$60ish fixed blade for camping

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fatherhudson

Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
494
Alright, I need to get a knife to use for camping/backpacking and whatnot. It's always nice to have a sturdy knife but in reality i find myself using my blades the most on tasks like cooking and other cutting chores. A 1/4 inch thick becker is way too much knife for me. I think 1/8 inch blade is more than enough. I want something that can slice. Also, an eskabar or an izula is already on my buying horizon so i want something a decent size. lets say 4 to 6.5 inches in blade length with the sweet spot being somewhere around 4.5 or 5 inches. carbon steel or stainless is fine. As for the price, It'd be nice to spend less but i also might be convinced to spend closer to a $100. I've considered going the bark river or falkniven route but i think more than $100 is just too much for a knife i plan on using hard.

Here are a couple i've kinda been considering:

Boker Magnum Highlands Ranger
Boker plus TUF
Buck 119

So far nothings really jumped out at me.

Oh and guys: I already own moras. they're amazing knives and i can do everything with them. Honestly one of the biggest reasons i want a new knife is for aesthetics. I think moras are kinda ugly.

Thanks! any suggestions appreciated.
 
The buck 119 is a nice one. Also have one
Have a look at the Ka Bar range as well :)
 
Take a look at the Becker Tweeners,they're about the right size and are great knives.I have a Buck 119,I think it's a very good knife too.
 
Cold steel Master hunter is a nice little knife for the money.
Decent steel, good handle and a nice sheath.
 
Lots of stuff from Condor that's well under that price point. I might suggest a Rodan or Varan. They're a little thicker than 1/8" at the spine, but they're a full flat grind with a very thin convex edge. My Rodan is my most used woods knife in spite of all of my other more expensive knives. It slices VERY well, and in spite of its similarity to the BK-2 in profile, it's a much lighter, thinner, more agile knife. Some find the handle a little chunky, but for me it's perfect for long-term use--and I have very small hands!
 
In the $60 price range your best bet would be the BK16 or 17. If you don't mind D2 and you want a more traditional blade you could try Queen's premium hunter line. They have 3 designs IIRC and they are all in the $60 price range. The blades are fairly thin stock compared to something like a BK2 and the steel used is D2 with a good heat treat. Once you reprofile the edge, and you will have to reprofile it, they'll make a good slicer. I have the hunter skinner one with redwood burl handles. It looks sorta like this one: http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/QN...r-Hunter-w-D2-Steel-8-inch-Overall-Oak-Handle. The hunter skinner has a 3.75'' blade, the sabre one has a 3.75'' and the drop point has a 3.5'' blade. The blades are shorter than what you're looking for but they're quality knives; they don't get mentioned around here much, though.

They also have a more traditional line with bone handles: http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/QN...h-D2-Steel-Blade-Aged-Honey-Stag-Bone-Handles.
 
becker tweener. bk15,16,17 any of those will fit your needs. Im partial to the 15 and 17, but the 16 also is awesome. here are ones i modded, in order 15,16,17
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Maybe one of the Spyderco or Kershaw fixed blades if you want something thinner than a Becker? I'm thinking along the lines of the Sypderco Salt fixed blade, Spyderco Bill Moran (probably too small), Kershaw Outcast (probably too big), Kershaw Fixed Blade Field Knife (probably too small), Kershaw Roughneck.
 
ESEE-4 would be a good choice if you are OK with spending closer to $100. The Becker BK-16 would be an awesome choice as well.
 
Take a look at the Ka Bar Mark 1 Navy knife. You can find it with a Kraton grip for under $47 shipped and with a stacked leather washer grip for just over $60. Blade is about 5 and 1/8th inch. Good sheath.

Joe
 
When I initially saw this thread the first knife to come to mind was the Condor Rodan, however this knife comes in a bit under your budget, but IMO it still is a great knife worthy of consideration.
 
I second/third the BK15. I didn't realize just how useful it would be when I first bought mine.

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Mora

There are a variety of blade lengths, stainless or carbon, wide selection depending whom you buy from.

Inexpensive, excellent slicers, sturdier than expected.
 
I do not consider Moras excellent slicers, except perhaps for the #223 and #333. Scandi grinds are great on wood, but generally are very poor slicers compared to other grinds, unless done in very thin stock which helps compensate somewhat.
 
One that I use for this purpose is the SOG Seal Pup Elite. But I know, almost nobody suggests SOG knives any more.
 
Im gunna say mora

but a Mora Leuku

I have one , to look at its kinda bleh ... ordinary , but to use .. yeah , Im liking it more and more .

Mines kinda new , been on a few trips with me now hunting and just camping . I took it for a toy to play with really but its fast becoming the go to knife for just about everything .
 
I had a similar set of criteria and went with the queen premium drop point hunter. It is a little shorter than you may be looking for but it is a great knife. The version I have has green burl maple handles. It is one of the more ascetically pleasing knives I have seen. The queen cutlery logo on the blade is a little to big and bold but can be easily removed with a little sanding. I did spend some time reworking the edge and handles. I posted a video of it on YouTube if you are interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E07n_3cYm30

I got mine from a forum member on here for $42 shipped I couldn't pass it up.
 
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