Blades for Z-day
After Z-Day, blades of all sorts will be a major part of everyone’s life. Every day you will have to use a blade for work, protection, and lots of other things. What kinds of blades and blade shapes will serve you best? In this article we’ll look at different types, sizes, and shapes of blades and their uses.
EDC Blades: (Every Day Carry)
These are blades that you carry at all times, even when carrying other blades. They can be used for many things, like: cutting food, whittling, processing game, even self defense when the need arises. They’re usually smaller folding blades, but can be smaller fixed blades. ZAC suggests one folding plain edge knife and one fully serrated folding knife.
Work Blades:
Usually a mid sized blade, usually between 9 and 15 inches, but this category can include machetes for felling trees, chopping, and polling firewood. The uses are only limited by the imagination of the user. Generally the best overall and best multi-purpose knife.
Fighting Blades:
From 10 to 48 inches, this category covers anything from boot knives to swords. Best to carry at least one blade from this category.
Single or Double edged?
This all depends on the user. For a fighting blade, double edged is preferred, but not necessary. For EDC or a work blade, a single edge is best to keep from injuring yourself during use when even a small cut can lead to infection or death if left untreated.
You will need to care for and sharpen your blades, as they can often mean the difference between life and death in a survival situation. ZAC recommends the Smith’s Tri-Hone system for sharpening. The honing oil provided with the system is OK, but spit or water works just as well and costs less.
ZAC recommends that you learn to sharpen a knife for its purpose. A general use knife doesn’t need to be razor sharp and this can lead to extended life for the blade, while over sharpening can lead to the blade failing or dulling extremely fast. Fighting knives need to be extremely sharp to serve their purpose unless they are swords. Swords need to be sharp, but not razor sharp. The weight of the sword causes a cleaving effect. Lighter swords do need to be sharper. EDC knives vary. If you use them on hard surfaces, or for prying, then a 25 degree rough edge will do fine. If you want it razor sharp for finer use, then you want an 18 degree edge. This video is a good guide to beginning sharpening.
Comments (60)
Ronin666 on 30 Dec 2010 at 5:09 am #
I always have a knife on me, usually a 4 inch folder like a Spyderco Delica. Just lately I’ve been carrying a little Boker Rhino fixed blade and it’s awesome.Blade is just under 4 inches and very beefy. My Bug out bag also has a Vitrinox multitool it it and a Esee 6 fixed blade and there is a Hanwei Tac Wak attached to the rifle scabbard. Pretty much all bases covered there.
The DMT Diamond sharpener is about the best I’ve found for sharpening most blades. All blades will benefit from stropping afterward. No need to go out and buy an expensive strop, an old leather belt will do just fine and will re align any micro burrs to give you a razor edge even on a thicker blade. Every knife I own will slice through un-supported paper edgeways and thats all I use to sharpen them.
Angryvikingman on 30 Dec 2010 at 7:14 am #
I like the Esee-6 and the Hanwei, but the first two… Blech… I want to get a good mid length sword for my kit. Saw one on youtube today, but can’t remember the name of it.
Clifford "Ozzie" Nicolen on 30 Dec 2010 at 9:33 pm #
My butterfly knife broke the other day. :(
I guess it’s for the best though, it was cheap, cheap, cheap.
I’m thinking of buying one of those KA-BAR or Cold Steel kukhri machetes when I get a little older. Would a Kukhri be as good as a normal machete? I see you have some sort of tanto there, is that also a KA-BAR?
McLuvin on 30 Dec 2010 at 9:44 pm #
@Viking
Blech?
What’s wrong with Spyderco? They make some of the best production knives in the world. Boker makes some good stuff too.
specially equipped guardsman on 30 Dec 2010 at 10:33 pm #
I love Spyderco, but it seems I can’t get on a helicopter without losing one. Now I carry a Leatherman charge, You never know when you’ll need a pair of needle nose Pliers. I carry an M7 when I kit up and a machete on my ruck.
Angryvikingman on 31 Dec 2010 at 12:23 am #
Meh, I don’t like the delica, didn’t say I hated the brand. All 3 of those in the pic are cold steel blades. Kukri machete, GI Tanto, and 2010 Recon 1. I have yet to destroy or even damage a cold steel knife. As far as I’m concerned, they’re some of the best production knives made today.
