man tac, I feel so down about myself lately and the time I have wasted in my life, it realyy sucks sometimes, but I like watching your vids, it helps me forget about the stuff for a moment
My man TAC! Speaking the gospel! My EDC is the 9” Puzon. If the viewers had disposable money AND lived where they could carry a big knife DAILY- to , AT, and from work, 95% of the balzillion EDC viewers would ditch their folders. As soon as my 10” custom blade I’d finished, I will carry that one. The smallest I carry, is the DW Backcountry. Keep up the good work man!
Yo Tac, great vid man! I agree with you on the size. 7 to 9 inches is about my standard for a survival type knife. Everything else I call a bushcraft knife.
If it's only one knife, then it's gotta be a bigger knife. A big knife can do anything a smaller knife can do but not vice versa. However, I carry 3 blades. Usually the Jess-X for wood processing, either the BK 7, Esee 6, or the Pathfinder Scorpion HD (when I'm in a bushcraft state of mind) on the belt, and a Mora bushcraft black as a back-up. I think it's a pretty good set-up, no?
I have to agree. 8-10 inch is the perfect blade length. Personally I have carried a Junglas ever since your video turned me on to it. Before that I carried a big bowie knife
@@brianbartulis9709 What the fuck are you trying to say? That is not a legitimate English sentence my man. SPEAK ENGLISH. Whatever the fuck you just typed gave me a literal headache. I might even have a brain aneurysm...
You fucking rock. The best video . You had laughing so hard . I don't think 1/2 these so called survival guys and girls have even stayed out over night in the woods ever. feather sticks. hahahahaha. God bless you and Miss tac. Keep up the great work.
I usually carry a 12" Tramontina machete in the woods. It's light and thin enough for knife tasks and long enough for chopping brush. I also use it for splitting kindling.I modified it with a finger notch and gave it a clip point. Very handy tool!
oh Tac, once again you are so right. I have a large recurve that I could hack someone's head off with if i HAD to yet I can still feather stick, start a fire, chop down a tree etc. I love MY 'SURVIVAL' knife schf 28. i love recurve w a big belly. I let the blade do the work for me . there's great edge retention & no issues with the mov steel that so many hate. it's hard used and looks & feels new. yes I have a smaller knife for edc as i live in NYC. but my large 'survival' knive is never far away.
Jim Bowie designed his knife from trial & error . 1835. Life down & dirty real survival. Cross bar. Like a pirate. Strong for digging, chopping, fighting. ( & feather sticks 2 ) 8, 9 inches . GOOD ... good video. I think I Saw a photo of you at the post office
I know this is an old vid but it just poped up in my feed, I was wondering if you would revisit this. Being it has been so long, I would like to see you do a new vid on the subject.
For me, my top pick (of the few knives I have) is my Ontario SP-5. It has cut brush, whittled sticks, struck sparks, and filleted northern pike. Gets the job done well enough.
Reading about the trappers of the old days, who survived on their own, one gets a picture of the knives they used. HUGE knives were always carried. Good vid.
I don't claim to be a bushcrafter or survival expert and the only person i know who might count as an operator is my uncle, he was a black beret in the army at chosin during the korean war and also a sniper during the vietnam war as a sniper and after the war was a sniper instructor, and he carried an old Western Bowie (the brand ) and a swiss army knife, his whole reasoning was the same as when he goes hunting, he wanted something that can be used to make shelter or kill troublesome critters, and in a pinch was substantial enough be able drop a person if he was suddenly face to face with an enemy, and the swiss army knife was mostly to open rations and smaller tasks. And that has influenced my knife choices as well, my go to survival knife is my ontario sp5, its is super sharp, holds a great edge and is light enough to use as a machete but has enough weight to cut down smaller trees and saplings for shelter or fire, i don't think "feather sticking and carving figure fours" was ever something he really had to bother with considering the kind of survival situation he had to face.
I had to try the bk7. So after a bit of mod I have the perfect survival knife. I convexed the grind and gave it camo patina instead of the coating. Filed down the thumb ramp a bit. Now it chops through 2 1/2 inch fresh wood in one swing. If you can handle knife you can do pretty much everything with whatever is your fav. Besides my bk7 i have a Hultafors handforged trekking axe.
USMC KABAR, MORA GARBERG, AND A LEATHERMAN SUPERTOOL. Add a cold steel special forces shovel,estwing camping ax, and a bahco Laplander and you have a complete set up
I take my schrade schf28 any day. I been using it a while now and it has been very resilient from work to play in the desert or the trips to the woods.
I got the ESEE6 and the Kershaw Camp 10 I think it is. Was considering buying a smaller Bark River knife until I saw this. Thanks for reaffirming bigger is better!
