Whether you believe it or not, keeping a survival knife may save your life at an extreme moment. Well, it is true that when you are in wild situations, you can make a knife from the bone or stone to survive the danger. But, you can’t compare its usefulness and strength with the steel blade of a knife. However, you can’t just use any steel knife in a survival condition. That’s why you should have an idea of what things you should check to determine a quality survival knife. Knowing these properties is as necessary as having a knife with you. After reading this primer, you will get an idea about the rules of selecting a quality survival boot knife. Now, let’s have a look at those properties –
What are the functions of a quality survival knife?
A good survival knife can perform multiple kinds of functions. So, make sure that you are choosing a knife for you at which you can depend at the time of need. At the time of danger and wilderness, maybe your knife will be the only friend on which you can rely on. Both you and your knife will depend on each other. Like you depend on its functions, it depends on your proper usage. Some usage of a quality knife can be as –
- Cutting woods
- Prying open things
- Chopping Vegetables or fruits
- Signaling
- Making a fire
- Hammering
- Self-Defense
- Slicing
How to Determine Quality Survival Knife?
In a survival gear probably the best survival knife is the most vital tool. With a single survival knife, you can do so many things to save you in the wilderness. Here are some guidelines to help you to determine a good quality survival knives, for instance –
1. Full Tang
Your knife should be ‘Full Tang’. It means that the handle and blade of the knife are made from a continuous metal piece. To make the grip more comfortable scales are typically added to the handle. This kind of knife is more robust than partial tang knives like rat-tail tang knife or push tang knife. Besides, the blade of a full tang knife is more substantial than others.
As the time passes, the blades of the partial tang knives can get loose from the handle of the knife. If the joint between the blade and the handle becomes loose, using it can become very difficult as well as risky. On the other hand, a full tang knife functions very well even after the scales come off the knife. Besides, you can wrap the full tang knife with cordage to get a comfortable grip. Thus, using a full tang knife is much more advantageous than a partial tang.
2. The Size of the Survival Knife
Does the size of the knife matter? Yes, it really matters. For your knife, it is not always good to be big in size. If the blade of your knife is bigger, you will not be able to use it effectively for small game dressing or carving jobs. It is very hard to wield and control a large blade. Again, if the blade size is too small, you can’t do rugged jobs, for instance, chopping and batoning properly. Batoning is striking the back of the survival knife with a heavy object to drive it through the thick wood. So, the knife blade can split wood and cut through larger trees. However, the size of the survival knife often between 5 to 12 inch in length.
3. Design of the Blade of the Survival Knife
It is a common question to ask what should be the blade design of the survival knife? ‘Fixed’ or ‘Folding’ blade? However, it is ideal to choose a fixed blade among these two. For self-defense and other survival jobs, fixed blade knives are better suited. Such knives are stronger and longer and easy to handle at critical moments. You can use a fixed blade knife for digging, batoning wood as well as for typical dicing and stabbing tasks. Whatever you toss, a right fixed blade will take care of everything.
Besides, you can carry a folding knife with you as an extra knife. If your folding knife is strong enough, it can be a handy tool for your survival. It is better to carry a pocket knife always with you. For small cuttings, such knives are absolutely perfect than fixed blade knives.
Read : 5 Hunting Mistake Never Do Again.
Final Thoughts
To survive in a non-friendly and extreme wild situation, your survival knives is the only hope for you. It is a must have the piece of your survival gear. So, you should not get skimpy to choose the perfect knife for you. Here, in this article, I’ve discussed the key features to determine a quality survival knife. Read the primer and choose the correct survival knife for you.
