Best Hollow Handle survival knife

Would Chris Reeve's hollow-handles be considered custom, or production? These are among the best hollow-handles out there, if you ask me.

An original Jimmy Lile (of Rambo I and II fame) would also be a good bet.
 
If you take all of the hollow handled blades out there and did a test to try to break them at the handle/blade junction, Chris Reeve's Project I or II would be left standing. Lile and Randall versions are probably very strong, but they are much weaker as compared to Reeve's blade, as it is made of a single billet of steel.
 
Crayola,

I believe a little too much is made of the blade handle junction. Chris Reeves makes a good knife. But, there is little information that there is any tendency for well made hollow handled knives to fall apart at the blade handle junction. If any part is subject to fatigue it would probably be the blade itself at the stress riser created by the sawteeth along the spine.

We have discussed this on the forums before. Aside from a few ultra cheap survival knives from Tiwan, China, Pakistan etc., no one had witnessed a blade-handle joint failure. I agree that that the joint is a potential point of weakness. But, when it is done right, the joint will not be the weakest link in the knife, and to focus on this while neglecting other features such as weight, balance, utility of design, indexing, heat treatment, and sheath safety is a mistake.

Bayonets are subject to more stress than most knives, particularly during practice, and the Swedish model 1896 bayonet featured a blade attached to a separate hollow handle. If it worked there it can certainly work on a knife.

Good examples of hollow handled knives include Chris Reeves, Randall Knives (models 17 and 18), Rob Parrish (Combat Survival), Webster Wood knives, Colin Cox (once worked at RMKs - went on to make similar knives), Dawson made a few good ones, Jack Crain (Life Support series), and Jimmy Lile (Rambo knives).

n2s
 
I agree with not 2 sharp.
I have over thirty hollowhandle survival knives. I can't help it. I think that they are a neat niche in the knife world.
Several of mine have been used hard and none have ever broke at the junction. Any knife used improperly will fail somewhere. Most of the good survival knives are over engineered to succeed.
I have a couple of Chris Reeve and they are nice.
However, I think there is a lot of character in a Parrish, original Timberline, Crain, Lile, or the like.

What exactly in a knife are you looking for?
Just saying a hollow handle doesn't answer anything.
There are small ones, big ones, really big ones? There are also different saws or no saw for what ever you are looking for.

I am sure you can find what you are looking for?

Not2sharp - do you still have that Webster Wood. I recently got one where the saw part can detatch, I won't use this one but it is an original idea.
 
Hollowhandle,

The Webster Wood is still with me, along with a small selection of hollow handled knives. I have seen the version with the detachable teeth - innovative way to go; I am glad to see you've found one.

King Grinch,
During the mid-80s custom knife makers put hollow handles on just about everything, from folders to kukries. I am sure you will find something you like.

N2S
 
Colin Cox hollow handles are first class. He makes them in about 4 - 6 weeks also to specifications. I personally think that the weakness at the handle-blade is overrated. Than would require a crowbar use about mid-blade. Kind of unrealistic.

Regards,
Doug
 
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Cold Steel ran this ad 15 years ago. They did everything possible to fail the knife, but,the blade handle junction is still intact.

N2S
 
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