Footprint 182 Hacking Knife 4.1/2in

Product Information

Let’s talk handles because the StrongArm has a great one. This Gerber features a rubberized diamond pattern that manages to be both grippy and incredibly comfortable. The knife ends with a slightly spiked pommel and lanyard hole, adding an option for some light hammering or striking. The secret ingredient here is LC200N: An intriguing “high-nitrogen alloyed tool steel specifically formulated to offer superior corrosion resistance and extreme toughness, even at high levels of hardness.”

There’s even a cord-cutting hook up front, making this an incredibly versatile survival tool. The serrations are found at the base of the 1095 Cro-Van blade, just ahead of the finger guard. Bottom line: The Spyderco Waterway is a great light- to medium-duty blade, with a technological and design pedigree far ahead of your standard fishing knife. And while it may not be the best for Schwarzenegger-style survival, it would make a great addition to Tom Hanks’ kit from “Castaway.” Specs: I can hear the questions now: “What’s a knife with less than 3 inches of blade doing on a list of best survival knives?” But I’ve spent a lot of time with this particular knife, so hear me out.While the standard 4-Max utilizes CPM-20CV, the Scout employs AUS-10A. Although this is certainly a step down, it’s an upgrade from the 8CR13MoV and AUS-8 found in many of Cold Steel’s other offerings. This is a perfectly functional steel that, while unable to match the long-term cutting of the premium piece, is less likely to chip and shatter in a survival situation. GearJunkie knows a thing or two about knives. We’ve sorted through dozens of blades to bring you the best survival knives of 2023.

But if you’re in more desperate need of a fire, users can use the attached lanyard washer to remove the flathead screws holding the scales in place. Nestled against the interior steel are a ferrocerium flint and a pair of tinder tabs, perfect for sparking a flame in a variety of circumstances. D-101 Longbow DMR • D-2 Double Take • Triple Take • Kraber-AP Sniper • Sentinel ESR • Valkyrie Sniper Rifle On the most basic level, there’s simply more of it. You’re looking at 6 inches of sharpened edge, with a total span of around 11 inches. You’ll also see an upgrade in steel — laminated VG-10 stainless instead of 1095 high-carbon. This makes for a longer-lasting edge while still maintaining some of the softness and shatter resistance found in softer steels. Fortunately, KA-BAR includes a solid polymer sheath to help wrangle this beast of a blade. Its low-ish ride lets you carry the Tac Toolat or below your beltline, which keeps the exposed tang from poking you in the ribs. There are also the ubiquitous MOLLE attachment points, as well as a snap to hold the handle in place.As the name would indicate, this is the second version of the Izula. The initial offering had the same blade but was shorter in the handle department. Both are still available, but I’d highly recommend the added length of the Izula-II.

What this means, essentially, is that the Waterway won’t rust. Like, ever. And where other corrosion-resistant steels such as H1 do exist, LC200N’s edge retention is in a league of its own. Much of the credit here goes to the simplicity of Schrade’s design. The entire knife is composed of a single piece of 1095 high-carbon steel, with 7 inches dedicated to the blade. Scroll through to see the tools we’re confident will see you through the baddest of bad days, or jump to the category you’re looking for:But as impressive as the specs are, they don’t do justice to the BK2’s ethos. In hand, this is one of the most rugged, ready, and unbreakable blades in the survival market. It has a broad-shouldered heft that instills confidence in the user, allowing you to power through tasks that would cause hesitation with other knives. Just pull up YouTube and watch what some people put these knives through, and you’ll have a good sense of what I mean.