Ouch! I knew a guy from Japan who is highly skilled. He was in his 40's or 50's at the time and had lifelong training. He has 4th degree black belts or higher in five different disciplines including Iaido. He was showing his left thumb with a big cleft in it. Looked like a butt crack. He was saying that when you become a black belt, you graduate to using live and fully sharpened swords. So as he is practicing his draws, he sees blood splatter on the floor. So naturally, he thinks to himself that some idiot cut himself. This is him relating it to me. The he realizes he was the idiot. Sword cut clear to the bone and was so sharp, he felt no pain... until he saw his thumb. Same guy is also a leading proponent of ninjutsu. So during dinner, he tells us how much it hurts to learn to dislocate your joints and put them back. And he had to demonstrate, just for the shock factor because we were eating. Fond memories. Good guy. He's the kind of guy that some tough guy would regretfully mess with. He is really unassuming and thin. Looks dorky too. But if you are observant (I noticed), he is built like he is made up of steel cables. And he is skilled. Very highly skilled.
My 4" Ka-Bar Becker BK16 is my go-to bushcraft knife for all but some of the heavier chopping tasks better suited for my old Ontario 5" Survival knife or my 7" Ontario SP1. First thing I did with the Ka-Bar was remove that nasty black finish, apply a nice patina and replace the scales with some wooden ones.
I dont trust ontario steel, i dont trust the temper. And it kind of looks like the ww2 marine; traditional style ka bar is what you are looking for. Not really a practical bushcraft knife in my opinion. and there really is no one best bushcraft blade. id say three preferably. and two at minimum. if i did have to choose one. it would almost certainly be the ka bar becker bk9. it has a ridiculous ability to absorb shock.while at the same time really hard steel. with excellent edge retention. i prefer the high flat bevel for a "chopper" (though i really dont consider my bk9 a chopper.) and the semi clip isnt a significant portion of the blade. the bk9 is also full tang. which is mandatory for batoning and chopping. batoning for dry kindling is one of the most important skills you can know. the ontario air force like the old ka bars are stick tang. if its been raining all day i dont want to be batoning twigs. and the chomium vanadium of the bk9 makes the grain super tight the bk9 is an incredible knife. you can choke up really well on the end of the scale. its good for making any trap and pretty much any fine cutting task.. i would go into the jungle with a bk9. but if you gave me an ontario rtak II? or something lol. not a chance
ive had the luxury of putting many of these blades to the test. anyone who doesnt own a bk9. should definitely think about buying one. i think being able to trust a blade is pretty important i can chop a log in half without using a baton lol. just like an axe. with the bk9. its not flimsy. so if im building shelter. taking even moderately sized trees down is as easy as making a few precise cuts. the ka bar in my opinion. was never even a practical combat design. its designed to inflict puncture wounds. thats the function of the clip. a spear point probably would have been a better design.
They say that the best survival knife. Is the one that you have on you in the instance that you need to survive. But in my opinion, this statement is only colloquially true. The best survival knife is the one that can preform, by the nature of its design. all the tasks that are required to avoid getting into situations. that if they dont kill you.will at the very least weaken you. even to such an extent that they can kill you.
For a sheath knife, a "real" Ka-Bar is hard to beat. It is thick enough to use as a pry bar. The steel is to the mild side; so, it can be easily sharpened. The rear bolster can be used as a light duty hammer. The grip or handle provides a secure grabbing surface. About all it doesn't do is support a modified saber grip.
I went digging though my knives. The ones that ill buy for fun in search of a few ka bars. I coldnt find the one i was looking for. i did find the 1211. (i dont actually collect knives really.Like if im looking for a knife that i REALY, want to know i can trust to do just basic stuff, i tend to think that the best thing you can know is what the blades limitations are. I have no interest in chipping bricks in half. or anything really that extreme. the bk9 was simply one of those knives.. you can tell by paying attention while you use it. at least in terms of large knives.(because you can feel with your hands how well a knife can absorb sock) isnt so easy to tell with smaller knives. So, to some subtle extent you can tell/learn a lot about the quality of the steel. if you are willing to subject you blade to some miner abuse . i will by more than one of the same knife for the purpose of testing hardness and absorbance to shock. anyway, her is the 1211 It comes with a good kydex sheath. And it is1095 high carbon, cro-van steel. You could easily consider the fallkniven tor to be the best bushcraft knife.