McLuvin on 31 Dec 2010 at 12:32 am #
The Cold Steels are definitely tough. I thought you were against Spyderco in general. I agree that the Delica is not my first choice.
Clifford "Ozzie" Nicolen on 31 Dec 2010 at 1:03 pm #
Do you think a Cold Steel Katana would hold up? No questions about a machete, those were made with abuse in mind, but a katana…
big bear29 on 31 Dec 2010 at 1:36 pm #
@Clifford “Ozzie” Nicolen
Just remeber that there was a reason that samurai carried more than one katana around . They could cut through meat and bone but they tended to break after a while , so they always needed a spare sword handy . Even modern day katanas aren’t that much of an improvement over the ones made centuries ago . The metal is a little better today but there are some old katanas that are of just as high a quality as the best modern blades .
Angryvikingman on 31 Dec 2010 at 2:09 pm #
If you have a doubt, and don’t want to spend several hundred dollars, Cold Steel makes a katana machete thats made for abuse. Take it to have it professionally sharpened. Just about every town has a shop that will sharpen blades, check the internet and find the closest place to you. For the price, you can’t beat it. If you can get it hollow ground, it’ll cut so well you won’t believe it, but a long flat grind works almost as well and you can get it scary sharp with some 7,5 and,3 micron abrasive paper.
McLuvin on 31 Dec 2010 at 11:56 pm #
The Cold Steel swords are probably the best quality for the price. Everything they make is made to abuse.
Semper Cogitant on 01 Jan 2011 at 12:02 am #
I always carry a at least three knives: Two folders, 4″ and 2″, and a Leatherman Wave multitool. In the woods I carry a larger knife on my belt (usually a family heriloom 8″ bowie) and keep a hunting knife on the outside of my pack. In my truck I always have a cheap old survival knife. I also have a couple dive knives, several old pocket knives, and a saber that I bought on a whim once, nothing fancy but it holds an edge well.
I am almost never without a knife. About the only time is on a plane, and if I’m going somewhere by air I will stop and buy a knife to carry once I get there, then give it away or mail it home when I fly back.
A knife is the most important tool you can have. It’s uses are endless, and at least to me weapon isn’t high up on the list. I would use one if needed, but if you are going for lethal a gun is what you want and for non lethal hands or a stick weapon are better. Though certainly in the Zombie Apocalypse a machete or short sword sized blade is an important weapon.
I’m not overly interested in the brad of a knife, even cheap once can be good. I have a $20 Smith & Wesson folder that has stood up to an amazing amount of abuse and is still great.
What I’m missing, and some day soon have to get, is a machete/short sword sized blade. For preparedness, as a tool and as a weapon, it’s really important to have a larger blade. Probably what I’ll go for in this category is a kukri type machete.
Angryvikingman on 02 Jan 2011 at 11:35 am #
Also, in addition to Ronin’s comments, swords generally only break if there is repeated and prolonged metal on metal contact. If you’re using them on zombies or just cutting brush, and decent sword or machete will last forever as long as you’re not just abusing it for abuse’s sake.
big bear29 on 02 Jan 2011 at 6:39 pm #
Some samurai’s carried more than one katana into battle because some of the katanas would break after repeated abuse in combat , this is a historical fact not an opinion . If you are using this sword to chop off heads over and over again it will eventually break from hitting the vertebrea that make up your spinal column , as this is not a soft bone .
I find it to be rather amusing how offended some people get when you tell them that the katana is not the super sword that they believe it to be . They seem to believe that with one graceful little swing they will decapitate forty enemies and cut a tank in half and that the sword is indestructable and that they will survive any encounter so long as they have their trusty katana .
@Ronin666
All that article proved was that after repeated abuse the katana would in fact break . Some where far more easy to break than others , if you are choping through the necks of zombies sooner or later the katana will either bend to the point where it is no longer useable or it will break .
As for the video you mentioned , I don’t know if it was the video you meant but I found several on youtube of L6 katanas being used to chop up a metal barrels and tree limbs and I was not impressed . I have achieved the same type of results in the past while goofing around as a kid and I was using things like a home made bowie knife made out of 1050 steel , a piece of crap nine dollar walmart machete and a dull lawn mower blade and I managed to inflict the same kind of damage that those katanas did without having to strike my target more than those swordsmen did .
