Welcome to our little Outdoors nook and thanks to Esav for directing you to the right place.
I will say that you are coming in with a very narrow mindset as to what size of knife you want. In fact, if you gage the outdoor community here about the most versatile knife size for outdoor use, the majority of folks will tell you that between 3.75 - 5" blade length is optimal.
Now, there are folks who prefer mid-sized knives in the category that you state, but more commonly, the folks that do so also carry a small knife which is used in the majority of cutting chores. Small companion knives might be a folding knife like a SAK or other folder or a 3-3.5" fixed blade. The bigger knife is used for camp chores, wood splitting and food prep.
When you say you want a knife that can take a lot of abuse, this sounds exactly like something an ad-copy would say advertising a knife. The question is, why do you want to abuse your knife? I certainly have my disagreements with my 'survival minded' brethren who like to dream up all kinds of weird fantasy scenarios about how they could use their knives. I even fell into that mindset for a while. But after really using knives in the outdoors, I came to more realistic conclusions about how I use my knives, what tasks are best suited to my type of camping and environment. Worrying about knife breakage is something people get obsessive about for little reason. I've done all the outdoor things I've needed to do, including the dreaded act of batoning thick wood, with 0.1" thick old hickory kitchen knives and have really come to terms with the fact that knife breakage is a rare thing to have happen. Worrying about knife breakage is counterproductive and leads people into choosing knives that aren't really well suited to their actual use patterns.
I have also found that there was a long journey in finding what I now consider the best knives for me. What I realize now, is that nobody could have told me what my preferred knives are today would be back then. I probably wouldn't have listened, had my own preconceptions or I just wouldn't understand how to translate my style of using a knife in my environment from all the divergent, often conflicting but rarely completely wrong advise that is out there. I had to learn through experimenting with different blade lengths, different blade styles, handle configurations all the while increasing my outdoor skills as I went along. It was actually a fun journey. I also found out that what works best in one environment, isn't necessarily the best in another environment. In short, there is no such thing as a perfect knife. There are good knives and well respected knives that many people like, but nothing considered a universal for all conditions, styles or environments.
In fact, focussing on the knife is totally the wrong tact and is more likely to lead you astray. Focus on developing your skills. Visit W&SS regularly and test out the kinds of activities and things people are doing and talking about. Use the knife that you have and then figure out what its deficiencies are, what you think might be the best improvements and when you are ready invest in another blade go for an upgrade. Just make sure that your upgrade js based on your learned experiences of what you want in the next knife. Not on others opinions. Of three you selected, I would suggest the buck119, only because it is the cheapest and through nostalgia, that is the very blade that set me onto the path that got me to where I am today. Its a great, robust knife and not as wide as the BK-7.
I'd also invite you to visit the W&SS forum and check out the bushcrafter knife challenge thread. Not only will you get some great eye candy of fantastic knives for outdoor applications, but you get a good idea through the selected tests designed by the reviewers of what to look for in a great outdoor blade.
Again, welcome, stick around here and share your learning experience with our community!
) thick paired with a hatchet/hawk.
