and no, not everyone had access to ideal obsidian flakes. In fact, a lot didn't even have decent flint. The idea is ludicrous. that a little change of blade length, curve, etc in a "survival" knife makes a lick of difference in performance. it takes a major change in the tool to give you a major advantage in how you can work with it. The multi-tool can be a visegrip, a file, a needle nosed plier, a gouge, a scoop-knife, an awl-drill, wire-cutter, as well as a small knife. It can hold different types of saw blades, too.
The Cold Steel shovel, without a handle, is a good 'big knife', pry-bar, trowel. When you make a handle in the field, it can be a fine machete, hatchet, axe, shovel, paddle, adze, hoe, or spear. Now that is some versatility in cutting tools, making them WORTH their 1.5 lbs of weight and bulk, as "survival tools". I'd take just a modified Crunch and saw blades over any Kukri, Bowie, or other belt knife, any day. and I'd much rather have the shovel over any axe, machete, tomahawk, folding shovel or other E-tool, cause it can do so much more. When I want it to be a chopper, I make an oval handle for it. The cylindrical handle makes the shovel quite difficult to strike with (where you intend). I beefed up the ferrule/screws and made the tool dis and re-assemble without tools. The Crunch is also dis-mountable without tools, so that i can use one of the two file blades to sharpen the knife blade, if need be. I tossed out the SS serrated blade, the SS file and the Philllips and made my own real-deal blades from an Old Hickory paring knife and Nicholson files. The factory issued knife and file blade are jokes.
I do not think that the Crunch is worth the price. Get a Gerber multitool and a small visegrip and save $70. i did the work to the Crunch in order to have the minimal number of tools for the Alone Tv show, and because a visegrip is not an option. I also converted one side of the shovel into a saw blade, because a saw is considered another cutting tool. In normal life, there is no reason to do either of those things. It's best to have two cutting edges on the shovel, and to have 3 real saw blades. One for soft, green wood, one for hard, dry wood and one for metal-cutting.
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