15, 2019 You’re familiar with the concept of being “fashionably late,” right? It’s the idea that, by showing up to a party well after the festivities have begun, you’ll gain coolness-points by joining in just as the fun hits its stride. While no one has ever accused me of being either fashionable or ...
Condor Swamp Romper Review
Quick – What’s the first name that springs to mind when someone mentions “budget blades?” For me, the response is usually “Morakniv.” But there’s another answer out there in this Pictionary of the mind – Condor. Buy the Condor Swamp Romper at BladeHQ Though generally known for the Bushlore knives, this El Salvador-based manufacturer offers a ...
Emerson PUK Review
Last Updated: August 5, 2019 Emerson is well known for producing a wide variety of knives, but they are most famous for producing a tactical folding knife known as the CQC 7. The CQC 7 is popular among spec ops troops around the world. The CQC 7 is what caused Ernest Emerson to turn the company ...
Arthos Knives Drop Point Fixed Blade Knife Review
It’s not every day I get to share a new manufacturer. I was recently approached by Robert Yates with Arthos Knives about checking out his new line of fixed blade outdoors knives. Robert is an engineer by day, who decided to take the leap and start his own knife company. I think basically anyone who ...
Mora Companion Review
I’ll always be a folding knife guy at heart, but recently I’ve been on a fixed blade kick. I never thought they would appeal to me, but I’ve come to appreciate fixed blades of all shapes and sizes. And in a nice little fluke of symmetry, just as my appreciation of folding knives began with ...
DPx Gear HEFT 4 Assault Review
Last Updated: August 11, 2019 Robert Young Pelton is a journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker with a reputation as an adventurer with an uncanny ability to enter into violent and deadly areas of the world return with a stunning story. Pelton’s experiences led him to create his own brand of knives after much frustration with ...
ESEE-4 Review
If you are a fan of Randall’s Adventure Training®, then you are probably somewhat familiar with their influence in the knife world. Operating under the parent company TransEquatorial Solutions, Inc., which is co-owned by Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin, Randall’s Adventure Training was started in 1997 as a school to train military, law enforcement, ...
KA-BAR Fighting Utility / USMC Full-Size Fixed Blade Knife Review
Knife, Fighting Utility. That’s what the U.S. Marine Corps lists as the knife they adopted for issue in 1942 when soldiers demanded a replacement that would hold up to the rigors of more than just battle. The previous version was an excellent fighting knife, but wasn’t good for much else. Soldiers began ...
KA-BAR BK14 Becker Knife and Tool EsKabar Review
During the 2016 SHOT Show, I had the great opportunity to meet a man named Ethan. Ethan was working at the KA-BAR Knives display and approached me as I was viewing some of KA-BAR’s newest designs. We began talking about knives and telling war stories, and before I knew it, almost an hour ...
Ka-Bar Becker BK-9 Review
With the weather turning cooler here in Florida, it was high time to get outside and to start tearing into the yard. We had an especially hot and wet summer this year, and the back 40 was taking over the entire house. I wanted to try out something new to tame the jungle, and settled ...
Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter Review
You won’t find too many hunting knife reviews on this website. The reason is because I am not much of a hunter. But despite being advertised as a hunting knife, there was something intriguing about the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter that made me buy the knife. Buy the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter at BladeHQ [easyazon_cta ...
Fallkniven F1 Review
Last Updated: September 25, 2018 I am not sure if I have the patience for a compact survival knife. I tend to favor a brute force approach when working in the outdoors. Maybe I am lazy, or stupid… or lazy and stupid… but when in doubt I often find myself reaching for the biggest, heaviest tool ...
Ka-Bar Becker BK-2 Review
Last Updated: July 20, 2019 Down here in Florida we don’t get a lot of seasonality. For example, I wore shorts and flip flops on Christmas. But when the air starts to turn cool I get a hankering for 2 things: cigars and fixed blade knives. I am pleased to say I have been able to ...
CRKT Chanceinhell Review
Last Updated: September 7, 2019 Through his many collaborations with production knife companies Ken Onion has become one of the most recognized names in the cutlery industry. The Kershaw catalog is still chock full of Ken Onion classics like the Blur and Leek, Zero Tolerance landed him as their first big collaborator with the 0300 and ...
Cold Steel SRK Review
Last Updated: April 3, 2020 The Cold Steel SRK (Survival Rescue Knife) has been a staple in Cold Steel’s catalog for well over a decade. In its role as the company’s go to mid-size survival / utility knife, the SRK has been selected as standard issue for U.S. Navy Seal team members going through BUD/S (Basic ...
Fallkniven A1 Review
Last Updated: September 22, 2018 When I was a child I had the experience of packing up and shipping off half way around the world. The destination was Sweden, and I couldn’t have been more than 5 years old. My family stayed in Stockholm for 3 months in the summer as part of my father’s work. ...