Love this! Your absolutely right too. If I don't have my Esee 5 with me Ill have my junglas. Preferably my junglas for survival though. But I'm still blade shopping and have some others coming soon. Good video bro
I think like you do tactical...8-10 inch is in the only one knife to do it all survival range for me too...knife has gotta be able to build a shelter or defend against any attackers (human or animals) and help me dig or even hunt...love your videos man...it's like I always known you when I watch your reviews...stay gold my brother from another mother!...till the next time we meet!
Personally I've always gone by the words "It's easy to do small knife stuff with a big knife, it's a pain in the rear to do big knife stuff with a small knife"
I have the ESEE 5 and the Junglas. if just one I guess the Junglas. So lately I been doing alot of practice with it. It can feather sticks and start fires just as easy as the esee 5. I been using it in the kitchen to slice up meat amd vegetables for dinner. I think the 10" blade is easily doable.
Im inclined to agree with you Tac. Now Ideally if I could choose I would always have a 2-4 knife system ranging from you big 10inch choppers to your 5.25 camp knives, and then your 4inch buchcraft "feather sticker's", and then lastly I'm always gonna have a folder in my pocket or a MT which would make #4, possibly #5 as well cause I usually have a MT on my belt as well. All that would be the ideal set up. Only one though, yea you gotta go with a big 7-10inch chopper cause you need it to be able to do as much as possible, even if you dont end up using it for big things it still needs to be capable of doing it. JMHO.
Big knives for me mainly for processing wood. For defense against animals? --- not likely to occur but will help if it does. I like my Kershaw Camp 14 for that kind of thing.
Out of my collection of 10 or so Fixed blades I would choose my Junglas..So I'm right there with you Tac..My BK2 wouldn't cut it in a 1 knife situation.
Bark river grizzly the Tops SXB, Tops Armageddon, Esee Junglas, Work Tuff Gear Nomad, Condor Amalgam, Dark Timber Honey Badger, Survival Lilly APO-1S, Cold Steel Trailmaster, Fallkniven Modern Bowie. You wouldn’t be screwed with any of those blades and yes I have them all and many more
I came to the conclusion that a simple middle to large size Leuku knife is the best option for me, it's just a proven extremely versatile and reliable design. And if you get one thats a bit thinner its even surprisingly light for its abillitys.
I am far from a 'survival expert' but I think I'd feel okay with a medium sized blade as long as it was beefy as hell and by 'medium sized' I means something like a BK2 or a Schrade SCHF38. My upper end of comfort for a multi-task blade would probably be more in the 9 inch realm like my Condor Moonshiner. I do have to agree with you about big knives being able to do more and have often said (including in comments on other TH-cam videos) that I, personally, can do small knife tasks with a big knife easier than I can do big knife tasks with a small knife. In a 'survival situation' - which I admit I will probably never be in - I wouldn't be worried about carving spoons, etc. Heck, I can scoop up food with my knife blade or even my fingers if I have to or I could just whittle out a 'paddle' type eating utensil.
The best survival knife size is one you are actually willing to carry every time go are going somewhere that could turn into a survival situation. You don't get to decide when the situation becomes survival. Its usually when outdoor daytime activities go wrong do to getting lost, trapped, or injured. Are you going to carry 10.5inch long, 1/4 inch thick chopper when going skiing? Would you really?????? 4-7 inch long 1/8" thick makes more sense for survival since you actually have a chance of having brought it with you. What knife would you throw in the bottom of your daypack for a 2-3 hour hike with kids, spouse, and dog? For me I choose cold steel bushman as it has great ratio of capability to weight while still fitting comfortably in a small daypack.
My preferred blade length is 7.5" - 8" 1/4 thick, that way it can easily poke through the heart & lungs of a four legged predator or...the two legged ones - theres a lot of those these days.
hey I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one tac. even though, I agree a large fixed blade (8-12 inches) can be more versatile than a small fixed blade. specifically with chopping and batoning. a large fixed blade also adds a lot of unnecessary weight. a carona saw with a medium fixed blade (4-6 inches) will weigh considerably less or just as much and be much more versatile than just a large fixed blade alone. now if you need to carry a large knife to fight off bears, wolves, and a gang of samurai in you fantasy survival situation. then in my opinion you don't need to carry a large knife, what you need is a katana and a suit of armor :) what it seems like to me, is that you don't really have a good justification on why to carry a large knife, so you are making up situations where it would be necessary. but I DON'T KNOW THAT FOR SURE, YOU MIGHT BE GOING TO THE WOODS AND SLAYING DRAGONS FOR ALL I KNOW....LOL
5.75 inches is about perfect for me, long enough to get the job done but not too big that it's unwieldy. Though if I'm carrying a smaller folder or neck-knife for gutting fish and smaller stuff then an 8-inch counterpart blade is just about right if you ask me. Though yeah if it's just the one blade and one blade only then I'll go with the 5.75-incher.
i bring 2 knives into jungle, 1st knife will be my 7 inch bayonet that always on my side ( good weapon for self protection due to its double side blade and sharpness) and the 2nd one is my handmade big knife (fulltang, 6mm thick and 10 inch long) which always stay in my backpack until i need it.
