I read an interesting thread the other day. We have all read the various posts on "If you could only have one gun..." or "If you could pick only three guns..."

Naturally, that's going to be different for each person depending on such things as situation, locale, bugging in vs. bugging out, main use (survival vs. defense) ad infinitum. But, this post I read asked "What if you could only pick one knife?"

Now, let's put a few parameters on this topic just to make it somewhat manageable. First off, this is not a Zombie Apocalypse. This could be a "When the Ship Hits the Sand" or TEOTWAWKI situation, but not necessarily. It could be an economic collapse. It could be an environmental disaster, ie. earthquake, hurricane, etc. Really doesn't make much difference. It's up to you.

Also, let's just assume that most of us, if not all, carry a folding knife of some sort on a daily basis.

That being the case, not including your EDC pocket knife, what other knife would you pick if you could only grab one? And why? Now remember, I said "knife," not axe, machete, or broad sword...so we're going to limit you somewhat.

I'd probably pick the fixed blade in this picture. It's one my oldest son made and gave me for Christmas one year. It's a five-inch blade made of AUS8 steel. It's a full tang with a hefty ¼-inch spine. The scales are made from an elk shed that he found. It takes and keeps an edge fairly well and is a veritable work horse. It has done everything from skinning out elk, to shaving tinder for the fire, to cutting camp bacon.

I have a good collection of some fairly nice knives, but if "push came to shove" and I could only pick one, I'd probably grab this one. How 'bout you?

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Chris Reeve Sebenza

It would be a toss up between my Randall #1 and my Randall #18 . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

they don't make the one I would want: an 8" swiss army knife. lee

Chris Reeves Green Beret Combat Knife, 5.5"

Semper Fi!

Buck 120. A little big for small upland game and fish but it will work. On sharks, hogs, cows and deer it is just right. Larry

KaBar fighting knife. Saw me thru Vietnam. That's good enough for me.

My EDC knife is a SAK Victorinox Craftsman which can take care of 90% of all small cutting chores...

For a single fixed blade that would have to do everything else...Cold Steel Trailmaster Bowie.

Sharp enough for any cutting chore and big enough to chop....

Bob

ps

The Trailmaster is one of the older Japanese made solid stainless ones...

The handles on the Craftsmen were cracked. When I was at the SHOT Show they were repairing knives at the Victorinox booth. They asked if I wanted red, black or their Centennial scales...I took the Centennial as I figured I would have the only Craftsman with those handles..

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This belonged to my Grand father on my Dad's side. Probably ought to put it away but it is just a really good knife. I cn't believe how well it holds an edge. I looked them up on the internet and found that in this condition they are very valuable. It is valuable to me for sure. M.S.A CC. Gladstone Mich.
Peace,
Gordon

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better have that checked

This is tougher than one gun!

Well, I don't need one as a weapon, so I'll go with the one I think would make the best tool.

I'd probably go with the Gerber folder I bought when I was in the Navy, in 1981. It's a 3.5" drop-point, with rosewood stocks, made in Japan. It keeps an edge, and it's as tight as the day I bought it. And, while it wouldn't be chosen as a weapon, it could be pressed into service in a pinch. Folded, it could be used as a kubotan.

My number two choice would probably be the Old Timer pocketknife that stays in my fishing bag. One year in Idaho I cleaned and skinned three deer with that little knife, so it holds a special place for me.

I would pick one of my two blade full size belt folders. As much as I love a good fixed blade I've actually only carried one a tiny fraction of the number of days that I've carried a folding work knife. I prefer a fixed blade for hunting and camping but unlike Mule packer that is never going to my job. Knives are not weapons for me so quick opening and or locking folders do not offer me as much as a second blade. Since we are also allowed a pocket knife the second blade would be a large spey or skinner rather than a small blade. Fortunately I do not have to chose between my folders that meet that criteria. If I did the choice would be between exotic steel that stays sharp longer or a stag handle for pride of ownership.

Mule Packer,
What the heck is TEOTWAWKI?
That's a nice stag Trapper.

These two are my favorites, a Spyderco Manix 2 XL and a Zero Tolerance ZT0301. Both have blades that are nearly 4" but are easy to carry clipped on a belt. I have carried and used both for a while and they are fine blades that work as well outdoors as for use just opening boxes at home or work.

