Advise for a rookie knife guy

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Timothy79

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Mar 13, 2018
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I'm new to the world of knives. I always had a pocket knife but I've been doing a lot of wood work outdoors and looking into something bigger like a nice fixed blade. Not really sure about the laws in NJ for length. I do know certain knives are illegal like butterfly and switch. I've been looking into White River and Esee but I think for the price I will be to easy on it. Maybe a good starter for me would be a Gerber Strongarm or ka-bar M119? I'm looking for suggestions and maybe even a few of you guys make your own? Any advise and recommendations please!! Thank you.
 
Gerber Strongarm is a good starter fixed blade. They have a newer one that just came out with upgraded steel but the 420hc version works fine just need to sharpen it more often, but it's easy to sharpen.

Of course mora is always good and even more affordable.
 
Mo2 said:
Gerber Strongarm is a good starter fixed blade. They have a newer one that just came out with upgraded steel but the 420hc version works fine just need to sharpen it more often, but it's easy to sharpen.

Of course mora is always good and even more affordable.
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I agree completely.

I like the Stongarm so much that I’ve bought 4 and leave them on my tractor, polaris, barn, and on my farm truck. Solid knife.

The mora is a classic knife that’s cheap, lightweight and a very very good starter knife.

Esee knives (I have the Izula 2 and Esee 3) have an outstanding no question asked warranty. I’d recommend them as well.
 
I would take a serious look at Schrade, real steel, and Ruike.
Schrade - SCHF37, SCHF51, and some of their smaller fixed blades are very good for the price.
Real Steel - Bushcraft plus, Bushcraft 2, Forager, and the pointman. Love my point man for EDC fixed blade, and Bushcraft plus for in the woods. All their blades feel good in hand IMO
Ruike - The Jager is a very good, pretty dang tough stainless option! Feels good in hand.
Moras are always good options too
 
Like someone earlier stated Esee has one of the best warranties out there. You could jump up and down on the blade to see if it snaps for shits and giggles. Knowing that you're backed up for life should help dissuade you from babying it too much.

I should add(because someone else probably will), the warranty covers the blade only, so if you're going to jump on it, take the scales off first.
 
I've heard good things about the strongarm, I've considered it in the past. Ka-Bar knives are pretty much always good to go.

alternatively, take a look at Schrade's fixed blades. The 1095 ones are pretty good for the money. Mora is definitely a good option too.

Although, I suggest you just get the Esee or White River you have your eye on. If it is something that you will actually use and enjoy, why not get the "nicer" thing instead of something cheaper just because it cost less? Of course that price difference needs to be reasonable. A strongarm is $50(last I knew) and I'm guessing you want an Esee 4, or maybe a laser strike, and they are $90 and $115 respectively at Knifeworks. So, paying twice as much(as long as you can afford it), for something that you actually want isn't bad. If you actually want a strongarm, great. But if the only reason you're considering it is because it's cheaper, it might not satisfy you and you might then wonder how the real deal would have been. So why not just take the plunge?

BTW, don't worry about babying an Esee, they have a no questions asked warranty.
 
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McFeeli said:
Like someone earlier stated Esee has one of the best warranties out there. You could jump up and down on the blade to see if it snaps for shits and giggles. Knowing that you're backed up for life should help dissuade you from babying it too much.

I should add(because someone else probably will), the warranty covers the blade only, so if you're going to jump on it, take the scales off first.
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IIRC, a dude intentionally shot an Esee and sent it in, Esee replaced it knowing he intentionally shot it.
 
Cow51 said:
IIRC, a dude intentionally shot an Esee and sent it in, Esee replaced it knowing he intentionally shot it.
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That is still gross abuse of a blade and those folks at ESEE were very blunt in communicating that to said party. Also, ESEE's warranty only covers the steel part of the knife, the scales/sheath/hardware isn't covered.

Really, though, if you're buying knives based off of how good their warranty is perhaps you should rethink how you use your blades, warranties that cover more than factory defects shouldn't be a huge consideration unless you're using knives for non-knife tasks.
 