Ronin666 on 02 Jan 2011 at 8:55 pm #
yes the article showed they broke, after ABUSE. It also showed the varying amounts of abuse different swords would take before they failed, depending on the skill of the maker. No sword is indestructible but on average a Japanese katana had better metallurgy that European swords of the time. There were a lot of “bundle swords” (the Japanese word escapes me atm) made that were of poor quality and were given to lowly ashigaru and I can see that they would break easily, they were disposable just like the men who carried them just like the WW2 gunto swords.
If you can treat 1050 to outlast L6 you had better get into business, Howard has made a fortune and become famous for his katana’s (in fact last i looked he wasn’t even taking any more orders he was so swamped) and silly tool makers have been spending all that money on L6 when 1050 would have done the job with just amateur heat treating.
No I don’t think a katana is some magical sword, but after 10 years of use, selling and designing I still beleive it is a fine reliable weapon in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. Just look at how many antiques have survived numerous battles and are still in excellent condition.
Angryvikingman on 02 Jan 2011 at 10:45 pm #
We had an old machete that we used around the farm and I know it was 30 years old when I started using it. Idk how many times we replaced the wood scale handles on it, but it was about every 2 years. It spent a lot of time clearing fence rows, cutting saplings for pole tents and notching poles for a half ass mini log cabin club house. It had one big ding in the blade, but aside from that it would chew through anything in a hurry. Great blade on it, and IDK who even made it. As far as I know, its still on the wall in my Grandma’s basement. That thing took abuse from a slew of kids and grandkids over the years, and it never broke. I Imagine a well made sword could take years of abuse before it broke as well. The way a Katana is designed is one of the strongest designs ever. The way it is differentially heat treated is what makes it so strong. They clay coat the dull edge and heat the swords which are still straight, and when they quench them the spine curves up giving it the familiar curved shape. This provides the spine the needed flexibility and gives the cutting edge the ability to be sharp and strong. This also provides exellent edge retention. Master Japanese swordsmiths make swords like Germans make guns. As perfect as humanly possible. I like the look of a European sword better though.
Angryvikingman on 06 Jan 2011 at 6:46 pm #
Yeah, thats it. Get it from budk.com. It SHOULD come with a sheath, all of my machetes did.
Angryvikingman on 08 Jan 2011 at 10:03 am #
Because thats not a machete, its a Kukri. Machetes are made from cheaper steel and about half as thick as this version. Yes, it has the same blade pattern, but it looks hollow ground so that it supposed to cut better, and the blade is way heavier. I say stick with the machetes.
Nick Thompson on 09 Jan 2011 at 12:48 am #
Is that a cold steel Kurki? Very nice blade, 1050 carbon blade.
Angryvikingman on 09 Jan 2011 at 1:39 am #
Picture is a cold steel kukri machete. Link is sk5 Gurkha kukri.
3-15 INF on 12 Jan 2011 at 2:43 pm #
I go with whatever Angry says on this… no offense meant, Ronin, but your’e a little to enamored with the samurai sword thing.
Angryvikingman on 12 Jan 2011 at 8:27 pm #
Ronin knows his swords because hes a knife/sword dealer, but my personal opinion is that due to the light weight of japanese swords, I’m going to have to try and wield it more precisely than larger European sword. Machetes and european swords are work horses that require less care in the operation and upkeep of the sword.
wheelgunner on 14 Jan 2011 at 10:02 pm #
At the cost of being less effective at the type of cutting you are wanting for an antizombie blade. Besides, the vital areas on your target will not change regardless, so the precision you need to strike them remains the same. It then becomes a matter of the cut ergonomics of your blade, which in this case I believe that the katana design is better suited for. It is centered around the cut, as is the balance, which is at least as important as blade design. Katanas, sabers, namely any curved bladed sword, is designed to put the maximum amount of damage at the point of impact, versus european blades which are, generally at least, designed to be more easily controlled, at the cost of the amount of damage dealt upon connecting with a blow.
All that said, I intend to use a Cold Steel 1796 Light Calvary Saber, which do scary amounts of damage. I like their kukris, but have found matchetes too flimsy for any real work. Take bowies.
