Affordable ($20-$30) fixed blades?

B

BowieForTheKill

Joined
May 26, 2012
Messages
36
I was looking around on amazon at affordable fixed blades and narrowed down to 3 knives. They are the Smith and Wesson CKSUR1, the Smith and Wesson CKSURT, and the Schrade SCHF9. Would anyone recommends any of these knives or are there any other knives in the price range that you would suggest?
 
What are your intentions with the fixed blades, if possible get a tried and true Mora. Cheaper then those and they will have a proper heat treat on some 1095 or 12c27 if you prefer stainless
 
It depends on what you want to do with your knives. I'd look at the Cold Steel Bushman, and the Condor offerings in that price range.
 
Do you do a lot of batonning, wood processing, carving etc?

An I your conquering this knife aswell or hikes save some weight, skip the 6" blades.
 
I would not recommend those knives. You could try to get a Condor Bushlore within your price range, or buy both a smaller Mora and a larger Imacasa or Tramontina machete to get your variety of tasks done.
 
Don't get the knives you listed. They are junk. Many people get these as a first blade, then they learn better.

Go with a Mora like a few offered, also Cold Steel Bushman is nice. in that price range.
 
As others have already said look at Condor and Mora. I've had a Mora for years and more recently bought the Condor Bushcraft Basic. Both are similar in shape and size but the Condor is much more robust. The Mora will shave hair all day and is super easy to sharpen. The Condor can handle heavier work and comes with a fine leather sheath. The Mora sheaths are not the greatest but it helps keep costs down. Check out the 511 (red plastic handle) or the more traditional #2 with a wood handle.

Brian
 
the Shrade SCHF9 is actually a decent knife, It was designed by a member from here in a nice 1095 steel, a little softer then I prefer but still not too bad.
 
to the OP: I would NOT recommend either of those choices you mentioned. One knife I can recommend (which I own and use) is the Cold Steel Pendleton Lite Hunter. It can be had for *under* $20, and is a hell of a knife for the price. It won Field & Stream best knife of 2010. It's very solid and comes scary sharp right out of the box. Of course, it's made of Krupps stainless (not exactly a world-class steel), but for less than $20, it's worth every penny and more.

Cheers,

M
 
If you don't mind spending a little more, Becker knives are great value for a very affordable price as well. Condor, Mora, and CS all have pretty darn good offerings at that budget though, and should be worth a look. I'd also avoid the knives you mentioned.
 
Assuming you already have a multitool or SAK, I'd go with a Mora (lots to pick from) or a Green River Hunter.

But here are some thoughts...

First what activity are you buying the knife for, and how would you Really use it in that activity?
Next, are there any "social issues" to concern yourself with? ie. walking around with a knife that almost reaches to you knee...will that get funny looks? (I'm willing to bet a lot of great knives are seldon used because they are seldon carried because in reality they are a bit larger than is needed.)

You stated camping/hiking with some batoning. Do you camp/hike right now? Do you camp from you vehicle or hike in 6-8 hrs then set up camp? Are you walking on some nature trails where you expect to pass runners, walkers, kids and old people or are you out in some hard terrain where meeting somone on the trail is rare?

Do you want to baton wood for shits and giggles, or just when you want a fire and you can't find small tinder?

I think that these questions should be answered honestly to yourself befor picking a blade based on looks or an imaginary survival situation.
A lot of good knives have been mentioned above. The Mora family of knives, some of condor tool, some of cold steel...I'd add a Greenriver hunter to that list to check out as well.

All of these knives happen to fit your price range, and all are able to baton if you don't force the blade to bite off more than it can chew.
 
I'd go with the new mora robust for 15$ in eBay. Or get a mora companion. The companion comes in 12c27 or 1095. I'd recommend the 1095 unless you plan on using it in wet conditions a lot. I recently bought a mora campaign and it has earned its way to e my favorite go to camp knife for sure. Then I pair it up with a fiskars hatchet and folding saw.
 
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