Around 1978, when I was young and new in the Air Force, a friend showed me the Randall knife catalog. I decided it would be neat to own a 'survival knife'. So I ordered, and eventually received, a 7 1/2" (because bigger was better) Randal Model 18 "Attack and Survival" knife. It's the larger of the two knives in this picture (Model 18).

I later became an in-flight radio technician on the airborne command post and carried the knife (among other things) in my personal gear when I flew. I never needed it in an emergency, so if it served as a good luck charm or talisman against Murphy’s Law it served me well.

Since I discovered Equipped.org I've learned it was not exactly the best choice for a survival knife, and I'm wondering if it still has a place in my survival kit. I don't fly for the Air Force anymore, but my wife and I recently purchased a Jeep Wrangler and plan to take it on day trips into the boondocks. I’ll have an emergency/survival kit in the Jeep, and it occurred to me that while the Randall knife might have a place in the kit, it might be possible to alter it to make it a better and more useful tool.

My primary concern is that the knife has a very sharp saw-tooth edge on the top of the knife. From my reading on equipped.org I’ve learned that’s not a particularly useful feature, and is probably a detrimental feature. I’m wondering if it can be modified to make it more useful as a ‘saw’ (perhaps by doing some offset filing of the teeth to make it more ‘saw-like’) or to remove it by grinding the teeth off to remove them as a hazard to the user. Totally removing the teeth would change the contour and visual balance of the knife, but mike make sense if it makes the knife a more useful tool.

I would appreciate anyone’s opinion regarding the Model 18 knife. In particular, is it an example of a foolish purchase that should be relegated to a display case, a good knife that should remain unchanged or a knife that could/should be modified to make it the most useful tool it can be.

Your thoughts?

Dennis