That's nice...I prefer to use a hatchet or axe for chopping. BK9 is not practical for EDC...and what good is a knife if you don't have it on you.
Iv'e probably been getting a lio carried away with a small lio toy. that ,,,some how,,,some way. I recently happened to come into position of. Sorry my hair is so messed up at the moment. It was in fact reduced to this state. After engaging in a wrestling match,,,with a brown bear
no idea who the manufacturer was, though, I could ask my son if there were any makers marks left. I know it was assembled by my grandfather as a child, as a kit knife. The handle is a series of leather rings of different sizes, assembled to fit the hand of the owner. It's easy to sharpen doesn't hold it's edge as long as I would like, but it's done everything I've ever asked it to do. It would never occur to me to try to drive it through a brick, as I would never abused a blade like that. It came from my grandfather through my father, through me to my son. It built the bow and arrows that took my deer. And that is good enough for me. The original leather sheath is falling apart. I should do something about that, perhaps teach my son how to make it a new home.
Sorry about that. Occasionally........ ill have a drink or so. In which case i,apparently. And quite tragically. Make absolutely no sense,what so ever. Despite this fact,,, i like to test my stuff. So that i am confident. That in the event that its use has become a matter of necessity. I will have a good frame of reference by which i can use to determine where the thresholds are of its capability. Because in many cases. Not knowing the limitations of your gear result in either,it being accidentally damaged, or destroyed. Or otherwise simply being rendered ineffective for its purpose. Because of its being handled in manner. Unsuitable for its design. And so it goes even with the,'leather sheathed,ultralight,stainless steel,'telescopic shot glass' it must be tested,,,,,and it must be weighed lol
I have a pair of ontario but I'm leaving them intact and as wall hangers . I'm not impressed with what people apply to knife blade an call it a saw , most are a joke and the rest embarrassing. Besides if I need a saw I use a saw not some folding toy. Bow saws work best. Handles can be made in the woods . the blade can be rolled up in a cooking pot. Best use of energy and most efficient for processing wood . I have 40+ lbs of knives and blades of all sorts, but my go to hunting knife is a Western Bowie . it's heavy and it means business when the work demands it . I cary pocket knives for lite duty work, exacto knives for surgery, but serious chopping brush and dressing game, or defensive fighting require the real thing . Something you can drive into a rock ledge and hang on if you had to. I would never dare to test a smaller knife to that task. Do you remember the opening scene in the movie The day after tomorrow, when the ice breaks and drops where the hero is standing and next you see him hanging by an ice ax to the side of the ice cliff. What you have at closest hand, best be the tool that you can rely the best on, in situations of the unexpected. Thinking fast is not an option, and that is where many people fail. neither having the tools nor the skill. A man needs to know his skills his tools, and both of those limitations. If there is a distinct possibility of having to use a tool in an extreme circumstance it's a good idea to prove it first, under conditions that are not life threatening .
I like to carry an axe too. And a saw. In fact, i like to carry quite a bit of gear. But in terms of a survival knife or blade. Im not sure an axe is going to make things very easy. A survival knife is the tool that is going to be on you. without any exception, at all times. And has an incredible range of functionality compared to an axe or saw. Surviving with absolutely no modern tools. Is my primary interest. But with a bk9. and nothing else. Where you are equipped with an axe and nothing else? Is in my opinion a 'no contest scenario'
How WOULDN'T an ax make survival easier? I'm honestly curious. I can only think of a few situations, and I'm not even sure that the ax is detrimental in those.
For what it is worth, I have been told that "survival knives" with "sawblades" got really popular in 'Nam, designed to be either a bone saw, or more likely, as a tool to cut through the siding on a chopper. It would certainly salve my survival issue, old timer. Haha.
In my opinion and with all do respect. "The Best Bushcraft Knife" And the Ontario Air Force Survival Knife. Constitute a complete paradox lol
I never said the AFSK, though I do love the knife for what it is designed for. I'd give serious consideration to taking a 22" machete and a Spec-6 to hell if I had to visit. I suppose to clarify, what DOES "Best Bushcraft Blade" criteria, so we can compare apples to apples, instead of cocktails to grape soda.
