Gear Review – Schrade Extreme Survival Large Fixed Survival Knife

When Tim from Knife-Depot contacted me and asked if I wanted to do a gear review on a survival knife that cost less than $50 you can excuse me if I was a little skeptical.  But I said, “Sure!  Send it over and I’ll check it out.”  A few days later it showed up on my door step and I left it on the counter for a day before I opened it.

I hate to admit, but I was ready to dislike this knife without even looking at it.  Then I pulled the Schrade Extreme Survival Knife out of the unmarked box.  At first I thought someone had goofed and sent me a far more expensive knife by accident.  Of course I was delighted, but then the honest side of me started to speak up and I went looking to see if they’d messed up somehow so I could give the good knife they sent back.

Imagine my shock when I discovered the knife I had was the correct one!  This knife looks, feels and performs far better than any other knife in it’s price range that I’ve used in the past by a healthy margin.  It’s sturdy, well balanced (I’ve had a lot of fun throwing this bad boy), and attractive to look at.

Let’s talk about the knife for a minute.  It’s got a Kraton handle that feels excellent to hold, which means you can maintain a good grip on it even when it’s wet.  The blade has a nice coating that has somehow maintained over the last few weeks that I’ve used it.  It came with a decent edge.  Not spectacular, but certainly usable and I haven’t bothered doing anything to it yet.

And it’s sturdy.  It probably weighs as much as my beloved Bekker Bk2 knife, but is a few inches longer.  The long blade and hefty weight make it an excellent chopping tool and the extra length also makes it easier to split thicker pieces of wood using the baton method.

Here are the stats:

Specifications:

Check out the description from the website:

What they don’t tell you is that this knife is pretty versatile too.  It has a spot on the blade where you can choke up on it and use it for finer work.  I’ve done everything with this from chopping down small dead trees to making a bow drill set and it’s worked flawlessly.  From taking big whacks to doing small delicate whittling it’s worked beautifully.  I took my nephews camping a few weeks ago and it instantly became the center of attention when I pulled it.  The youngest boy was lusting after it so much I just might have to get him one for Christmas this year.

The Sheath

It comes with a nylon sheath, which has a small carrying compartment installed on the side.  The knife itself slips into a plastic piece built into the sheath that I actually like.  You do have to keep it snapped shut though because if you turn upside down (falling over for example) it will fall out.  But it makes pulling the knife out and putting it back in again much smoother and easier.

The small compartment is just the right size for a firesteel and small flashlight and maybe a couple of other pieces of small gear making the whole thing a small survival kit you can carry right on your hip.  Later on when I have time I’ll see what I can pack in there for a comprehensive survival kit.  I love little challenges like that.

Overall Rating

My over all rating of this knife is a surprising 4.8 out of 5 stars.  Why?  I tend to prefer slightly smaller knifes like the Kbar BK2, which has a 5″ blade.  That’s just a personal preference, but as far as performance goes I have nothing bad to say about this knife at all.

What really gets me is the $50 price tag. (Actually, as I’m writing this it’s on sale for around $45 – a freakin’ steal!)  How they managed to pack this much goodness into one knife for such a low price is beyond me, but it’s to our benefit.

Some people like small knives and that’s totally cool.  Everybody has their preferences and there’s no right or wrong answer here.   If you’re looking for a good sized main survival knife and you don’t want to a pay a mint I’d suggest this bad boy.  If you’re looking for a solid knife in your back-up BOB this would be a splendid choice.

Questions?  Comments?

Sound off below!

-Jarhead Survivor