Schrade's SCHF9 is a knife that has captured the attention of many folks in the bushcraft and survival communities over the past few years. Having seen so many YouTube videos of people who are extremely satisfied with their purchase of the SCHF9, I became intrigued with this survival knife, having never owned a Schrade.
What is the Best Survival Knife?
Naturally, I needed to get my hands on one and decide for myself if this was going to be a worthy opponent to some of my other large survival knives.
The biggest stir this knife has developed is its budget-friendly price of around $40. With the claims the knife is making about being an “ultimate” survival knife, one may seem skeptical about its low price of $40.
This knife is directly competing with other large fixed blades that are fetching up to $250. How could Schrade make a knife that competes with these knives for this common man's price?
To set the record straight, Schrade not only made this possible, but created to tool that you could depend your life on in a survival situation.
The SCHF9 comes in at a whopping overall length of one foot! The blade is a 6.4 inch monster at a ¼ inch thickness featuring 1095 High-Carbon Steel.
With a weight of 16 ounces (a full pound!) this knife resembles one large pry bar that has been given a recurve style blade and sharpened to absolute perfection.
Kraton handles scales with spine jimping aid in a comfortable, non-slip grip that makes the user feel confident. This whole package is housed in a nylon sheath featuring a removable pouch that stores other survival tools or kits.
When I got the knife in hand, I couldn't believe what a beefy blade the SCHF9 was. I took this blade into the backwoods and had some fun with it.
Now my intentions weren't to break the knife purposely, but I took the liberty of abusing it at every chance I had along with a little help from a buddy on a weekend woods retreat.
The SCHF9 destroys wood, chops like and splits like an axe, and cuts like your Dad's favorite razor. I was so impressed at the terror this knife brought to the woods. A formidable chopper and baton king, this knife just would not break!
The knife excelled at chores like tent pegs, feather sticks, and light carving thanks to the 1095 Carbon Steel. I found this steel to take a very sharp edge quickly in the field with a basic honing rod.
At the $40 price point that the SCHF9 comes in, how many complaints could I possibly have? Okay, the sheath isn't amazing, the handle scales are a bit big for small hands, and the recurve blade can be a little difficult to sharpen on Work Sharps and Edge Pros.
Other than that, I did notice that the handle had a few hot spots with extensive use. This is okay though! At $40, these are only minor flaws that I can live with.
The flaws can be easily fixed via custom sheaths, custom scales, and taking it to a pro for sharpening. At the price point, there is plenty of room to get hooked up with some custom options.
SCHF9 Test: Firewood Processing
This knife, in my opinion, is a bulletproof way to survive on a budget. I know I sound redundant with all the high-value assertions, but this is a knife that is worth every penny and will last a lifetime due to the rugged materials used.
Whether you want to use it as your primary survival knife or throw it in the back of your car, this is a knife that you can depend on and will serve you proudly in a survival situation or in the field.
Get one of these blades on the web or at your favorite store and own one of the best knives for the money. Show off to your friends who overspent on their fancy survival knives!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 18, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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I’ll stay with a knife that has been proven , for the last 70 years,
in combat, in a survival situation, or just on the trail: the Ka-Bar Fighting-Survival Knife.
Good knife, over-priced now
good review.
Being on a budget I checked out this knife when looking for a larger survival knife to pair with my Mora. Some reviews said that the handles didn’t fit properly or the grip wasn’t comfortable. Plus I couldn’t find one for sale in the UK. For a cheap survival bade I would recommend the USMC Semper Fi. It’s a similar size, chops like a beast and cost me a trip to the Emergency room when I tried to wipe the blade clean. It’s a super knife, but I can’t compare it to the Schrade because I don’t have one.
*Another point, the USMC has 440c steel instead of 1095, but I’m not too fussed by this.
Nice review
AND the Semper Fi is good for light tasks as well. The blade is 0.5mm thick and 5.5” long. I think it is a copy of an ESEE Rat 7 or something. Again I’m not fussed by the copying as it has given me an amazing knife at a good price
AND (sorry) the Schrade has zytel handle scales, whereas the Semper Fi has G10 micarta.