A new fixed blade steel recommendation please.

O

onionsninja

Joined
Jan 30, 2021
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Hi all, I'm looking for recommendation on a new fixed blade steel.

I started out with 420HC, VG10, 12C27, S35VN. So far, these have been on the softer side. Now I'm looking at purchasing a new harder use steel in fixed blade and hoping the experiences here could help. My specs and desirables are.

- Sheath
- Fixed blade
- Slicier grinds
- Portable (no bigger than 4")
- Less prone to chipping and rust
- Available in non-coated finishes
- Reasonable price for what you get
- Prefer one with handle (not a fan of steel handles)
- Harder use steel that's stainless and relatively easy to sharpen
- The maker is known for excellent heat treating and quality control

I don't have a lot of experiece in super steel/hard-use steel. So far I've considered 3V, M390, S110V steels. Totally open to suggestions.

If you could be specific with what knife/steel/grind, etc that will help a lot.

Thank you in advance!
 
The only maker that comes to mind, right away, is BUSSE.
There is a Busse forum here on BladeForums, and used ones are often available.
They are not cheap...expect to pay $400 and up, but the INFI steel will not chip,
sharpens easily, and is a life-time knife. Some of them come with awfully thick blades,
and I would avoid any thing over 0.156" in spine width, and 1/8" is even better...
 
Cpm 3V, Z-wear/CPM Cru-Wear, or CPM 4V.
Would be y recommendations.

Check out Bradford Knives. They have options in 3V and I think they have 4V as well. They also have M390 blades. They have a 3.5 inch blade model that would suit you well.

Avoid S110V, its difficult to sharpen without CBN or diamond stones. It doesn't have the toughness you are looking for.

Good luck!
 
What knives are you buying with VG10, 12C27, S35VN run too soft??

What is your budget? Are you looking for custom makers, or production knives?

First off, s110v is in no way a hard use steel.

It is a high wear steel, with very poor toughhness!! Difficult to sharpen.

Of the steels you listed, CPM3V is one I recommend for a super tough steel with decent edge retention and ease of sharpening.

Some one above recommended Busse. They make very nice hard use knives. INFI in my experience is super tough. Basically stainless. Easy to sharpen, and takes extreme abuse. Very resistant to chipping. I've never really had one rust, even when swimming and canoeing with them. It does not have high wear resistance.

I've owned them in thick and thin designs.


One thing to weigh, is that you are talking about custom prices when looking at Busse. Another is that they typically are sold without sheaths. So you have to have a cusrom maker make one, make your own, or have to make your own. Unless you are buying secondary market.

I've gravitated more towards customs lately.


One steel you don't mention is AEBL. I have two customs in this steel, and love them every bit as much as I love my CPM3V customs. Super tough, easy to sharpen, stainless and also decent edge retention.
 
onionsninja said:
My specs and desirables are.

- Sheath
- Fixed blade
- Slicier grinds
- Portable (no bigger than 4")
- Less prone to chipping and rust
- Available in non-coated finishes
- Reasonable price for what you get
- Prefer one with handle (not a fan of steel handles)
- Harder use steel that's stainless and relatively easy to sharpen
- The maker is known for excellent heat treating and quality control
Click to expand...

Bradford 3.5 is a great piece. It ticks all of your boxes:

-Sheath: It comes with a leather or a kydex sheath.
-Fixed Blade: Yep
-Slicier grinds: You can choose a sabre grind, which is damned slicy, or choose a full flat grind.
-Portable (no bigger than 4"): You didn't specify 4" meaning blade or overall length, so I'm figuring blade here and saying "Yep"
-Less prone to chipping and rust: Bradford's M390 will fill your bill here
-Available in non-coated finshes: Yep. But I think his Nimbus finish is pretty darn cool.
-Reasonable price for what you get: I don't know what is reasonable to you personally, but this is a lot of bang for the buck IMO.
-Prefer one with handle (not a fan of steel handles): I don't blame you, and Bradford has a pile of choices for the handle of the G3.5
-Harder use steel that's stainless and relatively easy to sharpen: Yep and Yep
-The maker is known for excellent heat treating and quality control: I think you will be more than satisfied in both departments by Bradford.

Take a jaunt through Bradford's website and look around.

fishface5 said:
@davidmary
He does slicy small fixed blades in Aebl I believe
Click to expand...

And yeah... @davidmary will fill in all of your boxes as well. Excellent recommendation.
 
You already have a bunch of SS knives. You want something different, tougher, easier to sharpen. I'd leave the SS camp (especially not S110V or M390 for a larger, hard-use FB) and look at knives in O1, A2, CruWear, 80CrV2, CPM-M4, or 3V... non-stainless steels that will give you something different. A2 is one of my favorite FB steels. It's seems to be a good balance between toughness, edge holding, ease of sharpening, and moderately corrosion-resistant.

