The Greatest Survival Knives of 2024

How We Examined The Greatest Survival Knives

There’s nobody explicit method to get right into a survival scenario with out really being in a scenario the place your survival is at stake. Except for Nick LeFort nearly taking his thumb off with the Benchmade Anonimus, there was no blood shed throughout the testing of those knives – nor the specter of it. So, we simply beat the hell out of those blades to see how they might maintain up in a scenario the place we actually wanted to depend upon them.

For this 12 months, we relied solely on tester and knifemaker Nick LeFort to work with these knives and get a way of their value. Bringing collectively years of product data in addition to a eager sense of what sort of conditions we’re going to get into, he labored with our editors to search out the suitable knives that might meet GearJunkie’s requirements for such excessive accolades. In that course of, every little thing from blade form to blade metal to deal with supplies and sheaths was thought of.

In actuality, each knife on the market might be utilized in a survival scenario, so the daunting job right here was to search out what knives have been designed for that job. The place in backpacking and bushcraft, knives might should be used as a line of protection, in a survival scenario they ARE that line of protection. To say this course of for this explicit class received very nit-picky could be an understatement.

However, ultimately, we predict we nailed it.

So what did we do?

The one factor that basically caught out in selecting the highest survival knives was the blade metal. Once we consider survival, we consider dwelling, transferring, and sleeping in undesirable settings. This may increasingly embrace having to construct shelters and traps for catching meals. These conditions might embrace unhealthy climate, mud, and gunk. So, you’ll discover that the entire knives on this record both have supplies which have nice corrosion resistance or they’ve been handled in order that worrying about corrosion altogether is eradicated. You’ll additionally word that every one of those instruments are simple to resharpen or preserve.

We frequently state that testing the true advantage of a knife isn’t by sitting in a storage or workshop slicing cardboard and cord. It’s about actually utilizing the knives and instruments within the environments how they’d be utilized in real-life situations. This was paramount in selecting these knives as a result of there’s no method to replicate the variables that you just face within the outside world whereas sitting in a garden chair listening to Led Zeppelin in your temperature-controlled abode.

All the knives on this record have been used, abused, and relied on. Through the testing of the Benchmade Anonimus and TOPS Tom Brown Tracker, there was snow on the bottom, but it surely was heat, muddy, and raining. The Woodman’s Pal was used to bushwack by way of an overgrown, half-frozen swamp. The ESEE Izula II actually was carried and utilized by LeFort for over a decade. The truth is, he nearly received the boot from a bouncer in Brooklyn for carrying it in a brewery as soon as. That’s type of a survival scenario – the dude was actually large.

Anyway, right here at GearJunkie, we determined way back that if we’re going to advocate one thing to you, we should be as genuine as we will. One of the best ways to do this was to depend on them, which we very a lot did.

Purchaser’s Information: How one can Select a Survival Knife

Blade Form

The form of the blade performs a important function in each knife’s function, however for survival knives you want a blade that may stab. If it could actually’t stab, then it wants to have the ability to slash. These are two important maneuver’s in self protection. However equally vital are the talents to slice and chop in addition to course of meat and different supplies you could depend on while you’re in a survival scenario.

That mentioned, Drop Level and Clip Level model blades are normally most popular on account of their potential to adapt to completely different duties. However ergonomics additionally performs a heavy function within the general success of a knife in a survival scenario. So be sure to decide on a knife that you just really feel comfy maneuvering by way of uncomfortable conditions.

Knife Metal

The quantity of knife blade metal and deal with supplies out there may be fairly spectacular. However, the place the deal with supplies appear to have stabilized, there’s new metal popping out yearly. As you may see from the above choice of eight knives, there are seven completely different knife steels. Our suggestion is to think about every metal on a case-by-case foundation. However they need to nonetheless meet or exceed the next necessities:

Corrosion Resistance

The very last thing you need is your knife turning orange on you out within the area. Particularly in case you’re planning on utilizing it to organize meals. All the metal talked about on this information both has distinctive corrosion resistance or has been coated to get rid of the incidence of rust.

Abrasion Resistance

Some individuals contemplate this property to be extra kind than operate. However in all actuality, in case your blade can simply get scrapped up that may result in chipping, which then might result in blade failure. 

Edge Retention/Ease of Resharpening

It doesn’t matter what knife you carry, the worst knife you may carry is a boring one. That being mentioned, you need to search for knife steels that both excel in edge retention or will be simply resharpened. 

Deal with Materials

When it comes all the way down to deal with materials it’s all about grip. Ergonomics play an element on this as effectively, as you may have nice deal with materials in a bizarre form that may trigger fatigue. Ultimately, you gained’t need to use the knife and also you’ll have wasted your cash. These are a number of the extra most popular supplies available on the market right now:

G10 & Micarta

G10 and Micarta are each extraordinarily robust supplies. Each excel in grip whether or not your arms are moist or dry which is why these two supplies are so widespread with EDC, Survival, Tactical, and Bushcraft-style knives. 

Nylon & Plastic

Nylon and Plastic additionally make for excellent deal with supplies as a result of they’re sturdy and light-weight, however they’re additionally typically textured. It’s this texturing and styling that will increase the grip on a knife with these supplies. Be aware: Nylon and Plastic deal with scales will be known as a litany of names. A few of the extra widespread names are: FRN/Zytel (Fiber Bolstered Nylon), GRN (Glass Bolstered Nylon), GFN (Glass Crammed Nylon) and Grivory (Injection Molded).

Rubber

In some knife worlds, rubber is the signal of an affordable knife. Nonetheless, in bushcraft rubberized handles generally is a nice profit to you on account of their sturdiness in addition to their unsurpassed grip.

Wooden

Wooden is a implausible deal with materials so long as it has been stabilized so it gained’t crack. It provides a superb quantity of grip which typically will increase when the wooden will get moist. It additionally appears to be like very good.

Leather-based

Leather-based is the unique OG in relation to deal with supplies. Except for wooden, it was one of many earliest used supplies for deal with scales; and it has stood the check of time. Normally stacked in rings, Leather-based breaks in relatively shortly to supply an excellent grip.

Ease of use

Ergonomics

A great knife will really feel proper in your hand. From the form of the deal with scales to the Total thickness, and even texturing, ergonomics will be the distinction between you being assured along with your knife or leaving it in your drawer at house. When you think about a knife, put it in your hand and provides it a superb squeeze. Then, push down arduous on a tough floor. If every little thing feels proper, that’s your subsequent knife.

Sheath

A great bushcraft knife is just pretty much as good as its ease of carry. In contemplating your subsequent bushcraft knife, contemplate a sheath created from leather-based or kydex. Leather-based will price you extra, however can final you for years. Kydex, which is broadly utilized by the army, is sturdy and usually provides not solely a number of carry choices however room so that you can develop it to hold a Ferro rod.

Lock Mechanism

With out fail, you can find your self able the place you could depend on the lock in your knife greater than you anticipated. 

A few of the extra widespread lock sorts are liner/body locks that use a bar that indexes into the again of the blade. There are additionally button-style locks that use a metal barrel to maintain the blade engaged. Nonetheless, the preferred lock kind is the crossbar lock which additionally makes use of a metal bar to carry the knife in place.

In my time and expertise, I’ve by no means seen a crossbar-style lock mechanism fail with out some exterior pressure creating a serious disruption in how the knife capabilities. Like a truck operating it over.

Freaquently Requested Questions