WarGrrl3 he is the man, he is the only TH-cam'er who beats the hell out of them, and is not biased to any brand or person. I was gonna buy a Kabar potbelly until I saw his video where he broke it after like 2 hits trying to baton a small log. He rocks. Thanks for the reply.
I prefer large choppy blades, the problem is they aren't great at small game prep, realistically in most survival situations small animals like rabbits, squirrels, rats, birds, small fish and frogs are going to be the most likely game you can and while you could process them with a larger kukri (by slipping your arm through the lanyard and cradling the knife like a baby and just using the first few inches and tip of the blade) its still a bit more difficult, so i think a 7-8 inch knife with a bowie style blade would be more practical, for that reason i want to get the ontario sp6 knife, not too big, not too small, can be used for combat if needed but has a pretty straightforward bowie style blade, not as good at chopping but should be ok to baton smaller stuff with.
If I could only have ONE survival blade it would be my Ontario SP51 or Ontario RTAK2. I would love to have a smaller blade to be a spare or small task use but definitely would not be what idea choose for one and only . But if only ONE then either one of those is my pick.
I would rather choose a small knife and a hatchet (yeah, only one, I know). To be honest, a good folding saw like a Silky etc. would do most things even better than a hatchet.
Brother Tac!!! Great topic. I'd have to go with the OKC Bushcraft Woodsman. 9.5" blade, the most comfortable grip of any large knife I've ever held, decent quarter inch thick steel, great sheath, and it comes with a good sized ferro rod...all for under $100. Winner winner chicken dinner all day.
Great points Tac (as ALWAYS), I totally agree with your comments. As a matter of fact I have right next to me a heavily modified Busse NMFSH that is one of my go to knives with an 8" blade of oh so sharp INFI badassery. SO, now I get to ask, out of all the blades in your collection, which one would come with you if you had to bug out, and no I won't limit you to only one, but what would be the primary blade? I assume the Peter Koehler Dark Timber blade? BUT, and here is the thought/philosophy exercise....what big survival blade is ALWAYS with you? Of course, by default THAT blade is the one you should choose over the DT (which is probably safely locked away, right?) or any other blade for that matter. I say you should choose and be ultimately proficient with THAT blade because as we all know, typically (with out collective luck) the S will HTF when we are far away from our home, favorite weapons and supplies, our caches, and bug out locations. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
This was 5 years ago according to youtu.be. I agree on many arguments you made. My line of training and it's pretty long from boy scouts to Army. Anyway I was taught a survival knife is the one you have when shit hits the fan. Now that said I'm the older generation. I carried a Buck 110 or a copy in boyscouts. The main reason was I was left handed and I felt off carring a fixed blade backwards. So I learned to do everything with what I had. I love big knives I agree with everything again. Just you have to hope everything goes do when you have all your gear with you. I went through a school in the army in Georgia. It was a 3 day survival program. Run by some old guys that escaped Vietnam camps and another guy that nobody knew anything about but all the scary men looked up to. Lol Anyway what I got out of it. When things happen it's Murphys law. That means if your lucky what's in your pockets is all you have. With that thinking you learn what you really need and what you can make. I always have a coldsteel knife because of the lock. Usually 2 knives a big and a smaller. 5 inch and 4inch. A way to make fire. Usually some 550 cord. And a few folded ziplock bags. I have different bags for different environments but basically the 5 Cs. Sorry it was so long. I really wondered what if anything do you find different now? You tested some of the best blades. You and juggle knives are my go to research. I wondering what's your favorite blade. And what caliber gun do you like for wild dangerous game 2 &4 leg. Not hunting rounds just woods carry. I'm 357 myself wheel gun.
Thanks Tac, that was real informative. Always like to get the opinion of those that have done a lot with knives. In conjunction with a big knife, it's a good practice to have a smaller knife too. That's what I'm hearing and seeing from others, something I've taken up doing myself. Always a handy thing. Good chopping partner.
I once had a 91/2" Bowie which was great for chopping anything but far too big for combat. If I had a 7"- 8" blade and you had the 10" you'd be a gonner. That Bowie was far too big for hand to hand combat.