Angryvikingman on 15 Jan 2011 at 12:20 pm #
“but have found matchetes too flimsy for any real work.”
While I have never tried to use them for anything larger than a 4 inch diameter tree trunk/limb I can assure you, they will do the work. I have cleaved off 3 inch thick limbs in 1 stroke with my kukri machete. Now, if I can do that, I know I can take off an arm or head just as easily. Also, I have seen a kukri, granted it was about 3 times longer than mine, take off the head of a cow in one stroke, about halfway down the neck.
As for the way a european sword works versus a japanese sword. Get a tatami mat used for cutting practice and you can cut it just as easily with a european sword as you can with a japanese sword. The european sword just has different blade geometry causing the cutting effect to be different. I have used both on tatami and found that I personally like the way a european sword cuts best.
wheelgunner on 15 Jan 2011 at 9:00 pm #
To each his own. Admittedly, mine is Indo-Persian in origin.
Can a kukri even be classified as a matchete? It is not a matchete design, in the sense of the arguement we are currently having. I have owned four of the cold steel ones, including a magnum, and have had similar results. However, I still have never owned or used a matchete that was worth carrying into the field with me. I always end up having to dig out a bowie to do the work i brought the matchete for.
A tad bit off topic, but I found that the smaller kukris from Cold Steel throw really well if you throw them like an ax.
Angryvikingman on 16 Jan 2011 at 10:29 am #
May not be a machete design, but the blade is pretty thin, which I think actually helps with the cutting. Its not flimsy by any means, just not nearly as thick as the SK5 or San Mai 3 versions.
wheelgunner on 16 Jan 2011 at 12:09 pm #
I like the kukri enough to have owned five of them, and no, they are noot flimsy. I was talking about the common matchete of the latin pattern, which is the standard. Not worth the steel that goes in them in my opinion.
How do you keep an edge on your cold steel knives? I’ve spent entirly too much money on them trying to find one that will do general work as well as my 119 Buck.
Angryvikingman on 16 Jan 2011 at 12:55 pm #
I use mine pretty often and generally sharpen it once every week depending on use. I use a smith’s tri-hone. They’re great for sharpening just about everything from my machetes, to my kitchen knives. You just have to read the instructions to care for them and they’ll last for years.
As for the cold steel knives themselves losing their sharpness, like I said, I use mine pretty often, so I sharpen it often. I’ve found that the Recon 1 Tanto that I have doesn’t lose its edge any faster than any other knife I’ve used, and keeps it longer than most. And this is with cutting plastic, wood, carboard, ect. Just get a good shaving edge on it and it’ll stay plenty sharp.
wheelgunner on 16 Jan 2011 at 2:03 pm #
There goes fifty bucks and another camping trip.
wheelgunner on 16 Jan 2011 at 4:24 pm #
Kind of funny, though. Cold Steels description for the gladius is almost perfectly backwards.
Angryvikingman on 16 Jan 2011 at 6:54 pm #
True enough, but I’m sure a pair will make it into my collection. Surely they will have to be filed and reprofiled to make them sharp enough for my tastes. My just get a pair and hollow grind the edges and then sharpen them. (Depending on the thickness) The profile on their machetes is always so crappy.
wheelgunner on 16 Jan 2011 at 7:26 pm #
If the final product turns out like the preorder, which they should be notorious for not doing, doesn’t look like you’ll have much left to work with Viking.
Why a pair?
Angryvikingman on 17 Jan 2011 at 1:22 am #
Why have one when you can have two? Just another pair of cool looking work blades to have just in case someone needs them. If others run out of ammo, then they may need a blade. ;)
wheelgunner on 18 Jan 2011 at 2:05 pm #
Do you guys think that maces or warhammers would be good for this type of fighting?
Angryvikingman on 18 Jan 2011 at 5:25 pm #
A good flanged or small spiked mace would do pretty well. As long as it has a good stout handle thats between 2-3 feet long. Warhammers I don’t think would be so good due to the likelyhood that they could become stuck where a blade or a mace wouldn’t.
big bear29 on 20 Jan 2011 at 3:36 am #
Forget the warhammers they where mainly used for piercing armor and crushing helmets . They would be the wrong tool for the job , it would be like useing a 50 cal. barrett for hunting rabbits it will take them out but it would be over doing it . The mace would be the weapon to use if you where trying to crush a lot of skulls . Personally I think the spiked mace would be the best choice . It can take a skull apart with one hit depending on the strength of the one using it .
