Recommend a survival knife under $50...

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I think you can apply a version of KISS to this question. KISS can be Keep It Simple Stupid by looking at what "survival" you're talking about. Then it can be Keep It Small Stupid to fit that survival model you're identified.

Most of the time a small blade around 3-3.5" is all that is needed for a knowledgable person to use in "survival" situations. In some cases a larger blade is a big advantage though (machete), but they are not common.

Keep the guards small. A knife with a cross guard or a single guard that is designed for "fighting" knives isn't good for a "survival" knife. You want to be able to keep your fingers off the blade, but you don't need a big piece of metal keeping the blade off of the cutting surface.
 
For that money you could get your own version of the 'Nessmuk trio'. Get a Mora for a solid fixed blade, a Wetterlings hand axe and a good SAK (preferably with a saw). All for right around $50, and not a task I can imagine that wouldn't be covered (except slicing through thick vegetation, but that's relative to your locale. Replace hatchet with khukri/bolo in this case). You also won't cry if it gets damaged, and if an individual blade out of the trio is lost or ruined somehow, you've got other items to fall back on.
 
A machete ( cold steel kukri machete is my preference[$20] ), and a good stout folder ( cold steel voyager[$50], buck 186 odessy[$30], anything that can be called upon to do more than its fair share ) and you should be set, also a dmt diamond sharpener can be very handy[$25].
I second the notion that ''the best survival knife is the one that you have with you'' so I consider my basic survival knife to be my edc ( usualy a five or six inch voyager, crkt m-16, or sog autoclip ).
My leatherman wave has an amazing saw, but thats all it boasts, nothing else that I'm very fond of, or thats hardley worth considering.
As far as most linerlocks go, I dont trust them. If you baton them they usualy lock open so ''well'' you cant close 'em. The gerber E-Z out lockback I have cant stand batoning, it started opening beyond 180 deg. !!, no damage, but scary.
 
gerber

I am sorry but if a folder is opening beyond 180 degrees that is damage and a dangerous situation. Replace that folder before you end up hurting yourself.
 
For me at least, gerber will always be known for sloppy tolerances. I really should have expexted, given my past experiances, don't get get me wrong here I do like gerber, just they are not very reliable. As far as learning, it taught me not to put too much trust into anything unless its already proven itself. The spring doesen't have a definate ''stop'' so if you push far enough it will ''ride up with wear'', I'm just happy this happened in practice, not an emergecy. Also its used, in good condition, but used, so there wont be any returning it. Thanks for the consern, and you can bet I wont be batoning that knife anymore!!!
 
As far as most linerlocks go, I dont trust them. If you baton them they usualy lock open so ''well'' you cant close 'em. The gerber E-Z out lockback I have cant stand batoning, it started opening beyond 180 deg. !!, no damage, but scary.
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I once saw a girl batonning an EZ Out. She spent the rest of the survival course with a bad cut on her hand.

But why on Earth would anyone baton a folder? That just sounds crazy to me. Better to keep your knife intact for other chores, and do without whatever it is you're batonning.

That being said, EZ-Outs are junk that should never be batoned or even carried. They're not pretty enough to be a wall-hanger, so letter-opening seems to be their only use. :p
 
In keeping with the likleyhood that your survival knife is the one with you, I decided to attempt this with a knife I was likley to carry. Consider that, due to some unfortunate circumstance ( car wreck, lost, trapped in a burning building, ect ) where you dont have the best tools for the job, but only what you have carried, a folder, wouldn't you like to get out of that building, or make a overnight shelter. Its not the best tool, certainally, but it will still help, If you read a blade article entitled ''how to turn your folder into an axe'' in the december 2004 ( cover knife camillus heat ) It will grant you alot of information and if you have that issue, its worth a read.That article also gives several other reasons one may need to use his knife in such a manner, its fairly well written.
All I know about battoning was from this book, so I thought I could use some experiance aswell, hope this is explanitory enough:D
 
In keeping with the likleyhood that your survival knife is the one with you, I decided to attempt this with a knife I was likley to carry. Consider that, due to some unfortunate circumstance ( car wreck, lost, trapped in a burning building, ect ) where you dont have the best tools for the job, but only what you have carried, a folder, wouldn't you like to get out of that building, or make a overnight shelter. Its not the best tool, certainally, but it will still help, If you read a blade article entitled ''how to turn your folder into an axe'' in the december 2004 ( cover knife camillus heat ) It will grant you alot of information and if you have that issue, its worth a read.That article also gives several other reasons one may need to use his knife in such a manner, its fairly well written.
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Or just carry a fixed-blade as EDC, as I do. :)
 
Untill recently I thought a fixxed blade (concealed) was illegal to carry in TX, I have no desire to carry openly as my folders scare enough people already. That said I do occasionaly (illegaly) carry a recon tanto, but other than that I really don't have any ''cut through a door'' tough as nails knife under 5.5'', but if I found a legal knife I'd probably carry it:D
 
Check into the BK7 made by Becker. It has a 7 inch blade and can withstand a lot of abuse. I think it’s about $54 on New Graham but its well worth it. If you are looking for good survival folders I would definitely recommend Opinels because of their cost and durability. They are very easy to field sharpen and hold a decent edge. You could buy 5 opinels for that price just to make sure your always prepared ;) .
 
