Cheap, beater fixed blades. Heavy users.

SALTY · Jun 12, 2015

I guess you could say that I am progressing backwards. Started out with whatever I could acquire, graduated to Bucks, then the Buck Special model 119 and thought I had it all. Then add a few more Bucks, then get bitten by the more expensive knife bug through mid-tiers and higher end productions. Then, as I realized that using my knives was more rewarding than owning them I went back down the price point totem pole and settled on Beckers - not a bad place to be at all.

Now, I've got more fixed blades than I have time to use. Though I never got bitten by the custom bug, I've got too many higher end production (Mid-Tier Plus) fixed blades that never see the light of day - to say nothing of fresh air.

Then, I got a bunch of lesser priced models that are really nice but lack in the IDCAI (I-Don't-Care-About-It) department so I get bitten (hard) by the Becker bug and thought I would be happy forever. I mean seriously, what's not to love?" Great ergos, 1095 CroVan - who doesn't like 1095 in any variation for a field knife?

Me and my Beckers enjoy outings and could have very well lived happily ever after.

Then comes along the Schrades, the Ontarios and the KaBars in the even lower price range with seriously decent performance. Mind you, they ain't no Becker or Chris Reeves but they get the job(s) done and, due to the characteristics of 1095 and their cost, they truly shine in the IDCAI category.

Look, to the rest of the world, we are Knife Knuts and, even amongst ourselves, we have to confess to being steel snobs and/or, at he very least, knife snobs.

So, with all of that as the backdrop, tell me about your Cheap, beater fixed blades. Heavy users.

hevnerknifereview · Jun 12, 2015

I have a cheap Khukuri House kukri, about $50, and I have beat the $h!t out of. For a semi-cheap, beater it does an excellent job, although I did have to regrind it bc it was SO obtuse (it's over a 1/4" thick). Anyway it makes a good batoning knife!

strategy9 · Jun 12, 2015

You already covered it for me...

Need a cheap blade?
Buy a Schrade...

That's my motto...

Though I've been eyeballing condors for a while now...

Boris74 · Jun 12, 2015

You said it all for me too. I used a single glock knife all over the world for 11 years and it's done it all from killing dinner, butchering it, to digging holes and every woods task you could imagine or make up. Recently bought a couple Schrade big blades and it's going to be sometime in the mid to late 2020s before I need another one. Heck I could have skipped the Schrade blades and stuck with the Glock field knife until the 2020s.

jdk1 · Jun 12, 2015

$10 Hultafors GK. Came in handy during a trip to the mountains and the firewood was quartered with no twigs around. Indestructible, great steel, and has a customizable handle.

Boris74 · Jun 12, 2015

jdk1 said:
$10 Hultafors GK. Came in handy during a trip to the mountains and the firewood was quartered with no twigs around. Indestructible, great steel, and has a customizable handle.

I have a HVK GH and good lord, strongest blade I've bought that cheap.

I don't have many pics of it but here it is being beaten through some dry, frozen oak last winter on a 10F day.

Dcaggie06 · Jun 12, 2015

Many of the ontarios fit the bill. But it depends on The definition of cheap, I won't sacrifice quality even for a beater, so a base model bark river at a little over a hundred bucks works for me.

jdk1 · Jun 12, 2015

Those Hultafors blades are definitely in the best buy category. The abuse videos are amazing. I did notice the GK had become more costly on one big site though.

MaximIsayev · Jun 12, 2015

I'd say the Moras are great for that, although the Hultafors looks decent too. Here are mine, the old Buck 119 (broke off tip, had to reshape) and the new(ish) Mora Bushcraft.

uluapark · Jun 13, 2015

here is a beater, $38.95 shipped.

Insipid Moniker · Jun 13, 2015

Buck Selkirk has become mine. The design is very close to my platonic ideal of a camp knife. The steel snob in me longs for something like CPM154, but the 420HC does just fine for my uses outdoors.

collim1 · Jun 13, 2015

I like the Moras. I bought mine intending them to be beaters or throwaways. With a ~$15 price tag, except for the Bushcraft Black, I was not expecting serious performance and comfort from them. I bought them thinking I would stash a few in my pack, boat, and truck as backups to more "robust" knives. I also planned to experiment with some mods on them and not have to worry about ruining a more expensive blade.

I soon discovered they slice like a laser, sharpen easily, and are light enough to make effortless neck knives. I have had them for years now and they seem good to go for many more.

