Granted most have an EDC knife, be it a pocketknife, fixed blade, sheathed folder, belt clip folder or something else. Personally, I carry a Benchmade clip point belt clip folder but that is not the blade I would want on me when SHTF. My choice would be a Buck 110 folder sheathed. What is your choice?
Simple choice for me . Busse ASH1 ! It is a blade that is master of no task but capable of all. They were made (no longer) in spine thicknesses ranging from .17 to .32. The .22 is probably the most practical but I do love my .32s. If was forced to only take an ESEE6 I would not be heartbroken either. I rarely use folders as they just don’t float my boat.
In a true knock-down drop-dead survival situation, I want my KABAR. Had it for decades, I know and trust it.
Hard to say, Have an old Buck 110 probably from the early 80's, Have a German made knife that's pretty sweet
My EDC folders are necessarily thin and while capable, they're not all that comfortable for heave work. So I'd want a fixed blade, and I tend to like them small. Another consideration is the sheath. My first hunting knife was a buck 102. It lacked two essentials. A lanyard and a sheath that was good for anything but holding the knife. My second hunting knife has a sheath that swings on it's belt loop, won't ever poke a car seat, or threaten to let the knife fall out if you're upside down. It's narrow and drops right from the belt into a side or back pocket if you want it more tucked in. Sort of a concealable fixed blade. The grip has to be ergonomic. This puts me in a mild conflict between the puukko grip and the Russell Canadian belt knife but considering everything else in a one knife option I'd go with my worn out Canadian belt knife. My sheath is squashed flat against the blade and the end of the sheath beyond the blade is bent over from sitting on it. The lanyard is normally tucked inside my waistband, and goes around my wrist before the knife comes out of the sheath, and I can sleep or crawl through bushed comfortably with this one on my belt without getting poked or tangled up. It doesn't matter which knife you choose if you lose it. I think one nice knife lost through the ice or off the boat is enough to teach the importance of retention. We call it dummy cord for a reason. Maybe most important in a SHTF situation, even though I've been using this knife since I was a teenager, I've never slipped and cut myself with it. Something else that this one has going for it is its' ability to hide. This was something I noticed years ago dealing with the armed public on the rifle range. It concerns handguns, but likely relates to knives as well. The size of my sidearm seemed to directly relate to the level of aggression that I got from other men. I tested this and went from large service revolvers to a tiny tip up barrel Beretta in silly looking belt holster. The results seemed consistent. To men facing me for the first time as an authority figure, my large sidearm caused them to act aggressively toward me. If I carried a small or concealed sidearm I was just an old guy giving instructions. So all around, one blade that will do most any job, not get lost, or cause me grief. It's this one.
Gerber SS clip folder (present from son), Buck 110 or Ka-bar equivalent, and my USMC Ka-bar. Carried the Valor copy of the Ka-bar during my recon years, and it was a good knife. Retired the Valor as a keeper for my son and replaced it with a new Ka-bar. In truth, any Bowie type knife will deliver good service if made from decent materials, and big knives are essential. jim
I needs two, though this one serves as a hatchet it will also easily remove an arm From what I have this would be the dedicated knife If SHTF happened while I was out and about it would be my EDC
I got a folding Emerson Commander that I use for everything, but, like @Andy the Aussie I am not sure I would want a folder in that situation, probably a fixed blade K-bar of some sort...
I have one - someplace.... There a nice knife. I would opt for my Gerber Gator lockback folding knife.
I expect most folks will have is a so-called Hoko knife, with a broken glass blade A vey simple stone bladed tool (primitiveways.com)
Finally, to be fair to the semi-skilled, a US Pilot knife might be just the thing mostly owing to the sharping stone that comes with - the retention strap should be relocated to just above the Cross-guard.
I have one of those too. That stone will get the knife razor sharp. Not a bad GP knife to have around. I forgot to add I have a Schrade Old Timer that I carried for a long time. The 5.25" blade was legal everywhere in Texas prior to the CHL getting passed. Another blade that would take a razor edge. Jim
