Sometimes a smaller survival/combat fixed blade is all that will fit into your kit. This CSK II knife weighs out at very light 12.6 oz total weight while still providing a 6″ 1095 steel blade that can perform survival tasks (with some limitations). This blackened 3/16″ thick blade should slice well and helps keep the blade light. But it probably won’t be the best heavy duty wood splitter… it lacks the width and blade length. The lighter weight blade is fast and light in hand and would be …

This blade totally chipped out during light duty use in the woods. The video is an excerpt from my “Wilderness Lean-To” series. As explained in that series some live saplings were needed in that remote area for construction. Limb stripping them prepared them for use in the shelter. Watch what happens with the CSK II…

Here’s my knife collection. It includes: Gerber Paraframe Camillus 499 Pilot Survival Knife SOG SEAL Pup Cold Steel Recon Scout Wolverine Custom Machete Tremontina Machete I just sold my Camillus 499 to survival instructor Paul Tarsitano of www.savealifeca.com. I’ll miss it, but I know Paul will put it to good use. After all, how many knives do I really need? As usual, leave feedback and comments.

The Benchmade Pika II is difficult to open handed due to its overly strong back spring. That with some other minor issues resulted in my low likability and a tepid review previously. Enter the Pika G10 model, marketed under the BM Harley Davidson banner for now. It fixes some of the “Pinkachu” issues and is really a different knife. First, the Pika G10 deploys much quicker since it has a well-balanced back spring; not too strong, not too weak (it amazes me when a company gets this simplest …

Previously reviewed by me, the Pika II has some issues which do not endear the knife to me. One of the most serious was the lack of grip the spine jimping lacks. Here is a quick fix you might want to try that fixed the problem. Tools? Just a Dremel tool with a thin cut off wheel and some 400 grit sandpaper on a small wood block. Knife becomes a lot more useful with this mod!