Presented By:911 Gear

Choosing A Survival Knife – 7 Important Consideration

Tang

The section of the blade that extends d

own into the handle is

called as Tang of the knife. The blade along with the tang is

single piece of st

eel. The su

perior quality

of survival knife is

the one in which the full tang goes d

own the base of the

handle.

It is th

e full t

ang that g

ives the knife entire

strength. If

you

buy a cheaper k

nife then th

ere is possi

bility th

at it breaks o

ff

quickly because th

e blade is only fixed with

the top of th

e

handle.

HandleThere are various varieties of handles of survival knives such as hard rubber or polymer. One thing that you have to keep in mind while buying the knife is not to buy the one with a hollow handle. Knives with hollow handle the

knife don’t have a full tang which is important part as mentioned above. Many survival knives also come with a compass in the handle which is again not so cool feature as it can loosen your grip on the knife.

Metal of The Blade There are generally two varieties of Survival Knives available: Stainless or Carbon. Since it’s difficult to figure out which is better, so we have listed the following points to make you aware about both kinds.

• Stainless Steel is indestructible, long lasting without getting affected from rust. But it is said that stainless blades lose an edge faster as compared to carbon blades.

• Carbon Steel knives as already stated have a longer edge than stainless steel blade but it is vulnerable to be affected by rust.

Design of the Blade

Well this is again a disputed thing to figure out the best among a straight blade or a serrated one. A straight blade knife works better if you have to chop wood and is even easier to sharpen. A straight blade knife can be sharpened with the help of a good smooth stone but for a serrated edge a special sharpener is required.

Length of The Blade

Generally most of th

e survival knives are

within the range of 6 to 12 inches which is

fair enough to handle sit

uations like chopping

wood and can also be handled easily.

You can also go for 9 to 10 inches but be skilled enough to be able to handle and carry it effectively so that it doesn’t become a hindrance.

Thickness of the Blade

It is important to determine the thickness of the blade so that it can fit in your survival gear. The best figure for thickness for survival knives is about 3/16 -4/16 of an inch. The basic idea is to have a knife which is extremely solid and able to beat the abuse of wood chopping.

Sheath The sheath affects the way

you carry and draw your

knife. There are three

things that should be a

part of your ideal sheath:

Lower Attachment – Some attachment at the tip end of the sheath can be used for keeping the knife intact to your leg when on the belt.

Belt and Lanyard Attachment: Is there some belt loop with the sheath?

Strap: If your sheath has a crossover strap right at the place where the handle meets then it can keep the knife in the safe place.

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