best soldiers knife selection???

Second from right is the Ontario Tak, nice long grip, i cut those grooves with a dremel sanding drum tip and it dramatically increased the grip. Slimmer profile than the others and less weight, but still a workhorse.
 
I reccomend the Gerber LHR i'm probaly taking one with me to Afganistan when my squadron deploys.
 
agency is too long, and I would never pick a hollow ground blade for a soldier... too much "jackass" factor with them. and the Gerber LHR is a bit longer than what we are looking for... people just don't carry foot long knives much. i'm actually thinking, the scrapyard 511, swamp rat ratmandu, falkniven f1 or C/S master hunter. something they will carry and will be there no matter what.
 
You can't go wrong with ESEE or Becker. Don't get anything that's not full-tang construction, especially if you want durability.

EDIT: Based on personal experiences, this forum and youtube, I would stay away from SOG and Gerber. They just can't compete with ESEE or Becker in bang-for-the-buck durability and warranty. If you somehow manage to break an ESEE or a Becker (never heard of it happening but not saying it hasn't) batoning or chopping, they will fix or replace it with no questions asked. I know from personal experience that SOG and Gerber will tell you their "survival" knives aren't meant for doing simple wood processing or bushcraft tasks, for example: batoning and chopping.

Besides Tops and Busse(both practically out of budget if you want sheaths), I can't think of any other knife companies that are more "hard use" than ESEE or Becker. Between ESEE and Becker, obviously I prefer ESEE because I think they offer better sheath options and I like Micarta. If you buy a Becker and then buy extra Micarta scales, for the price you might as well just buy the ESEE and have them hand fit from the factory and have a better sheath. I'm not trying to knock Becker, btw. I think they'd be an outstanding choice. ...Soapbox over.
 
Last edited:
ESEE knive shave served me well over seas. go with the 4 for added thickness when they do those damn airdrops if you ever have to pry on them or make your own outpost, youll be glad your knife doesnt snap in two like a sog seal pup does.

if you could up the price range just a little the entrek 11b is a great knife all around: http://www.bladehq.com/item--EnTrek-USA-11-Bravo-Fixed--4425

you could maybe even go custom for the price you listed. If newt livesay has his act together now id reccomend him, his knives are great and at great prices.

also if uyou explained the situation you might get mr morris to hook you up for the price you need. http://www.michaelmorrisknives.com/current.php
 
Last edited:
Another vote for Becker, also the DPx HEST. A good grip on an ESEE-4 with anything other than dry bare skin is going to be difficult. You get blood, sweat, oil, water on that soap-bar shaped grip and it will pop right out of your hands. The Becker BK5 or BK7 would be fantastic, as would the Ontario RAT-5 or TAK. I think quarter inch is going to be too thick to be able to constantly maintain a useful cutting edge, otherwise the Entrek Bravo would be great. Maybe the Javalina instead? If you go thicker you'll want a designated slicing knife. Check out the TOPS BOB knife too- 3/16ths 1095 with a 4.5 inch blade and Scandinavian grind.

http://www.bladehq.com/item--EnTrek-USA-Javalina-Fixed--4531
http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.php?products_id=371&osCsid=r0p3opfbtjnckta03svtrrgoh2
 
to rucker

these guys are going to be issued gerbers to slice open their mre's. haveing a good thick blade that can pry a little and help build a shelter or sniper hide in a more compact package is what id reccomend. theres a good chance they will get issued autos too so they really need more of a rough tool than anything else. just my experience ymmv. they might be eod boys or rcp so they might have different requirments.
 
ESEE has a great military discount if you email them, and you can't beat their warranty. Also the molle sheath gives a lot of attachment options. I carry a ESEE 3mil everyday in Afghanistan and am waiting for the ESEE 4 to come out in stainless.
 
Undertow82 said:
You can't go wrong with ESEE or Becker. Don't get anything that's not full-tang construction, especially if you want durability.
Click to expand...

Personally I'd question this mentality not least because the OP is from Canada and the potential to have hands in contact with Arctic chilled steel in the handle.

My recommendation would be the J-P Peltonen (Fiskars) Sissipuukko / Ranger knife, and given your 'compact' requirement the M07 model rather than the M95.

Sissipuukko202451.jpg


I have had the M95 model for around 5 years. Just can't fault it, its and absolute workhorse.
Hand finished blade, takes a wicked edge and holds it well. Easy to maintain, with several carry options in both the leather and plastic sheaths variants.

There's a few links below for info (on the two models):

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/tactical-knives/ranger-puukko-m-07/?hp=exclusives_title
http://www.finnrappel.fi/puukko.htm
http://www.varusteleka.fi/product/veitset/sissipuukko/_33B0XJPEE&lang=en_US
http://www.x-plane.org/home/urf/knives/m95/sissipuukko_m95.html
http://www.lamnia.fi/items.php?lang=en&pid=3
 
Last edited:
While I agree with the options listed you may be able to get a discount from other manufacturers/dealers. Perhaps you could contact them and see what yep of discounts are offered to the military.
 
I second the M07 or preferably the M95, both by JP Peltonen (Fiskars); but, get the plastic sheath. These knives don't weigh as much as many of the full-tang american bad-boys, such as Busse, ESEE or alike. I had the M95 with a leather sheath during my conscript period as a coastal ranger and while it worked, it got soaked a lot. It still works, but the plastic one is much easier to keep clean and dry and my leather one looks very worn. The M95 is designed around the finnish bayonet, so it's great for pig-sticking and it has a thick spine, so you can baton with it very well too. I would suggest the M95 for military purposes and the M07 as more of a hunter/camping/hiking knife. The shortcomings of the M07 is its piercing length and that it will harder to baton with the shorter blade. It is however easier to do finer carving tasks with. These knives are hand sharpened and the fit and finish is not very consistent, but they will always work. You shouldn't buy this knife for aesthetics, but because it is a work-horse which will get the job done and it extremely sharp. If I had to go to war on a budget, I'd choose the M95 with a plastic sheath.

knives-group-01.jpg
 
ESEE 4 ! , you can use it for all cutting tasks (food, cord, wood), not to mention batoning with it...
 
Give Josh at Strider an email and let him know your situation. I don't know the Mil discount anymore, but he might be able to hook you up with the MFS or WP model for about $110 a piece on a large order. You won't find many knives that are tougher. Off the shelf, I suggest the ESEE 4
 
Honestly dude - think about it: in that one-in-a-million-chance that you'd actually have to stick some opponent to death (unless you're SF or whatever),
what kind of knife would you rather have - The one made for bushcraft, while you're in the desert; or, the one which marvels in all terrains and is shaped to kill?!
Go M95 (I'm really not getting paid to say this) and trust the Finns (we don't f&%k around)! It'll stick you almost as well as a dagger and baton like a Busse/ESEE/Swamprat/whatever.
Fit and finish is half-assed, but it works. The knife was made for the finnish military, but it was never issued, it was just available.
I'll say it a hundred times: go Mora, Fiskars or alike - or go home - if you're on a budget. They work. They've been at it for centuries and the design is unchanged.
 
shaped to kill isn't really the main requirement for this one... pretty sure if things got that bad, almost any knife mentioned would do in a pinch, so overall utility is the name of the game for this purchase. I do agree the M95 seems like a phenominal knife, I am just weighing the options that are out there that I might not have thought about on my, and Might I add, you guys are coming through for me in spades. I'm trying to get a hold of a few people now, to see if I can get a couple of them in "under budget" by purchasing in bulk and I'll go from there. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top