3/10/17 UPDATE: And the winnder is... Starter Fixed Blade?? Buck/Gerber/Mora/Other?

BOSS1

BOSS1

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Greetings all,

I'm starting to snoop around for a couple of 'starter' fixed blades.

Parameters:

Economical: Sub $75 preferred. (trying to avoid the 'For just a little more $$ you can get X/Y/Z...remember, I need 2-3 of these)
Stainless preferred for ease of maintenance...doesn't have to be the latest/greatest whizbang uber super steel.
Full Tang
Part of 'system' out of the box- integrated fire steel/field sharpener/whistle if possible.
Functional Pommel
Brightly colored to ease in location
Solid traction grip
Functional Design
Commonality: 2-3 of the same knife
Easy to obtain - I don't want to have to search the classifieds for weeks/months...

The two that have kind of caught my eye are the Buck Selkirk and the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro Knife...yes really. (If you're just going to flame on the Gerber, don't bother...really...please don't). The Mora Garberg is also being considered. There are some high value Schrades, but they're a little rougher around the edges than I'd like.

Yes, I'm aware that ESEE/Becker/Bark River/Swamprat/Enzo/etc.etc.etc. all make great knives...but pushing the $100 mark and beyond when you start getting into more components. Again, looking for a basic 'starter' that I can buy, pull out of the box, check the edge (touch up if necessary), put on the belt and go. If they want higher end down the road, we can look into it.

So what say you?

3/10/17: See final post (Hint: it's a Browning')

BOSS
 
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I would look at the Mora 2000 series. Just under $30 so you could easily get two with your budget and they are top notch knives with a cult-like following.

Edit to add: they do not come with the Fire steel or whistle like you wanted but with the $15 you have left over, you could easily buy these separately.
 
I just checked out the Bear Grylls knife online. It does have everything you are looking for in one package. I know a lot of people like to dump on him and his products but when you get down to it, a knife is a knife. I am not sure your intended usage but this just might fill your needs.

I guess it comes down to pros/cons:

Mora pros: cheap, good reputation
Cons: does not include fire steel or whistle

Bear pros: includes what you are looking for
Cons: reputation, twice as much as Mora
 
Except for the full tang and functional pommel (not sure what you intend there, hammering?) you are describing Moras "Light my fire" model to a T. Otherwise, the Companion, Companion HD, 2000, Pro, Robust, Bushcraft, Garberg, take your pick.
 
Gerber Strongarm is a good knife ( not brightly colored though ; only coyote and black)
The 420HC holds a good edge and easy to sharpen ; doesn't rust easily.
The grip is really good with the overmold , and the sheath system has a few mounting options and retention is good. Should be around 50-60 bucks. The other knife in that range I'd go with is the Sog Seal Pup Elite.
The firestarter thing you can always rig-up yourself easily.

I use much higher-end knives now, but those two knives I've used a fair bit and I can rely on them to get the job done. I original started on Moras many years ago and they work , just wanted nicer knives and moved on.
 
I do hate the Gerber BG stuff because the initial stuff was trash, but the pro series stuff is pretty legit.
 
For <$30 per, the Mora Light My Fire is a great starter with a fire steel included.

Not full tang, but certainly enough knife to get the job done. At the price, a few budget smith's sharpeners or ceramic field stones and whistles are still well within the budget.

They're also available in multiple colors.
 
Kabar 1226 or 1232 are also solid, "nicer", options at around $30, buthe again, other accessories will need to be purchased separately, (though none are overly expensive).
 
Greetings,

Thanks for the replies. I should probably clarify...~$75 range each, not for all three. Also, these will need to be compatible with smaller hands, so on the slimmer side.

Mora has a great following, with good reason. I own one, great light weight user. And perhaps a couple in the packs could be 'back ups'...but I'd personally feel a little more confident, if I can make the choice in advance, of having something a little stronger/more durable (ie full tang). I have yet to hear someone ever legitimately directly complaining about having too much strength/durability (they might complain about weight/thickness, etc tho),

I dunno, still in consideration, and who knows, something really slick may come out before I pull the trigger on whatever I decide.

Right now, I the Selkirk has a lot going for it, its a Buck, looks like it would be a relatively good 'all arounder.' I actually look at it more of a camp/field knife rather than a 'survival' knife. The satin blade would probably be good if it were to be pressed into food prep. At only 1/8" thick with basically a high grind, it should cut pretty well. Druthers...I'd like to see a lanyard. Not having 'I'm right here' bright colors can be compensated a good bit with a good blaze orange lanyard, which is not possible on this knife as it has no lanyard hole, really sort of a bummer actually. No sharpener, but that's fairly low on the priorities...I do wish they'd have bumped it up to 3/16th for a little more heft and confidence. But it would be a good choice, particularly if were a 'one and only one' knife on the outing (which normally, it wouldn't be).