It's:

The End Of The World As We Know It!

And I feel fine!

The End Of The World As We Know It

For me, either a Benchmade Griptilian or the Swiss Army Yeoman

I was thinking a 4-5 inch sheath knife,
But I might shorten up and go with the RAT.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

You mean I gotta pick one?

imageupload

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_It was love at first shot_

Ooh, that's a tough one, indeed.

I would grab a multitool. I usually have my Leatherman Style PS on my keychain, but for a situation like what you describe, I would probably grab the Leatherman Fuse I keep in my backpack.

If multitools don't qualify and it has to be one I already own, I'd probably grab one of my fixed-blade knives, most likely my Cold Steel Recon Tanto. If we're talking about any knives on the market, I'd probably lean towards an ESEE-5. But the Spyderco Street Beat is also very appealing.

Yeah, a little indecisive. *shrug* If you really want to see some indecision, you should see me try to figure out what to eat for lunch.

Wow! You folks have some very nice knives!

Again, it doesn't have to be a fixed blade. The only reason I chose a fixed blade was because of all the years I've spent leading a pack string up into the mountains.

When a mule with a 150-pound load packed on it accidentally goes over the edge of a cliff or a pack animal goes down while crossing a river or you have a major wreck with the pack string, believe me, you can't cut rope fast enough!

You need something there on your belt you can grab and put into action quickly without having to fumble through your chaps pocket searching for your pocket knife. As a result, I always carried some kind of fixed-blade on my belt rig. It didn't have to be big...just sharp. The one in the pic below is a 3½-inch Case.


The one below is a Randall Model 21 with a 3½-inch blade.


Keith44spl, Iggy and several others know exactly what I'm talking about. They've been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. I know there are a bunch of others on this forum who have experienced similar situations where you need to have a sharp knife and have one now.

Like I said earlier, everyone's situations and needs will be different. There's no right or wrong answer to this. It's strictly up to you.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Probably a Grayman fixed blade knife. They appear to be the very real deal IMHO. Yes-they make overbuilt folders too.

Bark River Fox River LT in CPM 3v.

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Even older, even crankier....

Puma White Hunter

The White Hunter is a great knife,but if I had to pick just one,it would be the smaller,more versatile Skinner.



f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Since I don't have to pick a pocket knife (one of a few Victornox)...then my next used would be my Professional series 8" Victornox chef knife. The leatherman multi would be a easier carry choice though.

That is a fine looking knife. We have one of the modernized versions here.

Fixed-blade, my Bark River Highland Special--four-inch cryo-treated, convex-ground A2 steel blade, can be stropped back to sharp on a piece of cardboard but would rarely need it. Green canvas Micarta handle, gives a nice grip with wet hands.

One-hand-opening folder, my flat-ground Spyderco Endura that I carry nearly ever day now. Days I don't carry it I pack a SOG Flash II assisted opener, but the Spyderco doesn't have the extra mechanism to fail and has better steel.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I would take one of my Aitor knives, either the Commando or Jungle King II. They were designed as a knife for when you only have one and times are tough.

About 1976, my construction company had a job in Juneau, AK that got into a little problem. I was asked to go up from Phoenix and help out for a month. While wandering around Juneau in off hours, I saw a custom made hunting knife being exhibited in a store window. I inquired and found while it wasn't for sale the knife maker was local and not too far away. I found one Mr. Merle W. Seguine's place and started visiting with him. He was of Haida, Portuguese, Russian extraction and was quite the character. He made a great looking variety of Randall No. 3 hunter patterns in three basic sizes. I finally picked the middle size (4.5" blade) and bought it. I carried that knife all over Alaska, Washington State, Colorado and Nevada. It has served me well in field work on Mule Deer, Moose, Elk, Antelope, Salmon, Trout and miscellaneous camp jobs. It saved the life of one ungrateful mule.