Ronin666 on 20 Jan 2011 at 6:09 pm #
actually as much as I do love katana, my fav zed decapitator would be the chinese dadao, Cold steel sell one as a Chinese war sword and Hanwei do 2 versions.
Millions of Chinese peasant soldiers can’t be wrong :) It’s a 2 handed machete and its a sword.
oh and Hanwei have a Tac Katana coming out. They took my wak concept which sold like hot cakes and ran with it. There are a few more tac things in the works too but I’m not allowed to talk about them yet. ;)
wheelgunner on 20 Jan 2011 at 9:41 pm #
Going to get one of the tac katanas when they come out.
@bear- If those rabbits were trying to eat me, I would use the .50.
Angryvikingman on 21 Jan 2011 at 12:51 am #
I like the Kraton. Gotta have positive grip. I like G10 better though. I really like the Hanwei Rhinelander Sword. Sorry Ronin, I just really like the European style swords better.
Here’s how the Tac Kat and Rhinelander compare:
Tac Kat:
Overall: 39 1/2″
Blade Length: 27 1/2″
Handle Length: 10 1/2″
Weight: 2 lb
Rhinelander:
Overall: 45 1/4″
Blade Length: 35 3/4″
Handle Length: 6 3/4″
Weight: 3 lb 4 oz
I could do with a bit of a longer handle on the Rhinelander so you could really whip the blade a lot faster, but overall I Like the extra blade length and the fact that it cuts in both directions without having to reposition the hands or the body, and I promise that extra 1.25lbs gives it extra cuttng force.
Oh, a little experiment for all you sword and blade enthusiasts out there. Get a 1 inch wooden dowel rod and drive it 1 foot into the ground, buy some pool noodles, put one on the dowel rod and try cutting those up. Its a lot harder than you think, but way cheaper than tatami for cutting practice.
Nick Thompson on 23 Jan 2011 at 1:50 am #
Will the tri hone sharpener work for machetes and swords that have NO edge?
Angryvikingman on 23 Jan 2011 at 3:52 am #
@Nick
If its absolutely blunt, then file the edge untl its same on both sides, then use the rough stone, after you get a decent edge, then switch to medium, then to fine. Pretty simple.
wheelgunner on 23 Jan 2011 at 3:56 am #
And not as hard as it may sound. I’ve had to do it a number of times on swords and wood axes. Just take your time, and don’t try to rush it.
Nick Thompson on 23 Jan 2011 at 7:23 pm #
How long should I use a file? and Have you ever heard of using a core sample rock for sharpening? Thanks.
wheelgunner on 23 Jan 2011 at 11:32 pm #
Use it until you have an edge to sharpen. I put a filed on edge on an ax for my uncle two years ago, and it’s still cutting. You are going to want to draw it down the blade like you would the whetrock. You will actually be able to see the edges of the blade thinning into an edge, and you will be able to tell where yoou still have work to go and where you won’t. Be sure and have good lighting so that you can properly see the edge forming.
Ronin666 on 28 Jan 2011 at 9:47 am #
The thing to remember with traditional machetes is that are designed to cut thru softer timbers and undergrowth in the areas where they are popular and for that they work well, if they didn’t the locals would have moved on to something else.
In one of the US knife mags recently they did an article on Blade Sports starting up in Australia and the trainer came down to teach the locals the safety rules etc and was amazed how much harder our local timbers were, even our pine is much harder than that in the US, so it comes down to choosing the right blade for your local environment, what works well in the soft wood rain forest wont work in the desert hard woods.
Axes are for cutting trees down and splitting wood, you only use something else if you don’t have an axe. I personally never go in the bush without one, it also doubles as a hammer.
