Entry level fixed blade, primarily for camping

Here's another vote for the BK&T-7 as well as the BK&T-9. The 9 (my personal preference) give's you greater cutting/chopping power than the 7 and can still do all the things the 7 can do. Either one can be had for under $100.00.
 
The Swamp Rat knives have by far the best reputation of any knives in their price range. The Beckers are said to be excellent and durable cutters, but alot of people find their handles to be too slippery. Some have suggested roughing them up with sandpaper to solve that problem.

For stainless steel the best under $100 would be the Spydercos that have been mentioned or the Fallknivens. I personally like the Spydercos much better, but the Fallknivens are built heavier.

If you prefer traditional styles, then Marbles, Bark River, and Blackjack are the good ones. I think the long, straight guards on traditional style knives makes them the safest to use.

One bit of warning - if you are after a large knife then the $100 price limit will be a problem. The Swamp Rat Camp Tramp was listed as $138, last time I looked. For something with a 7 inch blade and under $100 you would probably want the BK7 or the Kabar. Ontario makes alot of low priced large knives, but there have been reports of QC problems with their blades.
 
Now that kabar has been mentioned what do yall think about the " next generation" they got going, i beleave some of them were used in The hunted. are they preferable to the original kabar's?
 
There has been some criticism of the stainless versions because Kabar switched from Swedish 12C27 stainless steel to 440A. The Swedish steel was said to be substantially better than 440A. The other option is the version made in D2, which is an excellent knife steel, though not entirely stainless and difficult to sharpen.
 
With your new intended uses, I have to change my recommendation to Himalayan Imports. Marbles, Blackjack and Bark River all make smaller knives that really aren't suitable for chopping or pounding tent stakes. HI blades are tough as nails, heavy enough to chop well, pound tent stakes and the like, and the accessory blade included would work well for food prep. You can pick up one of the specials Uncle Bill offers from time to time on the HI forum, or get one of the regular models for a little more. For camping I would reccomend a 15" Ang Khola or a 16.5" World War II. My WWII is one of my favorite blades, next to my 18" Ang Khola. These are excellent working blades that you'll also want to show off, and you'll undoubtedly get some very interested responses when you do.
 
Since you already seem to like Spyderco, check out the Temperance and Perrin model fixed blades. Both are excellent knives for the purposes you listed. Both are made from VG-10 which is an excellent steel. I own both of these knives and recommend them highly.
 
An excellent choice would be SRK from Cold Steel. Very good, multi purpose knife. If you really want to save dough, check out the same company's Bushman blades, they come in 5" and 7" blade sizes and cost what you'd pay for lunch.
 
For the work you're talking about you should get at least a 6" blade with good thickness. If you want a good rugged camp knife on the cheap, but sexy, check out the Buck Special (#119). It's a classic, and for around $40 on the internet it's a steal.
 
just looking for a really tough do-it-all knife
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It doesn't sound that way to me. I woundn't want to prepare food with the knife I just used to dig a hole, and a good wood chopper is going to make for a clumsy kitchen knife. I would suggest you consider getting a Mora knife for the mess kit and a stury belt knife for the rest of it. A machete would particularly nice for trail clearing. But, plan on spending no morethen $80 for the pair of knives; you are going to need the other $20 to buy a decent sharpener.

n2s
 
The criteria you described will be covered by any of the following for well less than $100 American:

1) BK10 Crewman, 5.5" coated carbon steel, full tang, not a great chopper.

2) Buck Nighthawk, 6.5" coated SS, practical tactical, sexiest of the bunch.

3) BK7 Combat Utility, 7.25" ccs, I think this best fits your criteria.

4) BK9 Combat Bowie, 9.25" ccs, probably too large for a do-it-all.

If most of your tasks are food prep and camp type chores, I'd go with the Nighthawk. Very tough, yet attractive. For prying, chopping, digging, etc., the BK7 rocks. You can get any two of these delivered for under $100;)
 
Check out Camillus Closeout site....Marine Corp combat knife classic style, $24 unbeatable deal
 
Originally posted by Quickener
So, what knife would you recommend? What would you get if you were in my position? Think long-lasting, fun, and attractive. Something that I could use for almost everything, but something I'd show off as well.
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Well if you just consider factory blades you are really missing out on some hard working high quality blades at reasonable prices.

Take a look at these two websites
http://www.edmfknives.com/ http://www.plan-a.org/mmhw/knives.htm

First is Eight dollar mountain foundry. The maker Dale Sandberg makes fixed blade knives with cast aluminum handles (cast on the blade tang) I don't think he sells a blade over 100 dollars. These might also fill the bill as sexy.

Second is Mineral mountain hatchet works.
The maker is Ted Frizell He has some nice large bowies for $150 with nice micarta handles.

Both these guys make workers not safe queens. But they look nice and are made of good steel.

Drew
 
Think long-lasting, fun, and attractive. Something that I could use for almost everything, but something I'd show off as well.
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That would be an 18 year old cheerleader!

Sorry, couldn't resist that.
 
A knife that makes a good shovel and a good hammer for tent stakes makes a lousy knife. There are some pocket sized (well pouch sized) folding shovels that would be better for digging. Digging with a knife is guaranteed to dull it very fast. It also will trash the finish on the blade. I generally find rocks work better for pounding stakes than any knife that I can thing of. If you pound stakes with the butt of a knife you wreck your hand if you miss the stake. Only something like a thick bolo machete has a blade that works somewhat well as a tent stake hammer.

I would go for a lightweight knife and a folding shovel. In a pinch you can use the shovel as a hammer. The other combination that works is a lighter knife and a hatchet with a hammer backside. If you have to dig you make yourself a digging stick with your knife and hatchet.
 
Here is a vote for the Grohmann #3 Boat Knife, the flat ground carbon steel model. Hard to beat for the money
 
My camp knife is a Ka-bar. It's not pretty but it does the jobs I ask of it. If you're really looking for a one knife does it all kind of thing, stop looking and get the different tools to do the different jobs. A small hatchet, a good knife and a small shovel will serve you better than just a knife (yes that's what I carry). Plus you can keep your knife sharper for longer and it will look better too.

Rob
 
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