I currently have the Companion, No 1, No 2/0, Bushcraft Black, and 7" fillet knife. The No 1 is usually my first grab before I head out of the city. It goes around my neck and is comfortable to carry there until I need it. I usually back it up with a Leatherman or a Victorinox of some sort.

If heading out for a over nighter or heading farther out than normal the Bushcraft Black comes along just for the peace of mind given by its robustness. At a sub $50 knife I still consider it a cheapie. One of the better values out there a "bushcraft" (not a huge fan of that term BTW)/survival knife.

My knives are generally treated very gently compared to a lot on this forum. I can get away with a cheap knife because I need a slicer only. I tend to spend my money on larger tools like my Gransfors axe, BK9 chopper, or bow saws or folding saws and rely on them for heavier tasks keeping the edge of my knife keen for game and food prep, cutting cordage, and whittling wood.

JayGoliath · Jun 13, 2015

Glock series, hultafor GK and possibly Schrade SCHF1

SpikeHawk · Jun 13, 2015

I like the Condors for beater knives. My "yard knives" for dirty yardwork, are a Condor Basic Bushcraft 5" or their Kephart model. 30-35 bucks, takes a real good edge, great leather sheath.

SALTY · Jun 14, 2015

These are some great selections - and very useful.

But, I have to say that the <$50 field is getting populated with serious performers. Schrades, which I understand some folk's aversion to, along with what some Ontario (USA made) knives can be had for now and again through sales and specials provide high IDCAI (I don't Care About It) factors is serious steel.

leghog · Jun 14, 2015

Glock Field Knife I bought in 1984. Costs new only a tad bit more now 30 + years later.

AntDog · Jun 14, 2015

Ontario Spec Plus SP01. For many years it was the only real knife that me and my family had. (beside butter knives, steak knives)
It functioned as a kitchen knife, a garden spade, an EDC, utility blade, a tent stake, etc... I mean, it was literally everything to us (knifewise) for a few years.
You know a knife has officially become important to your family when your wife yells "baby, bring me the knife" and you have no doubt which one she's asking for.
When I went to buy this knife I told the guy at the shop that I was looking for a knife that could do it all. One that could literally do everything. I told him I was about flat broke and would be that way for a while (until I graduated from college), and that is the knife he recommended.
It served my family and I very well. Check out the recurve! They don't come stock like that. That's from years and years of use and sharpening. It's got character in spades, that's for sure.

JackstrawIII · Jun 14, 2015

AntDog said:
Ontario Spec Plus SP01. For many years it was the only real knife that me and my family had. (beside butter knives, steak knives)
It functioned as a kitchen knife, a garden spade, an EDC, utility blade, a tent stake, etc... I mean, it was literally everything to us (knifewise) for a few years.
You know a knife has officially become important to your family when your wife yells "baby, bring me the knife" and you have no doubt which one she's asking for.
When I went to buy this knife I told the guy at the shop that I was looking for a knife that could do it all. One that could literally do everything. I told him I was about flat broke and would be that way for a while (until I graduated from college), and that is the knife he recommended.
It served my family and I very well. Check out the recurve! They don't come stock like that. That's from years and years of use and sharpening. It's got character in spades, that's for sure.

Love the post! I've had good experiences with them as well. This is the knife I hand to non knife people when camping or whatever. I don't care if they throw it at a tree stump or drop it on rocks. It's a great blade for that... and cuts really well too!

Insipid Moniker · Jun 14, 2015

AntDog said:
Ontario Spec Plus SP01. For many years it was the only real knife that me and my family had. (beside butter knives, steak knives)
It functioned as a kitchen knife, a garden spade, an EDC, utility blade, a tent stake, etc... I mean, it was literally everything to us (knifewise) for a few years.
You know a knife has officially become important to your family when your wife yells "baby, bring me the knife" and you have no doubt which one she's asking for.
When I went to buy this knife I told the guy at the shop that I was looking for a knife that could do it all. One that could literally do everything. I told him I was about flat broke and would be that way for a while (until I graduated from college), and that is the knife he recommended.
It served my family and I very well. Check out the recurve! They don't come stock like that. That's from years and years of use and sharpening. It's got character in spades, that's for sure.

This is just cool.

kaotikross · Jun 14, 2015

I have a Romanian ak-47 bayonet I use for a beater. they aren't as cheap anymore, I've seen them going for close to $40-$50 a few places.