Metal Gear … solid?
April 6, 2009
Advisory Warning: New Blogger here! My goal is to catalog and share my ideas and the conclusions I have come to through this process. This is a no flame zone. All ideas are welcome.
When I think about physical survival what comes to mind first is the gear. What will I need versus what will be available when I need it? Because I am just starting out my mind wonders about: What do I need to gather? What can I gather right now? What is practical? How much will this cost? Where should I start?
To be perfectly honest I started with a lower priority item first a while back …paracord but that is for another post. The first item on most must-gear check lists … I will add links as I remember too… is The Knife or Knives. I have done a little poking around and found that a stainless steel, fixed blade with full tang is what you’re looking for. I could not decide on my first knife model so I nabbed ‘two. Wife raised the eyebrows a bit but we got over that 
… I love her.
Anyways, back to the cutlery. The first model is the tried and true Buck 119 Special.
Description: The Special features a 6″ clip point 420HC Stainless Steel Blade. It is 10-1/2″ in overall length and weighs 7.5 oz. The 119 Special also features a Phenolic handle with a polished aluminum butt and finger guard, and comes with a fitted black leather sheath. The 119 Special, as with all Buck Knives, comes with Buck’s 4-Ever Unconditional Lifetime Warranty.
Key here is that The Buck 119 has served many people well for a long time and is a great knife that is very reasonably priced at ~$50.
For my second knife I went with something a little more Rambo-esque without going Ka-Bar. I went with a SEAL team knife: SOG S37 SEAL Knife 2000.
Description:
| Blade Length | 7″ |
| Overall Length | 12.3″ |
| Weight | 10.3 oz. |
| Edge | Partially Serrated |
| Steel | AUS 8 |
| Handle | Zytel |
| Finish | Powder coated |
This knife is very impressive to look at. I don’t know what it was but I was really happy when I unwrapped it. Did I mention it feels great in your hand … well at least I think it does. I figure if the SEAL Teams use this one then I’m sure it will find a place in my pack. This one is a little more expensive at ~$90-$120 depending on what sheath and what not.
And yes … I am a Playstation man if you got the metal gear: solid reference…BOO on The XBOX!
First commenter!! Good first post honey.
Nice write up. You’ve got me thinking, so I’ll end up looking into this myself. I wonder if in a survival situation there would be much worry about how long a blade would keep an edge.
If the blade looses its edge often then you must sharpen it more. The more you have to sharpen it the shorter the life span of the knife itself.
Random thought is all.
Oh and I’ll point you to this article as in a way it falls into your bailiwick.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/09/solar.oven.global.warming/index.html
@Steve,
Thanks for stopping in. I agree that one quality to keep in mind with the knife or knives you decide to pack is the material it is made of and its ability to maintain a good edge. I know from reading many reviews of the Buck 119 that some folks have had theirs for 30+ years of hunting, fishing, camping, etc and they still love ‘em. Also the SOG website listed a brief of the tests that S37 went through before selection as a U.S. SEAL knife: http://sogknives.com/store/S37.html
The SEAL Team knife, formerly known as the SEAL Knife 2000, evaluation program included: tip breaking stress, blade breaking limit, sharpness, edge retention, handle twist off force, two week salt water immersion tests, gasoline and acetylene torch resistance, chopping, hammering, prying, penetration tests, cutting six different types of rope and line, plus an intense hands-on competition in the field.
I figure it had to beat a bunch of other knives to make it through the selection process so its performance must have been good.
My last comment is that I am a big believer in “right toool for the right job” idea. Obviously you can only work with what you have but it is my hope to have different knives, saws, small axe, etc when they are called for. Sounds like a post to me. Maybe I will look into the that for next post on Sunday. Take care.
@ Steve
I forgot to mention it but thank you for the link. I have not had a chance to read it but at a glance it looks like fun to me.