While living in Colorado and raising Morgan Horses, a neighbor asked my help to go up in the Rockies past Evergreen and bring back a "pack mule". He had a ton and a half GMC with a cattle rack bed. We got the mule ( a 15 hand bay male) into the truck bed without too much trouble. This mule had a reputation of not being real friendly. The new owner had put a new nylon halter on him with a good nylon stallion lead with the chain over his nose and thru the halter. The stock rack had a steel pipe across the front for snubbing purposes. The mule was tied to that with a couple of feet of slack. I wouldn't have given him that much slack, but it wasn't my mule. I had been working in my barn just before we left and I was wearing my Merle Seguine hunting knife. We got started back and was easing down a narrow single track switchback working our way back to the highway. The mule decided that he had enough of this nonsense and threw a fit. He flipped over the side rail and was hanging off the side of the truck with his feet over the downhill side of the road. I jumped out of the cab, climbed the stock rack and cut the stallion lead with my Sequine knife in about two hacks. The mule fell down the hillside a couple of yards and lay there trying to get his breath back. I scooted down to get a hold of the halter. The mule had enough breath back to partially get up and bite at me. I grabbed the chain part of the stallion lead and the next time the mule bit at me slapped it thru his mouth. Luckily I was on the high side of the mule and was able to pull the chain thru the other side of the halter. That put a stop to the mule's temper tantrum. The mule's new owner got to us with another lead and I took the mule down hill to the next switchback where we waited for the owner to get down to with the truck. He backed up to a bank and we loaded the mule for the second time. This time we tied him off close with two ties to the snub bar. I then realized that after I had cut the original tie to save the mule from being hanged I had dropped my knife. I hiked back up to the original spot and quickly found my prized Merle Seguine knife. I very seldom get to retell that story today and am pleased to get to again. :-)

Tomorrow, I will take a picture of this knife and attempt to post it here.....I probably own 20 to 30 quality hunting knives and this old Seguine is still my favorite:

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As long as I have a pocket folder of my choice, I suppose the one knife ought to be a fixed blade. Anything on my shelf ought to fill the bill. I am tempted to say Cold Steel Bushman. Simple, easy to sharpen, and if you stick a broom stick into the hollow handle, you have a spear.

Now, why I might need a spear is hard to imagine, but at least it is an option not available with other knives. Otherwise, a Buck 119 or USMC Ka-Bar ought to work just fine.

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Not in jail.

Great question....... one I've been trying to answer for about 10 years.

Living in the "burbs of the Burgh" and a cabin on the 'Eastern Continental Divide" in the Laurel Highlands........95-99% of my needs are met with simple folder..............two winters ago I lost my EDC (a small kershaw lock blade folder I'd had for 10 years) in a snowstorm when it " decided to jump out of my pocket". Now the days when everyone carried a pocketknife seem to be behind most folks around here...... so it was off to Amazon to find a 2 day replacement........I got a Kershaw Blur...speedsafe 3.4 inch blade, 1/3 serrated..... a bit bigger than I'd have bought in person but it's served me well for two years...... and after a year I bought a spare/backup.

Back to MulePacker question......I've got the "every man must have 7" Rambo knife" in the form of Hogue's EX-F01........ every car has a 5" Ka-bar ........but I think I would grab my current cabin carry a Ka-bar Mark 1; 5 1/8 inch serrated blade....in a custom sheath...... with stone.
Not too Rambo....

Wish it had a full tang but it was good enough for WWII, not to big and not to small multi-purpose blade.................. so that's the knife I'd grab....... today!!!!


LOL I think Knives are worse than guns ......... I've settled on my 3"Model 60-10 as my "kit gun" but a all purpose ""kit knife".....still a work in progress!!!! Also why do so many "good/better" $100-200 knives come with such cheap sheaths???????

I think this is simply the best deal in the knife world today. One can get "seconds" for $49.88 (my 11 year old and I each have one) and he wears his everywhere. We have studied our "seconds"--literally--with a magnifying glass and can not find anything wrong with them. The leather sheath is worth the price alone.

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Possum—The other white meat!

Since I can have my folder too, its easy.
I'm with Donn...full size basic KBar.

Easy! Chris Reeve large Sebenza

Gurkha

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

My Randall Model 14 Border Patrol for sure

I've got a couple different sizes of those, and I agree. For the price, a very fine knife . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

That's tough: My everyday knife is a Gerber folder with a 1/2 serrated blade (for cutting cord and seatbelts). Fixed blade for field would be my Randal 23 (or maybe my Model 8). Both have done elk, pigs, and deer. The bigger 23 just does it a little faster, the Model 8 is better at finer cuts........?

