around the $100 mark

BarberFobic1992

BarberFobic1992

Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Messages
3,346
at $100 there are alot of different outdoor knives that all sound good and i dont know which one i should go for. i hear alot about the F1, various Bark Rivers, RC-3&4, and alot of other knives. which one is the best/ most well rounded? (in the medium fixed blade category, not choppers)
 
wow, still a broad question. Out of the ones you mentioned I would go for the F1, though some swear by the new RC3, (do we call them new anymore?:D)
 
I have an F1, RC-3 and an RC-4 on the way. I don't think that you can go wrong with any of them, it depends on what you are looking for. What size blade? Does the steel or handle material matter? When I am around salt water, then I'm much more likely to go with a stainless steel knife. Lately I've been leaning toward the smaller knives such as the F1 or RC-3. The F1 has a thicker blade and the RC-3 is a little wider (from the spine to the edge). You can probably drive yourself crazy trying to decide or end up getting more than one. It's been known to happen.
 
Seahawk said:
I have an F1, RC-3 and an RC-4 on the way. I don't think that you can go wrong with any of them, it depends on what you are looking for. What size blade? Does the steel or handle material matter? When I am around salt water, then I'm much more likely to go with a stainless steel knife. Lately I've been leaning toward the smaller knives such as the F1 or RC-3. The F1 has a thicker blade and the RC-3 is a little wider (from the spine to the edge). You can probably drive yourself crazy trying to decide or end up getting more than one. It's been known to happen.
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blade: 4-5 inches
steel: laminated is good but no other form of stainless
handle: i like wood the most linen micarta and G10 is ok
 
"Right around the hundred-dollar mark," as in $100 to $125, I can list a few that I have that are fairly "well-rounded" and are excellent values. Not to exclude from the running any others but, I am only speaking of ones that I have or have had personally. I have a couple on order from Dan Koster, for an amazing $100 each, that I am certain will be excellent (Bushcrafters) but don't have them in hand.

Intentionally NOT listed by order of preference:
RAT
ML Knives
Muskrat Man
Scott Gossman
Bryan Breeden

This covers a WIDE range of tatses and preferences so I won't list specific models - go look at their sites and see what they have within your budget. If I mention the ones I like, you might miss something they make that YOU like.

My endorsement of these knives and their makers as truly "stand-up" folks to work with is "I WILL be back to buy more from all the above."
 
The RC-4 is an outstanding knife with the toughness of a bigger knife and the dexterity of a smaller knife. I've found it in the $80 range too!

Jeff, I'm really intrigued by the look of ML Knives. Do you have any thoughts or experiences to share?
 
I agree with Jeff, ultimately it comes down to what you like. The F1 and RC-3 seem to fall short on blade length, the RC-4, Barkies, and various models by the other makers Jeff mentions do seem to meet what you are looking for.
 
Jeff H said:
"Right around the hundred-dollar mark," as in $100 to $125, I can list a few that I have that are fairly "well-rounded" and are excellent values. Not to exclude from the running any others but, I am only speaking of ones that I have or have had personally. I have a couple on order from Dan Koster, for an amazing $100 each, that I am certain will be excellent (Bushcrafters) but don't have them in hand.
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are his bushcraft knives around 100 or is that a knife that you plan on using as a bushcrafter for around 100? if his bushcraft knives cost that then i will most likely be going for one of those.
 
Cant give enough praise about Kosters bushcrafts, simply awesome. If you get the right options (O1/1095, Micarta/Cocobolo...) you can get it for right around a hundred. If you goto his website you can click through the options on his handy "order tracker." The wait time is fairly long, but you wont be disappointed!

(His Nessmuks are awesome too:thumbup:)
 
I will go along with what most people say either a bark river northstar, an F1, or an RC-4. Or if you are willing to dish out a little extra money you can get on Nick's waiting list for the forum knife. He will make you a 4 inch model and it is absolutely superb, far higher quality than any production knife.
 
The F1 comes with a leather sheath with a flap that covers the knife, a zytel sheath, and a leather pouch sheath (according to their website, but I have only seen the first two). I have a kydex sheath made by Eric (Normark here on the forums) of On Scene Tactical. I recommend his sheaths.
 
the more you guys post the more "just the right knife" knives i find (i guess thats a good thing though because now i have an excuse to buy more)
 
BarberFobic1992,

All the ones you've mentioned yourself are good and promising. There are an infinite number of choices out there, which is why you're having the problem. Almost everyone here is searching for that "one" knife, it seems! :D Sounds like you've sort of settled on a type of steel, handle material, etc. You might think about what type of grind you like, if that matters to you.

I ordered a MM puuko a month ago and got an email from Kaleb yesterday that it is in the mail headed my way. I had heard excellent things about his knives and decided to order one of these in my quest for the "one" knife. Now, I don't have it yet, but I'm sure I'm going to like it. Why am I sure? Well, he answered emails very quickly with questions I had about what I wanted. Then he took my order and I got at least one email per week from him with updates. He then sent me pictures as it was nearing completion to make sure it was how I wanted it (which it was perfect). He made custom changes to his original configuration of the knife that I wanted at no charge. All this was for the price you want ($25 more for a fine custom sheath); and Kaleb has been a pleasure to deal with. He offers many other models too, at about the same price you are looking at. Take a look at the below thread on the type I ordered from him; it may interest you, as it did me. You can see some of his other work too as posted by bearthedog.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=552469
 
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XMP said:
The RC-4 is an outstanding knife with the toughness of a bigger knife and the dexterity of a smaller knife. I've found it in the $80 range too!

Jeff, I'm really intrigued by the look of ML Knives. Do you have any thoughts or experiences to share?
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+1 on the RC-4 but I gave mine to a dear friend who needed something "like that" more than I do. I have a bunch of knives and he had few. Being an LE-type, Curly Maple would have clashed with his daily dress requirements.

"Thoughts, experiences" AND photos!
Matt is a super guy, to begin with. His prices on a lot of his "all-'rounders" are within this range AND very, very good considering he hand-forges each one. On top of being incredible performers, the look SO nice. Check Matt's forum for reviews by Bearthedog (may even be one here somewhere by Bear' and one by me).
hamiltonpair.jpg

These are "compact" models that perform way beyond their size. It's cool, in this day of the wonderful "high-tech" steels, to see someone put so much effort into good ol' 1095. Matt has quite a few 4" or so models as well. The excellent sheaths were included (cords by me) at "just over" and "just under" $100 from left to right, respectively.
 
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