L. T. Wright & Bradford are brands that come to mind right away. If you want to spend a bit more, a Winkler in 80CrV2 will give you a really tough knife that's pretty easy to sharpen in the field. It's not particularly "slicey", but the edge angle can be reset relatively easily. If you really want a SS, try N690Co from Arno Bernard (on the high $ side compared to Wright & Bradford). It's a SS that has very good corrosion resistance, is pretty easy to sharpen, and will be moderately tough in a FB the way he runs it. His knives are cutters, though, not choppers.

I'd also recommend looking at knives in the maker's subforum here on BF. There are some astounding knives being made and offered here at prodco prices by highly skilled craftsmen.
 
Thanks all, the Bradford 3.5 and the 3 look great!

How ergonomic is the G3.5 vs G3 handles? Also, I watched a couple of reviews and cut tests that pointed out that M390 doesn't perform compared to 3V, S30V. Does anyone have all three steels from Bradford (3V, M390, in the same knife model) and can comment on the steels? Do you need to keep oiling the 3V after every use like the 1095?
 
Definitely 3V or Cruwear for hard use! I’ve also used White River’s S35VN and find it easy to sharpen and have had no issues with chipping.
 
What tasks do you want to perform with the fixed blade?
Steel recommendations are going to differ depending on the tasks you plan to most commonly perform.
Hunting/skinning knife?
Bush craft?
Camp knife?
Long term survival stuck in the wild?
Day hiking?
And what is your budget?
 
knarfeng said:
What tasks do you want to perform
Click to expand...

I would like it to be as versatile as possible. Everyday carry (so not huge that it will attract negative attention, slicy, and not too heavy) tasks at home and work. Cutting zip ties, plastic bottles some cardboard boxes. Cutting vegetables and fruits while out and about. Quite unlikely that I'm going to baton anything with it, but it'll be good to know that it will be able to handle some if required. I don't want to have to oil it after every single use. Nothing much more than a good and quick wipe down with a cloth and water after use. Flexible on the budget, say up to $150-$300 (would rather buy a decent blade once).
 
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I have and use these:

Mini Tundra
Bravo 1 LT
Gunny Hunter
Ultralite Bushcrafter
Tundra

Others, just as good:

Aurora LT
Mini Aurora
Bushcrafter LT
Canadian special
Featherweigh Hunter
Kephart
Cub

Most are in 3V, some are Cruwear, or Elmax.
 
LT Wright knives, a Kephart pattern such as the Genesis or a Northern Lights Hunter or smaller hunter in AEBL, their version of a Canadian Belt Knife. I have liked the GNS too. I believe the GNS and Kephart are available in different steels.
And 3v has been what I have noticed and read here that people feel is a good combination of toughness and edge retention and able to sharpen. A2 is a good one, an old standby. Fiddleback uses A2 & has been using a lot 8670 which is tough. Check the exchange, a lot of good things show up in the makers' section as well as individuals selling fixed blades too.
 
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Thanks everyone! After reading all the comments and doing my own research. I came down to these makers (in no particular order. Specifically in 3V, saber grind, light to medium weight). Could use your help deciding between them all.
  • Brad Ford:
    • Guardian 3
    • Guardian 4
  • Bark River:
    • Mini Aurora
    • Gunny
    • Gunny Hunter
If I'm not wrong, the Bradford's Guardian looks more serviceable ( can be taken apart to clean) than the Bark River's set-and-forget rivet handles? I'm just going to grab a Mora Companion Heavy Duty on the way out for a cheap, senseless abuse :D. Might have to sell my White River Backpacker Pro in S35VN to make fund for whatever I'm going to replace it with.

There are some other great suggestions in the thread, but they are little chunky and heavy to EDC.
 
onionsninja said:
Could use your help deciding between them all.
  • Brad Ford:
    • Guardian 3
    • Guardian 4
If I'm not wrong, the Bradford's Guardian looks more serviceable ( can be taken apart to clean) than the Bark River's set-and-forget rivet handles? I'm just going to grab a Mora Companion Heavy Duty on the way out for a cheap, senseless abuse :D. Might have to sell my White River Backpacker Pro in S35VN to make fund for whatever I'm going to replace it with.

There are some other great suggestions in the thread, but they are little chunky and heavy to EDC.
Click to expand...

The Bradford 3.5 fits right in there you know. ;)

And if I may, what did you not like about the White River Backpacker Pro? I find it to be a fantastic piece.

If you need to off it, shoot me a PM and maybe I'll add it to one of the boys' packs.
 
Cold Steel Master Hunter in 3V . 4.5 " blade in a proven design . Small enough to carry easy but big enough for most chores short of chopping .

Just noticed you can backorder one for $99 . Very hard to beat that ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I've had both the mini-Aurora and the Bradfords. I kept the Bradfords because they just work so well and I liked the grind and the steel better than the BRKT mini-A (mine was A2, IIRC. It was one of the first ones out several years ago). The Aurora is a looker, no doubt. The Bradfords aren't sexy IMAO, but they get the job done with no complaints and no issues, and they're always ready for more. I like the way Bradford does their 3V. It holds an edge pretty well, it's not bad about corrosion, although I keep mine dry even if it's not always oiled, and it's double tough.
 
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