What initially sold you on Survive! Knives?

forte_defense

forte_defense

Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
490
I'm curious to learn how we all ended up choosing Survive! Knives over the hundreds of company options out there in Knife Land (it's a real place).

I once carried a Gerber LMF II as my "go-to survival knife," because I thought I needed a sharpened prybar in the woods, and liked knowing there was a glass breaker pommel in case my helicopter ever crashed... And I don't fly a helicopter, but it seemed valid just in case I ever did. I knew from the start the relationship was not made to last with that 6-pound knife, but it looked tactical, and I hung in there far too long.

I went online and stumbled across this video (below) of Guy demonstrating the strength of the GSO 4.1 in 3V. I was moderately intrigued, but around 4 mins into the video, things got stupid, blew my mind, and I knew I'd found a winner.

This video is a classic, and is the reason I landed here. Will I ever hammer my knife into a tree and rappel off a cliff? Probably not. But it's good to know I can... Just in case.

https://youtu.be/Wo6vRFgOAAA

How about you?
 
Great vid! I love the haters saying "why would you ever do that with a knife, blah blah blah". They just don't get the whole Survive! mentality :)

I was looking for my first real knife. My first "big" purchase. I think I Google "tough fixed blades" and saw a one of S!K's models. From then, it just so happened to be the day before the starter ended, and so I got real lucky and decided to preorder a 7/7.

Fast forward a few weeks and I ended up buying a 3.5 off the exchange. I was hooked. Then, like an idiot, thirsty to explore the other realms of the knife kingdom, I traded it for some bussekin. Now I can't wait for my 7/7, I need another Survive!
 
Cool topic! And entertaining delivery :D

I first heard about SURVIVE! on youtube. A review on the GSO 5 then SK 4 on Gideon's Tactical got me interested then I saw an interview with Guy on Equip 2 Endure. I found the SURVIVE! youtube channel and watched all the videos and started following the company through their website and facebook. I waited and saved up for over a year waiting for a GSO 5 direct from the company. As I waited the starter happened and I finally got to invest in SURVIVE! Soon after I got a 3.5 and then my 5... which was everything I had hoped for. Now that I'm hooked on saber grinds and super steels I can't look back!
 
I think i first came across S!K here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/989763-SURVIVE!-Knives-EDC-4
That rappelling video is included :cool: As are details of the first GSO-10 pre-order. When i found that thread, the last post was this pic from caine

IMG_3382_zps3cac8250.jpg


I thought, "Hmm, I like the look of that knife..." and then saw the GSO-10 pre-order and went "Wait, WHAT?!" Jumped in.


I think my first post in one of Guy's threads was here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...er-Promotion-Would-you-participate?p=11426366

If you read my posts in that thread and Guy's responses, you can see why I jumped in - I come off like an ass and he is a gentleman, keeps it real (functional) and very simple, just like his designs :thumbup::thumbup:
Somewhere around BF (maybe in that EDC-4 thread?) Guy compares a Busse Battle Mistress to a GSO-10 blank but says he doesn't know what the other blade is and I practically call him a liar, but he responds patiently and humbly.

His responses sold me on his products, I invested immediately.

His responses and Ellie's continue to keep me investing, even though i now have the products to speak for themselves. I can only afford to invest so much money in knives... right now my money is in some USA-made Gerbers, Bucks, Bussekin, and Survive! along with a couple of customs. That doesn't mean there aren't MANY other great companies/makers imho, but Survive! keeps me coming back. Keep it up, Guy! Thank you, Elllie! And thank you, forte, for this thread.
 
Last edited:
I was going on a pretty fun trip with a group of my friends and decided it was high time to have a good solid made in america fixed blade that i could be proud of. I was 100% convinced that knife was the benchmade 162. I read a ton of reviews, saw one at REI, even had my REI 20% ready to roll....but i really wanted micarta scales. So i looked for knives that were similar to see what was out there. Of course brands like tops/esee/becker etc but none of the designs spoke to me. I stalked BF a bit and noticed the brand "survive!" seemed a little too convenient... and of course there was a catch, I couldn't get one!! but of course all these stories have a happy ending. I feel for a 4.1 and was able to get one...the rest is captured in the attached link:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...your-SURVIVOR!-Story?highlight=survivor+story
 
I don't remember exactly what sold me on Survive!, but I'm trying to put the pieces together. It was actually almost exactly one year ago I bought my first S!K knife, a 3.5 on December 6, 2014. I had started looking at the Ontario Blackbird, and then I think I found Black Scout Survivals review of the GSO 5.1, and also Chiral's indepth review here, which totally sold me on GSO. But the 5.1 was out of stock, so I went for the 3.5, and got so frustrated when the 5.1 sold out in a heartbeat afterwards. But I managed to find one second hand shortly after, which I just recently sold to fund the Pre-Sale version. So I guess that's about it, 1 year later I've had 4 S!K knives, some of the best customer-experiences from any company I've delt with, beta-tested the new finish, and have at least 4 new knives on preorder. So much have changed, and it's even more kick-ass now!
 