@Douglas Pantera I've had a good look at the BK 7 and there's a lot to like about it. Before this I was considering the TOPS Knives Desert Nomad outdoor knife, DMAD-01. www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/pt/-tops-knives-desert-nomad-outdoor-knife-dmad-01.htm I'm English and we don't have anything like the amount of variety in the shops that Americans have. The government tried to ban all hunting type knives a good few years ago to try and stop knife crime. They obviously couldn't do it as chefs knives could be just a lethal and are necessary for processing food. We don't have many good shops though and "Knives and Steel" seems to be the best one at reasonable prices
Seems like your scenario is more of a SHTF scenario opposed to a "survival" scenario. I think of survival as getting into a bad situation without planning on it. In that case the best size knife is whatever you got (a pocket knife or that 4 inch fixed blade kept in the work bag). For the SHTF scenario, a bit of thought and choice may be granted and I agree 6-9 inch fixed would be preferred. As a side note, I've been collecting Blackjack Halo Attack 14s and Model 7s (excellent Randall Made interpretations) after watching your vids about Blackjack Knives. I appreciate your efforts in spreading the word about high quality "affordable" brands not widely advertised. I'm curious as why I haven't seen any Buck Knives reviewed (models 119, 120, or the 124) on your show?
Trenton Burbank if u pick what to carry all the time then u can carry in a more prepared way. if I only have Gerber I'll only have Gerber on me, if I always carry a bk7, I'll have a bk7. no offense to u or anybody but that saying best knife is what u have on u is very dumb
Typical Bowie Knives average 9-13" in blade length! I like your thinking!
Yeap, 9 inch sounds good to me, actually pretty helpful video.
"she can keep dreamin' can't she?" Lmao, amen brother!
spit that truth Tac! I'm glad that someone in TH-cam land finally talked about the defensive part in survival . Your the man Tac!
4 year's later I can see what you're saying sometimes a Swiss army knife just ain't going to cut it
man tac, I feel so down about myself lately and the time I have wasted in my life, it realyy sucks sometimes, but I like watching your vids, it helps me forget about the stuff for a moment
Finally someone has covered the down and dirty of the issue. Thanks Tac, great video with good thoughts on what it just might take to survive.
The first knife I started using for Bushcraft was the BK 9. It is a great knife for all kinds of tasks.
5-6" blade I use a wood bear brown bear as my big blade in the woods 90% of the time and you can always fashion a spear to carry around with you
"she can keep dreamen cant she"
-tac
hell yeah thats good shit.
man i lost it when he said that one lol
Do you have a mustache?
My man TAC! Speaking the gospel! My EDC is the 9” Puzon. If the viewers had disposable money AND lived where they could carry a big knife DAILY- to , AT, and from work, 95% of the balzillion EDC viewers would ditch their folders.
As soon as my 10” custom blade I’d finished, I will carry that one. The smallest I carry, is the DW Backcountry.
Keep up the good work man!
Yo Tac, great vid man! I agree with you on the size. 7 to 9 inches is about my standard for a survival type knife. Everything else I call a bushcraft knife.
If it's only one knife, then it's gotta be a bigger knife. A big knife can do anything a smaller knife can do but not vice versa. However, I carry 3 blades. Usually the Jess-X for wood processing, either the BK 7, Esee 6, or the Pathfinder Scorpion HD (when I'm in a bushcraft state of mind) on the belt, and a Mora bushcraft black as a back-up. I think it's a pretty good set-up, no?
David Fiorini lolololl... i carry a dozen knives, 3 machetes, 2 ax’s, & a Glock 40zzzzzz
"Pickin this one!" Love it. Nice stache too bro!!!
I like the Becker BK9. Anyone know of someone who makes an excellent sheath for the BK9?
Perfect- I was thinkin’ of my BK9 during your whole vid. 9 inch blade and does so much else. Thanks for reminding me Tac!
I have to agree. 8-10 inch is the perfect blade length. Personally I have carried a Junglas ever since your video turned me on to it. Before that I carried a big bowie knife
This is borderline a machette/sword
lol. got me cracking up bro. couple beers in and sounds like you are too.
You're right.8-10 agreement...Especially for batoning...... great video...
humorous and truthfulness a tuff combination to find. but I did when I found your channel!! blessings sir and thanks so much!!
YEP, I AGREE ALL THE WAY ON YOUR CHOOSE !! (SGT WILLETT, RETIREED COMBAT SOLDIER)
MegaPlicker high 5 Mr. Willett!
+Tactical what's the sidearm your carrying here?
razorrook Sig Pro Sp2340 in 357 sig
+Tactical my man! thanks for replying. Keep on rocking!
