Best Features of Survival Knife It’s about WHEN, not IF. All survival trainers and experts around the world agree on the need for a good survival knife. Some experts even say “A good survival knife is the thin line between life/death “. Although the best survival situation is the one you should avoid getting into, being prepared for it when you are going camping, hiking etc. is crucial. The term `survival knife` defines the purpose of the knife, means you will rely on the knife to save your life. Survival needs may occur in, wilderness, jungle, mountain, desert, urban, disaster, sea, combat situations. Hence a `survival knife` needs to be durable, practical and serve as a tool for many survival related needs; - Cutting / Piercing - Splitting / Carving - Digging - Shelter building - Fire starting - Food preparation - Hammering / Prying - First aid - Self-defense - Hunting Must Have Features of a ‘Survival Knife’ 1- Fixed Blade It goes without saying that a ‘Survival Knife’ must be a fixed blade. Although a folding blade has its’ uses, when it comes to reliability, the blade must be strong and not have weak spots. Even the best folding mechanisms can fail under extreme pressure, and you would not only hurt yourself, like cutting your hands/fingers, but also risk losing your most reliable survival tool. You cannot put straight down pressure to the tip of a folding blade as well, hence cannot use to pierce. 2- Full Tang & Flat Pommel Full Tang means that the blade extends from tip of the blade to the bottom as a single piece metal. Partial tang blades can break much easier or loosen from the handle in time, it can be extremely dangerous use a loosened blade, because it can break down at the most unexpected moment inflicting damage on you. There are several partial tang types such as half tang, rat-tail tang, push tang, partial tang, skeletonized, narrowing tang. All of which must be avoided in a ‘survival knife’. A good feature to look for in a Full Tang blade is, to have the bottom of the blade to extend out from the handles as well. This way you can use the pommel (butt) of your blade to pounding/hammering (3) or hit the pommel with a wood/hammer for piercing without risking to damage/break the handles (2). 3- Blade Metal (Including Heat Treatment) One of the most important features of a knife is the choice of metal. The key point in metal choice is the Performance/Price ratio. High Carbon and Stainless Steels are considered good choices depending on the situation and other features of the blade. Before digging into metals, it is important to mention that heat treatment of the blade is crucial, because that is what gives the blade its’ hardness and this should be done in Vacuum Heat Furnaces. Otherwise, a process called decarburization occurs on the blade which results in softening of the blade. Hardness rating of a blade varies depending on the metal as each metal has a different optimum hardness rating. Generally, for survival knives ratings between 58-64 HRC (Rockwell Hardness) are good choices. The performance of the knife steel is inspected under four main factors: edge retention, toughness, corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening. A blade with good edge retention will hold its’ sharpness longer which is important as you will not want to sharpen your blade too often. Sharpening your blade too often will wear out your blade fast and if your blade is losing sharpness easily it also means you will have to resharpen it during your outdoor trip or even face a situation where you need your blade and end up with a dull one. There are huge edge retention performance differences between budget steels and premium steels. Toughness of the blade determines the blades resistance to chipping, cracking, fracture. For survival blades its ideal to have a tough blade to overcome heavy duties without failing. Each steel type has its own recommended hardness range. Out of their recommended hardness ranges, steels don’t perform at their highest. For example, if hardness is lower than recommended the blade loses both strength and edge retention, if hardness is higher than recommended then it becomes brittle. So, it’s important to check recommended hardness levels in accordance with steel type and if the blade is manufactured within those ranges. There should be a balance between edge retention and ease of sharpening. You would not want your blade to lose its’ sharpness too fast, but it’s not practical to have a blade that would take you all day to resharpen especially in a survival situation. So, the balance between edge retention and ease of sharpening is an important issue and there are several steel brands that produce steels especially designed for cutlery making with good balance ratio. Blades are prone to Corrosion and Rust regardless of steel type. Wet and salty environments or contact with acidic foods while preparing meal can cause the blade to rust. Stainless steels have high corrosion resistance but with less toughness when compared to carbon steels. Do not forget, stainless steel is not a steel that is rust proof, it will rust if not cared at all or exposed to too much wet, acidic, salty environment. On the other hand, Carbon steels needs much more caring to avoid rust. Coating the blade is an effective method, but the edge of the blade would still need cleaning after using as sharpened edges would not have coating. Applying mineral oil or rust preventing/removing spray would get the job done. 4- Blade Geometry There are several factors concerning blade geometry which effects the blades’ performance, task performing ability, durability, and general looks as a result. a- Blade Shape There are several common blade shapes in the market. Drop point: probably the most common blade shape in the market having a convex curve from the spine to the tip of the blade. Its edge excels at cutting/slicing tasks with its’ improved edge length. Popular for being a great all-around knife. Clip point: a similar blade to drop-point with one distinction; its spine has concave curve instead of convex curve. This feature excels this blade for detail working compared to drop-point but sacrifices tip strength. Tanto: a tactical design known for its insanely strong and durable blade tip (well known to be used in Japanese swords to punch through armor). The improved strength and durability for the tip makes this blade ideal choice for piercing/penetration tasks. Hence making this blade a reliable and ideal choice for survival tasks. Spear Point (Dagger Point): this blade is mostly for stabbing tasks but due to double side grind on the blade, the tip is not strong for heavy duties. This blade usually has double side sharp edges as well. This blade is mostly useful for hunting. Hawkbill: takes its name after its general hawk beak like shape. Its unique design limits usage areas. This blade excels at garden work and combat situations. The downside of this blade is it’s hard to resharpen this blade and usually need an expert to do it. Sheepsfoot: this blade has a straight edge and spine curves down to the tip. Specially designed for minimizing accidents while slicing. Gives ease of usage and maneuver while slicing by putting finger on the spine. Reverse Tanto: another blade that is well known for its strong and durable blade tip. Slightly less strength on the tip compared to tanto with increased protection for accidents like sheepsfoot. Kukri: this blade used to be popular as a weapon in military but mostly being used by farmers and gatherers currently. Its unique shape makes it great to harvest vegetables and clear the bushes. Trailing point: the distinct feature of this blade is its upward curve spine. It provides a large, curved cutting area which makes it great for slicing and skinning tasks. This blade is popular among hunters for using as skinning and fillet knife. The biggest disadvantage of this blade is, it’s designed for delicate work. The tip of the blade can be bend or broken easily. b- Blade Length (10.5 cm – 16.5 cm / 4.2” – 6.5”): Overall Length (21.5 cm – 28 cm / 8.5” – 11”): An important characteristic of a survival knife is blade length and overall length. These characteristics of the blade affect ease of carrying, versality of usage such as food preparation, constructing shelter etc. so the blade length and overall length of the knife must be within a certain range that its long enough to be versatile but not too long that its cumbersome. Though different situations require different size blades, collected opinions from survival experts show its practical to have a knife with 10.5 cm – 16.5 cm (4.2” – 6.5”) blade length and 21.5 cm – 28 cm (8.5” – 11”) overall length. c- Blade Thickness (4mm – 6 mm / 0.16” – 0.24”): Certain thickness range provides durable, lifelong survival knife. This feature is also important for strength when using as prying tool when needed. With a too thin blade you might face breakage when performing heavy duties. On the other hand, too thick blade would be heavy and could cause problems with detail work as well. d- Bevel Type (Blade Grind): Flat / Scandi There are a number grind types for bevel and numerous studies. Without doubt an excellent survival knife must have flat or scandi bevel. Some hollow grind blades, which are easier to manufacture, can be found to be named as outdoor or even survival knives but this type of edge is not fit for heavy duties and is prone to breakage under stress.