It is not surprising to see the resurgence of survival knives in our time strewn with concerns for the environment, growing uncertainties and questions about our way of life.
If one day, we were to go out into nature, in search of a shelter in a safer place, it's a safe bet that, with a little practicality, we would think of bringing a knife...
A knife is good, but which one?
The survival knife, of course.
There are probably as many opinions as people to describe a survival knife.
That being said, some criteria, in my humble opinion, are more important than others.
So I would like to share them with you in this little blog. Do not hesitate to write to me or bring your experience and your opinions.
So, if I had to "sketch" a survival knife for you in three words, I would say that it should be simple, robust and reliable.
Simplicity of design is important because it also ensures a simpler manufacturing process with less unnecessary stress on materials and with fewer interfaces. Each interface between materials and each exiguous shape creates, in a way, an area of fragility (it's physics and engineering, I'm not making this up).
Durability and reliability are key, because your survival knife should be the piece of equipment you rely on to get you out of demanding or tricky situations.
It doesn't matter if it's hunting, fishing, slicing food, chopping a branch, splitting wood, building a fire, cutting a rope, digging, or defending yourself. One thing is certain, you will expect versatility and reliability from your knife in all circumstances.
We will therefore look for the robustness and resilience of the survival knife in the so-called range of “heavy outdoor” knives rather with a fixed blade .
Moreover, we started from these characteristics for many of our large knives from the Nordic Lapona collection.
You will find hundreds of different knives on hundreds of sites but we have chosen to offer you not only robustness but also uniqueness.
Why this choice ?
For a very simple reason: the survival knife is personal and also durable over time. So you might as well have a unique companion too.
So we added uniqueness and as a bonus respect for nature and tradition.
As a result, each knife has a unique story linked to research, the choice of materials, the creativity of the moment and the joy of achieving this unique and functional object.
Now, let's take a little tour to better guide you. We'll take a few basics into consideration:
The type of steel for the survival knife (see other blogs on the site)
One of the first things to consider is the type of steel. Even if you do not yet have the definitive reference, it is always advantageous to fix on the category to which this steel belongs.
Knife steels fall into three broad categories, namely: carbon steel, tool steel and stainless steel.
I don't want to bore you or confuse you with details but know for now that there are hundreds of different steels within these three categories.
Each of these steels has its own properties and performances.
When used, each type of steel behaves differently depending on other parameters such as the heat treatment it has received.
You will find excellent videos on steels but know that no one has the absolute truth or the ideal recipe on steels.
Nevertheless, it is very useful to know the main lines to make an informed choice.
Carbon steel
Carbon steel is, as its name suggests, a type of steel with a high carbon content. Carbon steel does not resist corrosion.
If you leave your blade wet or without washing it after cutting slightly acidic foods, it will be covered with rust after a few hours or a few days.
Obviously, this steel does not like salt, salt spray or salt water either.
In order to prevent rust, survival knives are often provided with an anti-corrosion coating. It makes a big difference in maintenance.
The disadvantage of corrosion is however a compromise to be made to have a quality steel.
A carbon steel survival knife is very durable and nearly indestructible.
If the knife is well assembled, simple and robust, you can ask a lot of it without the blade breaking.
Additionally, the carbon steel blade of a survival knife can easily be sharpened in the field. Just use a good river stone or hard rock. The cutting edge will certainly be less sharp but this makes things easier, especially on a trek lasting several days.
Note: The most common carbon steel is 1095 steel which is often offered with some tactical knives.
Corrosion resistant steel
Corrosion resistant steel is our preferred choice for survival knives. It is a type of steel having, like carbon steel, a high carbon content.
On the other hand, this steel also has a high chromium content. Chromium largely protects the steel against rust.
Obviously, this is a compromise of balance since this protection, although effective, is not completely infallible either.
That being said, this compromise seems very advantageous because the steel is resistant to corrosion even if it is not entirely stainless.
We always supply our knives very well sharpened because we are aware that corrosion resistant steel is often more difficult to sharpen than carbon steel.
We advise you to opt for a survival knife made of corrosion-resistant steel, especially when you use it in a very humid/salty environment without having the possibility of maintaining it.
Here are some examples of common types of corrosion resistant steels on our site, for survival or outdoor knives: 80CrV2 steels, Sandvik 12C27 and of course Böhler N690 (one of my favorites).
tool steel
It is also one of the categories of steels used for knives.
Tool steels are steels with a high carbon and chromium content but not enough to be part of the other two categories.
These steels have been optimized to combine the best characteristics for tools.
They may rust after a while, but not as quickly as carbon steel. On the other hand they can be used harder, more often and are (generally) relatively easy to sharpen.