I havent heard anyone this enthused about big knives in the survival bushcraft world. Im right there with ya. Becker BK9 is my baby right now
For me, the Condor Barong (lightly modified):
Blade Length: 14"
Thickness: 3/16"
Overall Length: 19-1/4"
"Survival" now is just glorified camping. Such a waste of logic with this stuff now.
if you know how to notch bones of past gal pal you ran faster than it comes in handy adjusting heat for tiny toes 'n finger snacks meal.
@@brianbartulis9709 What the fuck are you trying to say? That is not a legitimate English sentence my man. SPEAK ENGLISH. Whatever the fuck you just typed gave me a literal headache. I might even have a brain aneurysm...
You fucking rock. The best video . You had laughing so hard . I don't think 1/2 these so called survival guys and girls have even stayed out over night in the woods ever. feather sticks. hahahahaha. God bless you and Miss tac. Keep up the great work.
7"-12" blade is my choice for survival!
I usually carry a 12" Tramontina machete in the woods. It's light and thin enough for knife tasks and long enough for chopping brush. I also use it for splitting kindling.I modified it with a finger notch and gave it a clip point. Very handy tool!
If it comes down to a knife no axe i would grab a ESEE 6. If in need to go big on splitting i can always make a wedge to split any size log
oh Tac, once again you are so right. I have a large recurve that I could hack someone's head off with if i HAD to yet I can still feather stick, start a fire, chop down a tree etc. I love MY 'SURVIVAL' knife schf 28. i love recurve w a big belly. I let the blade do the work for me . there's great edge retention & no issues with the mov steel that so many hate. it's hard used and looks & feels new. yes I have a smaller knife for edc as i live in NYC. but my large 'survival' knive is never far away.
Little knives are faster in a fight and you can hold on better, but I agree with the distance, I have the BK-7 and I love it
Jim Bowie designed his knife from trial & error . 1835. Life down & dirty real survival. Cross bar. Like a pirate. Strong for digging, chopping, fighting. ( & feather sticks 2 ) 8, 9 inches . GOOD ... good video. I think I Saw a photo of you at the post office
I know this is an old vid but it just poped up in my feed, I was wondering if you would revisit this. Being it has been so long, I would like to see you do a new vid on the subject.
Bk9 for me is the perfect survival knife. Its in the sweet spot
10" blade is my sweet spot for the 1 knife option
I bought a Cold Steel SRK VG-1... A happy median between size and Manuevering....
I agree! We have similar taste. Always get a kick out of your videos.
I agree, but in some countries, large blades are ilegal. If you carry 7-9 blade, policemen take your knife and you do not recuperate it.
Thank you for pointing out the reality of survival. For me, a survival knife has to be a good fighting knife too.
For me, my top pick (of the few knives I have) is my Ontario SP-5. It has cut brush, whittled sticks, struck sparks, and filleted northern pike. Gets the job done well enough.
7" should be enough for anyone ..... & thickness is just as important as length.
Reading about the trappers of the old days, who survived on their own, one gets a picture of the knives they used. HUGE knives were always carried. Good vid.
100% RIGHT MAN. SPOT ON.
I don't claim to be a bushcrafter or survival expert and the only person i know who might count as an operator is my uncle, he was a black beret in the army at chosin during the korean war and also a sniper during the vietnam war as a sniper and after the war was a sniper instructor, and he carried an old Western Bowie (the brand ) and a swiss army knife, his whole reasoning was the same as when he goes hunting, he wanted something that can be used to make shelter or kill troublesome critters, and in a pinch was substantial enough be able drop a person if he was suddenly face to face with an enemy, and the swiss army knife was mostly to open rations and smaller tasks. And that has influenced my knife choices as well, my go to survival knife is my ontario sp5, its is super sharp, holds a great edge and is light enough to use as a machete but has enough weight to cut down smaller trees and saplings for shelter or fire, i don't think "feather sticking and carving figure fours" was ever something he really had to bother with considering the kind of survival situation he had to face.
In Borneo, the natives use a machete/parang for everyday use. I started using it when i was 5. My dad teach me how
In the tropics like Borneo, the min size for me would be 8" - thanks for the vid Tac.
I had to try the bk7. So after a bit of mod I have the perfect survival knife. I convexed the grind and gave it camo patina instead of the coating. Filed down the thumb ramp a bit. Now it chops through 2 1/2 inch fresh wood in one swing. If you can handle knife you can do pretty much everything with whatever is your fav. Besides my bk7 i have a Hultafors handforged trekking axe.
been thinking about a Bk7 myself or Treeman Bowie
All good, valid points.