Small axe (16 to 20 inch)
8 to 10inch fixed blade
good 3 1/2 to 4 inch folder
and you have all bases covered in MOST situations. Add some zombies and no ammo and I’ll add my Dadao as well :)
Angryvikingman on 28 Jan 2011 at 12:50 pm #
I’m no tree guy, but I’d assume your trees are tougher due to the climate and shorter wet seasons. This causes smaller growth rings, thus thougher, more dense wood. At any rate, where I live, a machete will take down anything smaller than a foot in diameter. Lol!
big bear29 on 28 Jan 2011 at 3:29 pm #
In central texas the mesquite trees are hard enough that if you spent an hour whacking a four inch thick branch with a machete all you would do is dull your blade and wear out your shoulder . I had to chop through a four or five inch thick mesquite tree with a hatchet and it still took me ten to fifteen minutes to cut half way through it . Every time I would hit it the blade just seemed to bounce off more than cut into the tree . But if you live in an area that gets more rain each year it is a whole lot easier to chop up a tree . I’ve had to chop up tons of firewood for my grandparents that live in indiana and I noticed right away that it seemed to be a lot easier to chop the stuff up than the same kind of trees back home .
Killjoy on 08 Feb 2011 at 5:42 pm #
Howdy fellas, It’s been a while since I’ve reported in but I just found my way back and figured I’d contribute.
I use japanese waterstones, I bought pricey ones but you can find them way cheaper, and I get all my knives sharp as anything out there using Murray Carter’s method to which I bought an instructional dvd from him as well because I learn better by watching then doing. I’m currently about to start working on a leather sheath for this all-purpose skinning, and outdoor knife, I like it even though it doesn’t have a gaurd, it has two large choils instead which work well and the blade is wide enough that it’ll last me for quite a while even with oversharpening.
Fox on 17 Mar 2011 at 3:48 pm #
Long time reader, first time poster.
Friends call me Fox and i figure since we all have something like this as a common agreement i figure i can consider most of you either friends or allies of some sort.
This is really the only topic arsenal wise i can relate to.
Everything i have is either a blade or some type of imprvised weapon.
I’ve spoken with AVM through face book and have really enjoyed all the things he’s told me about and all of the things i’ve read on this site. im planning on commenting and stating what my amount of “weaponry” i have is and i’ll be sure to post a link to me facebook showing the pictures since it really the only other thing on the internet i use for communication aside from yahoo.
Anyhow i’ll get started on my comment when i get the chance.
I’m grateful for all the information you have on here because it helps me show people what im talking about with them having the ability to read into the parts that they can relate to.
So again, thanks for the info.
-Fox
Clifford (Ozzie) Nicolen on 01 Apr 2011 at 9:30 pm #
-Kauri
I’m sorry, I just hate reviving old threads, but that website you suggested is FAR from ’nuff.
First of all, these weapons look like they were made by a disturbed high schooler with bad crafting skills. These “blades” average at about $200! they look like cosplay blades that would snap in half about the first time you hacked at a zombie’s neck.
Anyone who is idiotic enough to actually buy something called “The Apokatana” for $325 should be locked up in a rubber room. For crying out loud, I thought $70 for a good KA-BAR was too much, but DANG. $399 for “The Reaper”? Looks like a crappy blade tied to a stick… Oh wait, IT IS!
wheelgunner on 02 Apr 2011 at 2:41 pm #
Play fair Ozzie. They did spend longer coming up with those names than they did flipping through a fantasy weapons catalouge for the designs that are horribly misnamed. Can you imagine using a falcata in a phalanx? And those paint jobs. You know they just spell out zombie terror.
@Kauri- go to http://www.kultofathena.com-click on anything-turn on the battle ready only option, and save your money buying stuff that actually works. You can get a usable weapon set, an entire one, for the cost of those. Or, you can upgrade. Paint job not included.
QAZZY on 15 May 2011 at 8:09 pm #
M9 bayonet and a small utility knife. Bayonet is a must (versatility purposes, with a rifle), and you can’t dress game with a frickin’ huge bayonet (even though I regularly field dress game with my KA-BAR).
Angryvikingman on 15 May 2011 at 8:15 pm #
I generally carry 4 blades into the woods. My Gerber EVO tanto, my Cold Steel Recon tanto, my Cold Steel G.I. tanto, and my Cold steel Kukri Machete. Why do you ask? Because all of that together weighs 5 lbs and I have a tool for just about every need.
I can make weapons, dress game, chop down saplings for a shelter, poll firewood, and do just about every other survival task with those 4 blades, a blast match and a shoe string.
