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When choosing survival knives for the survival gear catalog, consider the quality and functionality and not just how it looks.

Anyone who has ever spent quality time in the outdoors will understand that his survival knife is one of his best friends and the most closely guarded of his survival gear. Like a good friend, his survival knife should always be faithful.

How to Choose Survival Knives

The best survival knives are versatile in a variety of things. Common sense tells us that bulk and weight may be something to consider with any survival gear.

Many experienced survivalist believe that the ideal survival knife blade length is somewhere between four and six inches. This size blade offers good mix of control and size. Larger blades may be overkill and merely adds to the weight of the survival gear that you are carrying.

If a larger survival blade is needed then you would probably be better off packing a machete, axe, hatchet, or tomahawk.. In any case, you would be wise to carry a regular sized survival knife.

In addition to a survival knife with about a 5-inch blade, I like to carry a multi-tool (my favorite is the Leatherman) that has a smaller folding blade. This blade comes in handy for finer detail work that would be too cumbersome for the large knife.

If you DO need a larger blade knife of some sort, it could be helpful by adding an ax or a hatchet to your pack.

Survival Knives Different Blade Types

There are two main types of knife blades that the survivor need concern himself with, namely smooth and serrated. Serrated survival knife blades do well at cutting synthetic materials, clothing, and flesh. For self defense and paramedics, etc, serrated edges are a good choice.

A drawback to serrated cutting edges is that they are difficult to sharpen properly in the field. This is certainly a major drawback in a survival situation where maintaining a keen edge during hard use is vitally important. In addition, serrated knives do not have an efficient blade for chopping and carving.

For most survival situations, a plain smooth edged blade is the blade of choice. Such a blade is useful for cutting, carving, and chopping. Though it may not slice through nylon webbing, clothing, or flesh as efficiently as a serrated blade, the straight bladed knives will still make short work of these materials.

The added advantage of the regular blade is that you can sharpen your survival knife on a rock or piece of concrete whereas the serrated blade generally needs a special sharpening device and technique.

On the back of many survival knives are a saw meant for sawing through metal or wood. In too many cases, as in the Rambo type knives, these saws typically do not perform well. If you require a small saw in your survival gear you would do well to add a tool specifically designed for this rather than use your knife for this purpose.

The Thickness of Knife Blade

The best survival knife will have a blade thickness of between 5/32 and 8/32 of an inch. Thinner blades becomes too flexible and with thicker blades, it is more difficult to do the finer work.

It is important that the tip of the knife maintains its strength, as this is a likely area the knife is likely to fail.

Survival Knives Material Types

High quality survival knives uses two main types of steel

* Stainless Steel knife blades work especially well in wet environments because they are rust resistant. They require less care than the carbon steel knives. Drawbacks to using stainless steel in knives is that they tend to be more expensive, are more difficult to sharpen, and may not hold an edge as well.
* Carbon Steel knife blades will rust if not used regularly or coated. Many feel carbon bladed knives hold an edge better than their stainless steel counterparts.

Tang Survival Knives
When you are looking at a survival knife, with a good knife,the steel running all the way to the end of the handle.  This kind of construction is known in the knife world as “full tang” or “narrow tang”.You want the metal part of your knife to be called narrow tang or full tang.

* Full tang survival knives are made so that the blade merges into the handle. Usually two slabs of material are attached to both sides of the metal.
* Narrow tang survival knives is where the steel is narrower and is surrounded completedly by the handle.  A handle is then attached over the narrower piece of the knife.

Cheap survival knives are often made so that the metal blade is separate from the handle. The weak point on these badly made knives is where the blade and handle are bolted and glued together. Avoid a cheap knife, but it is best to get full tang or narrow tang models.

Survival knives, there are thousands on the market and many are good quality products and are sold in military surplus stores. When choosing the best survival knife for your needs you make certain you do not skimp.  Just remember, once in the field the knife you carry with you will be the only survival knife you have on hand. Pick a survival knife that you can rely on, is well made, is strong enough for rough field use, will serve you well for years to come, and is the best you can afford.In the end, your life may depend on it.