USMC KABAR, MORA GARBERG, AND A LEATHERMAN SUPERTOOL. Add a cold steel special forces shovel,estwing camping ax, and a bahco Laplander and you have a complete set up
I really like the cold steel bushman for survival, it is a little light, but you can use it as a spear,
Masta Disasta without a finger guard tho it's an accident waiting to happen for self defense
Thank you TAC, you nailed a lot of points. I think the Dark Timber Honey Badger makes a great sized survival knife.
I take my schrade schf28 any day. I been using it a while now and it has been very resilient from work to play in the desert or the trips to the woods.
I got the ESEE6 and the Kershaw Camp 10 I think it is. Was considering buying a smaller Bark River knife until I saw this. Thanks for reaffirming bigger is better!
Love this! Your absolutely right too. If I don't have my Esee 5 with me Ill have my junglas. Preferably my junglas for survival though. But I'm still blade shopping and have some others coming soon. Good video bro
I wish you was my big brother, I'd learn a lot from you man. Great stuff right there.
im your brother from another mother
Amen to that *double thumbs up*
Disagree check military uses all is under 8 inches
3.5 to 4 inch because I carry wherever..at least in SC, NC
I think like you do tactical...8-10 inch is in the only one knife to do it all survival range for me too...knife has gotta be able to build a shelter or defend against any attackers (human or animals) and help me dig or even hunt...love your videos man...it's like I always known you when I watch your reviews...stay gold my brother from another mother!...till the next time we meet!
Personally I've always gone by the words "It's easy to do small knife stuff with a big knife, it's a pain in the rear to do big knife stuff with a small knife"
Brother Tac my go to survival knife would be my USMC Ka-Bar love that.
Joseph Ortiz fir 30 plus years I have loved that knife. it was the first I could truly sharpen 😇
I have the ESEE 5 and the Junglas. if just one I guess the Junglas. So lately I been doing alot of practice with it. It can feather sticks and start fires just as easy as the esee 5. I been using it in the kitchen to slice up meat amd vegetables for dinner. I think the 10" blade is easily doable.
high 5
Im inclined to agree with you Tac. Now Ideally if I could choose I would always have a 2-4 knife system ranging from you big 10inch choppers to your 5.25 camp knives, and then your 4inch buchcraft "feather sticker's", and then lastly I'm always gonna have a folder in my pocket or a MT which would make #4, possibly #5 as well cause I usually have a MT on my belt as well. All that would be the ideal set up. Only one though, yea you gotta go with a big 7-10inch chopper cause you need it to be able to do as much as possible, even if you dont end up using it for big things it still needs to be capable of doing it. JMHO.
Big knives for me mainly for processing wood. For defense against animals? --- not likely to occur but will help if it does. I like my Kershaw Camp 14 for that kind of thing.
Well said Tac,, I totally agree with your logic
even though i prefer smaller knives when camping and hiking I would choose something like a bk7 for a survival knife
Wish you could still get that 8" blackjack, good looking blade.
Out of my collection of 10 or so Fixed blades I would choose my Junglas..So I'm right there with you Tac..My BK2 wouldn't cut it in a 1 knife situation.
if I have a gun and a knife and I need to protect myself and my life and others...the knife is not coming out first ever!
Bark river grizzly the Tops SXB, Tops Armageddon, Esee Junglas, Work Tuff Gear Nomad, Condor Amalgam, Dark Timber Honey Badger, Survival Lilly APO-1S, Cold Steel Trailmaster, Fallkniven Modern Bowie. You wouldn’t be screwed with any of those blades and yes I have them all and many more
I came to the conclusion that a simple middle to large size Leuku knife is the best option for me, it's just a proven extremely versatile and reliable design.
And if you get one thats a bit thinner its even surprisingly light for its abillitys.
I am far from a 'survival expert' but I think I'd feel okay with a medium sized blade as long as it was beefy as hell and by 'medium sized' I means something like a BK2 or a Schrade SCHF38. My upper end of comfort for a multi-task blade would probably be more in the 9 inch realm like my Condor Moonshiner. I do have to agree with you about big knives being able to do more and have often said (including in comments on other TH-cam videos) that I, personally, can do small knife tasks with a big knife easier than I can do big knife tasks with a small knife. In a 'survival situation' - which I admit I will probably never be in - I wouldn't be worried about carving spoons, etc. Heck, I can scoop up food with my knife blade or even my fingers if I have to or I could just whittle out a 'paddle' type eating utensil.
You bring up some ideas about blade length. Thanks, keep on rocking!