Based on the OP's instructions I would grab from the knives I already have my Bob Dozier made "Yukon Pro Skinner". I've used this knife for many years on Elk, deer and all kinds of other critters and for camp and around the house chores. The D2 steel takes and holds a razor sharp edge and is easy to keep sharp with an occasional touch-up. It's just been a great knife over the years.

I don't have a pic of "my" knife but the one below from the 'net is the same knife.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

I have one and one of the similar Boat Knives, the Model 3. I have both the normal pouch sheath and the flap sheath issued to Canadian Forces. And I have the larger No. 4 Survival model, issued, I think, to RCAF aircrews.

I first saw the No. 4 in the April, 1965 issue of, Playboy, in what I believe was Robert C. Ruark's final article on safari. It was shown with Russell's boots like he favored, various firearms, other gear, and that Grohmann knife. I don't know if Ruark personally carried that knife or if the Playboy photo staff selected it on advice of someone else. It did look good in that big color photo of safari gear.

I wrote an article on the Grohmann firm and think they have an excellent operation, with good knives, priced at retail about twice the figure you cited.

I am very fond of some Randall designs and their Model 5 with five or six inch blade is a fine choice. With nickel silver guard , black Micarta handle and compass in the butt, it was the choice of famed outdoor writer Bradford Angier. That knife is also drilled for a wrist thong, with a silver lined thong hole.

However, I think that today, I'd choose Fallkniven's Model S-1, which has a five-inch blade very like that on the Randall Model 5. The non-slip handle is Thermorun or Kraton, I think the former. I have both Kydex (no longer offered) and leather sheaths. A Zytel sheath replaced the former Kydex option. The S-1 is called the Forest Knife and was designed to be an all-round outdoors knife. It would also be an effective weapon, if need be. Military users or survivalists may prefer the larger version, the A-1. It has a blade about six inches. It's expressed in mm, but six inches is right at the correct figure.

The A-1 and the S-1 are both terrific knives. Pick the size you think best. I have both, but might select the S-1 if pressed and only able to have one. www.fallkniven.com . Don't panic at the prices; they're in Swedish kroner. Fallkniven does have US dealers. Work the buttons and see the line, inc. some very fancy folders with handles of abalone shell, etc.

If those are too expensive, look at the Buck Model 105 Pathfinder or Model 119 Special. My first really good knife was a Model 105, and I still have one and use it.

If forced to have just one folder, it'd be a Victorinox Spartan. If you'd rather have a Phillips-head screwdriver in lieu of the corkscrew, it becomes the Tinker. And I almost chose the former military model. I think that's now the Pioneer. It has silver Alox scales.

Fallkniven is a good choice. I'm a big fan of a convex grind. Here are two of mine, both BRKT. The top is the prevoiusly mentioned Fox River.

EDIT: The bottom one is my EDC, a Bark River Essential......yup, I really like BRKT!

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Even older, even crankier....

Near impossible choice for me.
I have been pleased with this $3.00
gun show find about 5-6 years ago.
Case XX 3 Finn.
Takes a great edge that lasts.

Who makes that lower knife, with the rubber handle? Is it Finnish?

Mad Dog Pygmy ATAK

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The name on the grip is J. P. Peltonen, Finland. It is called the Ranger Puukko, he also designed one with a 5" blade as well. Kellam knives sells them and that one was a birthday present years ago from the little woman, although she is apt to slap me if she hears me call her that. LOL

for my e.d.c. this one
benchmade with custom g-10 scales

Ka-Bar 1282, D-2 Extreme fighting / utility knife, 7" blade with Kraton G handle.

I bought the Camillus version of the famous Ka-Bar 1217 in 1971 while serving in the Marines. Years later I gifted it to young soldier who went to Iraq and Afghanistan with it; happily, he still owns it today.

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"Life is short, hunt hard"

I always carry a Swiss Army knife, it have helped me out of many problems.

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Jamie wants big boom

ONE OF THESE:

If I had to pick a knife, it would be a Randall. Now, which one? #1, #14, or #16? I think it would be the #16.

I guess my favorite if I only could have one knife would be my SYKCO (Scrap Yard Dog Knife Company) 711. It is a branch of Busse Knives