I'm another believer in smaller knives.

From butt to tip I like it to be about as long as my hand.
 
I'm certanly not an expert on Opinels, but don't they just make the cheap wooden ''penny knivess'', I don't think I would trust them. My cold steel knives are proven, I know they can handle it.
As for the RAT seven, my state grants five and a half inch carry, so it (as far as I know) is illegal, but they do look like they could handle about anything, do they have anything just a bit smaller? If I come across an officer, I can make the claim that concealment is legal by my knowledge, but I think he would have me on blade length (as it seems no officer has the same take on 5.5'', some say tha as long as its shorter than your hand is wide, some say they get to decide, and some just plain don't remember) I want to appear as the responcible, harmless knife user that I am.
 
inch for inch and ounce for ounce.....

the kukri is the best knife design on the planet regardless of the terrain or task at hand. If you have not used one you will not believe how user friendly they are. If price and weight are genuine sticking points ( ack - sorry about that one:D ) then i would recommend the Kabar marine corps issue or perhaps the Cold Steel Bushman which comes in two sizes. Just remember that any knife large enough to be an effective chopper will not excel at splinter removal and the like so plan on taking a very small folder to round out the package.
 
Don't have a bushman but in the CS video they look like they have too much blade flex, and the slick finnish is notorious for, well, being slick:confused:

Just have the CS kukri machete, gurkha not in yet, and in the side of a standard fence picket(pine/1/2'') it'l bite 5'' deep:D
 
Isn't the best survival knife still a swiss-army, or a leatherman?

A couple blades, a can opener, some screw drivers, a saw, and a few other tools seem to make more sense in a survival situation than a 6 inch blade combat knife.

Grizz, I agree, in fact all these are already in my swiss army knife. I would seldom see the need to "Split or cut " firewood. When camping we just burn our big long logs in half. the smaller blade and awl are great for making snare triggers. and the 3" saw will cut you up a nice shelter. and when you make it out alive, The corkscrew will open you a nice bottle of wine.
 
Isn't the best survival knife still a swiss-army, or a leatherman?
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No, never was. "Survival knife" means fixed-blade. Simple, durable, hopefully not bulky or overly-long. A wider blade that's more useful for batonning. Also useful for two-legged trouble. Folding knives and multi-tools are ancillary.

And the Leatherman tool is not a survival knife because - um - it's not a knife. It's a funny pliers with a knife blade attached.
 
If you are on your way to and from the office, and that route doesn't take you through the jungle, it doesn't make too much sense to carry a jungle survival kit, now does it?
For office personnel, folders and multitools make a lot of sense...goloks, machetes, and kukris do not. Tailor what you carry to what you are actually going to encounter. I live in a temperate deciduous biome, so I seldom carry much in the way of desert survival gear aound with me. Try to be realistic. I know that, if you really get creative, you can come up with a scenario where the only possible way to get out of the Xerox room is with a kukri, a crate of marshmallow peeps, and three yards of linsey-woolsey, but let's not go there right now.
 
My advice will be different.

First of all, you should select a knife based on your anticipated use. Is this knife for cleaning small game? For caping out big game? For whittling shavings to start a fire? For cutting your way out of a downed helicopter? For building a shelter? For fixing small parts on other survival gear?

Secondly, make a list of anticipated uses, and pick a knife for each one.

Third, compare choices. See if a knife selected for one use will fill another.

Fourth, don't be afraid to have more than one knife.

Beginning with my first tour in Viet Nam, I carried two knifes -- a Swiss Army folding knife -- the biggest with the most tools -- and a Randall Model 14. The former was used for everything from making field expedient booby traps to making up charges of C4 to blow up bunkers. The latter was used to clear fields of fire, cut through dense jungle, cut poles for shelters, cut firewood, open cases of ammo and C-rations, and so on.

I think this is close to the ideal pair. If I were to add a third knife, it would be a 3-4" lock-back.
 
I know that, if you really get creative, you can come up with a scenario where the only possible way to get out of the Xerox room is with a kukri, a crate of marshmallow peeps, and three yards of linsey-woolsey, but let's not go there right now.
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That happened to you, too?:eek:

What's a linsey-woolsey?
 
Looks like what we're seeing here is what you see in survival schools and knife/outdoor magazine articles - there is no single knife suitable to perform "survival" duties. A small knife with a 3 inch or under blade, a larger knife and a chopper are the "Trinity" for survival. Force one function to be covered by 2 knives and you compromise their efficiency. Push it into 1 knife and the compomise becomes more dramatic.

Tailor your knife to your anticipated uses.
 
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