Ask 50 people what kind of knife you should carry and you'll get 50 different answers. I have an Al Mar S.E.R.E. which I carry all the time, but couldn't sharpen if you gave me a thousand dollars. For this reason, even though it's a great knife, it's for "Emergency Use only." When I get on the train to work every morning, I have a knapsack with, among other things, a Mora (Swedish) fixed blade 4" knife. It's carbon steel, pretty easy to keep in working order, but about as basic as it gets. I got the idea from Cody Lundin's book: "98.6 - The Art of Keeping Your A** Alive."

Everybody has an opinion on this. If you don't believe me, go to a gun/survival/knife show sometime and just ask. Twenty minutes later...

Carbon vs. stainless, fixed vs. folder, guard / no guard, sabre ground, hollow ground, tanto, gotta be big enough to cut down a small tree, small enough to wear around your neck...Geez, it's making me crazy!

Then add the legalities of "Urban Survival" to the mix. Carrying a knive in the Big City has adds a whole new layer of complexity: "Ah, yeah, officer, I just keep this around in case we get E.M.P.'d and I have to walk thirty miles home."

I hesitate to ask, but what are your thoughts?

I asked sort of the same question a while back. Here's what I think I learned:

• Any knife is better than no knife.
• The one you'll actually carry is better than the one you would like to carry.
• No knife will do everything, most knives will, however, work for most of the tasks you'll need a knife for.
• There are several very good, entirely satisfactory knives which do _not_ cost $$$.
• Our ancestors managed with the sharp edge of a chipped rock or bone. Debating 154cm vs. S30V feels kinda silly knowing that. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Find something you like, make sure it's of "good quality" (not going to break on you first day out), then
stop worrying about it.

OTOH, the quest for the Perfect Knife is endless, limited only by time and money. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Ah, time and money. Two of life's fundamental elements.

Good points Groo. Especially the last one about debating steels. I read the folowing from a couple different knife makers over at Knifeforums.com. It's not the steel that's important, what is important is the maker. Any good maker is going to get the most they can out of the steel they're using, regardless of what the steel is.

Of course there are exceptions. Some steels aren't suitable for knives. Then others are so hard that if you're not the most gifted sharpener (like me) then it might be wise to avoid those tough steels.


Robert

Well, Brian. I’d say . . . you’re spot on. 50 people/50 answers. I expect that’s why there are scores of manufacturers building thousands of knives for millions of potential customers. Sometimes I wish, as with other products, there was just ONE outfit building just ONE good knife. But, then, isn’t the journey half the fun of it all? I do learn a lot, but sometimes it can be rather time consuming.

I am currently in the market for a new knife. No . . . make that two new knives. Here’s what I have so far. I want one fixed blade and one folder. I want the fixed blade to be 5 inches. That’s it. That’s all I have so far. I have more looking, holding, feeling to do. I have a few more mental pictures to form with the knife in my hand in various field situations. Functionality is of prime importance as I’m sure it with most. Maybe I’ll get it figured out next week or maybe next month. There IS a bit of journey yet to go. By then I should have a few more thoughts to share.

BTW . . . I just started Lundin’s book. Now don’t give away the ending.

Doug's folder is a very nice folding knife. The regular RSK1 is a bit big for my tastes, but the mini-RSK1 is perfect.

> No knife will do everything, most knives will, however, work for most of the tasks
> you'll need a knife for.

Yes...let's say I have a tiny 3cm swiss army knife. How does that limit me? What would I gain from carrying a bigger knife?

Scout: I like the Fallkniven S-1 with the Kydex sheath. It's robust and relatively inexpensive for a quality five-inch fixed blade. It has a lanyard hole and a nice synthetic handle. In the field, it's one of the best camping/utility knives I've ever used.

I am going to share my RW format program for evaluating knife needs. I only ask that if anyone finds it usefull to make a donation to ETS. Instructions are as follows: 1. log off computer 2. taking whatever knife(s) owned, step outside 3. take a deep breath while allowing your monitor strained eyes to re adjust to different focal planes and natural light. 4. practise with your knife; spark a fire, split kindling, butcher a roadkill, fend off starving rival survival forum members with overpriced, overbuilt and overhyped swords who want to drag off your roadkill stew. 5. keep notes on what works, what doesn't, alternatives to using a knife. 6. Buy something decent that meets the criteria for any upgrades. If the SAK did just so much well, but a 4" or larger blade seems neccessary then buy one. Take another deep breath when shiny steels and warm scrimshawed handles tickle the gene we share with magpies and housewifes watching the home shopping channel on T.V. That $9 Mora/ Opinel will teach you how to sharpen, carry and safely use and won't break any hearts if lost or destroyed. Don't be ashamed of tradition; Sammi people have done well without Cold Steel and Amazon basin natives think Tramontina has great metallurgy. 7. Log off from RW, reboot your computer and share what you learned. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

RW == The big blue room with the bright light.