Blackwater Grizzly 6 Review
The Blackwater Grizzly 6 is another knife in a new line up by California-based cutlery company Blackwater Knives. The Grizzly 6 is designed by Robert Young Pelton and Tom Novak, and is manufactured for Blackwater by LionSteel in Maniago, Italy. The end result is a sleek Italian fighter packed with rugged features. Buy the Blackwater ...
Blackwater Ursa 6 Review
Blackwater Knives has recently released a cadre of new tools that caught my eye – both visually, and from a specification standpoint. The Ursa 6 is one of those tools, with an uncompromising design geared towards high speed professionals. Buy the Blackwater Ursa 6 at BladeHQ The Ursa 6 was designed by Robert Young Pelton, the ...
ESEE Candiru Review
Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Small, sharp, and damn near indestructible. If you want the short version of my Candiru review, that was it. Coming from ESEE, a company with a pedigree for making tough as nails outdoors and survival blades, that should come as no surprise. Fans of their extremely popular Izula pattern will no ...
Boker Plus Vox BOB Review
Last Updated: August 11, 2019 Designed by Jesper Voxnæs of Vox Knives, the Boker Plus Vox BOB is an interesting blend of chunky fixed blade and simple Scandinavian design. Mr. Voxnaes has done a number of collaborations with Boker, perhaps most notably his small Gnome neck knife, but this was my first hands-on experience with some ...
Cold Steel Bushman Review
When I ordered a Cold Steel Bushman I wasn’t sure what to expect. My previous experiences with Cold Steel knives have all been good, but for under $20 I had no idea what I was in for. Buy the Cold Steel Bushman at BladeHQ All I knew for sure was that the knife was popular and ...
Combative Edge SALUS Review
Last Updated: September 18, 2019 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one of my favorite parts of running this website is the excuse to check out sweet knives. I can try to do this under the pretense that I am offering the reader some noble service, and perhaps even some entertainment, but lets ...
Cold Steel Spartan Review
Last Updated: August 4, 2019 Tired of reading reviews on wussy EDC knives? Need something capable of holding off an army of blood thirsty Persians? Consider the Cold Steel Spartan. Yeah, I enjoy reviewing EDC blades just as much as the next guy, but sometimes I need a little more. Thankfully, Cold Steel is around to ...
SOG SEAL Pup Review
SOG got their start with one fixed blade combat knife. It’s hard for me to imagine a knife company’s future balancing on the edge of one blade, but that’s how it went. Thankfully that knife was popular so we now have many SOG knives to enjoy today. One of those knives is the SOG SEAL ...
Ka-Bar Kukri Machete Review
Last Updated: July 27, 2019 The Kukri is an ethnic design that has truly stood the test of time. Originally the kukri was meant to be a fighting knife. Members of the Nepalese military carried these blades, most notably their elite Gurkha regiments. These days you don’t need to be an elite warrior to wield one ...
ESEE Junglas Review
Last Updated: July 21, 2021 Unlike a tattoo, a blog post is easy to edit. Easy to update. And that’s a great thing because I originally penned this review of the ESEE Junglas back in May of 2011. Currently it’s 2021. I’ve owned the knife for over 10 years now. That’s hard to believe. Time to ...
ESEE Izula II Review
Last Updated: September 22, 2018 The ESEE Izula is one of the most iconic small fixed blade knives of our time. Named after an infamous South American Ant, the Izula was designed to be a small, sharp, and incredibly tough blade for outdoor and everyday use. In practice, the knife is just that. The simple design ...
ESEE-3 Review
Last Updated: July 14, 2019 ESEE Knives specializes in outdoor fixed blade knives designed to take a beating and perform in a number of environments. Something special about ESEE knives is their no questions asked warranty that covers everything but rust. If anything happens to your knife through use or misuse, ESEE will replace it – ...
Smith and Wesson Homeland Security Survival Knife
The Rothco Smith and Wesson Homeland Security Survival Knife is a large Urban Survival Knife from Smith and Wesson. As the “Urban” designation suggests, this knife is designed differently from a forest survival knife. The large tanto blade, urban camo paint job, and large non-functional serrations on the back of the blade add to ...
Schrade SCHF9 Extreme Survival Knife
Last Updated: July 31, 2019 I’ve always been into big survival knives. I especially like a large, “do it all,” survival knife because it can substitute the need to carry an axe and a smaller knife. One such knife that has been getting a lot of attention lately is the SCHF9 Extreme Survival Knife. I really ...
Schrade SCHF1SM Extreme Survival Knife
The Schrade SCHF1SM is the SCHF1’s little brother. If you are unfamiliar with the SCHF1 I would consider reading my Schrade SCHF1 review to get some background information to put this smaller version of the knife in context. Buy the Schrade SCHF1 at BladeHQ Background and Dimensions So basically, the SCF1SM was made to counter one of ...
