If you end up stranded with just a knife, it might as well be a good one. That’s the thought process for owning and carrying a survival knife. They’re specialized tools for the worst day, week, or, hopefully not, month of your life. The problem is that a lot of survival knives couldn’t survive a week of Boy Scout camp, let alone anything the wilderness can throw at you.
The Fallkniven S1 is the exception. It has stood the test of time and remains a favorite knife for outdoorsmen, primitive skills practitioners, and the prepared. I tested this legendary survival knife to see if it’s still one of the best options.
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- Overall Length: 9.7″
- Blade Length: 5.11″
- Blade Thickness: .236″
- Blade Steel: Lam VG10, Lam VG7, or Lam CoS
- Handle Material: Thermorun
- Weight: 8.5oz
- Made in Japan
- Convex grind
- Price: $160 to $200
S1 Models Available
In the S1 universe you can get a S1X, a S1 Pro, and an S1 Forest Knife. The S1X’s have a slightly thicker blade stock and are made of Laminated Cobalt Special steel. The S1 Forest Knife uses VG10 blade steel and comes with a leather or Zytel sheath. You can find S1s that are made from laminated VG7 and include the Zytel sheath — the variant I own. The S1 Pro uses Lam.CoS steel and includes a Zytel sheath. The prices vary depending on the steel and sheath options, but the Forest Knife starts at $160 and the Pro will cost over $300.
Convex Edge
The mighty convex edge is the hallmark of the Fallkniven S1. Most knives have a flat grind with straight sides that come to a point. The S1’s bevels are slightly rounded, which adds more durability to the edge. What makes this grind excellent is that it improves edge durability without sacrificing much slicing ability. It also shears material away from the sides of the blade as it cuts. That shearing quality makes it a beast at splitting wood.
Read Next: Best Survival Knives
Sheath
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The retention switch.
Leather sheaths look great, but aren’t the best option in wet weather. Kydex is awesome in all weather, but retention can be an issue. Fallkniven has a smart solution that takes the best aspects of Kydex and adds reliable retention. There’s a switch on the side of the Zytel sheath that locks the blade in place. When you want to remove it, flip the switch up and the blade easily pulls free. It’s one of my favorite sheath designs, and the only con is that it’s slower to deploy the blade than a Kydex or leather sheath.
VG10 Steel
VG10 is a Japanese steel that takes a fine edge and is easy to sharpen. It’s mediocre in terms of durability and edge retention. A common steel to compare it to is 440C. Fallkniven doesn’t use VG10 for the entire blade, and instead laminates it with a tougher steel. So you your cutting edge will be made from VG10, CoS, or VG7, and the outer portion of the blade is made from 420J2. It’s one of the unique things about Fallkniven and certainly adds to their appeal.
Testing the Fallkniven S1
Sharpness
Out of the box, the Fallkniven S1 cut the filament on my BESS Sharpness Tester with 129 grams of pressure (three-cut average). That’s similar sharpness to a razor blade, and it easily cut thin catalog paper. While the spine of the knife is very thick at nearly 0.25-inch thick, the thickness right behind the edge is less than 0.015 inch. A knife that is sharp and ground thin usually slices well, so my hopes were high for the S1 going into cut testing.
After testing was completed the S1 cut the filament with 278 grams of pressure, which is still a sharp knife. It push cut standard printer paper with a few slight stutters.
Batoning
I went straight to batoning hardwood with the S1. The piece of wood I chose was dense and exceptionally difficult to split. But the thick spine and convex grind performed quite well. One downside is that the false edge on the point isn’t the ideal striking surface for a baton. A flat, thick spine that extends the full length of the blade would be my preference.
Tip Strength
I pounded the knife into wood, which was easy thanks to the exposed tang. Then I pried the point out of the wood. This puts a lot of stress on the weakest part of the blade, but the S1 did not break or take a set.
Fire Steel
Most knives with a crisp, sharp spine will throw a shower of sparks from a ferro rod, but they can vary in the intensity of sparks and the ease with which they’re produced. That can mean the difference between lighting up your tinder with a single strike or several. The S1 isn’t very good at striking a ferro rod, though it can produce sparks. If you rely on your knife for striking, modifying the spine is necessary for satisfactory performance.
Read Next: Best Ferro Rods
Carving and Chopping
I made feather sticks and green wood tent stakes with the Fallkniven. I was expecting it to bite into wood like a bushcraft knife, but it didn’t. Compared to my LT Wright Genesis Scandi, the S1 falls short in wood carving. It takes more effort to remove large slices, and it doesn’t have the same control for fine carving. While you’re not going to make a beautiful spoon with the Fallkniven, it can absolutely take on making tent pegs, cooking tripods, and other simple tools.
Compared to its woodworking ability, the S1 excels at making feather sticks. I had no issues producing fine curls that can ignite from a spark. I have a hard time keeping thin Scandi grinds from biting deep into the wood, and they require more finesse to produce feather sticks. The S1’s convex edge is more forgiving for me.
If you need a knife that can chop, you’d be better suited with something that has more blade length and more weight forward. The S1’s design is great for piercing, and it has impressive tip strength. The Fallkniven Modern Bowie or A1 would be much better choices for chopping.
What the S1 Does Best
The Fallkniven S1 is a tough and versatile knife. It’s still one of the best survival knives and a good outdoors blade when weight isn’t a factor. For a survival knife, it does a great job balancing durability with a thin edge. It’s made from a steel that is easy to sharpen in the field, and it has a fantastic sheath. If you do a lot of batoning, you’ll love how easily the S1 splits wood.
Where the S1 Can Improve
Knives are all about trade-offs. A knife can be excellent at slicing, but it will give up some durability. You can make a knife thick, but it won’t cut anything. The S1 does a good job striking a balance, but it leans toward robustness. It’s not the best option for food prep or fine carving.
If you want to strike a ferro rod with your knife, the S1 isn’t the best option. Its spine doesn’t have sharp edges that throw a hail storm of sparks.
The S1’s grip is fairly thin, square on the spine, and flat on the sides. It’s not the most ergonomic handle for me, and extended carving sessions were uncomfortable.
Final Thoughts
The Fallkniven S1 is a classic in the survial knife genre, but I think its age is starting to show. It can do some things well, like batoning, but it falls short to meet the needs of most modern survivalists.
These days many people have traded in their robust survival blades for smaller bushcraft knives. There’s certainly an argument that a small knife is all you need. But there’s also an argument that a stout blade is the better choice for survival. The good news is that you can always get both types of knives, and figure our which you prefer.
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