Kizlyar Supreme Survivalist X Fixed Blade Survival Knife WOW!

 Kizlyar Supreme's Survivalist X! Fixed Blade!

High humidity, raging waterfalls, tropical jungles, the Kizlyar Supreme Survivalist X Fixed blade Survival knife is totally at home in this environment.

AUS8 (my model) but available also in D2 tool steel; G10 scales in green (this model), Desert Tan and Natural dark Walnut root.

190mm long blade of which 180mm of cutting edge. That's 7.4 inches and 7 inches respectively.

G10 -Olive green (my version) scales. Also available in  top quality natural walnut scales and Desert tan G-10 as well!

AUS8 blade comes in D2 as well, with a "tactical wash" anti-reflective surface finish (without the need for coating).

5mm blade thickness 
Lanyard holes
Life time warranty.

The usual excellent Kizlyar Supreme scabbard with hard plastic insert (fully removable); camouflage pattern  ballistic nylon, fully Molle compatible; double press stud closure and grommeted for a generous amount of easily carried accessory cord. 

Well to begin with I was really impressed and still am with the Kizlyar Supreme Hollow handle Survivalist knife as the blade  really is of practical design and this knife can take a beating where other hollow handled knives give up! The fixed blade version of the Survivalist X, long awaited and asked about from many of my subscribers and viewers in response to an absolute liking of the blade shape but the desire for a fixed blade version after seeing the hollow handle version (which if you don't know is as tough as- see my video reviews). The thing about management at Kizlyar Supreme, they really listen to what their customers want in a knife. Whilst the hollow handle  Survivalist series fits a particular market, so does the fixed blade version and in fact gives a perfect range to suit everyone.
The fixed blade fits my definition of what a good "survival knife" should embody and since I love the original blade design there was nothing more for me to like other than the fact that it is now a fixed blade.

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The overall blade design, just looks like what a good knife should be if you know what I mean. Drop point with swedge, partial wedged spine for bashing off dead branches/rough hacking coconuts open (this feature I really like as it preserves the main blade for cutting tasks). No upper guard for best control; 2 lashing points for attaching the knife to a pole in order to cut things out of reach. Cutting edge basically extends all the way to the hilt. 
The swinging balance is very good along with comfort with accommodation for a range of hand sizes. Smooth but positive gimping on the upper spine. Finally a big long straight edge for easy sharpening. On that note of course it came razor sharp out of the bag. Yes that's right, "bag" not box. Now this latter feature, a ballistic nylon draw string bag is such a great idea. Why? Well these days with such crazy knife paranoia being whipped up from the media, the need to carry such large knives in ones pack to the trail head is most important. Having the knife in a bag which can easily be extracted without any problems (ie no knife parts to catch on other gear makes total sense!). Also the bag is quality stitched with webbing over the seams to help prevent abrasion and the seams ultimately coming undone. This drawstring  bag is water resistant too!

Digital camouflage nylon carry bag

Quality Stitching on the knife bag and water resistant ballistic nylon used in the cord locked carry bag.

We see not one but 2 retention straps on this Survivalist X Fixed blade model, which totally securely holds the knife safely within it's scabbard.

5mm thick spine with "dead branch" chopping swedge! I have found this very useful and a great idea.  

The blade is simply finished via a stone wash as coating is unnecessary and only really wears off anyway if you use your knives like me. (As an aside here a shiny blade of course can be used to signal for help- try doing that with your black coated blade!).

Despite the full tang construction, the Survivalist X fixed blade isn't too heavy either (weight is 13.4 Oz.) as it's not made with a 6mm slab of steel, 5mm is more than good enough. Also 5mm gives one a better angle for carving as it can be made less steep than 6mm sheet used to make knives. I don't think we can really say that AUS8 is crap either. It has long since proven itself and some of my best knives are in fact made with AUS8. I like it as it has better corrosion resistance than equivalent hardened N690 (I still love N690 of course) but AUS8 working in and around salt water (thats for me) is my choice there.

On a deserted beach in Australia, me and the Kizlyar Supreme Survivalist X after hacking open a washed up coconut. (see upcoming video review). Zero corrosion after being exposed to saltwater spray and immersion most of the day.

Basically there isn't much more to say about this knife. I've been waiting for ages for it to go into production and now it's here!



Attention! Latest update!Here it is my video field review at BushCampingTools

QSP Quality Service Price Tactical Folder Liner Lock

Field test of the QSP ball bearing, liner locking D2 G10 folder

This company calling themselves QSP contacted me wanting to know if I wanted to review this knife of theirs. 

Simply labelled "QSP". I checked out the photos they sent me and it looked ok and also on paper sounded good. Why not eh?

Well, it was damn good!

Here are my specs:

Non-reversible pocket clip-works well.

HRC 58-60

G10 scales

Liner lock

Ball bearing mechanism, flipper folder.

D2 tool steel blade

Perfect lock up every time out of the box

BTW the knife was well presented in a good box featuring a magnetic catch. 

