Cold SteelDrop Forged Survivalist 8" 52100 High-Carbon Steel Clip Point Fixed Blade EDC Tactical Hunting Utility Knife, 5" Ergonomic Handle, Weather-Resistant Secure-Ex Sheath

This is a truly awesome knife, and the value for the dollar is out of this world. This is quite likely the best value anywhere!Being a one piece unit, the knife is massively strong. The steel is the key. 52100 steel is industrial grade strong. It's used in roller bearings and tool and die manufacturing. It's used to make tools that make other tools, so it's strength and durability has to be top shelf.This knife came to me razor sharp, and the geometry is as perfect as one could hope for. The lines, angles and grinds all reflect top-notch quality. It is one solid mass that's nicely balanced and not unduly heavy or unwieldy. The tip comes to a very sharp and thin point, and will penetrate easily. It's backed up by a lot of steel, so the odds of one breaking it are practically nil unless subjected to massive amounts of abusing force. I have never broken a knife in my many years, so this is not something I am concerned about. The top handguard is smaller than the bottom guard, which I like. There is no need for a top guard at all, so a smaller one works for me just fine.The scales are textured to provide a very secure grip, even when wet, and they do their job perfectly. I wear a size Large glove, and the handle fits me very well. The color of the knife's finish is battleship gray and seems uniformly applied. Only time will tell how well it holds up. Even if it wears, I don't care. I care more about durability of the steel and its performance.While I don't care for the sheath overall, it does have some practical value. The knife snaps into the sheath with a loud and very positive click. It's not coming out until one makes a conscious effort to draw it. When fully seated into the sheath, there is almost no movement. What movement is there is so slight that it's a non-issue. What I don't like is the nylon portion that connects the sheath itself to one's belt. If you try and draw the knife, the flexible nylon allows the sheath to ride up, making the draw slow and cumbersome. I have two of these knives. One stays in my car inside the Secure-Ex sheath and does it's job well. For wear, either on my belt or attached to my backpack, I use a Spec Ops brand nylon sheath. These sheathes are extremely well made and practical. They will cost as much or more than this knife, but for one who truly needs a professional grade sheath, it's a great way to go.Although many novices believe that one knife can do it all, the truth is that they cannot. Professionals know that different knives have different purposes. Knives are not intended to be used as pry bars, hammers, screwdrivers and axes. In times of contingent situations, however, a knife may be called upon to handle jobs outside its intended purpose. The Cold Steel Survivalist is a knife that can handle these situations if necessary. It's as tough as they come. When I hit the field, I have one of these either on me or on my pack, a smaller utility knife, a Leatherman tool and a Cold Steel War Hawk axe. The key to survival in any situation is BE PREPARED. If you go to the field with only one knife, you are asking for problems. That being said, if I could have only one knife, it would be this one. I love everything about it.The $60-some dollar cost of this knife is almost beyond belief. This knife has as much quality as knives costing $300-500 easily. While any knife can break, the Survivalist is so strong and durable that I don't give the possibility a second thought. Again, this is in all likelihood the very best value for your dollar that you will ever find - anywhere! I have replaced my field grade knives with the Survivalist and have absolutely no regrets. It is an amazing knife. Don't buy one, get two. You will be glad you did.

Trust me, you won't be disappointed! This is quite literally the best knife I own. In fact, I'm going to sell my Ka-Bar Model 1214, because this knife is so much better, so much stronger, has better balance, an excellent hard polymer MOLLE sheath (if you prefer leather, that might be a negative for you), & is less expensive. This knife is actually better than $250-$500 knives. It came shaving sharp. I shaved off a bunch of arm hair, & it didn't even dull. It's the perfect length for a fighting knife, but it's also great for wilderness survival, food prep, batoning, etc. You name it, & this knife can do it. The thick spine, tough 52100 high carbon ball bearing steel, & drop forged construction, make it tougher than any knife I have or know of. I own an OKC SP10, which is a beastly Bowie blade of 0.25_in thick 1075 steel w/ a 9.75_in blade. I like that knife, & it's a beast of a chopper, but I'm 95% positive it will break long before this knife, due to the inferior steel & tang construction. I like the integrated hilt/hand guard, but I have very large hands. Those w/ small or average hands, might be bothered by the top guard height. The handle scales are great, & have a lot more grip than people think. If I get the Kratom grip of my Ka-Bar wet, it's more slippery than this knife under the same conditions. It doesn't seem to make sense, but it's true. Due to my huge hands, the grip feels small in circumference, but not in length. That's easily fixed w/ grip tape or heat shrink grip. Those w/ regular size hands won't have any problem. What's even more impressive, is that the balance is near perfect. That's difficult to do w/ a single piece of drop forged steel. I've heard the previous model, without the hand scales, wasn't as well balanced, due to the extra weight of the handle. I only have 3 gripes about this knife, & 1 of them I might be wrong about. I wish it had a choil or unsharpened section near the hilt, so I could choke up for shaving wood. That said, it's still easy to get my hand over the top of the hilt for that type of work. I also wish the pommel had a small flat section for crushing (you can still do it, it's just more difficult). I'm also concerned the Teflon coating, while nice, will make it hard to get sparks off a flint. I could be wrong about that, however, because I've seen people do it in videos.

I ordered this knife because of the unique one piece construction. I immediately noticed how sharp it came straight from the box. For a large blade, it balances very well and rides easily in the hand. The attached grip scales are rough, but pleasantly so. This knife will not be prone to slip during use. Excellent outdoor tool.

This knife is amazing. Incredible durable, great steel takes and holds an amazing edge. Good size great weight. With this blade I could build shelter, gather food, firewood, hunt and process game, complete surgery and overthrow nations.

This is the sharpest knife, out of the box, that I have received. It will push cut a rice rolling paper with ease. I usually have to spend half an hour, at least, to get an acceptable level of sharpness but not for this.The 52100 steel is hardened and tempered properly and will last for lifetimes with minimal care. The blade shape will work for many uses and the handle scales are extremely 'grippy', even when wet and slippery from processing an animal.The sheath is secure and protective of both the user and the blade and offers many optional for carry position.A great value for just over 65$.Overall a great option for an outdoor blade for camping, hunting, or 'prepping'.

I just love the shape & finish of this knife. I don't know if I'll ever use it. It's too pretty. This blade shape is my ultimate favorite & it is essentially one piece of steel. I love all of my Cold Steel, Buck and other great blades.