Which Knife Should I Buy First?

and dont throw out any of the knives you replace! unless they are broken obviously... but if you get one and its not exactley what you want, replace it and keep it stored somewhere. Perhaps in a spare BOB or tool kit, or vehicle BOB, etc. a blade is a blade is a blade at the end of the day. A knife that "doesnt quite feel right" may be the one that saves your life someday when you dont have your Kabar USMC handy and SHTF

I went out on a limb at the Calgary gunshow and bought a knife from a local knifemaker. I have hummed and hawed over this purchase for quite a while because of the cost and have made due with relatively cheap, mass produced knives that have served me well.

For some time I have simply wanted something a little different. What sold me was two things;
1. It was solid, high-carbon steel, full 'tang' that looked like a work of art
2. It fit my hand perfectly.

I hope the link works as the website would not let me upload the images directly because they were greater than 256... I didn't think anything was that low of rez anymore and I don't know how to change them now that they have been created.

http://s877.photobucket.com/user/Dangphool/library/Sainsbury%20Knives

pw is, prepper

I recently bought a Gerber "Bear Gryllis" survival knife. Paid $50 at Walmart during a cross border shopping trip. Honestly well worth the money for an entry level knife. Got to try it out doing some bushcraft over the weekend and am quite happy with its performance and durability. Maybe the best thing ever made in China lol. Anyways great deal if its your first fixed blade...

Thought I could throw in a penny. Being raised up on the Alaska Highway in Northern BC I have been packing knives most of my life. I have been using a Gerber for over 30 years and have cleaned a lot of game with it. Without going into the metallurgy, Gerbers have a very good steel. I have also used many other knives along the way but have recently purchased the Brothers of Bushcraft knife (BOB) made by Tops Knives. It comes with a firestarter (mag strip) and I'm very I'm very impressed with it. There are a few video's out there so look them up on the internet. I can be purchased through Outdoor Pursuits Canada for $150.00. You can whittle or chop through a log and still have a fine edge to shave with. There was a lot of thought put into this knife. You can not purchase a knife that will be good for everything. Each knife is made to accomplish certain things, skinning, throwing, whittling and self defence. Figure out what you require it for then look for that special one for you.

The best defense against a knife wielder is distance, a walking stick with sufficient length can keep an attacker at bay, put a point on it and you have a weapon. I prefer to learn how to use a bo stick than a knife. Learn how to defend against a knife attack. Or pull out your hand gun and tell tell the "A" hole to "F" off.

This. A bo staff is so menacing. Even a broom handle really. I used to spar a LOT with a staff, and it really can be quite nasty, even without a sharp end.

Personally I have and maintain a wide variety of utility, everyday use,hunting , skinning, general purpose, and combat knives, as well as several machetes and throwing hatchets. All that said, without training or regular use and practise I wouldn't advise using a knife in a confrontation. A club or gun is better

Bought the Gerber prodigy a while ago.

http://www.gerbergear.com/Tactical/Knives/Prodigy-Knife_22-41121

It's 60 bucks, 420 HC steel, smaller version of the LMF 2 but with full tang(unlike the LMF 2, got a sharp pommel, it DOES have a serrated edge(whether that's your thing or not), which I'm not a fan of, and a top of the line, molle compatible, rugged,(one of the best sheathes) I've ever seen come with a knife. It doesn't matter what kind of knife you buy, I haven't yet seen a sheath that's as safe as the one with this knife(or the LMF 2). For me the sheath and the full tang is huge, I don't care about what kind of steel it is, the blade, serrations as long as it's full tang and the sheathe is dope, meaning this knife will never be removed from my belt unless I'm either dead or I remove it. That to me is value and with the Gerber Prodigy, the sheathe is as much part of the package as is the knife.

Make sure it's got a thick ass blade as well. Hell I'd buy another but I'd feel like an idiot. I'm picking up the Bear Grylls ultimate PRO survivor blade. If youre gonna pick up a bear grylls make sure its the PRO, don't get that cheaper one, it's garbage and it's not worth it.

http://www.gerbergear.com/Survival/Knives/Bear-Grylls-Ultimate-Pro_31-001901

I went out on a limb at the Calgary gunshow and bought a knife from a local knifemaker. I have hummed and hawed over this purchase for quite a while because of the cost and have made due with relatively cheap, mass produced knives that have served me well.

For some time I have simply wanted something a little different. What sold me was two things;
1. It was solid, high-carbon steel, full 'tang' that looked like a work of art
2. It fit my hand perfectly.

I hope the link works as the website would not let me upload the images directly because they were greater than 256... I didn't think anything was that low of rez anymore and I don't know how to change them now that they have been created.

http://s877.photobucket.com/user/Dangphool/library/Sainsbury%20Knives

pw is, prepper

That is one nice looking knife you got there.

I use the below link to buy knifes or at least find a model I want to buy elsewhere, when it comes down to it everyone has their own preferences, some want stainless for the anti rust property other High carbon for its sharp edge capabilities ect. ect. Just find a knife that you believe suits your needs, make a list of tasks you would require the knife to perform, and above all make sure its a knife your comfortable with because that is the blade that will serve you best.

