Survival Knife: Saw or no Saw?

so here's an aitor (about the size of ferfal's proto i guess) being put to use.
so the reviewer favours the saw and i
guess it does work for this partixular task.
though i figure hacking would have worked
as well.
what i can agree is that, if a saw just so
happens to be on a knife during an
emergency, so be it.
it may not be a design feature that i would personally want to have, but in an emergency,.its would be far more important
that a knife be able to cut like one.
i m sure lots of folks would be very keen
to see a knife that is well built and is cut out
to handle every possible task for the worst of times.
 
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Well let’s see. In this particular scenario:

Personally I don’t care for saws on the spine of a knife. It makes it hard to use your other hand to guide and push the blade with your thumb.

I suppose having a pull ring chain saw stashed in the handle with other small gear, or a pouch in the sheath would be a better option.

I also think the blade should not be recurved, as it’s going to be more difficult sharpening.

Flat pommel for crushing or scraping.

Finger guard, but not a flat bar guard. Something contoured.

Micarta slabs that completely encompass the tang.

A bright finish on the blade to make it easier to find if you drop it or put it down.

A removable patch for the sheath that is bright colored for visibility.
 
so the reviewer favours the saw and i
guess it does work for this partixular task.
though i figure hacking would have worked
as well.
what i can agree is that, if a saw just so
happens to be on a knife during an
emergency, so be it.
it may not be a design feature that i would personally want to have, but in an emergency,.its would be far more important
that a knife be able to cut like one.
i m sure lots of folks would be very keen
to see a knife that is well built and is cut out
to handle every possible task for the worst of times.

why is it you write
all your posts in this style?
are they poems? Because I can't help
but read them like they are.
Not quite as annoying as those who
write without using the return key
or any punctuation at all,
and make one huge paragraph
out of every post.
But certainly
the next best thing.
 
I think I know how to solve this. Start with the Jungle King; cut out the saw and install a high wattage laser. Put the batteries in the hollow handle.

All that you would need are the right power cells and you will be ready To cut through anything without the risk of bindding.

n2s
 
For a survival knife, yes. I don't own a sawback though. I want one. I just don't know what to get. I've heard a lot of sawbacks are crap, so that scares me away from buying one.
 
I've heard a lot of sawbacks are crap, so that scares me away from buying one.

Indeed, lots of sawbacks ARE crap. I have lots of survival-type knives, and I have played around with sawbacks over the years. Honestly, one of the VERY few that I found that is actually quite efficient and functional with its sharp offset staggered teeth, is the TOPS Steel Eagle.

(Ignore the misc. crap in this pic - it was taken for another thread and I don't feel like taking another picture right now. :) )

ptTqfEk.jpg
 
The vast majority are not cut with actual proper saw teeth but what is the one in the background here? It looks like an actual sak or leatherman saw pattern.

XcLfkKW.jpg
 
Properly designed and made sawbacks will cut, but they are far more efficient at shallow notches. Thes notches work great for things like trap triggers or for constructing things around camp where have having square joints to lock together is beneficial.

That being said, a well made sawback, under ideal conditions on a 1/4" thick knife, can go through a 2x4 easily under 30 seconds.

Sam
 
Put a saw attachment lug on the back of the handle and then put the saw in the sheath. Then you could reverse the knife attach the saw and away you go.

So this kind of thing.

 
For a survival knife, yes. I don't own a sawback though. I want one. I just don't know what to get. I've heard a lot of sawbacks are crap, so that scares me away from buying one.

I’ve also been leery of survival knives with saw-backs, notches, or any other stress riser, as they seem somewhat prone to breaking at those points.

If I’d seen this post when it was first written, I would have said no thanks to a saw-back.

But that was before I saw the Swamp Rat SawManDu.

It’s under 1/4” (.2” or .22”?), has sharp teeth, is made from modified S7 steel (one of the most durable available), is a full flat grind so the teeth are the widest part of the blade which keeps it from binding in wood, and the teeth point back making this a pull-saw which is much better than a push-saw for this application.

It’s one of my favorite knives, and I know many of you have seen pics of it already but:

4FB82963-7BA6-4899-88B7-0A12466A2350.jpeg
E0E9BAE1-6653-4D73-8729-DE444690D8D5.jpeg
 
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Properly designed and made sawbacks will cut, but they are far more efficient at shallow notches. Thes notches work great for things like trap triggers or for constructing things around camp where have having square joints to lock together is beneficial.

Sam

That's what I thought they were for also. And not for cutting trees down.
 
Saws on knives are next to useless. They appeared on bayonets around WW I, the idea being that they could be used to saw through fence posts holding barbed wire in no-mans-land; it's doubtful if the inventors ever tried that. A compact saw is a lot more useful.
 
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