Rambo Knives?

M

mr_dove

Joined
Apr 12, 2004
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90
Who remembers these survival knives with the hollow handles and all the crap shoved inside? I know they had their heyday during the '80's.

I never cared for them but I am curious why the concept has fallen out of favor as far as super-compact survival kits.
 
The answers I've seen are....

1. Too little space to fit much.
2. Adds weight to the knife.
3. Lose the knife, lose your stuff.
4. MOST hollow handle knives are cheap pieces of crap. (Chris Reeves one-piece line an obvious exception to this)

In short, you can fit more stuff in an Altoids tin, stick it in your pocket, and not worry about losing it when your knife slips out of your hand near the river.

I'm sure others more knowledgeable than I will chime in also. :)
 
Most of the handles are round and thus the ergonomics are vastly inferior and the security takes a dive as well. Some like Reeve solve the security issue by making the handles very aggressively checkered, but this can readily lead to abrasion and you still have a round handle which can turn much more readily than something oval-ish in nature.

There are also problems with the blade-handle joint as a lot of them use screws or similar which leaves a really weak join which will either break or come loose with light to medium work. Though there are lots of examples of knives where this isn't an issue, Reeves being one of them.

It is a nice idea, but probably much more functional to just build a solid pouch on the sheath.

-Cliff
 
I've never been a fan of hollow handled knives for the aforementioned reasons, but while we're on the topic I'd like to ask if anyone has had any experience with those made by Randall. Specifically, I'm curious as to how they have held up in the field.
 
I was sucked in, and worked a deal with my dad that if I got straight A's for a whole semester, he'd get me a Buckmaster. (I think I was about 12 when I saw Rambo 2) I did, and carried that heavy chunk of steel on many backpacking and camping trips as a Scout. It got me interested in building small survival kits and reading all I could on survival. Even though my taste in survival knives has changed, I still look back on that Buckmaster with fondness.
 
I've read comments for years that a reason to not use a hollow handle knife is that if you loose it, you loose the valuable stuff inside. I can't believe that anyone serious about surviving would put their "only" fire starting material, pain killers, rolled up $20, or anything in the handle of a knife they could loose. ...but it is a great place to put "additional" firestarting material, etc., and therefore not a reason to exclude that type knife.

Come on, guys, if you have a hollow handle knife, put important stuff inside, and if the stuff is important, also put some in your pocket, and some in your pack, and some in your jacket! I don't put all my firestarting stuff in one place! It gets spread around my person so I always have some (lighter in my pack, water proof matches in my pocket, lint and sparker in my survival kit.)

I don't have just one screwdriver in my toolbox, or one pen on my desk, or one pair of contact lenses.

Bruce
 
In addition to the roundish handle rotating in the hand, there is also the problem of trying to determine the orientation of the blade without having to look at it. :(
 
I think most people would only use the handle as a backup. there's not very much room in there anyway. Either way, if you lose your knife, you lose your most valuable tool. Hopefully you'd at least have a SAK in your pocket as well.
 
The hollow handled knives work well enough. The reputation for handle failures comes largely from the mass of cheap imported junk that is out there, and alot of disingenous marketing hype. Any of the better hollow handled knives will hold up well as knives. Some like the Swedish model 1896, even survived used as bayonets.

In the old days those handles would have been used as matchsafes. Dry storage is always in short supply, and a small watertight handle storage space can be useful for meds, bandages, notes, currency, or other items. The survival aspect was largely oversold during the 1980s; but, a small handy storage space can be a useful addition to any kit.

n2s
 
here's a high quality set
ss623.jpg
 
MelancholyMutt- Wow, that one has everything a guy could ever need! I'm selling everything I own, buying one of them and headin' to Alaska! LOL! :D
 
not2sharp said:
The survival aspect was largely oversold during the 1980s; but, a small handy storage space can be a useful addition to any kit.
Click to expand...

I think this is the critical point, the hollow handled container should be thought of as an additional place to store supplies, not the only thing you can use to carry supplies.

-Cliff
 
Oooo, Mutt. I HAD one of those. My dad was kind (?) enough to get one from a special in the Sunday paper years ago. Despite their at stating that it came with a 'Rrrrrrazor sharp edge', I don't think I ever actually got the thing in any condition to actually CUT anything. The wire saw, on the other hand, DID manage to cut a few things surprisingly well for the quality.

As for hollow-handled knives, as others stated, the main problem I've found is the blade/handle junction. They're all too frequently a bad pinning, screw, or soldering job that just cannot hold up to as much abuse as the single piece designs.
 
I still got one of this old Rambo II knife made in "440 Stainless"

Mine got a recurve after all the resharpning. It has been used mainly has a chopping knife and I was not able to break it.

Sure he has been in a lot of adventures: building shelters, cutting through tree roots... Now it's a relic, but I like it.

If you want I can go in the cellar and picture it for you ! ;-D

cheers

JM
 
x39 said:
MelancholyMutt- Wow, that one has everything a guy could ever need! I'm selling everything I own, buying one of them and headin' to Alaska! LOL! :D
Click to expand...

Not for nothing, that knife has provided thousands of youngsters great backyard adventures and whetted the appetite of many here (even though they probably won't admit it) :)

I admit I had two or three...
 
[QUOTE that knife has provided thousands of youngsters great backyard adventures QUOTE]
You're right. My now 18 year old son is among their ranks. In fact, I'm sure that a little grubbing around in his closet would turn one up in short order! :)
 
I remember buying a large, hollow-handle fixed blade not unlike that one when I was about 11 or so. I went out to the field next to the house after getting it home and spent a good half hour chopping down weeds and such with it, only to go home and find that the blade was all loose and wobbly. I was FURIOUS that I had spent a TON of money (probably all of $15) on a knife that would just FALL APART like that. :D
 
I love my hollow handled knives. Jack Crain makes some of the toughest there is. I keep a World Survival Institute Hot Spark Flint, an Avaition Firetstarter and wads of tinder in my handles. I like knowing that if nothing else, there's the supplies to start a few thousand fires in the handle of my knife.
 
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