Find your match from the best survival knife brands for the perfect blade you can depend on for your life.
RELATED: Strong, Sturdy, Dependable: Finding The Best Fixed Blade Knives
The Best Survival Knife Brands to Help You Choose From
Which Survival Knife Is Right for You?
A survivalist simply won't go anywhere without his trusty survival knife. A wilderness survival knife is an important tool for hunting, cutting, slicing, making other tools, building shelter, and so much more.
It can also be used to defend yourself from an animal or human attack. We have put together a list of the best survival knife brands you can depend on.
It's worth noting survival knives have to be tough enough for heavy outdoor duties, so the best, fixed blade knife will guarantee they won't break easily.
One more thing: your needs in a survival knife may be different from those of others which is why we have a long list so you have a lot of options.
1. Hoffman Richter
This knife is made with high-quality 440C stainless steel to create the perfect balance of a blade that holds an edge but is still easy to sharpen.
The ultra-tough titanium coating ensures it will last a lifetime.
2. Benchmade Survival Knife
The 140 Nimravus makes a great field knife. It proves stainless steel construction is not leaving the game anytime soon.
Their survival pocket knives make them one of the best-known knife companies today.
3. Blackheart Survival Knife
It may be expensive, but the Gunner 12 is a custom knife with impressive specs. The blade cuts well however you position the knife.
It's great for bushcraft survival as well as for tactical use in law enforcement.
4. Brite-Strike Survival Knife
With a high-tech LED flashlight attachment, the Brite-Blade appeals to preppers and survivalists who like to use multi-tools out in the wild.
This blade is great for camping and wilderness survival.
5. Browning Survival Knife
Browning is a reputable name in the world of firearms. Over the years, the company decided to expand into the blade market.
Its small size makes the Ignite the ideal survival knife for those with small hands.
6. Buck Knives
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A product of the collaboration between Buck and Ron Hood, the Punk is a good bush knife that can also handle combat duty when the situation demands it.
7. Cold Steel
From the name, Master Hunter is designed primarily for hunting.
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This knife doesn't come cheap, but it's an excellent option for the outdoors. Bring a sharpener if you want to use it as a survival knife.
8. Condor Survival Knife
The Bushlore is a high-performance survival knife matched with an excellent sheath.
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Its blade is high carbon steel with a length of 4.25 inches.
9. CRKT
Admittedly, it's a survival machete, but the ChanceInHell deserves a spot on this list for its real potential.
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This award-winning fixed blade is made of durable carbon steel for rough environments.
10. Enzo Trapper O1
The Finnish knife maker is known for its lightweight, rugged, and build quality. The Trapper is no exception.
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This high-quality knife is versatile enough for craftsmen and outdoorsmen.
11. ESEE Survival Knives
Its good looks, coupled with durability and reliability, could be the reason the ESEE-6 is a favorite among survivalists.
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It has an excellent balance and blade designed for harsh environments.
RELATED: Knife Sharpening Tools | Must-Haves For Your Blade
12. Fallkniven
The S1 is a solid-proof survival knife that does not have to be gimmicky to be effective and trustworthy.
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The design is simple, yet the blade is made from laminated Cobalt steel for the best performance.
13. Gerber
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The added gizmos can take the appeal away from the Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro, but if you learn to adapt to it, you have a good survival knife in your hands.
14. Helle
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If you're a Survivorman fan, you can overlook the fact that the Temagami is not a full tang knife–but at least it's lightweight.
15. KA-BAR
The Becker Companion is a good survival knife that offers great value.
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It's a fine-edge utility survival knife made from 6.4 millimeter thick 1095 Crowe Van Steel.
16. Light My Fire
Light My Fire and Mora came together to create the Swedish Fireknife, a survival knife with a firestarter in the handle.
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Apart from it, this knife is flexible and extremely sharp.
17. Morakniv
Just a tad below $20, it's hard to believe a great survival knife could be this affordable.
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The grip of this knife feels very good in the hands and has phenomenal ergonomics.
18. Ontario
The 499 is probably the most trusted survival blade since it is the standard-issue military knife.
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This knife has an overall length of 9 inches, a steel butt cap, and a highly durable blade.
19. Rothco/Smith&Wesson
Think of this knife as an ultimate tool designed especially for urban survivalists.
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If Smith & Wesson can make one of the best firearms in the world, sure enough, the company can make a name in fixed blades.
20. Schrade Survival Knife
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Its name Extreme Survival Full Tang Drop Point Fixed Blade TPE Handle may be a mouthful, but everything else about it is just right.
21. Spyderco
The Bushcraft stays sharp and strong for just about every survival use you can think of.
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This blade can amazingly survive hacking and twisting as a characteristic of Scandinavian blades.
22. ToolLogic
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Sure it may be a folder, with gizmos like a flashlight, firestarter, and emergency whistle, but the SL Pro 2 is so effective it earned its place among the fixed blades on this list.
