Budget Fixed Blades

M

MortallyWounded

Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
12
I am still hoping to get a KA-BAR 1254 for Christmas but just picked up an Ontario SP1. I am more of a fan of tanto blades, and just discovered that Ontario has two tantos in their Spec Plus line, a 6" and an 8". So I may try to trade mine for one of these. In the meanwhile, what do you people think of KA-BAR vs. Ontario vs. Camillus? I drive past the Camillus factory every day on the way to work so there's a great sense of local pride there as well.

I don't wish to get into expensive brands, so any fixed blade, USA made full tang knives are cool in my book. For under $50, what else would you recommend?
 
I don't wish to get into expensive brands, so any fixed blade, USA made full tang knives are cool in my book. For under $50, what else would you recommend?
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Anza and Buck come to mind first. You might find something from Bark River in the $50 range. Last year I bought a Northwoods full tang drop point for $45.

The quality of Camillus products is hit-or-miss sometimes. But I one of their Terzoula designed CUDA CQB and it's excellent.

Schrade, when they were in business, made some OldTimer and other knives that were fixed blades with full tangs. The OldTimer models to watch for include the 15OT, 41OT, 160OT, 165OT, 152OT, and 158OT. Stay clear of the "new" Old Timers that are imported from China.

How about kitchen/utility knives? The Old Hickory knives have full tangs and are US-made by Ontario. Vintage Chicago Cutlery knives are made in the USA; new ones are Chinese. I have some nice Camillus kitchen knives that are full-tang. Any of these are way under $50; and entire set of Old Hickory knives is less than $25.

Happy shopping!
-Bob
 
I'm more interested in tactical/fighting knives, military-issue style such as the classic Marine Fighter and tantos. The Ontario SP1 is the first non-tanto style I've bought since I started collecting them.

Did Gerber end up putting Schrade out of buisness? I've always liked Gerber, at least their multitools. Of course, I've broken both mine, so I can't say they're the best quality but the design is tops.

Can't say that I really care much for Buck.
 
I'm more interested in tactical/fighting knives, military-issue style such as the classic Marine Fighter and tantos.
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Buck NightHawk, although it's not full tang. The Buck Special (119), Woodsman, Pathfinder, etc. don't have full tangs, but I believe the tang runs the entire length of the handle.

Most "tactical" knife brands are not going to be in your price range, other than Frost/United/Fury crap. The Becker brand, by Camillus, is an exception. Ontario is another exception, but you already have one of them.

The Kershaw Military boot Knife ($45 at AG Russell) has a full tang, but I'm hesitant to recommend it simply because I haven't seen one in person.

Columbia River has several knives that meet your shopping specs. The Straight KISS, Side Hawg, SOTFB, etc.

I wonder if there's anything from SOG in that price category?

The primary factor while shopping on a budget is to keep an eagle eye open for closeouts and sales. I bought my 6" Camillus CUDA CQB for $30 on closeout last year. Several years ago I paid $30 for a closeout Ek Bowie (Effingham).

Still plenty to choose from.

-Bob
 
Did Gerber end up putting Schrade out of buisness? I've always liked Gerber, at least their multitools.
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I don't think Schrade's closure has anything to do with Gerber. Both companies were victims of changing global markets, specifically increased pressure from low-cost overseas manufacturing.

Gerber was bought by Fiskars. Since then the quality has gone downhill and R&D appears non-existent. Additionally, Gerber has been releasing knives that are thinly-disguised copies of other companies' popular products. The general public might not take notice, but among hard-core knife enthusiasts that's a huge No-No.

Schrade went out of business after years of financial difficulties, management changes, and overwhelming debt. They owed banks a LOT of money, but at the same time they recently gained some huge contracts. Could they have turned around if given a little more time and operational flexibility? Perhaps. But the short story is, their loans were bought by a different bank, who quickly called the loans and foreclosed on Schrade. Could be a huge conspiracy between banks, the Chinese, and American businesspeople who made fortunes from Schrade's closing? Or could be the new bank saw through Schrade's Enron-esque accounting and decided to cut their losses?

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
They are all okay. The kabar tends to be a little better quality though. now, I have owned all the F/U knives made by all three, the ontario was the current issue knife in the 80's and 90's when I was active duty. I carried one throughout Desert Shield/Storm and never had a problem with it. With all that said, the Kabara tends to have a better finish. But all three are serviceable.
 
They are all okay. The kabar tends to be a little better quality though. now, I have owned all the F/U knives made by all three, the ontario was the current issue knife in the 80's and 90's when I was active duty. I carried one throughout Desert Shield/Storm and never had a problem with it. With all that said, the Kabara tends to have a better finish. But all three are serviceable.

if you want a great using knife go the the northerner.com site and look at their kero made Scandinavian knives. I have the "elk print" knife and it cuts like a bandit for under 42.00 dollars (and its handmade!):

http://www.northerner.com/html/ker-knives_77-1158.html
 
Bob W said:
Most "tactical" knife brands are not going to be in your price range, other than Frost/United/Fury crap. The Becker brand, by Camillus, is an exception. Ontario is another exception, but you already have one of them...

...Columbia River has several knives that meet your shopping specs. The Straight KISS, Side Hawg, SOTFB, etc.
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You know me too well. I own two United tantos, but if you want to talk about crap I also have a Chipaway. Aptly named.

SOTFB, I can only guess what that stands for! I got to go check that one out.
 
Oh, here's how little I know so far about knives so bear with me... I just now discovered that Ontario Knife is ALSO a New York company. So far, my "Big Three" knife makers (Camillus, KA-BAR, Ontario) are the only ones I've found that make knives that fill my needs. I really like the BK&T line from Camillus, the Spec Plus from Ontario, and KA-BAR has a line of Kraton-handled blades I want to get into. I'm especially fond of the basic, carbon-steel grade of these hard-use knives. Plus, they may not be much to look at, but I'm more into "form and function" than "fad and finesse."

What IS the SOTFB anyway? I never really looked into CRKT too much because most of their stuff is too "preppy" for my taste. I don't mean to offend anyone, but by now most everyone has an idea where my taste lies and what I mean when I say "preppy".
 
Oooh, I know what I want. Actually, what I want and reality are two different things, but... a less expensive, USA made copy of the Extrema Ratio would be nice. Now that's a mean looking knife. The "Ferrari" of blades, so they say. But I'm a Corvette kinda guy, so let's just skip the price tag. Maximum value my butt.
 
I think it is full tang, but just has the handle over-molded.
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Great link, thanks. Based on that sketch, I'd call it a "covered full tang".

There was a post a while back where someone had used a Nighthawk for military survival training, and gave the knife a huge thumbs-up. It's one heck of a knife for $40.

-Bob
 
I picked up a military surplus Ontario Pilots Survival Hunting Knife on e-bay for $20.00 in unused condition, with sheath and sharpening stone. Nothing fancy mind you, but it's a great field knife. 1095 steel and leather washer handle. The leather handle and sheath were completely untreated and I had to take a little rust off the butt cap with a wire brush, but after doing that and oil tanning the leather, it's one of my favorite knives.
 
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