The brand name sounds somewhat tacky but certainly this model lived up to the name.

The knife came well oiled too.

Approximately 3.5mm thick blade, 215mm total open length and 95mm blade length.

There is a "Tip up" carry pocket clip which works just fine. it is not reversible.

Torx head bolts are used everywhere, no signs of corrosion on these fittings after a day of staying wet in the rain forest.

The QSP was very easy to flip open with the ball bearing mechanism.

There are nicely machined grooves in the G10 scales to aid grip in wet conditions. I felt that the handle was gripping anyway and not at all uncomfortable to use.

I gave the QSP a real dunking in this river. The D2 blade (which isn't corrosion resistant) held up well. It was easy to grip the G10 scaled handle with wet hands.

I couldn't fault this Chinese made knife (it is not branded made in China). Everything fitted together perfectly and the lockup was perfect, plus there was zero lateral play before and after working on tough materials in this jungle environment.

The blade was perfectly aligned in the centre of the liners too.

Immediately I wanted to test the edge retention of this coated (painted?) D2 blade by cutting into very dry seasoned Eucalyptus wood. I worked the wood very hard (and later wet huge palm fronds-dead). The blade really held an edge and there was no blunting whatsoever.

Retail cost about 40 US Dollars on Amazon.

Stay tuned for the full video field review of the QSP folder!

Extrema Ratio AMF Survival Knife Big and Versatile

 EXTREMA RATIO AMF SURVIVAL KNIFE
BIG AND VERSATILE

I could only show so much in the video review so now you can see more of the stuff which I was and am doing with the AMF Survival knife.

Also, I want to talk more in detail about the design of this blade and especially one simple feature which you may or may not even think about when looking for a good outdoors knife.

The importance** of having the cutting edge coming as close to the hilt/ricasso as possible. Here in this above example, there is no real choil but the blade finishes at the ricasso. This area on my knives I always keep as deadly sharp as possible along with the tip. If any regions could be "less sharp" it would be somewhere along the mid part of my blade.
The item in this image is the seed and husk from the world's biggest pine cone! The Bunya Pine, Araucaria bidwillii., which can easily weigh over 6Kg! These seeds are delicious eaten raw, boiled, BBQed etc. Now in order to extract such a seed you can not easily cut through the seed coat. It must be pierced (where a sharp and strong tip comes in handy) and then essentially busted apart to extract the tasty large seed.

I easily de-boned this leg with Just several strokes of the AMF knife. The knife can be easily pulled apart/stripped in order to clean it properly. Hot water no problems for the Forprene either as it can withstand temperatures up o 130C!

No coating on the blade of this Desert AMF makes it perfectly food safe too and very easy to wipe clean. The burnished finish also is not so reflective (if this is a feature/requirement for end use).

BBQ meat and tropical grown sweet potato cooked on the fire and cut up on a palm bract (lower part of the palm frond, which wraps around the trunk).

The Extrema Ratio AMF easily cut up the cooked meat too. needless to say the meat didn't last too long before it was readily gulped down!


Survival Knives

Mr Mors Kochanski, whoever doesn't know this name regardless of what country you come from, has yet to learn from what this guys has to say about "survival knives"(at least while he is still alive-at the time of this article he is indeed still alive).
Polish/Canadian born Kochanski made/makes, a living from teaching and instructing no BS survival skills to government bodies, and the public. Some may laugh, but those who do are clearly not listening to what he has to say or simply think they know it all, or are of course the typical "armchair survivalist" spruiking  about this that and the other and essentially talking loud and saying nothing. Why to I even mention this guys name here? Well for one thing, about what he says about knife edges. Put here in my words: You want to maximise your cutting edge for several reasons:
1) Simply that, you have more cutting surface.

2)Having the cutting surface as close to the hilt/ricasso as possible, allows better ergonomics in knife usage, whether that knife has a long or short blade, as power will be decreased due to leverage effects the further the object is away from your hand. That's physics and at least in this universe, can not be undone at present!

3) Knives that place a finger choil next to the hilt only extend this "Levering effect" and hence educe the deliverable power to whatever one is trying to cut or carve. Now fact is, if you design a knife with a choil, this only necessitates the need to use the choil in order, once again, to be able to place the hands as close to the blade as possible. 

No matter how good the choil is, our fingers are now dangerously close to the cutting edge, instead of being behind a guard. Now if that choil is not so comfortable and it will be like this especially if milled with acute angles, basically necessitate the use of gloves, just one further extra piece of equipment needed in order to use that knife in an effective way as possible. You loose your gloves??? Or you simply don't have any? Then what?? OR slip and cut your finger, becoming possibly an instant LIABILITY!

From a manufacturing point of view, placing a choil means less work to: hand sharpen edges; no need for a guard/s (ie less material required for the blade);  Milled material is sold as scrap;

Choils can of course be milled in order to place a greater weight distribution towards the tip of the knife, so that knife, if hefty enough could be used to chop with. Having a choil in this case I believe is secondary to the primary aim of this type of design. 