Angryvikingman on 17 May 2011 at 9:01 pm #
Yeah, I’ve got a 32rnd mag for my CZ, and 3 regular mags. Hopefully gonna add another 32rnd mag soon. They’re way cheaper than the 18rnd mags which is nuts. 35 mags for my AR-15 so far. Looking to get to 100.
Those 3 knives in the pic at the top are 3 of the 4 I carry. I’m well versed with lots of knives, but I like having the right one for the job so I can get it done right and fast. I haven’t spent as much time in the woods as I would like to recently because of the kids being too small to take. I really miss being out in the woods for days and building lean-tos and traps and whatnot. My cousins, friends, and I used to build some pretty impressive earthwork forts and shelters. I haven’t spent a lot of time honing my woodcraft since highschool. I’ll admit, my edible plants knowledge is lacking, but I have a guide to them if I can ever get out and use it. At any rate, I also carry a hatchet, folding saw, and a entrenching tool when I go out. Like I said, I like to have the right tool for the job, saves time, energy, and maybe even lives.
big bear29 on 17 May 2011 at 9:07 pm #
Some of you guys have a weird fetish for knives . When I go into the woods all I take is a large bowie knife that I made and a simple folding pocket knife as a backup . I don’t take a different knife for every single job that I’m likely to have to do and what I take works out just fine , I don’t need five different knives .
Also a bayonet is not a good knife for processing game , chopping wood or anything else , it was designed for one purpose and one purpose only , to be stuck on the end of your gun and run into your opponent thats it . The quality of the knife has improved and the design has changed since it was first created but it is still meant for fighting not hacking up firewood . I have had a few snap in half when they are used for jobs that they were not intended for , even a Ka-bar even though it withstood the most abuse .
Angryvikingman on 17 May 2011 at 11:08 pm #
Machete- Cuts down trees, doors, and anything else.
GI Tanto- Well, thats my offhand knife just in case I have to fight, also good for a spear head.
Recon Tanto- Good for work of all kinds especially dressing game.
Evo Tanto- For gutting and scaling fish, its partially serrated so its good for notching poles, cutting food, stripping small limbs for arrows, and fine point work.
I have a use for each one, and carrying all that isn’t going to slow me down. Plus, if I fell or something and lost one, I’d still have 3 more.
QAZZY on 18 May 2011 at 5:05 pm #
@Bigbear29
It’s not like I split wood with it. Z-Day hasn’t happened yet, so blades are expendable.
No, a bayonet can’t process game well itself, but with practice, I can. In event of zombies, I won’t use the bayonet for stabbing zombies and cutting meat, but as I said, if you can do it the hard way, you can do it the easy way better.
As a rule, I never buy folding blades (moving things seem to fail when you need them the most), but I have a Cold Steel Roach Belly for game-specific purposes.
The ‘blades’ I have:
-M9 bayonet. Made by Ontario Knives. I filed off the sawteeth on the back then repainted that part black.
-USMC KA-BAR. Hopefully I won’t have to give this back when I’m done with my service. Love it.
-Cold Steel Roach Belly. Small curved blade, real sharp for utility.
-Cold Steel Kukri Magnum. Big blades are good for cutting down trees and zombies.
-Wire saw. Just string to a flexible branch and you have a saw. Also good for garroting zombies. I don’t need the extra weight of a full-sized saw.
-Big shovel from Garrett Wade. Looks scary, very durable, and VERY sharp.
Reaver on 05 Jul 2011 at 11:51 pm #
hey, you guys have any opinions on whether the hanwei tactical katana or the cheness tenchi is better? I was looking at either a ko katana or a wakizashi for a while, but decided the extra breathing room was worth a bit of care when using it indoors.
Robert Niess on 22 Sep 2011 at 12:28 pm #
I’m going to carry a razor sharp Ka-bar with me for an EDC blade. Maybe my 17 inch Ka-bar kukri for defense. I think a machete, and a combat knife will do me well. Not to mention a Glock 21 on my hip, and an AK-47 in my arms.
Dragonbelle on 12 Oct 2012 at 3:15 pm #
I have about ten bucks to spend on z day total. What do I do? I have no gun experience and the only sharp thing in my house is a kitchen blade. Help!