Knives are one of the most basic forms of survival gear you can have. Some of the most hardcore survival trainings on the market send people out with just a knife, which tells you how important this piece of equipment is. Today, I am reviewing the Survivor HK-729 Survival Knife. This is a good little entry level knife that you can keep in your bugout bag for when SHTF.

Market

The first thing that I want to state is this is not a high-end knife, this is an entry level tool that is a good starter when you need to have something in your kit. That being said, it is not a flimsy garbage knife you see at the fair, it is made for using outdoors. Now will it last years of hard use, not likely. But it you take care of it, then you have a good little knife for outdoor living or the survival situation that it was built for. 5 out of 10.

Usefulness and Utility

The HK-729 has a 7.5″ blade, which can be useful for cutting, self-defense, and batoning. The stainless steel blade should not rust, which makes the coating kind of redundant, but it also means that it will not hold its edge as well as a high carbon blade would. The serrations are decorative, they have no edge on them at all. The blade has a carved face, which is good for cutting and slicing but will force you to chop on the point, which can result in a broken blade (get an ax for chopping).

Usefulness 6

Utility 4.5

Usability

I like this length of knife because it gives your more meat on the blade when using it to split pieces of wood. Short knives give you less room for batoning. This blade also does not fall into the “bigger is better trap” where you have a small sword in your possession. One note is that the blade is longer than 4.5″ and 6″, which may run afoul of local concealed carry laws, so check what size of knife you can carry. As noted above, the stainless blade should not rust, but will require more sharpening. Overall, it is a useful knife, 5 of 10.

Cool Factor and Final Score

With the black look and the tactical style handle, the knife looks pretty badass. The pommel on it looks usable, but with the rubberized handle, I would be leery using it to pound. There is a good crossguard that should prevent your fingers from slipping also. While the serrations and blood grooves are useless, they do look cool. This gives the knife a cool look and a score of 6 out of 10.

Overall the knife scores a little above average. This is a tool, so if you use it like a tool it will work like a tool and wear out like a tool. The edge profile is nice for survival situations, and it is lightweight. Overall, we are looking at a total score of 26.5, which is a little above average. This knife is not a showstopper, but for $30 it is a great addition to your kit.

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Christopher W Smithmyer

Dr. Christopher Smithmyer is a writer for NRN, the Vice President of International Affairs at Brav Online Conflict Management, and an Adjunct Professor of MBA Business at Doane University. He is also part of the founding team at BlackWalletLTD, one of the leaders in stable coin 2.0 ecosystem maintenance. Dr. Smithmyer’s focus is international business and finance, along with reviews of board games, weapons platforms, and survival items.

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