I just got a BM 806D2 and I was wondering about the effectiveness of this blade as a survival tool if stuff hits the fan.

Of course, I know that the Axis lock can withstand quite a bit of torture, but in your opinion, how effective would the blade be in splitting wood, car door, etc., etc.?

Any input/opinions is/are appreciated. Thanks

Theres a misconception about splitting wood with any knife. Dedicated splitting tools are the steel wedge and sledge and shingle making froe and mallet. Even larger, thicker, Moran edge knives will get beat up trying to replicate these tools. The smart way, both for blade maintenance and conserving energy, is to start an initial split and then fabricate a wood, stone or bone wedge and beat on that. Any folding mechanism will fail given sufficient bending or torsion. The trick is to grip the knife to avoid this disaster. The loose forearm grip on longarms for accuracy is a good example. So, yes, your 806D2 will suffice. With two initial cuts made from opposite ends you can effectively split @ twice your blade's usefull length. It's not a RSK, so we make no garantees of butchering beached whales, rebuilding wrecked japanese floatplanes or splitting coconuts <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for your input, Chris. I definitely don't plan on splitting wood or the like, however, I was just curious about any opinions about the performance of the 806 in that role if need be.

Like what has been said over and over...."the best survival knife is the one that you have on you at the time the SHTF".

Or something like that. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I have had great success with the technique Chris described, specifically with a wooden "wedge". I am quite familiar with that 806 and I would say that it would work fine for splitting with that technique. I base this on the fact that I have done this successfully with knives that I personally consider to be significantly less durable than the BM806 (the BM943, BM310 and Kershaw Ken Onion Leek to name a few). Basically, the way I do it, the knife is used only for carving/creating the wedge tool and for starting the splits.

The 806 is a nice little knife. I prefer something a little more rust resistant than D2 for a survival knive but that it being pretty picky and really isnt relevant.

BM806D2 for those that haven't seen it.

Good looking knife but arent the edges of the handle to sharp for a too thin handle already? Can you use the knife for long periods of time (i.e. carving wood) without blistering your hands?

If you have soft hands you'd probably blister up pretty quick with that knife, like most smaller knives.

With an overall length of 9.38", 3.96" of that being the blade, I hardly think that the 806 can be called small.

I don't plan on totally relying on it to solely being my survival blade, I have a BK7 and a Swamp Rat to cover that end. However, in today's society, you can't walk around with a 7" blade strapped to your belt.

Therefore, a large tactical folder has to suffice and fill that role of a survival blade in an urban environment, if the need arises.

Due to it's size (not only length but also width of handle), I believe it would cause blistering on soft hands with extended use... as would other similarly sized knives. That was my only point. Whether something is small or large is all relative to what you compare it to.

I believe that it would take ALOT of use for this handle to become uncomfortable.

Also, I don't think that someone with soft hands would carry a blade like this. People like that would be more prone to carry a Chris Reeve Mnandi, Umfaan, or some other high end custom/semi-custom production knife that is significantly smaller than the 806.