Best $30 Hurricane Season BOB Fixed Blade?

Anything not directly related to what the knife is meant to do.

You can learn a lot about the ultimate capabilities of a knife by putting it in a vise and beating on it, but you won't learn if it can cut up a downed tree or fix a meal or build a shelter.
 
I was in Andrew and many other hurricanes in Florida in the last 41 years.
I'd want an ax or Hachet or Kurkuri.
If not those a machette.
I have several of each and a few chain saws.
Spent many days chopping trees that had buryed houses and clearing roads.
For 30.00 bucks you can get a ax from home depot.
I'd get that first.
If you already have a chain saw and ax a Kurkuri is a hell of weapon and a better chopper/prybar/holligan tool than anything else near the cost.
An 18 inch AK would be the way to go.
 
Hmmm...very good points Grappler1911. I'm a life long Fla. resident and have grown to take those tools for granted, almost. Coupla years ago, we got triple slammed with hurricanes and the clean-up just in my yard was unreal. I used every tool you listed except the axe. When all was said and done, virtually every house on my block had so much debris stacked by the street, you literally couldn't see the houses on their lots from the street. I live in a heavily wooded suburb. For example, my quarter acre lot has 21 trees on it. We had more, but the 'canes took a couple out and now I have another Dogwood that has died recently, so as soon as I work up the gumption, another one bites the dust.

So, taking into consideration the added caveat that one may have to remove tree debris from one's escape route, that BOB may need a little more consideration as to it's contents.

OHHHH NOOOO!! My 3000th post on BFC! Send in the dancing girls! A round for everyone on the house! Care of Spark! :D
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Anything not directly related to what the knife is meant to do.

You can learn a lot about the ultimate capabilities of a knife by putting it in a vise and beating on it, but you won't learn if it can cut up a downed tree or fix a meal or build a shelter.
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:thumbup:.....O.K.; well said.
 
misque said:
OHHHH NOOOO!! My 3000th post on BFC! Send in the dancing girls! A round for everyone on the house! Care of Spark! :D
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OHHHH YESSSS !! !! Congratulations on your 3000th post on BFC !!!
Dancing girls are on the way !! !! !! I'll have a rum & coke !! !! !!



( Good luck getting Spark to buy :D )​
 
The glock field knife is pretty beefy really. The blade might not be wide, but its pretty thick. Maybe 1/4". I'd go for the GI Tanto tho. Or go look at Cheperthandirt.com They have a "fury" for maybe 8-10 bucks. Its a little like the gi tanto, hell of a knife for the money tho. Its not that the Glock Field knife is a bad knife. I just hate the sheath.
Anyway, good luck
 
The Bushman or the GI Tanto in the $30 price range. There are not to many fixed blades under $30 that are worth having. You might throw in a hawk also.
 
comoha said:
My vote goes for an AK-47 bayonet. You can pick them up anywhere used for around $20. It fits the "Does not have to be pretty nor geopolitically correct" bill and you can't tell me you can damage this thing no matter how hard you try. I got mine at CheaperThanDirt, and sharpened it up nicely. I would not be afraid to use this as a prybar or general beater.
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I have an AK Bayonet. It would suck as a cutting knife, as most bayonets would. They have virtually no edge. Bayonets are designed for stabbing, not cutting.
 
I personally recommend an Ontario SPEC 101 fixed blade. Brigade Quartermasters is running them for $12.95, regularly $24.95. I have one. It's a pretty durable knife. G-10 scales, full tang construction.
 
Thus the part where I said I sharpened it up. Yes, it did not have a decent edge when I bought it. It took some work but it cuts nicely now.
 
I would NOT want depend my life on a $30!! I would suugest you get yourself a Ka-bar or a knife from Ranger Knives.
 
I thank everyone for their sugestions .

Mr. Benyamin, I think that the common sense option would be the Ka-Bar (I'm guessing everyone that has backed your recommendation is thinking about the USMC model).

As the Florida resident posters and the rest of the nation has recently learned, hurricanes are not much fun.

If you check the top of this post you'll see I live in the US Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, so we get all the excitement of a hurricane with no way to run and closed air/marine ports.

As to the comments on the BOB. Yes inside you will find the locally ubiquituos (sic?) Machete, also a pry bar and assorted small folders. Only after the last hurricane did I seriously considered getting a chainsaw as a tree fell across the driveway in mom's house. By the time I got there a handy neighbor had cut the tree into neat little logs.

Back to the Ka-Bar. The main thing that keeps me from going that route is... the... price. Yes, I know that should not be a main criteria in selection. Still, I'm sure that most people in America can buy a couple of Busse's, CRK's or Striders even if they have to get a part time job delivering pizzas for a couple of months. I'm sure some of the forumites have done just that for some extra play money. But I'm guessing most BOB's don't feature the highest end knives even when the owner has plenty of them in the safe.

