What is the best survival knife for each situation?

Survivalism is growing and gaining more and more followers every day, especially because information about the practice is being more widely disseminated, enabling greater preparation to deal with survival situations. The idea of survivalism is to gather a group to enter an unexplored location, get to know it, and leave safe and sound. The activity can be confused with Bushcraft, which also takes place in the wild, but consists of building a camp to be in contact with nature. In today's post, you'll find tips for choosing an efficient survival knife for survival practice. Check it out!

What to consider when choosing the best survival knife?

There are so many knives available on the market that when we need to choose an ideal model for survival, we get confused about which one is best suited to deal with the situation.

Knowing some fundamental characteristics of knives, such as blade material, grind and blade type, handle type, weight, and size, makes the task easier. Understand more about each of these particularities!

Blade Material

Starting with the material the blade is made of…

There are three types of steel used for blade manufacturing: stainless steel, carbon steel, and Damascus steel. It is most common to find stainless steel and carbon steel knives, as Damascus is more “rare” and, consequently, more expensive.

Stainless steel is basically composed of iron, carbon, and at least 10.5% chromium, which is why it has the characteristic of being shinier. Carbon steel is an iron alloy that contains about 2% carbon; it is duller and darker.

In all types of steel, there are other elements that make up the blade, such as silicon, nickel, manganese, copper, sulfur, and phosphorus, in different proportions, resulting in subtypes of steel, which are differentiated by numbering.

420 stainless steel is one of the most used when it comes to survival knives. But any of them are excellent materials for a survival knife.

Blade grind and type

Another characteristic you need to pay attention to is the type and grind of the blade. The blade type refers to the finish of the blade tip, that is, there are different models of tips, with specific names and functions.

The most common is the straight point knife, which has a straight upper part of the blade. The drop point is a blade that has a slight incline at the tip, forming a V at the end of the knife. The Dagger blade has a more rounded tip on both sides, culminating in a sharp point. The Skinner blade, on the other hand, is more robust, wide, with a differentiated curvature.

Another point that needs to be analyzed is in relation to the blade grind, a characteristic that determines the cutting edge. After all, the grind defines the thickness the blade will have in the cutting part, whether it will be good for certain functions, such as carving wood, splitting wood to start a fire, carving a log to set up camp, making a trap to get game to eat, among others.

When thinking about survival situations or Bushcraft, it is advisable to opt for a knife with a 'full tang' blade, which is one-piece, that is, the blade steel runs along the handle to the end, which makes it a much more resistant model compared to knives with blades and handles connected by metal alloys or screws.

Size and weight

Here, we have two very personal and important factors. Each person has a body type, hand size, more or less strength, etc. It is worth considering your preference: do you prefer a robust knife (large and heavier) or a lighter knife?

Each will perform better for certain types of activities and will be easier to handle according to your grip strength.

The practice of survivalism and Bushcraft requires you to be equipped with a quality and resistant knife. You will need to deal with situations where only a sharp and efficient blade will do the job. As we said: making stakes to set up camp, traps, cutting food, and so on.

And do you know the best place to find your survival blades? Cutelaria Cimo! On our website, you can check out the best knives, machetes and pocket knives for survival on the market. Made of high-quality steel with laser cutting technology. Don't miss out on this opportunity!