Here is the link, hope it helps someone.
www.Knifezone.ca

-Desro

as someone who has used their own forge and hand customs every knife , I would strongly suggest you buy a rubber training knife such as a fixed blade copy of a ka bar USMC, they can be bought for 25.00 bucks on e bay , then look on you tube at some of the better training videos and set 10 mins a day practicing various moves, my personal philosophy after being in a knife attack is , try to avoid at all costs, try to do this training method with a partner, have your partner armed with a black sharpie marker pen stand about 20 feet away, you put on a white t shirt, then have them come towards you as quick as they can and strike you as many times as possible across the torso before you can draw your weapon, be it a ( rubber ) knife, bat or other implement, this training method is excellent for testing your response time, how ever the answer is really , get the largest and most agile blade you can afford.

remember in a real knife fight, one will be dead or severely injured, you will more than likely not be in a good way, by the way my own personal blade when in the bush is a svord von temsky bowie. My back up blade is a highly modified Becker BK7 .

but seriously ! in a SHTF situation , shoot the bad guy !

as someone who has used their own forge and hand customs every knife , I would strongly suggest you buy a rubber training knife such as a fixed blade copy of a ka bar USMC, they can be bought for 25.00 bucks on e bay , then look on you tube at some of the better training videos and set 10 mins a day practicing various moves, my personal philosophy after being in a knife attack is , try to avoid at all costs, try to do this training method with a partner, have your partner armed with a black sharpie marker pen stand about 20 feet away, you put on a white t shirt, then have them come towards you as quick as they can and strike you as many times as possible across the torso before you can draw your weapon, be it a ( rubber ) knife, bat or other implement, this training method is excellent for testing your response time, how ever the answer is really , get the largest and most agile blade you can afford.

remember in a real knife fight, one will be dead or severely injured, you will more than likely not be in a good way, by the way my own personal blade when in the bush is a svord von temsky bowie. My back up blade is a highly modified Becker BK7 .

but seriously ! in a SHTF situation , shoot the bad guy !

Good post, man. I used to do these types of exercises back in the day. Works great. Do them with an open mind and you can learn a lot about what you thought you knew about knife attacks.

apologies to all, my intro : new to this forum but long time prepper and Aussie bushman living in NZ.

btw

My knife preferences are the following based on price , strength, steel tempering ,reliance and proven effectiveness in the Australian and New Zealand Bush, a brief comment should be reinforced, others I see have made the same comment, DON'T buy a blade that is not full tang ! ( other than a Mora ) even a Mora in a SHTF situation is not enough "gun" so to speak, also if it breaks then you effectively have no knife, when going bush I personally carry a my BK7 and my Ray Mears Mora ( I got it cheap in a two for one offer ).

Also as an Aussie I see batoning wood is very much and American pre occupation ( no offense meant ) living in an around the Snowy Mountains of NSW for years, taught me some very fundamental things, that when you use batoning as technique on woods such as Australian Iron Bark, Snow gums and Australian Red Murry gum, you WILL not succed , on small 2 inch branches yes, but even a BK9 or RD9 or any other blade will dull in quick time and stress the knife ( and YOU ! ), Australian hardwoods are much harder than North American so called hardwoods due to the cellular density and soil composition , soils in the inland in Oz are usulaly PH acidic, not alkali , very dry , but the gum tree species grows very well in Australia ( and parts of the USA).

I digress, my apologies, my knife choice for a SHTF situation are :

1. BK7

2. BK2

3. Ontario RD 6

4. Ontario RD 7

5. USMC kabar ( plain absolutely NO serrations ! )

6. SVORD ( made in NZ here hand sharpened on a whet stone )

Shop around there are others, but I stick to knives actually made in the USA for the most part due to steel temperament, my advice from decades of knife use is, leave batoning with a blade for the others who haven't been a lot in the bush for weeks at a time, take an axe or hatchet, 4 to 7 inch blade, bush saw and that covers 99 percent of bases,then go out and use them, use the knives in your kitchen, use them to cut vegetables, meat, see how they fit in your hand wet, dry or slick with blood from steak or slightly slimy from fresh chicken, get used to how they roll in your hand, then when you are used to that, start using your weak hand.

There is so much to learn about knives, after 40 years I am still learning new things.

AMF

before going out and getting training save your self the cash ! use the knife ( or knives ) at home in the kitchen and around the house extensively first, its like looking for a new car, you need to try many before you buy ! and pay attention to what long time users go bush with, train , train and train your hand and arm muscles with that rubber training knife first !, a cheap but effective folding blade is the kabar Mule ( gen 2 ) folders by Kabar, they can be a EDC blade as well, there are of course others.

for some of the best prices I have seen, I use www.tomars.com

In Australia and New Zealand , the prices here for US made knives and Euro knives is way too expensive , I would guess that Canadians don't have those sorts of problems

Al

I like this one lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLV2aYMERfs

von temsky bowie ! my kind of blade !

The NZ first SAS regular army regiment was named as the First battalion in 1954 in honor of this mans exploits, he formed the first Forest Rangers in 1860..... this knife is a repro copy of the ones issued to the forest rangers while fighting the Maori wars.

as an aside his men lost only 16 killed in 10 years of war and his small band of men ( never more than 100 men ) killed over 965 Maori in battle.