Allow me an analogy. In the 'Best Bug Out Vehicle'TM threads, a lot of posts convege on a sensible mid size, off road capable SUV. Practical, sensible and can be customized to fit. I'm pretty sure a lot of BF'ers could afford a 2 year old Trail Rated Jeep, stock it up with all the toys and then leave it parked in the garage, full tank of gas, just waiting for TSTHTF. Somehow I doubt many are doing just that.

Some may select their everyday cars with a worse case scenario in mind and live with the compromise, while others may make a hobby out of rock crawling or geo catching to get more 'milage' out of their investment.

I could have gone to Sears and bought a good lighweight assortment of hand tools to pack in my BOB, but chose to pack a surplus Victorinox made German Army Knife as a screw driver-short saw-can opener-corkscrew.

I may just be fooling myself, but if I went with a $50 dollar Knife and the equivalent tools I'll soon end with a BOB (3 actually) each running into the the high three figures.

Then I will start 'guesstimating' the times when I better leave it home so it does not risk getting lost or stoten. Or I may not take any of the items out, and 'do' with what I EDC so as to not get anything dirty, broken.

Again I appreciate all the posted comments and believe the Ka-Bar to fullfill all the requested features except for the above mentioned cost.

Can you tell I have a lot of time in my hands? :)
 
TheKnifeCollector said:
I would NOT want depend my life on a $30!! ...
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Neither Would I. :)

I fear this has become a 'If you could only take ONE knife in TEOTWAWKI' thread.

Maybe I should just have asked: What's a good beater knife? :) :)

BOB on passenger seat , knife strapped to waist, folder clipped to pocket, water bottle on hand. There I am on my way to mom's house post howling winds after securing everything at home. The knife will complement the other tools, must be used without worry, but IT WILL be used as a knife I will ALSO have the real pry bar, machete, wire cutter, folding shovel, etc.

This WILL NOT be the only tool at my disposal (I hope). :) :) :)

Again, I appreciate everyone's comments.

PS,

I don't see the dancing girls yet. Send them in.
 
Take a look at ontario spec plus line of knives,you might find something you can aford there.I have seen the ontario airforce survival knife with leather handle for less than 30 bucks you might have to surch around alittle but you can find"em. good luck!
 
knife strapped to waist, folder clipped to pocket ... I will ALSO have the real pry bar, machete, wire cutter, folding shovel, etc.
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What more do you need? What would you use a third knife for? You'll have the machete for chopping and a belt knife and a folder for cutting -- all that isn't covered is heavy chopping. If you can get a small chain saw cheap that would be ideal, but failing that a folding saw would be better than an ax -- I mean a saw like an oversize folding knife with about a 10 inch blade.
 
Cougar Allen said:
What more do you need? What would you use a third knife for? You'll have the machete for chopping and a belt knife and a folder for cutting -- all that isn't covered is heavy chopping. If you can get a small chain saw cheap that would be ideal, but failing that a folding saw would be better than an ax -- I mean a saw like an oversize folding knife with about a 10 inch blade.
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The 'knife strapped to my waist...' is what I'm missing from my stated scenario, hence this thread, ie. there is no 3rd knife. Sorry, I'm going on an on and have not been quite clear.

The idea of a smaller chainsaw is growing on me. :)
 
My little cousin tried to save his friend who's stuck at the cottage when a tree fell across the driveway, only to found out that my chainsaw is electric!

Why no get a folding saw, it'll fit your buget, unlike a chainsaw, which will cost many times more than 30.
 
sherlockbonez said:
My little cousin tried to save his friend who's stuck at the cottage when a tree fell across the driveway, only to found out that my chainsaw is electric!

Why no get a folding saw, it'll fit your buget, unlike a chainsaw, which will cost many times more than 30.
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As I've said before I don't always operate á la Mr. Spock. I hope I'm not the only one!

The knife this thread is about will be found and placed in my BOBs. Hopefully within my stated budget.

The chainaw is a toy (I meant tool) that could see more use, and I could probably justify in my mind better, than an equally priced fixed blade.

While I see the utility of a folding saw and will probably research that further, I don't think I would want to elbow-power myself through the sheer size and amount of fallen trees that I've seen on the local roads even after a 'glancing blow' by a hurricane.
 
I already suggested the Bushman, that is going to run you around $25-$30 and it is one hell of a knife. I am not a person that believes that you need to spend a paycheck on a knife to get good performance. Here's my suggestion for you. Get a Old Hickory knife for slicing/cutting, you can find them for $6-$10 on many different websites. They are made of 1095 steel and are solid knives for the money. You will have to spend some time getting a good edge on it initially, and you will have to carry a small amount of oil because they are made of high carbon steel, but it will be a solid knife for you. For chopping, you can pick up a machete or a hatchet for around $10 to cover those chores for you. Two cutting tools for under $20, there you go.
 
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