Timothy79 said:
I'm new to the world of knives. I always had a pocket knife but I've been doing a lot of wood work outdoors and looking into something bigger like a nice fixed blade. Not really sure about the laws in NJ for length. I do know certain knives are illegal like butterfly and switch. I've been looking into White River and Esee but I think for the price I will be to easy on it. Maybe a good starter for me would be a Gerber Strongarm or ka-bar M119? I'm looking for suggestions and maybe even a few of you guys make your own? Any advise and recommendations please!! Thank you.
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You should really check out the Knife Exchange here on Bladeforums, most of my purchases have come from the fine folks that sell here and while they are rarely brand new knives they are often priced much better than what you'd find even at online sellers.

https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/for-sale-fixed-blades-individual.891/

There are also many custom knife makers in the custom knifemakers for sale subforum that make quality custom knives for prices surprisingly low.

https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/for-sale-fixed-blades.754/
 
All good advice above.

I love my ESEEs, but they are expensive. Mora Companions are a 10th of the price and pretty good knives.

If you are dead set on an ESEE, there’s your answer. If you just want a high end fixed blade, also look at Bark River, Bradford, custom makers here, etc. If you want a cheap but solid fixed blade, Mora is stupid cheap and Buck is a bit more expensive but excellent USA Made knives for the $$$.

Ka-Bars can be good but I would avoid most Gerbers unless they are dirt cheap. I have 3-4 Gerbers I bought when I started getting into knives and they sit in a drawer or at the cottage as knives I won’t be mad if I lose.
 
Keep in mind moras and ka-bars are not full tang and won't hold up to abusive tasks.
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I'd look at Buck knives. You cannot go wrong with any Buck knife.
 
Wow the responses I'm getting are very informative!! This forum really kicks ass and you guys are helping me big time. I haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet. Has anyone had any experience the brand Tops? I seen a few in reviews on YouTube and seems like a lot of wood crafters respect them highly. I know the price tag is a little much but maybe I can make that up to the wife later lol. I'm also looking for a strong chopper blade. My cheaper fiskars machete is about retired. I tend to enjoy using a blade instead of clippers for trimming kindling and clearing. The tops Kukuri 7 looks rather intriguing but the $182 price tag isn't. I'm not trying to let money be a huge factor but you guys may know of something better for a better price. I know I'm jumping all over the place here but to be honest I'm actually kinda excited about it. Like I did my audio system inside getting what u pay for has something to say for what you want. When you realize big corporation products don't always match up to mom and pop shops that is worth spending a little more on. As I learned in the world of audio with speakers. I'm finding the same here with quality steel and knowing the difference of craftsmanship. I'm taking my time in these purchases and looking into everything you guys propose. Much appreciated all!!
 
Timothy79 said:
Wow the responses I'm getting are very informative!! This forum really kicks ass and you guys are helping me big time. I haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet. Has anyone had any experience the brand Tops? I seen a few in reviews on YouTube and seems like a lot of wood crafters respect them highly. I know the price tag is a little much but maybe I can make that up to the wife later lol.
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Good steel with good heat treat, good handle materials, decent fit & finish, really a strong contender in their field of tough carbon-steeled blades. Other than the names of their models, which are a bit too tacticool for me, and the high prices relative to some other similar brands, they are a good buy overall.

Timothy79 said:
I'm also looking for a strong chopper blade. My cheaper fiskars machete is about retired. I tend to enjoy using a blade instead of clippers for trimming kindling and clearing. The tops Kukuri 7 looks rather intriguing but the $182 price tag isn't. I'm not trying to let money be a huge factor but you guys may know of something better for a better price. I know I'm jumping all over the place here but to be honest I'm actually kinda excited about it. Like I did my audio system inside getting what u pay for has something to say for what you want. When you realize big corporation products don't always match up to mom and pop shops that is worth spending a little more on. As I learned in the world of audio with speakers. I'm finding the same here with quality steel and knowing the difference of craftsmanship. I'm taking my time in these purchases and looking into everything you guys propose. Much appreciated all!!
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I would recommend checking out Imacasa/Tramontina for a brush-clearing machete that performs without breaking the bank (Baryonyx Knife Co [ @FortyTwoBlades on the forums here] sells them and also offers little perks that make buying machetes from them great), and if you want tougher machetes Condor has quite a few thicker models that'll take a beating without the prices of some of the more popular giant knives. The Becker BK21 and the ESEE Junglas are two that are always recommended for brute-force chopping, but they are both a bit pricy for a brush-clearer and may be a bit heavy for long-term use (the BK21 has a great handle, though, all Beckers are super comfortable for long-term chopping).
 
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