Survival Knife: Saw or no Saw?

DangerZone98 said:
Wouldn’t call it harsh and no harm done. Different strokes, different folks. Peace to both of ya.

I agree it’s not the most practical blade shape lol. I just happen to like the unusual design.
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Sorry if that came out wrong. By all means, if it works for you, then thats all that matters. Since we're talking saws, do you find the saws in your Trackker useful? How good is that specific saw design in your opinion? I just tested the saw on the Jungle King 2 on a pallet, its better than I remember it.
 
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FerFAL said:
Sorry if that came out wrong. By all means, if it works for you, then thats all that matters. Since we're talking saws, do you find the saws in your Trackker useful? How good is that specific saw design in your opinion? I just tested the saw on the Jungle King 2 on a pallet, its better than I remember it.
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Didn’t come out wrong at all, partner. Truth be told though, I haven’t really used the saw bit yet. The edges work just fine though. The upper “axe” bit is sharper than it looks.

For serious woods activity though, I would grab a combo first of a Mora, a khuk, and a portable saw if needed. I like the Tracker mostly as a fun knife hehe.
 
Velitrius said:
LOL! This is two typical responses with the ol' Tracker design. I think it's awesome, whereas my son thinks it's completely stupid.

I believe I will get him one for Xmas this year. If he ends up liking it, I've made a convert. If he hates it, well... got me a new Tracker!
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Win win situation right there, I think.
 
So maybe I misunderstood this premise.

I read this as you only get to have a knife. That knife can have a saw or not.

Not that you get to survive with a knife and a saw. Or a knife and a saw and and ax. Or as a knife and a saw and an ax and a camper van. Or as a knife a saw and ax a backup ax and 2 camper vans and a camera crew.

If you have to turn up somewhere with a knife only do you want it to have a saw?
 
FerFAL said:
Just what the title says. Would you like a saw on the spine of your survival knife, yes or no.
The type of saw would be Aitor Jungle king, one of the more effective ones Ive tried out.
The saw wouldnt extend to the final portion of the blade so as to leave a straight area for battoning without chewing up the stick used as a baton.
Interested to know what everyone has to say.
FerFAL
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I think having a dedicated saw would be better than a sawtooth spine, but a sawtooth spine would be way better than no saw.

Speaking of SAW, say hi to Bracken for me.
 
Danke42 said:
So maybe I misunderstood this premise.

I read this as you only get to have a knife. That knife can have a saw or not.

Not that you get to survive with a knife and a saw. Or a knife and a saw and and ax. Or as a knife and a saw and an ax and a camper van. Or as a knife a saw and ax a backup ax and 2 camper vans and a camera crew.

If you have to turn up somewhere with a knife only do you want it to have a saw?
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Well, maybe thats the problem. You are right, as soon as the topic is brought up, I'll take the knife AND a saw, but thats not really an option if the choices you have are either survival knife with or without saw. Sure, backpacking you can take whatever you like, or you can stau home watch a movie while drinking hot coco. But a survival knife is supposed to stand on its own as best as possible WITHOUT anything else. Thats the entire idea behind hollow hnadles or pouches on sheaths with aditional kit.
The more I think about it, the more on the fence I am. if I have nothing else, yes, I may want a saw back, even though I prefer knives without it.
 
Well, then, question... Why do you think you need a sawtooth spine on your knife ? Indigenous people who actually live day to day in the deepest of the jungle get by with only some kind of machete. No saw, ever. Too expensive, or not available. Maybe, a teeny, tiny knife for some intricate carving or small surgery. Maybe.
 
FerFAL said:
.....But a survival knife is supposed to stand on its own as best as possible WITHOUT anything else. Thats the entire idea behind hollow hnadles or pouches on sheaths with aditional kit......
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Why don’t you try to find a true life example of someone who survived in the wilderness with just their knife and whatever they had in the knife pouch or handle.

