There is a ton of information on the internet, in books, magazines, etc. about knives. Hunting knives, fishing knives, utility knives, and yes, even survival knives. There are all kinds of debates going all over the internet about knife size, style, brand, maker, types of steel used for the blade, scale (handle) material, etc., and a good portion of it is based on personal preference.
Choosing the Best Survival Knife
In a survival situation, your knife could arguably be your most important tool. Choosing the right knife (or set of knives) for your needs could potentially prove crucial to your survival.
When choosing a survival knife, there is no single universal correct answer. Many of the knives available today will "get the job done", but your goal in choosing a knife should be to choose one that is easy to us, comfortable, reliable, easy to care for and maintain, and convenient/practical to access and use. You need to be confident in your knife and its ability to perform, and all of the aforementioned characteristics are important factors when it comes to this confidence and when it comes to the most important variable in this equation: knife safety.
There are several variables to consider when choosing the best knife for you. You need to really ask yourself how you plan to use your knife and what tasks you intend to use it for. What are you going to put it through and demand of it? What types of scenarios can you see yourself using/needing to use your knife in?
Tasks
What do you need your knife to do for you? What jobs to you intend on demanding of your knife? What kind of knife user are you? Do you tend to be a detail oriented/intricate work guy, or are you a bit more of a brute strength/ "take the bull by the horns" kind of guy? Is this knife going to be a utility work horse, or is it going to be more for self defense? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself and factor in to your knife selection.
Styles
There are many styles of knives out there, and several style "spectrums" from which to choose from as well. There are fixed blade knives, and there are folders. There are "bushcraft" knives for primitive skills uses, and there are tactical knives that are designed to function as weapons. There are outdoor knives designed for hunters and fishermen. There are multi-tools that offer a knife blade along with pliers and multiple other tools, all in one convenient fold-up package. There are "pocket knives" designed for compact carry in a pocket. There are machetes for heavy brush cutting and froes for actually splitting wood. There are "neck knives" that hang from a neck lanyard that are designed for quick and convenient access for many common and simple tasks… the options are endless!
Construction
Size
Materials
Knives come in a variety of materials as well. Well, at least different types of steel anyway. The type of steel used to make the knife directly determines the knife's strength, rigidity/flexibility, and toughness. It also directly determines how well the blade takes and keeps an edge. Stainless steel, carbon steel, and various alloys (blends)of titanium or other such metals are generally what the vast majority of available knife blades today are made from. There are many "grades" of these materials as well, each possessing their own set of characteristics… but we won't be delving into that too much at all here. We are going to keep it much more simple than that: Stainless Steel vs. Carbon Steel.
You see, the vast majority of production knives available today are offered in either stainless steel or carbon steel. This is probably the most common "quandary" your average knife buyer will face, albeit an over-simplification of the choices available to the average knife buyer today.
Stainless steel is a material often used in the classic pocket knives like the iconic "Swiss Army Knives" from Victorinox. The most obvious advantage of stainless steel as a knife blade material is its resistance to rust. Stainless steel is by no means rust proof, but it is extremely resistance to rust, especially compared to carbon steel. Stainless requires less care than carbon steel, but it cannot be completely neglected. It too can oxidize and deteriorate under extremely/constant wet or saltwater conditions.
The disadvantages to stainless steel are A) it can be more expensive (in production knives), and B) more difficult to sharpen in the field (depending on what kind of sharpener you are using to sharpen your knife).
Carbon Steel is another wonderful knife blade material that possesses its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
For most knife users, stainless steel may be the more practical choice because of its more "forgiving" nature, but for those who are willing to invest a bit more attention and care into the condition and maintenance of their knife, they may actually prefer some of the advantages of a carbon steel blade.
Features
Other tools (saw, can opener, cork-screw, file, wrench, etc.)? Ferro rod for fire starting.
Reliability
Carry Options
Sheath? Lanyard?
Price/Budget
Knife Types and Styles
Fixed Blade
Folding
Neck Knives
Machetes
Knife Materials
Blade Styles
Grind Types & Sharpening
Knife Techniques
Chopping
Batoning
Processing Game (skinning, filleting, etc.)
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