Survival

Rite Edge Tanto Survival Knife with Fire Starter Review | Survival-Mastery

Edge Rite Tanto Survival Knife and Its Components

The Rite Edge Tanto Survivor Fire Starter knife is a simple, durable survival knife that is a good backup option to keep in a bugout bag or carry in your car for emergencies.

This is a full tang knife offered at a good price point, so if you are looking for a reasonably priced knife that offers good value then this knife should be on your short list.

Rite Edge Tanto Survival Knife
$10.79

The Rite Edge Tanto Survival Knife with Fire Starter is a good backup blade for your bugout bag, or to keep in your backpack or truck. This is a 7", stainless steel blade that is full-tang. This knife is durable and lightweight, easily carried wherever you need it.

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Pros

  • Light Weight
  • Full-tang
  • Durability

Cons

  • Firestarter does not spark on the knife

Survival Knife Criteria

In the case of a survival knife, I want a knife that I can depend on in many situations. Therefore, it needs to be durable and versatile.

  1. Full tang – A blade that extends through the handle, or is full tang, is essential. The knife may be used for chopping or tasks other than just defense or cutting.
  2. Blade Material – Carbon or stainless steel are ideal for a survival knife blade. They have different characteristics, but both are hard and the best materials for this type of knife.
  3. Handle – Since you may be chopping or beating with this knife, the handle must be solid and durable. This is often a rubber handle or a handle wrapped with material like paracord. A lanyard attached to the handle is also a good option, so you don’t lose the knife when sawing or chopping.
  4. Blade Type – A fixed straight or serrated blade is most common on survival knives. Both have their advantages, and neither is wrong or right. However, a serrated edge is more difficult to sharpen and needs a more specialized sharpener.
  5. Knife Size – Ideally, you want a 6-12 inches long knife and 3/16 – 1/4 of an inch thick. Knifes longer than this are a pain to carry, and anything smaller may not provide the functionality you need. Blade thickness is also necessary since you will be using the knife for chopping and hitting.
  6. Sheath– A sheath needs to be durable and comfortable. More than likely, you will carry a survival knife on your belt.

Rite Edge Tanto Survival Knife – Specifications

DimensionsBlade length, 4.5″, Handle length, 2.5″, Overall length 7″
Weight7 oz
MaterialsStainless Steel
SheathNylon
HandleParacord
ColorBlack
Cordless ChargingYes

Competitors

The Rite Edge Tanto Survivor Fire Starter Knife has several comparable competitors.

Rite Edge Tanto Survival Knife with Fire Starter – Out of the Box

Stainless steel blade on the Tanto Survival Knife

The full tang knife balances well in my hand out of the box and feels durable. I like the black blade and paracord-wrapped handle.

One thing I noticed is that “Stainless” is stamped on the knife, although the product description is “carbon.” Based on the price and hardness of the blade, I would say this is probably a stainless knife.

The knife-edge is reasonably sharp, but you will want a better edge before you put it away or use it, so plan on sharpening the knife when you receive it. For ten bucks, though, the blade has a better edge than I expected.

The nylon sheath is a basic sheath with a velcro strap for the handle, and a fire starter with a lanyard tucked into a small pouch on the front of the sheath.

Rite Edge Tanto Survival Knife – Components

The components of the knife and those that come with it are straightforward.

  1. Knife Blade– A stainless steel, 7″ knife with a 4.5″ blade. The knife, sheath, and paracord are all black.
  2. Handle – This is a full tang knife, and the handle is wrapped with black paracord. A paracord lanyard is attached through a hole at the end of the handle.
  3. Sheath – The sheath is made of nylon, and the opening at the top is large, so it will fit multiple belt sizes.
  4. Fire Starter – The fire starter has a lanyard on the end and sits in a small pouch on the front of the sheath.

Knife Blade

There will always be a debate on carbon vs. stainless, and I’ll save my opinion for another article. Regardless, this is a solid, durable blade with a decent edge. As I mentioned earlier, this appears to be a stainless knife.

In addition, the knife is nice-looking with the beveled sides, and it also has a serrated back which is good to have on a survival knife. I also like the finger guard, so you don’t have to worry about cutting yourself while using the knife.

Handle

This is a full tang knife, and the handle section is wrapped in paracord. There is also a paracord lanyard hole and lanyard attached. This type of handle is fine for this small knife since you probably won’t use it much for chopping due to its size.

Sheath

The sheath is a basic nylon sheath. The knife slides in and out easily, and a nylon loop with velcro holds the handle in place. The nylon has rubber or plastic backing that is sewn to it, providing good rigidity for the sheath.

In the front of the sheath is a small nylon pocket that holds the fire starter.

Fire Starter

The fire starter is a small steel Ferro rod that has a plastic cap with a lanyard running through it.

Rite Edge Tanto Survival Tanto Knife with Fire Starter – Function

This full-tang, stainless steel knife is durable and sharp enough out of the box. By sharp enough I mean sharp enough to be used immediately. This does not mean it was sharp enough for me though. I immediately honed my edge to razor-sharp!

The knife is easy to grip and balances well but the back corners of the handle are still sharp if gripping the blade tightly. I would suggest more paracord or some type of rubber over the end of the handle.

I like the serrated back on the knife, and the large finger guard, or rounded area just below the blade. This is a good feature to prevent slicing my hand if stabbing or chopping.

There is not much to say about the nylon sheath. It is durable and functional and will loosen over time so it is more comfortable. Keep in mind though that this will probably losen the section that goes over a belt, possibly causing it to slide too much. I would replace the sheath with one that fits your belt.

The small nylon loop on the sheath has velcro on the inside. This will keep your knife secure with normal use, but the knife may come loose if you are moving through heavy brush, or if the handle catches on something.

The fire starter was problematic for me. I used the fire starter with the back of the knife and got no sparks. I expect this is because the knife is stainless and it is tough to get good sparks with a Ferrao rod from stainless steel.

Rite Edge Tanto Survival Knife – Final Thoughts

At this price point, this is a solid back-up knife to your primary survival knife. The sheath and fire starter are easily substituted, and the knife itself is easily worth this price.

This is a durable knife that will serve you well for a long time.

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About the author

Ellie Thomas

Survival-Mastery reflects my love of the outdoors and having the skills to take care of myself in the wilderness and in worst-case scenarios. I grew up in the southeast backpacking, camping, and fishing, and I have hiked and backpacked over 15,000 miles in the US. My background and career for the past 30 years has been in operations and construction and I enjoy learning and DIY projects.

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