Some of you may have heard of the popular tool steels like Sleipner and D2.
So much for the steels, shortening the story as much as possible but that doesn't describe our knife.
Certainly, the blade of a survival knife is very important but the grip is just as important. The handle is therefore an essential element of your knife and we cannot ignore this element.
One of the most popular materials for survival knives is "micarta".
To put it very simply, micarta is a composite made of resin and layers of linen.
Given the characteristics of linen fiber, this material is extremely resistant and stable.
In addition, the "micarta" offers a very good grip, even when wet.
It is also very resistant to temperature variations and humid conditions, does not wear out easily and… requires little or no maintenance.
In short, "micarta" is a superb material for almost all knives...but hey, it's still a composite material so it will have a synthetic appearance.
Another very stable material is G10. The matrix is always resin, on the other hand, the fiber is fiberglass.
The properties of G10 are very similar to micarta but the grip is less good in wet conditions.
Please note that fiberglass is certainly very resilient to mechanical stress but quite brittle if you make abnormal use of your knife (beware of direct shocks).
Some industrial knives use rubber and this quite frequently.
The rubber can be pure or mixed synthetically. Often, it is offered as overmolding around a core of another material.
Rubber is of course totally insensitive to humidity and can provide, depending on the texture provided, excellent grip. In many situations rubber is a perfect stable material. Especially in wet conditions.
Personally, I'm not a big fan because of the resistance to excessive heat and aging over time making the sleeves sometimes "sticky".
And then the wood?
I saved this subject for the end because it is a very controversial subject.
There is the YES camp, there is the NO camp and… of course the YES BUT and NO BUT camps…
Well, some people think wood is great and some people think wood is less stable.
This is normal, because it is a natural material and therefore always liable to crack or change shape (to "work" as we say in everyday language).
Personally, I think that by using stabilized or laminated woods, the limiting conditions are pushed back widely and offer very good materials.
In addition, other elements must be considered:
- the wood is more respectful of nature and the transformation process much less polluting,
- certain species of wood are particularly stable and efficient over time (olive, boxwood, ebony, stabilized curly birch, etc.)
- well, frankly…. You have to ask yourself the question: “How many days a year do we do the Koh Lanta or the Rambo?”
As a result, we can afford to be more respectful of the environment.
Personally, I minimize the use of G10 and rubber and prefer wood and micarta.
Now that we have all the technical elements, which survival knife to choose?
With all these cards in hand, we can move forward in our research. To help you, here are some tips:
- Each use is unique so dare to be unique
Start from the idea that a survival knife is made to last. It will accompany you for many years in your adventures. A unique piece will be all the easier to identify in case of misplacement or confusion. Moreover, it will keep not only a unique emotional value but also a market value.
If you know you're not going to compete with Bear Grylls, Crocodile Dundee or Rambo all year round, then a nice wooden handle will be just fine and more environmentally friendly.
If you are not concerned about originality, you can go for very good industrial brands like ESEE Knives, KA-BAR, Ontario Knife Company, Fällkniven and TOPS. The prices are substantially similar to those of our unique knives, however, you may pay taxes depending on the country of acquisition.
Check the sources carefully because it will be easy to come across counterfeits despite the remarkable efforts these brands make to avoid copies.
- Weight
Go on reasonable weights 200gr to 375g. Unless you're venturing into a thick jungle or building your cabin in Alaska, there's no reason to carry an unreasonably heavy knife.
Don't forget that in a situation of prolonged fatigue and in very unfavorable weather conditions, every gram counts.
A survival knife must have enough weight which will justify the dimensions and density of the blade but must not be weighed down with artifices and frills that are certainly aesthetic but without real functionality.
- Blade length
It's the same principle: think about how you will use it.
Let's say going with a blade length of 95mm to 125mm will cover common "survival" activities (including hunting).
Think that a longer knife will also be heavier. In fact it's simple, if the length of the blade increases with the square (length x width), then its weight will increase with the cube (length x width x thickness x density of the steel used). In short, it goes quickly in weight…
In terms of blade width and thickness, we will favor thicknesses of more than 3mm and blade widths of at least 22mm.
- Steel
There you have all the cards in hand (see items above).
Higher quality steel will necessarily have a higher price.
Also, a larger blade for the same type of steel will have a higher price.
- Sleeve
As we discussed above: wood, micarta, G10….it will be up to you to decide.
It's a question of use, values, aesthetics...
I hope you enjoyed this article and I would really appreciate your feedback and thoughts…
Take good care of yourself and see you very soon at Semper Celerior