Best Survival Knife for 2019

Posted by Larry Catt on March 05, 2019   •   mora knives, survival gear, survival knife

Every year a new crop of gear hits the internet and the store shelves. It’s a very exciting time for gear junkies and those looking to do some shopping. The 2019 year offered up some great knives for the bushcraft and survival enthusiast.

These survival knives range from high-end to pocket change and if you know where to shop you can get high quality survival knives at both price points.

In this article we are going to look at 5 of the best survival knives from 2018. You are going to see that same range in price that we just touched on. While we couldn’t possibly look at all of the knives on the market, we are going to do our best to cross cut the market and offer a look at 5 of the best out there.

Mora Garberg

• Quality Tool
• Sheath

Considered a standard in terms of bushcraft and survival, the Mora Garberg is an incredible example of what can be done when you make a product that is not only well thought out but also executed effectively. Mora Knives are a product of over 100 years of knife making innovation. Beyond that, these knives are some of the most affordable on the market. That counts for a lot! After all, what good is an article with a bunch of survival knives that you could never afford?

The Mora Garberg is full tang knife with a 90 degree spine. It offers a great grind and very easy to sharpen. The sheath makes it easy to carry and very effective on the trail.

Bush One by Jeff White

• Handmade
• Craftsmanship
• Great Value

Another great value in the world of survival knives, the Bush One was created as a slightly smaller version of the popular Bush Knife. Don’t think that smaller means worse. For starters you are getting one of the best prices on a hand-crafted knife on the market. Yes, these knives are made by hand! They are created with high carbon steel 1095 hardened to Rockwell 59. For the lay person that means they are some tough blades. The full tang design is set into a curly maple handle and fits comfortably in the hand for even the most delicate of carving tasks.

The Bush One does not come with a sheath but is a 4 ½ inch blade that will go the distance for you in a survival situation. This knife is a powerful tool and it comes to you at a value that is unheard of from most handmade knife makers in the game today.

The Self Reliance Tool by Habilis Tools

• High Level Bushcrafting Tool
• Expensive
• Beautiful Design

Now, this is a knife for the true believe when it comes to self-reliance and survival. If you are a hardcore bushcrafter you owe yourself a high-quality tool like the SRT. Yeah, it's gonna cost you but we should all invest in the things we love.

The SRT by Habilis Tools hits all the high notes in terms of what makes a quality, dependable survival knife.

• Fixed Blade
• Full Tang
• Strikes Flint
• High Carbon Steel
• Non-Coated
• 90 Degree Spine
• 5 Inch Blade

The SRT is all of that and it’s also a beautiful knife to look at. It has features like a pommel and sheath that aren’t mentioned in the listing of requirements above but still worth talking about. You see, some knives are built with it all and for the purists these become a necessity.

 The Force by SOG

• 6-inch Blade
• Higher Price
• Quality Steel

When it comes to SOG you might not think of bushcrafting tools. Their black blades and militaristic overtones are usually left to those who are, in fact, more militant in their preparedness approach. All of that said, The Force by SOG is just that. This straight edged 6-inch blade is perfect for dealing with batoning and other tasks that are synonymous with wilderness survival. The straight spine on the Force makes it perfect for hitting the ferro rod and showering sparks down on tinder. It’s a 57-58 on the Rockwell hardening scale.

The full tang knife is set in a glass reinforced nylon handle and also features a sheath that can be affixed to a number of locations. The Force may not have been designed with bushcraft or survival in mind, but it can handle the burden.

It’s a pricey knife and the second most expensive blade on the list.

CRKT Saker

• Walnut Handle
• Leather Sheath
• 90 Degree Spine

This full tang fixed blade knife by CRKT features a beautiful walnut handle. The blade is about 4 ½ inches long and offers many options to the user. The ideal blade length is 5 inches but 4.5 is going to get the job done in most cases. This knife also features a 90-degree spine. This knife features a scandi-grind that holds a great edge and is easy to sharpen. The CRKT Saker also comes with a leather sheath that is single stitched for a belt. A high carbon steel, fixed blade, full tang knife at a reasonable price, the CRKT is a powerful tool for survival.

Conclusion

Let’s dispel the myth of a one tool option. We live in the 21^st century. There is no reason why we shouldn’t have all the tools we need to modify the environment around us. To fell trees, we should have a good axe, to process wood we should have a good saw. These things are not expensive and with a little over $20 bucks you can get your hands on a quality folding saw to take care of that task.

Don’t buy a knife to torture it. Invest in a knife that is a companion tool not a one tool option. Preparedness is about understanding efficiency. Have a few tools, rather than one.

That said, any one of these knives is going to be enough, with a few skills, to keep you going in a true wilderness emergency. There is no substitute for practice, but a good survival knife can really make a difference.