The best survival knife size is one you are actually willing to carry every time go are going somewhere that could turn into a survival situation. You don't get to decide when the situation becomes survival. Its usually when outdoor daytime activities go wrong do to getting lost, trapped, or injured. Are you going to carry 10.5inch long, 1/4 inch thick chopper when going skiing? Would you really?????? 4-7 inch long 1/8" thick makes more sense for survival since you actually have a chance of having brought it with you. What knife would you throw in the bottom of your daypack for a 2-3 hour hike with kids, spouse, and dog? For me I choose cold steel bushman as it has great ratio of capability to weight while still fitting comfortably in a small daypack.
My edc is spyderco byrd folder so I don't care if I wreck it. Good knife for the money, also edc a bk16 and bk2. I think I'd like the bk7 next
My preferred blade length is 7.5" - 8" 1/4 thick, that way it can easily poke through the heart & lungs of a four legged predator or...the two legged ones - theres a lot of those these days.
hey I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one tac. even though, I agree a large fixed blade (8-12 inches) can be more versatile than a small fixed blade. specifically with chopping and batoning. a large fixed blade also adds a lot of unnecessary weight. a carona saw with a medium fixed blade (4-6 inches) will weigh considerably less or just as much and be much more versatile than just a large fixed blade alone. now if you need to carry a large knife to fight off bears, wolves, and a gang of samurai in you fantasy survival situation. then in my opinion you don't need to carry a large knife, what you need is a katana and a suit of armor :) what it seems like to me, is that you don't really have a good justification on why to carry a large knife, so you are making up situations where it would be necessary. but I DON'T KNOW THAT FOR SURE, YOU MIGHT BE GOING TO THE WOODS AND SLAYING DRAGONS FOR ALL I KNOW....LOL
BK-9 with custom azwelki sheath is my choice for one knife tac.
5.75 inches is about perfect for me, long enough to get the job done but not too big that it's unwieldy. Though if I'm carrying a smaller folder or neck-knife for gutting fish and smaller stuff then an 8-inch counterpart blade is just about right if you ask me. Though yeah if it's just the one blade and one blade only then I'll go with the 5.75-incher.
i bring 2 knives into jungle, 1st knife will be my 7 inch bayonet that always on my side ( good weapon for self protection due to its double side blade and sharpness) and the 2nd one is my handmade big knife (fulltang, 6mm thick and 10 inch long) which always stay in my backpack until i need it.
You didn’t mention it; what is the 8” at 2:50? Thanks.
Thanks Tac, I always love your videos, and whenever I get a new knife or whatever I get, I check your channel first to see you opinion. Your the best.
Rudy .357 I do the same. if i want a knife I check to see what Tac has to say abt it
WarGrrl3 he is the man, he is the only TH-cam'er who beats the hell out of them, and is not biased to any brand or person. I was gonna buy a Kabar potbelly until I saw his video where he broke it after like 2 hits trying to baton a small log. He rocks. Thanks for the reply.
Big can be useful when it's necessary. I've never had a complaint........
What would your recommendation be for a do it all survival blade 7" - 11" within a reasonable budget for finer work I'd have a 4" companion blade
Nice food for thought as makes good sense...Good stuff...
I prefer large choppy blades, the problem is they aren't great at small game prep, realistically in most survival situations small animals like rabbits, squirrels, rats, birds, small fish and frogs are going to be the most likely game you can and while you could process them with a larger kukri (by slipping your arm through the lanyard and cradling the knife like a baby and just using the first few inches and tip of the blade) its still a bit more difficult, so i think a 7-8 inch knife with a bowie style blade would be more practical, for that reason i want to get the ontario sp6 knife, not too big, not too small, can be used for combat if needed but has a pretty straightforward bowie style blade, not as good at chopping but should be ok to baton smaller stuff with.
He should make a video of the different coockies they have at the Boy Scouts.
Just got me a Esse Junglas!!! For the 150 with the sheath thats a Great value I think. Its crazy good in the hands and Man ooo man I love it.
If I could only have ONE survival blade it would be my Ontario SP51 or Ontario RTAK2. I would love to have a smaller blade to be a spare or small task use but definitely would not be what idea choose for one and only . But if only ONE then either one of those is my pick.
I would rather choose a small knife and a hatchet (yeah, only one, I know). To be honest, a good folding saw like a Silky etc. would do most things even better than a hatchet.
I have to agree around that 8 to 12 inch blade for me.
Brother Tac!!! Great topic. I'd have to go with the OKC Bushcraft Woodsman. 9.5" blade, the most comfortable grip of any large knife I've ever held, decent quarter inch thick steel, great sheath, and it comes with a good sized ferro rod...all for under $100. Winner winner chicken dinner all day.
Always love watching your videos tac! Keep up the great work Buddy!!!
