Best/Strongest knife for under 150 dollars?

The Moose

The Moose

Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
376
Im looking at the SOG seal elite (not the pup) Or the scrapper 6, Fallkvien A1

Can you guys tell me about these knife Mostly the SOG, Or where i can get a scrapper because i dont know where to find then on the website. Thanks :]
 
Dylan, Scrapyard knives are sold in batches. Scrapyard informs when batches come available and they will sell as long the stock lasts. So, they are not continuously available as all batches have been sold quite fast so far. Sometimes in hours. Your best chance for a Scrapyard is second hand market. They're worth it though.
 
At under $150 and wanting a tough, strong knife, you should consider Ranger knives. Also Entrek makes a fine knife.
 
Definately take a look at Ranger Knives. Fallkniven have some good stainless options.
 
Thanks! I forgot about ranger knives, Wich one would be a good model for i guess clearing campsites buliding shelter the RD9, RD7?
 
moose1132 said:
Thanks! I forgot about ranger knives, Wich one would be a good model for i guess clearing campsites buliding shelter the RD9, RD7?
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If your idea of building shelters involves a lot of chopping and batoning, then the RD9 is far better. Out of the RDs, the RD9 is my favourite. It's well under 150 $, too, even with some nice custom options. Personally, my choice would be either the RD9 or the Fällkniven A1. The A1 is much shorter, and is more of a cutter than a chopper, although it does chop very respectably for its size. It's also much more corrosion resistant than the RD9. On the other hand, the RD9 has longer reach, chops better, and I do think it's also tougher, and won't suffer chipping at the edge as easily as the A1. Either way, you've got a good field knife. :thumbup:
 
I'd go with the A-1. The RD's are great but heavy as hell. The A-1 is very tough. Look at knifetests.com, Noss destroys a concrete block with an A-1 and it was one of the toughest he tested.

I am of the opinion that the strength you get from a 1/4" knife vs the wieght of carrying in your belt, doesn't buy much more than a 3/16ths in terms of weight vs strength comparison.
 
I had a S1 briefly and it wasn't as bad ass as many say. The handle is too small (short and thin) and bushcraft performance was somewhat average. I'm not sure if the A1 handle is the same but it sure looks the same. can't confirm this though.

As for RD, it's a great beater knife. I've never seen a bad review from anyone and the owner, Justin Gingrich is a great guy to deal with. If you have some of your own design ideas he'll be more than happy to incorporate them into the knife. And if your ideas suck donkey gonads he'll be setting your sorry neck straight.
 
I had an S1 and also found the handle too small, but the A1 is a bit bigger. Plus you can always wrap it.

Something you might want to consider, although it's not as "brutish" as a Ranger or A1, is the Browning Crowell-Barker competition cutter. It's under $150, is designed to cut wood like crazy, is very good for other camp chores, and isn't gun-belt heavy. It's also very well made, and easily available. I sold mine when I got a Busse FFBM, but I still miss it, it's an elegant yet sturdy working blade.

hey look, there's a current thread on it:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=544578
 
The A1 is pretty heavy, too, and it's almost as thick as the RD9, just shorter of blade: 0.24" versus 0.25".

The A1 is a very different knife from the S1. The A1 has a much thicker, heavier blade, and the handle on the A1 is a lot larger. The S1 and A1 may look alike, but the A1 is larger in every aspect. :thumbup:
 
If my memory serves me right, it's also a bit softer. Kraton, I think, instead of the Thermorun of the S1. I strongly prefer the A1 over the S1, but some folks seem to like the S1 more.
 
My vote would be for a Bark River Gameskeeper. You can get the Gameskeeper delivered for $156 from knivesshipfree.com in carbon black or green Micarta. My second choice - the Fox River - is about $141 delivered in green Micarta. Also - check dlttradingcompany.com - they have a huge selection. I bought both - from the latter source during a 'sale' - with the then least expensive handle material they had (I wanted 'users'.) - natural canvas Micarta for my Gameskeeper and black Micarta for the Fox River.

The Gameskeeper is slightly heavier at 6 oz - and about .25" less blade in length - and .215" thick at the spine. It has a finger guard and a choil, with a well proportioned/shaped larger handle with a bright lined lanyard hole and two solid pins, while the Fox River has a .170" thick blade, just the choil, a smaller/shorter handle with a tang extension with a square lanyard slot, and three solid pins. Both are convex ground A-2 tool steel, with the Gameskeeper hardened to 58-59 Rc and the Fox River to 59-60 Rc. Both include nicely made and well-fitted leather sheaths, the Fox River includes a 3/8" firesteel loop. They are quality products - knives and sheaths - and delivered as hair poppers.

My Gameskeeper is by far the most stout of my BRK&T knives. Another excellent quality fixed knife, albeit in the upswept tip style, is my Buck 408 Kalinga Pro - one solid hunk of sharp S30V steel for ~$100-$120 mail order. Gotta admit, however, the convex edge of the Bark Rivers makes them a bit more appreciated here lately. All three were made in the USA, of course.

Stainz
 
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