BIG KNIFE OPTIONS under 100

Andrew Colglazier said:
No love for khuks?

Andy
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I have a kabar khukri that I got a long long time ago. I just want to diversify my options.

I think I am leaning towards the kabar Large heavy Bowie or the Becker 9. I would get a trail master, but the cheapest one I could find was well over 200 bucks.

I have heard bad things about large knives in D2 steel, so I am a little hesitant to consider that as an option.
 
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FWIW: I saw pics of one of the new Kabar Beckers that had cracked while batoning. I have yet to see a pic of an Outcast failure. I have the Outcast and it is very durable. The edge stays sharp after hard use, I haven't had to touch it up and I've been using it around the yard for months. I have yet to pound it through seasoned hardwood but I've culled a lot of mulberry trees that grow all over my property.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51763975@N00/3564846866/

-I found this in a Google search, not my site.
 
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Thanks for that BK9 link crom. I like to see that kind of stuff.

Did you search "broken kabar BK9" or somthing? I think I will do a break search for the kabar bowie
 
I googled "becker bk9 failure" figuring i'd at least find the thread I first saw on these forums. I didn't know the guy had a flickr site. IIRC, it was his son who broke the knife and the thread was full of suppositions on what happened; was the guy's son using improper baton technique, was it bad heat treat etc.
-K
 
A great blade for the money is the Browning Crowell competition cutter.
It is a great knife. I got mine for 90.00 used on the forums. I have seen them new for around 120.00 new and I think it is one great cutter.
It also comes with a real nice sheath. Check it out.:thumbup:
As an added note to this blades cutting ability. I put it up against my BRKT Golok and it was real hard to pick a winner. The edge went to the Golok mainly because the added weight at the tip helps some.
It also works nicely at kitchen chores also, but mainly it kicks as an awesome chopper. Look up on you-tube, there are some great vids.
 
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while a bit disturbing that it happened, you must take into account that that BK9 was broken by someone who was inexperienced who apparently kept trying to baton through multiple knots or was just plain batonning improperly.
 
walleyeguy7 said:
the cold steel trailmaster and ka bar heavy bowie are the best in catagory. the rtak IIs and beckers handles are strictly inferior. between the two, the trailmaster has something intangible about it, and i think its worth the extra 15-25 bucks, however, i find i use the ka bar 9 inch heavy bowie just as often. the two really are equally excellent knives, it just comes down to preference. it might be a good idea to look at a scrapyard dogfather as a higher end option.

(by the way, 1085 makes zero difference in performance. youll find that on the higher end knives like busse swamprat scrapyard etc actually use softer tougher steels than 1095 for their knives. custom knife forgers actually use 1085 very heavily and in damascus)
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Ah, I found it now. The sk5 version is around 130. All I could find before was the sam mai 3 version.

I will really consider this one. I have heard great things.
 
I'm not a big Cold Steel person and never owned one but the Cold Steel Rajah II is a HUGE folder for under $100 and I hear it's supposed to be pretty strong too.
 
ArchAngel said:
A great blade for the money is the Browning Crowell competition cutter.
It is a great knife. I got mine for 90.00 used on the forums. I have seen them new for around 120.00 new and I think it is one great cutter.
It also comes with a real nice sheath. Check it out.:thumbup:
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+1:thumbup: I been meaning to pick one of those up.
 
Things that come to mind are:

KaBar, Becker, SOG's fixed blades are nice (their folders are questionable though).

If all else fails, get a Mora :D
 
ArchAngel said:
A great blade for the money is the Browning Crowell competition cutter.
It is a great knife. I got mine for 90.00 used on the forums. I have seen them new for around 120.00 new and I think it is one great cutter.
It also comes with a real nice sheath. Check it out.:thumbup:
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I almost forgot about the Crowell! Long, thick, wide, thin-ground carbon steel blade with a convex factory edge at a very good price point.

This is another economical big knife that gets the nod from me! :thumbup:
 
Jake Bauer said:
while a bit disturbing that it happened, you must take into account that that BK9 was broken by someone who was inexperienced who apparently kept trying to baton through multiple knots or was just plain batonning improperly.
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My BK9 is very robust and I've batoned with it and done other extensive rough bushcraft chores with it without sign of weakness or failure. As with all things, under special, extraordinary circumstances failure can result. I would not hesitate to bet my life on the BK9 in a survival situation.

Mine is built like a tank and I've had a very positive experience with it.
 
One non-khukuri option would be a few in the Valiant Trading Company line... the golok kelapa comes to mind first, then some of the medium to small goloks. Good choppers, though I know some folk don't like natural handle materials and wooden scabbards.

Anyway, they're beautiful handmade blades, well under US$100.
 
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Have you thought about the Browining Crowell/Barker Competition? if you look around you should be able to find one for right around $105. I scored one last week on ebay for $105.99 and its a sweet knife.
 
In my mind to get a large high quality fixed blade knife you're going to have to spend a lot more money. If I were you, I would wait until I had enough money for a high quality fixed blade. Not something that break by chopping wood. I have had cold steel knives before and I'll never own another one again. Get a Busse, Strider, Mercworx or something with a damn good warranty. At least if it breaks they will fix it.
My advice save your money and wait a little while.
 
Flipincanadian said:
Have you thought about the Browining Crowell/Barker Competition? if you look around you should be able to find one for right around $105. I scored one last week on ebay for $105.99 and its a sweet knife.
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Right when I think I have it all figured out; Kabar Large heavy bowie or CS Trail Master in sk-5, I search for this:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/Browning Crowell competition cutter/fergus2468/IMG_4268.jpg

That "Browning crowell comp cutter" is a nice looking blade.

Thanks for the recomendations you guys. Even though this is taking me forever to decide atleast I will have gone through all my options.
 
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