Even if you haven't been to Australia or even have a desire to come here, I would highly recommend the reading of tis book by A. B. and J. W. Cribb published in 175 by Collins and then in 1976 by Fontana, if you are serious about survival.

No need for a finger choil to be present on the AMF Survival knife. 

These days many manufacturers tend to over state the blade lengths or rather we have become complacent when we read about blade lengths and too many definitions of where the blade starts from. So we have then manufacturers stating the actual "cutting surface".  The Extrema Ratio AMF Survival knife definitely is sporting a good 8 inches of "cutting surface" LOL!

Extrema Ratio AMF Survival Knife Field Review

Hi so here is my first field review of the Extrema Ratio AMF survival knife. A top performer bashing it about in the Australian bush and rain forest. The AMF sports a classic blade geometry with a sturdy feel to it. See what you think!

Bohler N690 corrosion Resistance in the Field

N690 Corrosion Resistance in the Field
Extrema Ratio AMF Survival Knife

Wet all day in a hot humid rainforest environment, submerged for approximately 2 hours while exploring tannin stained freshwater pools, the Extrema Ratio AMF shows negligible signs of corrosion.

Recently I took a knife labeled as a "Survival knife" from the manufacturer diving into warm tannin stained (Acidic) tropical waters for about just over 2 hours.

This knife is not a specific diving knife but I figured if you're going to call your product a "Survival Knife" then you had better be making a good product and if it's a survival knife then it needs to be not afraid of water! 

I was not disappointed when I disassembled the knife at the end of the day. A burnishing, anti-glare finish had been applied to the entire blade surface. This is simply a physical finish. There is a trade off with corrosion resistance in stainless knife alloys; the higher the HRC the lower the corrosion resistance as the the amount of soluble Chromium present will be less than in equivalent alloyed steel at a lower HRC's. This knife was HRC58. Not too hard not too soft. Just right.

You can see some very slight staining on the blade, there was no pitting evident. The tang had been wet all day but no evidence of staining or pitting. The knife had been used to cut up many different jungle plants all of which contain sap of various acidity and very sticky too. The knife was used for diving in a fast flowing highly oxygenated river, stained with tannins (very acidic) for approximately 2 hours. There was no corrosion present in the small black threaded nut at the end of the tang either. For all other stainless fixtures (not made from N690) there was no evidence of corrosion. 

Field Strip of the Extrema Ratio A.M.F Knife

The Parts of the Extrema Ratio AMF Knife

Ok so Extrema Ratio indicate that the AMF is field strippable. What does this mean? Well it means if you have access to a 3mm Allen key wrench otherwise known as an Allen Key, commonly used for socket head bolts, you will be able to disassemble the AMF Knife in the field or of course at home in order to clean it if it gets submerged in salt water or any kind of fluid.

Here are the pictures, they are self explanatory I believe.

A 3mm Allen wrench is required to disassemble the Extrema Ratio AMF Knife

Once the stainless steel socket bolt has been removed, all the parts can be stripped from the tang.

The front guard is not symmetrical and can not be put on incorrectly (why it has been milled out in the centre, I do not know. I would have thought that hilt of the blade should have sat slightly recessed within this thick guard, but this is not the case. If it is milled because of a weight saving, then little weight is saved like this. BTW the black marks are from oil present from manufacturing and assembling (I cleaned it off).

The Allen bolt screws into (what appears to be a hardened) a female thread nut, which is retained within the end of the knife tang by friction. One must be careful not to loose this part, should it come lose, otherwise it will be very difficult (but not impossible) to keep the handle on. Ordinarily however, no outwards pressure is directed towards this bolt and fixture.

One thing I noted was that I felt based upon the machining workmanship of all of my other Extrema Ratio knives, the AMF's front guard could have been made with slightly better tolerances. It's not a huge big deal but still, this is purely based upon all of my (and it is extensive) experience with Extrema Ratio edged products.

The tip of the tang protrudes slightly above the Forprene grip, this then slots into the rear guard preventing the rear guard from twisting/rotating. The Socket head bolt sits shy of the butt cap in order to avoid damage to the head of the bolt if you strike the pommel onto hard surfaces.

The Tang of the Extrema Ratio AMF isn't full width but of course this would make the knife incredibly heavy and it would not be practical to put a handle on such a large knife with a full width tang. The tang however, is very very beefy and as you can see has not been milled out like on some "full width tang" knives whereby lightening the knife but at the same time weakening it's construction.

Stainless fixing hardware on the Extrema Ratio AMF.

Hi all I forgot to say something about all the parts and what they are made out of. Well placing a Neodymium magnet next to ALL parts EXCEPT the blade results in very little attraction- they are magnetic but exhibit poor attraction to powerful magnets. This is an indication of a low magnetic stainless steel grade. I asked Extrema Ratio and they did tell me that the fixing parts including the guards and pommel were of a Stainless grade. My guess is low low magnetic 300 series? Anyway the blade of course is strongly magnetic since it's N690.