Cheap VG-10 fixed hunter/skinner?

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brewthunda

Joined
Apr 20, 2004
Messages
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I gave my brother in law an Al Mar Nomad for Christmas. 3 weeks ago he got an elk and harvested over 600 lbs of meat - all with the Nomad and without needing to sharpen the blade once (:eek:). He was pretty impressed by the performance and has been asking if they make a fixed version of this knife. He's on a pretty limited budget.

So what I'm looking for is an inexpensive hunter/skinner blade made with VG-10 or possibly S30 . . . or any other super steel you might think is comparable. I'd hope to keep it under $100. If it's too much, I might just buy it and trade it to him for elk meat.

How does 12C27 and A2 compare to VG-10? Some of those Bark River knives look to be the right shape and size.

Thanks!
 
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http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=42
 
IMO the Spyderco Moran featherweight is an unbeatable belt knife in either the frop point or swept point version. Great handle, great vg10 blade and a super sheath. That said I love the BRKT knives and own and have owned a bunch of them. But for around 60.00 bucks the Moran's are awesome.
 
The Moran was the first thing that came to my mind too before reading any responses. I've used the upswept point at a cottage for fresh fish and it couldn't have been better. Great grip, sheath, and bang for the buck.
 
I've been eying that Spydie for some time now. Just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

As another option, the Fallkniven F1 is also VG-10.
 
Here's one. Fallknivens are excellent.

Anyway, A2 is a very good steel, if it's done right, it will be a little tougher than VG10, but rusts like crazy. 12c27 is also a nice steel, finegrained, sharp as a razor and virtually rustproof, but but it's usually softer than VG10 or A2. You can't go wrong with any of those steels.
 
Benchmade makes a very knice fixed blade knife for a reasonable price.

It has 440-C steel which is comparable to vg-10 (with it's "radioactive" cobalt alloy) in hardness and toughness.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=10505

Here are some other Benchmade fixed blade models.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_list.asp?keyword=fixed

The "Rant" feels good in my hand with the molded handle (as does the Spyderco Moran). You could peel and cutup a 50 pound sack of potatoes without getting hand cramps (that's my definition of a "user").

Just a little tip. Buy a knife from a good knife maker. Let them sweat the details of steel type and heat treatment. The differences between many of these steels can only be determined by lab tests. The shape and grind of the blade, the handle, the balance, etc. are more important in the overall use of the knife. Most have a rockwell hardness of about 60 which means they will hold an edge.

Here is a link to info about steel that is really intended for the knife maker who heats and tempers his own blades. It has some interesting comparisons.

http://www.ajh-knives.com/metals.html
 
DGG said:
It has 440-C steel which is comparable to vg-10 (with it's "radioactive" cobalt alloy) in hardness and toughness.
Click to expand...

DGG, do you keep repeating VG10 and other cobaltsteel alloys are radioactive because you really think so, or it's just some kind of joke?:confused:
 
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