Survival/general purpose fixed-blade knives

[lesptr]

As mentioned above, I am finding that I can get by with knives in the four inch range, especially if coupled with other implements such as a folding saw or a small axe. My absolute favorites that I own is a Boreal model by Diving Sparrow and a Mountaineer by Adventure Sworn Knives.

I have several knives from Diving Sparrow. I never understood why his knives haven’t been more popular.
Abe makes works of art intended for hard use.

[tog]

I like the Ontario SP 10 Marine Raider for heavy duty use.

[Jonnyt16]

I have several knives from Diving Sparrow. I never understood why his knives haven’t been more popular.
Abe makes works of art intended for hard use.

Yes he does. Phenomenal work.

His knives are actually quite popular and well-known in Canada.

[Tortuga]

I've been issued, gifted or purchased scores of knives and find I gravitate towards 3-4" blades. Here's some that have in my EDC rotation:
EDCs.jpg

That said, I have blades such as Tops Bob, Bark River Bravo 1.5, ESEE 6, or Spyderco Temperance 2 on my chest rigs/plate carriers.

I also love me a Mora blade. I keep one in every vehicle and at least 10 in various drawers around the house. It keeps the wife from using the kitchen knives or grabbing knives out of my kit to open boxes and such.

[Tortuga]

What ever happened to the USMC KA-BAR?

This:
Ka bar.jpg

A beautiful and historic blade, but steel and design have surpassed it. Full tangs, thicker spines and drop points hold a lot of advantage when it comes to a field blade.

[ScottsBad]

What ever happened to the USMC KA-BAR?

It's a good fighting knife, but not quite as good as a general utility knife. Will it work? Yes. Is it optimal? No.

[ScottsBad]

OK, I'll quickly say that a larger blade, 7 inches with a 1/4 inch spine at a minimum, is better in a true survival situation where you need to cut and process wood and foliage to make a shelter and fire. In a bug out situation you wouldn't want to carry a heavy less flexible tool like an axe. A large knife that can chop and split wood (by batoning) while also being able to make a fir stick, sharpen a stick, or process meat would be very effective with the addition of a high quality folding saw (Silky saws). Folding saws are light weight and require less energy to process wood than an axe.

If you are camping or backpacking, a light weight small knife might be adequate, but for survival a big knife is the way to go IMHO.

I've switched to Busse and Busse kin knives for their quality steel and construction. They are excellent knives. Here are most of my Busse knives:

Basic 8
Basic8.jpg

Bunker Buster (This pic is off the Busse site, mine looks exactly the same)
bunkerbuster.jpg

Swamp Rat Ratweiller, Swamp Rat Rodent 7, and Scrap Yard Knives Trash. These have seen more use than the others so far.
busseknives4 (2).jpg

Swamp Rat INFI
INFI-du.jpg


I also have a Trash 2 which has a 9" blade and is 3/16" at the spine, and two more Busse knives on order. All of them get used, I don't own a safe queen.

[JaegerOne]

Cold Steel Master Hunter & Condor Bushlore.
I've had both of these knives for years and they're both going strong. Lots of camping trips and skinning deer and bear on hunting trips. Both are reasonably priced, hold an edge well and sharpen easily.

[Paladinius]

Esee 6 is the Goldilocks primary knife. You can spend much more, but you will not get much better.

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[0uTkAsT]

I'm on the hunt for a new jack-of-all-trades fixed blade. Something with a good Kydex or injection molded sheath and a secure belt clip for EDC and hiking. I prefer knives roughly inside the 3.5-4.5" blade range... It'll bed used primarily for camping and monotonous everyday crap but also basic fieldcraft / light bushcrafting and dressing game a few times a year. Needs to be up to basic survival tasks if necessary. Size and overall utility is my main focus, weight isn't a huge concern but less mass on my belt is always a good thing. Doesn't have to be concealable. I've come up with the following short list and I know they're all drastically different but I'm looking for opinions to steer me in the right direction or open other suggestions entirely:
ESEE 3 Mil
Mora Bushcraft Black
Tops Lite Trekker