I recall looking for makers that were using cpm3v to try to find some designs that fit my needs better. I also recall that the camo micarta drew me in.

I think I stumbled in just at the right time to put in an order for a pair of 4.1's with no thumb jimping. Well, kinda. I remember watching the secondary market for a while waiting for the right one to come up and not seeing them.
 
Last edited:
The price of the knives, the alloys used, and the straight forward style were all factors.
 
A lot of research and patience led me to Survive! I missed out on the 4.1 orders last year but I got lucky and scored this non jimped 4.1 off of Fleabay for a good price. It was downhill after that and they are the only company I buy fixed blades from. This same knife brought together a great friendship from an old high school buddy that I hadn't seen in a while. It was my first Survive! knife and it is still his first from them. He'll never sell it.
6b816cc9ef4673f60e1ef7e1e345dcf4.jpg

He waited 14 months to get one and I noticed a post that he wrote on Facebook searching for one. It was only right for me to hand it over to him.
 
I had previously had no interest in knives. My friend who is very much a knife nut had been talking me into knives. He had a small collection of Busse and told me to look into Survive! GSO series. I wasn't at all interested then. It was until one day when someone wanted to buy a flashlight from me and offered to trade a ZT 0560 for it. That actually sparked off my interest in knives. I bought a Swamp Rat Infidu off the exchange thinking that it will serve me well and I won't need another fixed blade knife. Who would have thought that the moment I received the Infidu I wanted more. I started looking at Busse and realized that they are ridiculously expensive, well at least for a newbie like me it is expensive. I then searched up Survive! and found that the pricing there is much more affordable and so I spent days pouring over reviews after reviews for Survive! GSO series on YouTube. I recall watching a few videos of Guy testing the blade flex and strength, and of him smashing car windows and windscreen and I didn't even know that he is THE MAN. I watched other reviewers doing batoning, feathering, delimping, and chopping and I was amazed. The more I watched the more I am curious. So curiosity got the better of me and on October 12th I placed my first preorder for a 7/7. On October 20th I decided I wouldn't want to miss out on the 4.1 as well and placed an order for that. Maybe it is the videos that I have watched and the friendly folks here who have been giving me tips and guidance, I felt like I know Survive! very well despite not owning a single piece in my hands. I then decided I really wanted a 5.1 and finally managed to place an order for one during the pre-sale just about a week ago. I need to give my wallet a break as I have bought a few knives totaling about a few thousands during these two short months (Hinderer XM-18, Spyderco PM2, Chris Reeve Sebenza 21 and so on) but yet I am now dreaming about a 3.5 and Necker 2! Patience laddie, patience! This is so addictive.
 
pjandyho said:
I had previously had no interest in knives. My friend who is very much a knife nut had been talking me into knives. He had a small collection of Busse and told me to look into Survive! GSO series. I wasn't at all interested then. It was until one day when someone wanted to buy a flashlight from me and offered to trade a ZT 0560 for it. That actually sparked off my interest in knives. I bought a Swamp Rat Infidu off the exchange thinking that it will serve me well and I won't need another fixed blade knife. Who would have thought that the moment I received the Infidu I wanted more. I started looking at Busse and realized that they are ridiculously expensive, well at least for a newbie like me it is expensive. I then searched up Survive! and found that the pricing there is much more affordable and so I spent days pouring over reviews after reviews for Survive! GSO series on YouTube. I recall watching a few videos of Guy testing the blade flex and strength, and of him smashing car windows and windscreen and I didn't even know that he is THE MAN. I watched other reviewers doing batoning, feathering, delimping, and chopping and I was amazed. The more I watched the more I am curious. So curiosity got the better of me and on October 12th I placed my first preorder for a 7/7. On October 20th I decided I wouldn't want to miss out on the 4.1 as well and placed an order for that. Maybe it is the videos that I have watched and the friendly folks here who have been giving me tips and guidance, I felt like I know Survive! very well despite not owning a single piece in my hands. I then decided I really wanted a 5.1 and finally managed to place an order for one during the pre-sale just about a week ago. I need to give my wallet a break as I have bought a few knives totaling about a few thousands during these two short months (Hinderer XM-18, Spyderco PM2, Chris Reeve Sebenza 21 and so on) but yet I am now dreaming about a 3.5 and Necker 2! Patience laddie, patience! This is so addictive.
Click to expand...

