Finding the best survival knife depends on what you want to do with it. Survival knives come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. I've seen knives with bottle openers, hollow handles, saw blades, pry bars, I've even seen knives with infrared resistance. Do you really need all of that in a survival knife? Probably not. Does that mean you shouldn't have it? Well, that depends on whether or not your willing to pay for it.
Using a little common-sense will go a long way in helping you pick the best survival knife for your application. So, to get started, let's begin with price. It has been rumored that one of the hot survival reality stars used a survival knife that was around 700-800 dollars. You certainly don't need to pay that much for a survival knife, that being said, you get what you pay for. A very good knife can be had for less than $100, in fact, the one I use the most cost $75.
Features make things better but you need to pick and choose the features that work for you. Think carefully about what you want to use this knife for and where you think you'll be using it. For instance, if you live in a location with very cold winters, you don't want to buy a knife with a metal handle as it could stick to the palm of your hand. If you want to be able to use it for fire making then you need to get one with a hard steel blade that can be used with a fire starter. You need to use common-sense when you choose the length of blade as well. A 12 inch blade is hard to control, and it makes it difficult to do close work with a large knife. Most experts recommend the blade be 6 inches or less.
My recommendation is to sit down and make a list of the things you want your knife to do. Do some research on the different knives and options available and think hard about the features you'll use, and the ones you won't. Remember, it's easy to go for the flashiest and biggest knife you can find, but it won't serve you well if it doesn't do the job.
Marlin Zeller is an avid collector of knives from many different manufacturers. Follow this link to see his advice on choosing the best survival knife.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marlin_Zeller