The BG Pro I think has a bit more going for it in terms of 'Survival' over the Selkirk. The blade is closer to the thicker 3/16 inch range. It has the lanyard loop, bright colors, good 'grippy' grip, and what appears to be a fairly capable pommel (if a rock or similar isn't available). I also prefer the Pro's spine location for the fire steel vs. the choil on the Selkirk (tho I think a Bic lighter would most often times be the first choice in the fire starting category). I think if you were carrying something like a SAK or multi-tool in conjunction with the Pro, it would work pretty well. And the priorities of survival pamphlet isn't completely useless...if somebody got lost/separated from their group and started panicking a little, it might give them some guidance to what to do, set up a shelter and whatnot if they were going to spending a night in the woods.

So at this point, I'm probably leaning toward the Pro/smaller folder combo. Between the two, for the intended purpose, it seems to have a bit of an edge over the Selkirk. Will meditate on further ;), and perhaps explore other options.

BOSS
 
I'll throw this out there... Buck 119 or Kabar 1317... I prefer the latter. I have it and use it... great knife.
 
gazz98 said:
I think DDDWho was referring to the Mora Bushcraft Survival.

http://www.bladehq.com/item--Mora-of-Sweden-Morakniv-Bushcraft--16229

Integrated system: knife + sheath + firesteel + sharpener. Under budget. Bright orange. Only box it doesn't check is full tang and whistle. Plenty of room in the budget for a whistle + ranger band to attach to sheath. For a starter knife, I'd suggest this.
Click to expand...

That's a very solid consideration. I've handled that model, and it wouldn't be a bad choice. But there's no getting around the tang issue, which is a main decision point for me...in my mind, its sort of like buying a Corvette with a V6...yeah, it gets the job done, but you really want the V8. The lanyard hole, pommel, and whistle are just other little perks.


Lapedog said:
Camillus makes a Les George knife to compete with Gerbwr's bear Grylls.
Click to expand...

No thanks, not really what I'm after.


BOSS
 
KaBar USMC or Ontario SP1 to start...If you're willing to man up and spend 110ish, the TOPS Jackal is one you can actually EDC and use for anything...
 
gazz98 said:
I think DDDWho was referring to the Mora Bushcraft Survival.

http://www.bladehq.com/item--Mora-of-Sweden-Morakniv-Bushcraft--16229

Integrated system: knife + sheath + firesteel + sharpener. Under budget. Bright orange. Only box it doesn't check is full tang and whistle. Plenty of room in the budget for a whistle + ranger band to attach to sheath. For a starter knife, I'd suggest this.
Click to expand...

This x1000.

I have one. Very robust knife. If you can break it you're doing something very very wrong.
It really does check all your boxes.

If your issue with the tang really does kill that, Another thought on a very good solid knife, but also slim is the Ontario Rat-3. Yeah you do trade carbon steel for stainless, but a) the blade is coated and b) how hard is it to wipe a blade with oil very so often?
 
The buck selkirk, I thought, was a pretty good looking knife with a decent starting kit. The issue seems to be QC with the imported buck knives, which it is. I ended up finding a guy that does cheaper than premium leatherwork on ebay that had a horizontal carry sheath paired with a used rat 5 for around $100 instead.

The mora ushcraft survival seems like a solid choice, maybe get a whistle and just tether it to the fire steel aftermarket and you have a nice setup.
 
Fox European Hunter - flat ground n690 steel, made in italy, for around $60 is a pretty great deal; and a decent leather sheath out of the box.

SOG Huntspoint Skinning knife - flat ground aus8, made in taiwan, a bit smaller edge but with nice finger choil for finer tasks, might be well suited for those smaller hands you speak of. Assuming the smaller hands are attached to smaller people, a smaller knife will feel much bigger to them.

Steel Observer in 440c with a kydex sheath. Not sure of the belt attachment system, but Real Steel has been recieving pretty high praise for a Chinese import company.

All 3 are pretty solid stainlesses with good toughness, a step up in edge holding from 420hc, (n690 a couple steps), and all have lanyard holes to attach bright lanyards.
 
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Does the 440c version of the ESEE ring any bells for you? I know it is out of the price range, so I won't try to convince you too hard. The carbon versions can be found for good prices, just a little maintenance which I think is a good trade off.

Also,just a thought, Condor makes a good decent stainless machete, pair that with a smaller fixed blade or Mora, and a SA, then you have the workings of your own Nessmuk trio. Play around with the idea, and you can get the other things you want for a decent price.

Either way let us know how it goes. Good luck.
 
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You mentioned the Selkirk. I have one. It's an excellent general purpose knife and meets all of your criteria but one. I think the handle is a bit large for those with small hands. My hands are on the smaller end of what will fit into a size L glove and the the handle fits my hand perfectly.

If you are looking at the Selkirk, it might be worth waiting until the small Selkirk comes out. If the difference in handle size is similar to the difference in handle size on the folding Selkirk, it will make quite a difference (the small is just right for me, but the large is definitely too big).
 
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