23. TOPS Survival Knife
It has a unique, aggressive shape and a price that discourages some, but the Tom Brown Tracker gives no excuses.
Users can swear it's durable and reliable.
Check out this video by Tac about testing the Fallkniven S1:
These survival knives sure look intimidating and they're in this list for a reason. The quality and cutting power of these knives are a dream for hunters and survivalists.
So take your pick and experience the best knives money can buy!
Did we leave your favorite survival knife brands off the list? Let us know in the comments section below!
Up Next:
- Knife Sharpening Made Easy
- Knifemaking: Make A Knife From An Old Wrench
- How To Build A Bamboo House In The Wild | Survival Life Shelter
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***Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer.***
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on September 20, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
My favorite brand of pocket knifes is Kershaw
Agreed.
The Blur has been fantastic
Interesting array of knives. I have developed a great affinity for blades over the last three years and have found myself defaulting to Winkler Knife in Blowing Rock, NC. Winkler has an established “catalog” of blades in his offering. What makes them so appealing to me is they are hand-made and are fabulous tools and are designed for a wide variety of outdoor applications. My affinity for them especially comes from the fact that several of his blades and tools were designed with the input of downrange feedback from several of our SOF warrior teams. I figure if they meet their needs, I’ll never have to doubt the quality and functionality of a Winkler Knife!!
Why not SOG? They’ve been pretty reliable for me for many years now.
The designs of their knives are appealing, but they have refused to upgrade the choice of steel in their blades. They are amoung the last to heed the calling of the market. What is really shameful is that SOG has consistently raise the price of their knives to match the other top 10 knife producers, but they haven’t upgraded the quality in 20 years.. Many other economical knife manufacturerS are offering similar designs and the same steel as SOG, but SOG charges $200 – $250 retail, while you can get that kind of quality for $75 – $100. Why would you pay that price, when you could by another knife that is 3 times stronger and stays sharp 3 times as long, for the same or lower price. Study the steel my friend. Look for S30V, CTS-XHP, CPM-3V, Bohler M390, ELMAX, CPM-M4, S35VN, to name a few.
Actually, all the SOG blades i have bought have been well within the price ranges of other blades. A) yes look at the blade quality, BUT also look at overall construction. In the mid to upper end folding blades especially (as i noticed there are folders in your list), the SOG and Cold Steel blades have some of the strongest and most reliable locks i have beat on. When looking at a knife, the blade steel is only part of the picture. The handle and lock are just as crucial. Anything less that full-tang for a fixed blade is useless and a broken lock on a folder makes the blade as useful as a piece of paper when trying to cut something no matter how ģood the blade itself is
You come out with a headline like:
“23 best survival knives you can trust”
Which implies there are other “best” knives that can’t be trusted or that you have a testing method that measures people’s inherent trust in knives and perhaps in all inanimate objects. Nice. If its true, you should publish in Scientific American.
Perhaps if you described how you reached your conclusions regarding what constitutes trustworthiness and best, we could take the article more seriously. Personally, while Gerber makes some (key word “some”) worthwhile items. Everything I have seen with that TV wannabe survivalist’s name on it is complete crap and frankly dangerous because people that don’t know better will no doubt rely on it.
Tell us your methodology, then I will pay attention.
Chris Laube W-1, US Army (retired)
I agree that Bear Grylls is a dangerous fool. Additionally, I would never put my trust in Gerber kit.
Nice knives and good choices. I swear by my CRKT I got at the PX at Camp Victory in 2004, and I have had the same Case knives since 1975 and they are still top notch. I also still have my original Ontario from the Army since 1984.
All great choices and all bad a$$ tough.
I noticed several knives without a guard or quillon. The guard or quillon is there to keep the hand from sliding foreward, causing injury. Any sudden backward thrust of the knife can cause the hand to slip onto the sharp knife blade, and a bloody knife is extremely dangerous. If you are in a stressful situation, you do not need a hand injury to hinder you further. I think including such knives as “practical” without at least one of these features is irrisponsible.
Excellent quality Swedish-made knife. The Jaktkit knv2 Gen II and the Esee Laserstrike are my go-to knives for survival training. Great size and shape, excellent edge retention, and quality steel. I love the convex grind on the knv2. The knv2 is very similar to the Fallkniven F1 as far as design goes. You should definitely try it out!
I was glad to see the Schrade listed.
I bought one very similar to the one in pictures under the Schf line except mine has 4.8 inch Tonto blade but same handle type, but with finger grooves along with adjustable kydex sheath. Man do I love it!!
I super highly recommend this product to anyone who wishes to carry a good defense and all around knife that’s legal to carry.
Great looking selection. I like Schrade also as well as Case. Always been partial to the Swedish made knives as well. Hard to say what I like best. Love knives and guns and bows!!
How possibly omit Randall??
Among the world’s best and certainly America’s best since before World War Two.
this is realy nice an how to get this ?