Full disclosure – Gearbest.com sent me the HX Outdoors Survival Knife for free with the acknowledgement I would conduct an honest review.
The HX Outdoors Survival Knife is one of many knives in the “all-in-one” category. When carrying the HX not only do you have the knife itself but included in the sheath is a firestarter and sharpener. Often these types of knives are looked down upon and looked at as a gimmick. So, is the HX Outdoors Survival Knife any good?
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The photo slideshow below pictures the HX in new condition prior to testing.
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The HX Survival Knife is 8.6″ inches overall in length. Blade length is 3.5″ inches. This is not a large knife and most of it is handle. In the hand this thing feels rock solid and very controllable. For a knife this size it is rather heavy but for good reason. It is built form one solid block of steel – from tip to end.
The HX is made from “D2” steel. D2 steel is often used in applications such as shears, planners, and industrial cutting. Although not technically stainless it is very resistant to rust.
The handles are made from an extremely durable material called “G10” – which is very similar to Micarta. They are held in place by screws having Torx heads. I did throw the knife numerous times and was able to get it to stick consistently once distance and rotations were determined. In the process the knife hit the tree many times on its side and the handles never loosened up and no damage incurred other than scuff marks.
The blade came out of the box extremely sharp. In fact this was one of the sharpest knives I have ever had new. Coated with a flat black coating they call “vacuum plating black titanium”. Whatever it is so far it has held up well. The 3.5″ blade combined with large handle lends itself well to fine detailed carving and cutting. This is not a batoning knife.
The handle has two lashing holes and there is a third hole(lanyard) in the pommel. I did not try to attach the knife to a stick but it should be fairly easy. I like the size of the holes which seem sized perfectly for paracord.
The butt-end is solid and has numerous raised points to help it stay on task when pounding on nails – or trying to break a window. Remember – this knife is all from a solid piece of steel thus there is no concern of the butt-end coming off. I pounded the pommel on a large rock 50 times with nothing happening but some scuffs on the knife and creating some dust on the rock. It is solid.
The sheath is Kydex and the knife slides in easily then locks in place with an audible “snap”. Retainment is excellent. There is a slight wobble once in the sheath. No issues and it works well.
The built in fire starter works better than I do. I tried to start a fire a couple days after some torrential downpours and had little success. Strikes on the fire starter threw large sparks easily. Finding the right tinder was unsuccessful. While making my attempt one of my husky’s ran by and I reached out and grabbed a handful of fur(they are throwing their undercoat now). Placed the fur down and struck the ferrocerium rod and the fur lit right up. I tossed a Wetfire Tinder cube in and a fire was started.
The T-handle fire starter snaps into place on the sheath securely.
The sharpener is embedded along the spine of the sheath and feels rather rough. For putting an edge on a dulling blade to get it back into action it works well. Want a razor sharp edge? Look elsewhere as that is not its intended purpose.
The HX Outdoors Survival Knife is an excellent value. It is an extremely rugged knife with an excellent sheath and the side benefit of having a built-in fire starter and sharpener. It is machined from a solid block of steel and feels fantastic in the hand.
Cost is around $45.00 with Free Shipping.
Recommended.
I like the husky firestarting method. I will try that with our Sheltie fur.
I typically run my knives upside down on my left bag strap anchored down with molle gear attachments. Dis you happen to do anything like that ? Did everything stay where it was supposed to at various attitudes ? The video and stuff look like it’s pretty durable. Did you place the cutting surface on something and hammer it to cut whatever it was ? Finally .. what did yo use to sharpen it when yo udid .. I men I know it came sharp.. but later I mean ..
Thanks
GG58
goingray58 – I don’t think I would trust the sheath itself to hold the knife on a pack upside down. I don’t think it would fall out as it feels very secure however I would want some other method of retainment.
I did not hammer it through a stick however I did chop with it many times going through a very dry and hard piece of wood. No issues at all. As far as sharpening the edge stayed pretty good and I did use the sharpener to touch it up a bit. Not the best sharpener but for field use it works. I will upload a couple more pictures.
This really isn’t the best use of a knife this size but it survived just fine.
JR good photos. Thats a great idea re: animal fur from shedding.I will save some of our horses hair for an emergency..The birds love the mane and tail hairs when they shed for nest building.
How much does this knife cost? You did a superb job sharing it. Lightning
been playing with dryer lint as tinder .. If you clean out the Dryer filter .. and stuff in a snack baggie.. It’s been dried as dry and it can get .. It makes an great cradle to catch sparks.. If you put a fingertip of Petroleum jelly on it and or make a little box out of Duct tape with it .. works good … The Vaseline will even catch in a drizzle if you have a big spark.. You can toss all your lint in an old steno can and packing tape over the sealed lid and toss in a descant … no end of inventiveness and Murphy somehow will find an counter to every one I expect heh!!!. Good picts brother ..