Schrade SCHF1 Extreme Survival Knife
Last Updated: August 5, 2019 The Schrade SCHF1 is a hollow-handled survival knife. The SCHF1 is almost exactly like the Schrade SCHF2 (I have a Schrade SCHF2 review here) however, the SCHF2 has a drop point blade shape, while the SCHF1 has a spear point shape. If you have already read the SCHF2 review this isn’t ...
Schrade Extreme SCHF3 Survival Knife
Last Updated: August 12, 2019 The SCHF3 is a survival knife from Schrade. It weighs 13.8 oz, has 6.4″ hollow ground drop point blade, and a 5.6″ Micarta handle. Buy the Schrade SCHF3 at BladeHQ The Schrade SCHF3N is the non-serrated version of the knife. I generally prefer a non-serrated or fully serrated blade to a partially ...
Schrade SCHF2 Extreme Survival Knife
Last Updated: August 10, 2019 The Schrade SCHF2 is a popular survival knife from Schrade. What intrigued me about this particular knife is it’s close resemblance to a blade made by a high profile custom knife maker selling for over $300. Considering that the SCHF2 retails for only $50, I felt it would be interesting to ...
Selecting the Right Survival Knife
Picking out the right survival knife can be tough. When you are buying a survival knife it usually needs to fit into your overall survival “system.” For example, if you plan on carrying a saw or axe with your survival system, you probably won’t need a really big and heavy knife to do chopping tasks. Another example is, if you live in the frozen tundra and there are no trees around, you probably don’t need a really big chopper either. Alternatively, your survival system may call for 2 knives, or one really big one, or some other configuration. Once you have the general size and purpose of the knife figured out, you can start to look at more specific details.
Knife Construction
I require a knife with a full tang. A tang is the protrusion of the blade steel into the handle of the knife. Below is a picture of the handle of 2 kitchen knives. The one on the right has a full tang while the one on the left has a partial tang. The SCHF3 is an example of a full tang survival knife. Alternatively, I would go for a hollow handled knife made from a solid piece of steel like the SCHF1SM shown below.
Blade Type
This is largely a matter of preference. I prefer a good drop point blade, but some like a tanto or clip style blade. One thing to avoid is a double edged blade. This type of knife is mostly designed for stabbing. A good survival knife will excel at a variety of tasks including chopping and will require a strong tip. Double edged knives typically have a very weak tip so they are a style of blade that you generally want to avoid.
You also have the option of a plain edge knife or a serrated edge. For a survival knife I would go with a plain edge. Serrated edges are good for certain tasks (like cutting cloth or sawing) but they can be difficult to sharpen in the field and aren’t as good at carving or chopping – 2 tasks that will be almost essential for firemaking. If you really feel like you need a saw in the field, consider packing a lightweight saw.
Finally we have combo edges which are partially serrated. I honestly am not a big fan of these as I feel like you don’t get the advantages of either a full serrated or full plain edge knife. Some people dig em though so to each his own.
Blade Length
Blade length is going to be your next consideration. Depending on your application, bigger isn’t always better although I like my true survival knives to have a minimum of a 6 inch blade because I find myself chopping up a lot of wood when I spend time camping and hiking. In fact, if you are going to be doing tasks like batoning wood, and stripping branches you are going to want to buy a large survival knife. Yeah, it might be heavier, but you will expend less energy using the knife (due to the leverage and the weight of it) in your survival tasks and it will be a more capable knife. You may not want to lug around those extra ounces, but I say put the weight into the blade – for your most important survival tool it is worth it.
That said, there are a lot of survival tasks that require detail work and a large blade would be impractical here. My solution is to carry 2 knives (a large survival knife and then a smaller secondary blade) or a large survival knife and a multi-tool. This gives you the best of both worlds and you also get some redundancy if you happen to lose or break one of your knives.
Blade Thickness
You really need a decently thick blade if you plan on using it as a survival knife. I would recommend at least a quarter inch thick but common thicknesses are from 5/32″ to 8/32″.
Conclusion
Ok well that is a quick and dirty run-down on survival knives. From here I would recommend looking at individual knives and reviews. If you have any questions or comments don’t hesisitate to contact me.
I appreciate such kind of useful review. I personally like to use ESEE 6P-B Plain Edge Fixed Blade Knife as survival knife which I bought last year. It’s really well made. The material of the handle has an expensive feel to it. There are better ergonomically designed handles that fit my medium size hand better like the kabar turok, but it still feels quite good. It’s definitely a top-shelf quality whiskey of knives. It feels and looks indestructible.
Which would you recommend?
Excellent selection! Good knives all around.
Thank you, Mark!
Dan