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looking for fixed blade suggestions.

S

smithymcworble

Joined
Sep 17, 2012
Messages
9
I am looking for a good fixed blade knife for bushcrafting/survival purposes. So Preferably a heavy duty knife that is straight-edged with good edge retention. I am pretty much looking in all price ranges but below two hundred would be great. Welcoming any and all suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
 
Are you looking for a traditional style fixed blade or something more modern? Maybe taking a look around the Wilderness Survival & Skills section of this website could help you figure this out?
 
Have you considered a puukko? They're available at all price points. You can get a sweet one for $200.

mymikkoinkeroinentommi4.jpg


- Christian
 
^Probably the best outdoors knives I have ever used were puukkos. I have handled quite a few of them and I have fallen in love every time. The only thing that I do not get about them is how to properly sharpen a scandi, I suck at it.
If I got outside more often, I would justify buying one no problem.

Basically, I give kamagong's suggestion a 2x:thumbup:


**and what constitutes heavy duty? I am not making an attempt to be an instigator, I just feel that the term 'heavy duty' should be defined before proceeding.
 
I have been liking the look of some of the classic ka-bar knives.

I will have to look at some reviews for a puukko thanks for that.

And by heavy duty I mean one you could do some light chopping with and expect it to hold up in a nuclear war kind of heavy duty. I am working on my bug out bag and starting an INCH bag.

Sorry should have been a bit more specific.
 
This might do better in the "Outdoor Gear, Survival Equipment & More" sub forum. I'll move it there.
 
Becker BK-16, ESEE-4 Becker BK-7, Becker BK-9 if you want a chopper. I only recommend knives I own and have used and those three fit the bill. Three of my favorites, and they all fall well within your price range with wiggle room for after-market upgrades.
 
I second the becker's. My bk9 and bk14 make a great big knife, little knife combo. Or if you want an unbreakable handmade BIG knife, Himalayan imports khukuris are great choppers and very reasonably priced.
 
I have been liking the look of some of the classic ka-bar knives.
Click to expand...

If you like more militant knives, and want a nice bushcrafter, take a look at Bark River's Bravo 1, they're beautiful and functional:

002.jpg
 
I love my Fallkniven F1. I have 4 of them and keep them in every kit.
 
Have you considered a custom, we have some super talented makers on these forums that can make whatever you can draw or describe at a great price !
 
pitdog said:
Have you considered a custom, we have some super talented makers on these forums that can make whatever you can draw or describe at a great price !
Click to expand...

I knew you'd suggest a custom, just as I was going to. Get it right the first time. Go with something you design yourself. :thumbup:
 
If you want a good survival knife I think the Fallkniven F1 is really good.

If you want a good bushcrafting knife I'd go for something with a thinner blade, scandi grind and contoured handle.
 
I use/own only Bussekin (Busse Combat, Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard). This decision wasn't reached lightly. I owned, used and tested many many many other brands and designs (Becker, Buck, Gerber, KaBar, Ontario, etc etc etc). In the end, I decided my knife was my single most important bit of kit, and therefore a place I didn't' want to cut corners (pun intended).

Your $200 price range places you squarely in the Scrap Yard and Swamp Rat range. I'd recommend something with 5-8" x 1/4". I prefer drop points with full flat grinds, but that's just my personal preference.

I'm about to post a BUNCH of my duplicate Scrap Yard and Swamp Rat knives on the Exchange (to fund my growing INFI addiction). Drop me a line if you're interested in "first pick". I'll have the following available:

511
711
Chopweiler
Dogfather CG
Dumpster Mutt CG
Dumpster Mutt Double Cut
Ratmandu
Regulator
Rodent Solution
Son of a Dogfather CG
Swamp Warden
Yard Keeper CG
Yard Keeper LE
 
smithymcworble said:
I have been liking the look of some of the classic ka-bar knives.

I will have to look at some reviews for a puukko thanks for that.

And by heavy duty I mean one you could do some light chopping with and expect it to hold up in a nuclear war kind of heavy duty. I am working on my bug out bag and starting an INCH bag.

Sorry should have been a bit more specific.
Click to expand...

I broke a KaBar, and do not recommend them for survival. This is offensive to those who revere the design, but the toothpick tang just isn't up to the task of truly hard survival use.
 
Thanks everyone so far. I suppose I should try to narrow it down by steel as well.

What is the steel with the best edge retention you would still trust to not be so brittle that it might break/chip? I have heard horror stories about Ka-Bars chipping terribly. Including a video of some guy chopping with it and a huge bite came out of the knife.

Would You trust some like, oh let's say s90v steel for a knife to chop with?
 
How good are you at sharpening knives? That steel you suggested is hard steel. a fellow sent me a knife made of that and I was like YUCK.

Pitdog, gave you a suggestion about a custom. Contact him and ask him about the custom knives he has. He has knives from many of the custom makers that belong to blade forums. He is a wealth of knowledge on knives and posts enough about his adventures out in the woods making traps and triggers and starting fires and ETC. He is one guy that gets out there and uses his knives.

Bryan
 
I doubt you're going to find the right knife on your first try. There are thousands of perfect knives out there that you will dislike, because they're not perfect for YOU. Just because you spent a lot of money on a knife that other people love and that gets good utube reviews :barf: doesn't mean it will be right for you at all.

Since you don't seem to have an exacting criteria of characteristics, I'd put off buying a custom knife, or any other expensive knife for that matter, and buy a couple different styles of lower priced quality knives and see what you like. Give yourself some time and really use the knives. The world ain't going to end soon, and if it does it won't matter what knife you have with you.

My only good suggestion for brands would be anything from Mora, where your dollar buys nine times its' worth. I know there are other high value-to-cost companies out there, but I'm not personally familiar with them. I'm sure others can chime in.
 
smithymcworble said:
I am looking for a good fixed blade knife for bushcrafting/survival purposes. So Preferably a heavy duty knife that is straight-edged with good edge retention. I am pretty much looking in all price ranges but below two hundred would be great. Welcoming any and all suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Ill second or third the suggestion to look into the custom makers here at Bladeforums.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/807-Hosted-Knifemaker-s-Forums

I can recommend Gossman Knives and Fiddleback Forge in the sub forum. The knives I have by both makers are well built, strong, look great, and perform excellently for bushcraft and survival skill training.
 
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