Qualities of a Good Survival Knife
A survival knife is intended for survival purposes in a wilderness environment, often in an emergency situation when the user has lost all his main equipment. It is the single most important tool in your survival gear. It therefore calls for a good quality knife to serve you best. It can be used for trapping, skinning and wood cutting among other purposes. So if you are a hunter, hiker or just an outdoor sport enthusiast how do you select an appropriate survival knife? Here are some of the main qualities of a good survival knife.
A good quality knife from KnifeScout has a full tang or at least goes up to the base of the handle. A tang is the portion of a blade that extends to the handle. Lesser quality cheaper knifes only have their blades connected to the handle top. This means they can easily break off when subjected to certain stresses and strains. The tang and the blade are one solid piece of steel. A full tang gives the survival knife its much needed strength.
A good survival knife should have a blade length long enough to get the work done when necessary. A typical range of between 6 to 12 inches should be sufficient. A bigger knife can however be a problem to carry and effectively handle which is not something you would want for a survival tool. On the flip-side a small blade does not perform well with rugged jobs such as chopping. Read http://www.ehow.com/how_2318299_survive-deserted-island.html for tips in surviving deserted islands.
A good survival knife's blade from http://knifescout.com/ is either made of stainless or carbon steel. Each has its own advantage and disadvantage is so it is up to an individual's preference. While stainless steel is virtually indestructible and rust resistant others will say it loses an edge faster than carbon steel. On the other hand carbon steel knives are known to hold a good edge longer, they are susceptible to rusting.
The thickness of your survival knife's blade should be sufficient to able to withstand stresses and strain from wood chopping and prying. Not a knife that would be flexing when subjected to such activities.
Also worth considering is the geometric configuration or shape of a survival knife. A knife will only function well if it has the right shape, for instance in battlefields double edge swords are ideal since they are designed for thrusting and stabbing.
Good survival knives are made of good handles. Some are hard rubber and others polymer. A hollow handle means the knife is not a full tang type and therefore not that suitable for a survival knife.
Also look at the type of sheath. A good survival knife has nice and comfortable sheathing to help you in carrying it around.
