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Item 802109
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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Reviewed by 14 customers
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Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
The knife itself is great. Solid weight, no additional sharpening required. The fire starter and whistle are nice additions.
It's a reliable knife to have out on the trail or in a back country situation. But the sheath is pretty weak. I'd like to think optimistically and say that the poor sheath design just allows for more personal modifications. I removed the factory installed nylon cord with some 550 paracord. I left some extra slack on the ends and used the cord as a fastener to my pack rather than the velcro. In the end you're paying for a reliable knife, not a sheath.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
Great: The knife is amazingly comfortable to use and is extremely versatile. I can easily baton wood for fires, pound stakes, and then strike flint for fire pits. It has so many ways to customize this kit that I can't even fit it in this box, so all I can say is check out youtube reviews of this knife to see. Mine now has: Fishing line, weights, hooks, 4 ft. paracord, whistle, striker, magnesium block, cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly, and a small roll of duct tape.
Cons: The Sheath design is pretty poor. The outer pouch swings down, so if it accidentally opens all your stuff falls out. Also, the belt loops are velcro (I prefer sewn loops) as far as the rest of the sheath, mine hasn't broken yet like some other reviews have said.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
Theres nothing really that goes wrong with it? Its works well for me. My friend bought this for me about 2 weeks ago before we took a trip to montana. I loved that I could cary this on my sling pack for easy access while hiking. No complaints yet.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
Have already taken this knife on a couple of camping trips and as far as the blade is concerned there are no complaints. This blade is very sharp and durable. The knife itself is compact and doesn't get in the way of anything. The knotch for the firesteel works brilliantly as well as the firesteel itself. The cord that is included with the knife can take a beating on its own. However, the sheath could definitely use some improvements as far as durability. It holds everything together nice and snug. But you can tell that with inevitable wear and tear, the velcro will come loose. To solve this, I simply added my own stitching to resolve the dilemma. That's why this revieves a 4 out of 5. But other than that, this is a great package for beginners as well as advanced adventurers who like a good backup knife.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
I really like the knife itself. I have had this knife for about 8 months now, I have taken it on several hiking trips, and was carrying it everyday at work (mechanic). The knife holds up well, Ive used it for everything from knotching wood to cutting rubber hose. It holds it edge very well and is crazy light.
The bad- There is a down side to this knife and it is the sheath. It literaly fell apart on me. The stiching came out all around and the velcro got wore out. I contacted Dajo directly and they sent me a replacement sheath free of charge (excellent customer service on there part), but I no longer carry this knife every day, and only use it on hiking trips, so the sheath will last longer. So far no problems with the new sheath.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
This knife seems to be just what I need for hiking. I haven't used it on the trail yet, but it looks to have all the things needed for a light duty trail and camp knife.
There are few tweeks I made to the system:
1) 550 cord is a necessity, on the knife and sheath. The stock cordage isn't worth putting in a hoodie. The scales on the knife are a bit squared off, and wrapping them in 550 makes for a really comfortable grip, plus it adds a couple feet of cord to your load. Daisy chaining 6-7 ft. off the bottom of the sheath is also better than the way it's laid out from the box. I strapped the ends of the daisy chain in the horizontal attachment strap.
2) Slipping the knife retaining velcro strap under the side 550 cord keeps them out of the way when sheathing the knife, but still gives adequate retention.
3) tying a small bit of 550 cord to the fire starter and whistle, then around the back of the sheath flap will keep them secure if it gets ripped free.
All easy and very much improve the fit and finish of the whole system
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
As someone previously had said, this knife looks and feels much better in your hands than what you would expect by looking at the catalog picture.
It is incredibly light and very sharp. The Fire Steel works fine but I only tested it enough to spark. I use the back of the blade - not the cutting edge. It is obvious to me just by holding it in my hands that you can not use this knife to pry anything with any amount of 'force'. If you need your knife to double as a pry-bar, get a Gerber LMF II. If you don't expect to do much prying with your knife, get the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife. The Buck Special 119 is also a very nice knife, sharp and relatively light for the size. If these three knives that I've mentioned (I own and use all of them) are too much knife for your needs, then you will likely be happy with this Dajo Survivor Knife.
Note: I think the Sheath is actually kind of cool but I agree with others in that I'm afraid I would lose it if it is not in a pocket or teathered (I teather all my gear anyway) due to the velcro. If they redesigned the sheath so that the knife snapped into the sheath or used single snap rather than velcro, I'd have no worries. But again, I personally chose this knife as a light back-up in my pack. My primary, depending on hike and itinerary, are the Gerber LMF II, Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife, SOG Jungle Primitive, SOG Seal Pup, or Buck Special 119. This Dajo Survivor will be used when I strip off the bulk of my gear for side excursions. A very nice, well crafted, light duty, knife.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
I was sold by the simple design and the inclusion of the fire starter and whistle.
When I took it out of the box, the sheath looked like an after thought. A small piece of velcro holds the knife in the sheath. When I was examining the sheath, the fire starter fell out. This could create a frustrating "survival" moment. I decided to return it.
The Ka-Bar Becker Necker is a better knife / sheath combination and is made in the USA.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
Was excited to take it to the woods and see what it could do. I started to carve some wood ( regular boy scout stuff)and the blade itself snapped. Was super disappointed, I took it back and exchanged it in for a new one. Excited to see what is to come of this blade. I do like how ever the fire starter.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Dajo Survivor Knife:
The entire package is crazy light at 6oz and since it has a fire starter, whistle, and a knife, in such a small and light package, its extra insurance that can be thrown in your pack in case something goes wrong on a hiking or camping trip. I thought the handle was funny looking but its actually quite comfortable, and the helps you grip the knife in multiple positions. I used the knife a few time, and the blade is razor sharp out of the box. The fire steel works fine, and the whistle is fine.
I do have a few beefs with the knife. First I have a love hate thing with the sheath. It is handy for attaching to a belt or a pack in multiple positions, but I would be leary strapping on this knife sideways or upside down, since the retention kind of stinks and the retention strap is a flimsy velcro strap. The blade itself is thin, and when you factor in the hollowed out groove across the top, this blade might break if you do serious work like prying, digging, or woodcraft, so it kind of defeats the purpose of having a fixed blade survival knife.
All in all the Dajo knife is a good camp knife for the money, and a good choice for ultralight guys. Its just I really hope REI picks up a similar product made by Gerber. That knife is much more sturdy, a 4 3/4" blade, a whistle, a firesteel, and a sharpener, all at 11 ounces.
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