You are literally the real life deadpool 😁 love ya tac
Great points Tac (as ALWAYS), I totally agree with your comments. As a matter of fact I have right next to me a heavily modified Busse NMFSH that is one of my go to knives with an 8" blade of oh so sharp INFI badassery. SO, now I get to ask, out of all the blades in your collection, which one would come with you if you had to bug out, and no I won't limit you to only one, but what would be the primary blade? I assume the Peter Koehler Dark Timber blade? BUT, and here is the thought/philosophy exercise....what big survival blade is ALWAYS with you? Of course, by default THAT blade is the one you should choose over the DT (which is probably safely locked away, right?) or any other blade for that matter. I say you should choose and be ultimately proficient with THAT blade because as we all know, typically (with out collective luck) the S will HTF when we are far away from our home, favorite weapons and supplies, our caches, and bug out locations. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
Bowie knife my personal choice but that might be my texas bias
The premise of your channel is hilarious!
This was 5 years ago according to youtu.be. I agree on many arguments you made.
My line of training and it's pretty long from boy scouts to Army.
Anyway I was taught a survival knife is the one you have when shit hits the fan. Now that said I'm the older generation. I carried a Buck 110 or a copy in boyscouts. The main reason was I was left handed and I felt off carring a fixed blade backwards. So I learned to do everything with what I had.
I love big knives I agree with everything again. Just you have to hope everything goes do when you have all your gear with you.
I went through a school in the army in Georgia. It was a 3 day survival program. Run by some old guys that escaped Vietnam camps and another guy that nobody knew anything about but all the scary men looked up to. Lol
Anyway what I got out of it. When things happen it's Murphys law. That means if your lucky what's in your pockets is all you have.
With that thinking you learn what you really need and what you can make.
I always have a coldsteel knife because of the lock. Usually 2 knives a big and a smaller. 5 inch and 4inch. A way to make fire. Usually some 550 cord. And a few folded ziplock bags.
I have different bags for different environments but basically the 5 Cs.
Sorry it was so long.
I really wondered what if anything do you find different now? You tested some of the best blades. You and juggle knives are my go to research.
I wondering what's your favorite blade. And what caliber gun do you like for wild dangerous game 2 &4 leg. Not hunting rounds just woods carry. I'm 357 myself wheel gun.
I pretty much carry the same stuff & I also carry a 357 for the woods
Thanks Tac, that was real informative. Always like to get the opinion of those that have done a lot with knives. In conjunction with a big knife, it's a good practice to have a smaller knife too. That's what I'm hearing and seeing from others, something I've taken up doing myself. Always a handy thing. Good chopping partner.
I once had a 91/2" Bowie which was great for chopping anything but far too big for combat. If I had a 7"- 8" blade and you had the 10" you'd be a gonner. That Bowie was far too big for hand to hand combat.
@Douglas Pantera
Yes it was very heavy, but someone stole my stainless steel axe and so the Bowie replaced it for chopping. It even did logs.
@Douglas Pantera
I've had a good look at the BK 7 and there's a lot to like about it. Before this I was considering the TOPS Knives Desert Nomad outdoor knife, DMAD-01. www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/pt/-tops-knives-desert-nomad-outdoor-knife-dmad-01.htm I'm English and we don't have anything like the amount of variety in the shops that Americans have. The government tried to ban all hunting type knives a good few years ago to try and stop knife crime. They obviously couldn't do it as chefs knives could be just a lethal and are necessary for processing food. We don't have many good shops though and "Knives and Steel" seems to be the best one at reasonable prices
hi tac ,I'm with you on this one the bigger the blade 8"-11"just the right size small knives use them as tooth picks thanks for sharing
Seems like your scenario is more of a SHTF scenario opposed to a "survival" scenario. I think of survival as getting into a bad situation without planning on it. In that case the best size knife is whatever you got (a pocket knife or that 4 inch fixed blade kept in the work bag). For the SHTF scenario, a bit of thought and choice may be granted and I agree 6-9 inch fixed would be preferred. As a side note, I've been collecting Blackjack Halo Attack 14s and Model 7s (excellent Randall Made interpretations) after watching your vids about Blackjack Knives. I appreciate your efforts in spreading the word about high quality "affordable" brands not widely advertised. I'm curious as why I haven't seen any Buck Knives reviewed (models 119, 120, or the 124) on your show?
Trenton Burbank if u pick what to carry all the time then u can carry in a more prepared way. if I only have Gerber I'll only have Gerber on me, if I always carry a bk7, I'll have a bk7. no offense to u or anybody but that saying best knife is what u have on u is very dumb
Hah! Thanks for the insight bub.
you should look at miller bros blades
if you have not yet
Valid points , on blade size. I have to go with a six inch blades, like my Randall model one , with a 6 inch blade.