Generally, anyone who thinks this way deserves to be stranded in the wilderness. Don’t buy the marketing hype. Real people will take every reasonable step to be prepared for an emergency. That begins with leaving a planned route and itinerary with a trusted party, and carrying basic supplies in a bailout bag or something. What you ultimately take with you would have nothing to do with the storage capacity of your knife; it would depend on the expected wait for rescue and the environment in which you are traveling.

n2s
 
herisson said:
Well, then, question... Why do you think you need a sawtooth spine on your knife ? Indigenous people who actually live day to day in the deepest of the jungle get by with only some kind of machete. No saw, ever. Too expensive, or not available. Maybe, a teeny, tiny knife for some intricate carving or small surgery. Maybe.
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I'm not in a jungle with vines. I'm in a forest area with a lot of pine and other evergreens that has a seasonal temperature that varies from -29 to plus 29.

What I see is a lot of dead standing timber with dry wood I could use for shelter and fire. If it's on the ground already it's wet or under snow.

So I could try to chop limbs with a machete but I'll expend less energy and take less risk if I saw them off.
 
Interesting discussion but I think I fall into the no (or separate) saw camp.

If I recall accurately, I only have 2 knives w/saw backs: a Glock 81 and a Gerber Mark II.

I haven't tried to use either to saw any wood but between the 2, the Glock 81 would probably be more effective, since the saw edges on the Mark II are so tiny and don't run across the blade far enough to be much good sawing wood (probably best for just ripping thru light fabric which makes more sense in a "fighting" knife).

Also not sure why you'd need a saw to begin w/if you're in the "wilderness" and are in full survival mode.

Any fires you'd make would be w/twigs and smaller dead branches that you could just break w/your hands/feet to make a small fire.

What's the point of trying to saw branches over 2" in thickness in that situation? Not much IMO unless you want to build a bonfire that will last for hours, which to my mind would be a waste of time/effort in "survival" mode.

However, if I just HAD to have a saw on me for those "special situations," I'd probably just carry a 24-36" hand operated pocket wire or chain saw, which I could then use to cut wood up to 7-10" in thickness but I still wouldn't bother doing that as long as dead wood is readily available.
 
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Danke42 said:
I'm not in a jungle with vines. I'm in a forest area with a lot of pine and other evergreens that has a seasonal temperature that varies from -29 to plus 29.

What I see is a lot of dead standing timber with dry wood I could use for shelter and fire. If it's on the ground already it's wet or under snow.

So I could try to chop limbs with a machete but I'll expend less energy and take less risk if I saw them off.
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I'm all for a foldable saw. We can have it, so why not ? The Dayaks sure would love it if they were gifted a Silky saw. Bet ?
 
not2sharp said:
Why don’t you try to find a true life example of someone who survived in the wilderness with just their knife and whatever they had in the knife pouch or handle.

Generally, anyone who thinks this way deserves to be stranded in the wilderness. Don’t buy the marketing hype. Real people will take every reasonable step to be prepared for an emergency. That begins with leaving a planned route and itinerary with a trusted party, and carrying basic supplies in a bailout bag or something. What you ultimately take with you would have nothing to do with the storage capacity of your knife; it would depend on the expected wait for rescue and the environment in which you are traveling.

n2s
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True, but I think we are forgetting that ferFAL is in a joint venture with Aitor to design, produce, and sell knives.

And Aitor (survival knife makers in general) does not sell reasonable, common sense outdoor recreation.

They sell wilderness survival marketing fantasy. Coming up with that is what ferFAL is after. (Wish he would have said so at the beginning and we could have saved some time.)

With that in mind, go with the saw. Hollow handle is a must. Grappling hooks? Go. Spear lashing points? Go. Extraneous pointy bits? People cant get enough of 'em.

Here are some great examples of what you are looking for...maybe you can use them as inspiration...they were all knives people got "hot" for. Sold great.

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Cough, cough... When the jungle comes to catch me I'll be ready. But I sure could use a saw-back knife, like, who does it all. Definitely not. Just axes, saws and sickles, as usual...Better.
 
herisson said:
I'm all for a foldable saw. We can have it, so why not ? The Dayaks sure would love it if they were gifted a Silky saw. Bet ?
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I"m not sure. I hear sawing vines is a drag. But as noted I read this as you only get one and I expect to only need to survive locally.

But it could be a good Forged in Fire premise. Drop the smiths in a jungle where the have to forge survival knives out of rusty leaf springs.
 
I love that kind of yard. And I live somewhere dry. Gotta do with what you have, right ?
 
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