You clearly have some fine folders there, as well as some formidable fixed blades in hand or on order. I have some very expensive folders, and I never carry them any more. I always have a fixed blade or two or three on my person at all times for the past couple of years now. Feel bad for not using my folders any more, but they just are not as capable as a comparably sized fixed blade.
 
I do not remember how I stumbled onto Survive, but I can tell you what drew me in. The fact that this is an American made knife, made by a small company, was huge with me. The type of steel used and removable handles were also big sellers for me. Finally, the customer service and interaction are second to none. The extras they give out from time to time and an excellent price (for this market) also don't hurt [emoji38].
 
McVeyMac said:
You clearly have some fine folders there, as well as some formidable fixed blades in hand or on order. I have some very expensive folders, and I never carry them any more. I always have a fixed blade or two or three on my person at all times for the past couple of years now. Feel bad for not using my folders any more, but they just are not as capable as a comparably sized fixed blade.
Click to expand...
I would love to EDC some fixed blades too but the law is kind of sticky here and a folder is much more concealable. Sometimes its sickening being where I am but on the other hand it is a trade off for the decades of peace and security here. My fixed blade would only see duty when I am out hiking or camping. I tried to EDC the Esee 3 for a night, concealed under my shirt, and the handle just keeps digging into my ribs. Surely you guys know how uncomfortable that can be. Tried carrying it laterally on my belt and the handle was poking out the front of my shirt. Forget it. A Hinderer should be tough enough to handle all the day to day tasks which I will probably face.
 
10" of 3V for $150.

Wasn't sure whether to take it seriously to begin with, but no doubts anymore.

I think my 4.1s only cost around $120 on the first pre-order as well.
 
This is exactly what I hoped I would hear from you guys... And it's fun to observe both the uniqueness of each of your journeys and the common themes of U.S.A. made, excellent quality, exceptional customer service and interaction, value, etc. It's also exciting for me to learn how many of you are relatively new to the S!K community. I personally stalked S!K for over a year and a half before I was fortunate enough to order my first knife, a GSO 3.5 factory second with orange scales, bowdrill divot, and ferro notch in CPM-20CV. Then I scored a 4.1 on the exchange, and the love affair took off. Keep the stories flowing!
 
I had been interested since seeing "The Video". It's important to me to support small American companies whenever I can. I put Survive on my radar. I wanted a 4.1 but the demand was high and availability was low. So, I was distracted by other things for a while. I came back and started reading this community again. A 3V blade with thin stock is what I was looking for. After seeing the specs I ordered a 4.5. A few 5.0's were available from a store that posted them on Instagram so, I snagged one. The 5.0 is one hell of a knife but, I think the 4.5 will suit me better. Oh, and I just ordered a 3.5.
 
Alchemy1 said:
I do not remember how I stumbled onto Survive, but I can tell you what drew me in. The fact that this is an American made knife, made by a small company, was huge with me. The type of steel used and removable handles were also big sellers for me. Finally, the customer service and interaction are second to none. The extras they give out from time to time and an excellent price (for this market) also don't hurt [emoji38].
Click to expand...

These are some of the reasons I like Survive!

I knew of them from the cutlery shop near my house. Gettysburg PA isnt too far from where I live. The shop had a relationship with Guy and had some of the original Bark River contract made S!Ks. The handle designs were a little funky for me back then. I had been googling bushcraft and survival knives and was into Bark Rivers. There were some things I didnt like about them. My ideal profile, shape, design, whatever you want to call it, was something like the Busse Boss Jack (with a choil) or an ESEE 6. The busse was too expensive for me so I never got one. I did get an ESEE 6 and actually really liked it. I just always wished it was a saber grind, with some extra drop in the point, contoured handles, made out of 3V and uncoated. Then it happened... Guy designed the 5.1. I could never find the convex Bark River made one. So I waited and waited and used the ESEE 6. Then S! Switched who was helping make the knives to White River Knives (i think) and the 5.1 as we know it came about. I managed to snag 2 of em and a 7/7. I actually got the 7/7 first. The 5.1 was what I stuck with. I sold the 7/7 and one of the 5.1s, which I regret, but I dont like having a pile of blades that never get used. I managed to snag a couple 2nd gen neckers, a necker 2 and a 3.5 to reound out my collection. I am wating on the 5.1 starter now and will probably get a 4.5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top