OK..you have all those knives and have to make a dash
for it with just one and the clothes on you back--


a Blackjack copy of a classic Randall Hunter

Mora Survival knife in a plastic sheath

US Divers work knife with saw back

"Camp" folder with spoon,fork,blades and tools

$9.99 "Rambo knife

Swiss Army pocket knife

Leatherman tool

OK..just take a second--off with just one of those..lets say
Northwoods kind of place because thats my stomping grounds.
this time of year with a change in the weather..
and to make things easy lets say a rescue in less that a
month....a little music here....trembeling hand..sweat
on brow..........OK---it's a trick question---




The Rambo Knife...because it has matches in the
handle---and if you can make a fire everything else
is gravy..
the backstory----i found that knife stuck in a tree
on the backwaters of the St Croix River in Minnesota
where someone had forgot it after butchering a deer..
a very small deer..i found the bone pile next to the
tree and the bones were very small..the knife had been
there all winter--i took it home and tossed it in a
junk box to use as a prop for some "how to canoe camp"
talks i had been giving to BSA troops..what a hunk
of junk--bottle opener!!!--that will be real handy..
HA--HA..then one day i had a good look at it..
hummmmm..the top screws off....well..well there
is stuff in here..fishing kit..cable saw---MATCHES--
well the joke is on me..with the other knifes all
i could do is chop--cut--bend--screw--punch holes---
with this baby i could make a fire ASAP....
i was going to add a clever moral to this story but
the only thing that comes to mind is ?????
anyone---????....

If "clothes on your back" includes the stuff always in my pockets, I can take a better knife (I kinda like the Blackjack copy, altho I would prefer a real Randall, just for the panache), and still make fire...

I'm with OBG. I can make fire knife or no knife. To select from the list given I'd take the Mora hands down.

I think "Knives to Avoid", here on the ETS site says it all regarding most of those "Rambo" style knives. Especially the part about the loss of this type of knife means that you've also lost your PSK.

What you failed to note was the hunter's bones a few hundred yards down the trail. Kidding.

"...loss of this type of knife means that you've also lost your PSK..."

True. But then, loss of your knife is a really bad thing, no matter what...

You're assuming he forgot it rather than leaving it behind on purpose The only knife in that class I'd carry is a CRK Shadow III because even without the stuff inside it's still a very solid knife.

Instead, I have had ferro rod pockets added on sheaths for a couple of my fairly conventional custom blades. One sheath accepts a large Army model on the front and the other has a small pocket for a 2" x 1/8" ferro rod on the back of the sheath where it's better protected.

Call me crazy, but I'd grab the Swiss Army Knife. It's the type of knife that I've been collecting and using for years and years. I'm just more familiar with them and it would be easier and more comfortable, for me, at least, to use in a true survival situation. I would make some type of a brightly-colored lanyard, though, to further prevent it from being lost...

I guess it also depends on which SAK and which Leatherman. I'd take a good fixed blade over a small SAK which likely only has 2 small non locking blades and a can opener that's of any use...though given the right situation a can opener is just as likely to be a life saver.

I'm with OBG,
My pants already contain a solid knife, tinder, a Hot Spark and Photon.
So maybe I would take the Mora as it is a serviceable fix blade.
The Rambo knife may have some other stuff inside but it is probably as trust worthy as the knife itself. Since I don't need matches; by the way is there a striker included?

As far as can openers; how many cans of beans has anyone found in the wild?
I guess it is our roots to Hansel and Gretel and the thought that we definitely come across a cabin in the wilds.
If I found a can I can definitely open it with either my EDC (ouch) or the trusty Mora. Then I can sharpen the Mora on a rock.

If we're talking which of those specific knives, then I'd take the Randall wannabe because I have a ferro-rod, SAK (in my Mission Wallet with a Peak 1xAAA LED light, Leatherman Squirt and pieces of DR's PSP) and locking folder as EDC now. I'd go with the bigger blade just to have something for bigger jobs. The Randall Model 1 is a pretty solid knife, hopefully the Black Jack clone will also be a good piece of steel.

"As far as can openers; how many cans of beans has anyone found in the wild?"

They're very elusive and hard to catch. I've heard they are the primary food of the Sasquatch. Sasquatches. Sasquatchi?

Sue

Sasquatch Succotash!

I'll take the Blackjack. Fire starter, compass, whistle, meds, FAK, PSP, bandanna, are in my pockets.

So thats what they are surviving on!

Mora will work for me!

Thanks Everyone--for getting into the spirit of Gear week..
i thought knives would be a grabber to peak some interest
early on..stay with me i have more up my sleeve..
just some feedback..clothes on back ment just that..
nothing tucked away that might help things along..that
why i picked out the "Rambo" knife..the matches for a
quick fire were my main concern..in real life i would
never take anything like that out of the house,let alone
into the field..
the Blackjack,Randall clone is a fine knife.the sheath
is heavy leather in three parts and not just two,so the
blade is not jammed in but fits in a "pocket"..it's well
made but when looking at the blade very close you can see
the final finish is not as fine as a handmade Randall..i
used this on a few canoe trips but it's a bit heavy on
the belt and would be more at home as a guides knife..
but i'm sure an Elk hunt guide could afford the real
thing--speaking of hunters ..the person who left the knife
in the tree--well i assume he had a good case of Buck Fever
and after he chopped up his kill went off without even
thinking about it..and it was a chop job..i gut them
and hang them at home before cutting the meat up..
and a last word about the Mora..thats the one i really
use..it go's out on canoe trips and when i need a good
solid knife under adverse conditions--wet--cold--
the rubber-like handle gives a good grip..the sheath
has drain holes and the blade is as sharp as anyone
could ask...........no one picked the "camp knife"??
how would you eat that "found" can of beans with out
the spoon???

Simple, just whittle two sticks into chopsticks and eat away. Then there's the simple (if messy) approach of scooping and eating. The scooping method is not recommended if you've been without toilet paper and soap for a week.

You're forgetting the Randall Model 18 Attack/Survival knife. It's practically where those Rambo knives started. And its as solid as they come.

I had a Randall 18. It's a good knife for a hollow handle design, but it isn't a single piece of steel like the CRK knives. The Randall tube is "silver soldered to 1/4" oblong brass hilt". IIRC a portion of the blade passes through the hilt into the SS tube and epoxy is poured in the joint to provide a more solid bond and seal it. I've never heard of a Randall 18 failing, but my preference is the CRK.

If you are without TP, you might want to skip the beans anyway...

Ah, thanks for providing the link. That was lazy of me not to do it myself.

You description of the construction is flawless. But then the tools and processes the Randall was designed to be built with are somewhere around forty years old. I doubt a single piece, tube handled knife could have been made with a high quality forged blade at the time. Machining and metallurgy have come a long way.

I have my dad's Randall model 18 from about thirty years ago, when he went to the Arctic. He could afford the best equipment, and he bought what he judged to be the best knife for the job at the time. Thirty years later, in his shoes after looking at all the options availible, I might buy different gear. Maybe.

Right now, I mostly carry Swedish blades I've put handles on myself. Perfect for EDC.