Favorite Fixed Blade Five

[black mamba]

Let's add another fivesome to the Traditional mix, all fixed blades. Make it your favorite five, whether by looks or by nostalgia or by usage. Because it's so broadly defined, please relate something about why each of your choices is a favorite.

I come at fixed blades mostly from a hunter's point of view, which is reflected in my choices. First up is my favorite, best looking, and reflects my fascination with Damascus, or pattern welded steel and ram's horn.
Doug Campbell Drop Point Hunter

Next is a trailing point pattern that just about every knife maker used from the 1950s through the '80s, immensely popular and effective. 1095 Cro-Van and stacked leather.
A mint example of the Western L66, from 1984

Another custom, this time a pure user from Luong La. I had Luong modernize the bullnose skinner in CTS-XHP at an amazingly tough 65 HRc. I literally may never need to sharpen this knife, its edge-holding is so phenomenal.
BluntCut MetalWorks Skinner

This next hunter fits my hand better than any knife I've ever held, and has the Staglon handle that I like so much, with Schrade's wonderful 1095.
Schrade Walden #172UH Bear Skinner

Last is a pure work of art, not really a hunter, but just such a beautiful knife in a pattern with such rich history that I couldn't NOT include it. Vanadis 4 Extra and Fraxinus Excelsior burl.
Zhelyo Tenev (jelio on BFC) Rhombic Puukko

 

[Hickory n steel]

Gec H20

Western 628

Buck 160 Smidgen

Buck 102 woodsman

My old Western F48a

 

[black mamba]

Thanks, Hickory, it looks like you carry a fixed blade quite a bit. Any details on how you like to use each of them?

 

[kamagong]

My favorite belt knife, a Mikko Inkeroinen Tommi.

My camp knife, inspired by the Argentine criollo. Ignore the puukko, it missed the cut.

I hope I never have use for this dagger, but I'm glad to have it.

The khukuri is my favorite chopper. The bowie is perhaps my favorite knife. So beautiful, so deadly, it's hard to believe such a large piece of steel can feel so alive in hand. It's the magic of distal taper. Only after I received this bowie did I finally understand what Bill Bagwell was talking about.

 

[black mamba]

Beautiful, Christian, I especially like the criollo inspired camp knife.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Thanks, Hickory, it looks like you carry a fixed blade quite a bit. Any details on how you like to use each of them?

I carry any of them on my hip and use them in a general EDC role just as I do any of my small pocket knives, sometimes their one handed nature comes into play and is advantageous and other times they're just another type of knife that I happen to like.
None really do anything for me any differently aside from the little Buck Smidgen, it just depends which I feel like carrying.

 

[black mamba]

Thanks, I appreciate the explanation. Some people like pocket fixed blades, but the only way I carry them for EDC is as a necker. This little custom is 6.4" OAL and very light around the neck.

 

[black mamba]

Just a bump, in case anyone else wants to contribute.

 

[Pàdruig]

I found this to be much more of an exercise than I thought it would be. I have numerous fixed blades and most, if not all of them, get much harder use than any of my pocket knives - as should be the case, in my opinion.

In order to break this exercise down, I needed to separate my fixed blades into logical categories and then pick a current favorite.
For the sake of discussion, let's say that there are at least 6 categories:

1. Belt Knife
2. Camp Knife
3. Chopper/Heavy Field Knife
4. Skinner
5. Pocket EDC
6. Self Defense

Defining each category:

• Belt Knife - I generally view a belt knife to be one that is within 3-5" in length and is a sturdy tool that can be used for a great variety of tasks. An "EDC" type of tool for when carrying something obtrusive isn't a concern.
• Camp Knife - Typically larger and heavier than a belt knife, I view camp knives similar to the Hudson Bay knives of old. Capable of chopping kindling as well as processing meat and such for the cookpot, it is a valuable and substantial asset to any outdoor camp.
• Chopper/Heavy Field Knife - This is a purpose built tool. Heavy chores like chopping boughs, clearing brush, prepping for fires, etc. - this is a large knife for getting big tasks done and isn't well suited to carrying on a belt.
• Skinner - Another purpose built tool, this one is a dedicated game processing knife.
• Pocket EDC - Small blades under 4 inches that can be unobtrusively carried on the pocket or daypack.
• Self Defense - Typically blades that are purpose built for inflicting damage rather than providing any meaningful cutting utility.

Obviously, these are very generalized descriptions but hopefully they help in demonstrating some of my decision making. Note that in my mind, there are 6 categories but Jeff has requested 5 favorites. Though any knife could be used for self defense, I do not purchase knives for that purpose so I will be omitting that category from my "Five Favorite Fixed".

I suppose I've rambled long enough. Here are my choices (discounting some options that might be viewed as too modern for here).

Current Belt Knife - Tommi Mäkela Puukko. I have a number of excellent belt knives and it is hard to choose what currently suits me the most but this puukko has been on my belt every time I have ventured out so it gets the nod for now.

Current Camp Knife - Erikson Knifeworks Camp Knife. I had Robert make this one up for me last year and though I haven't had a chance to really "camp" with it, I still have put it to work in the kitchen and it performs its work very nicely.

Current Chopper/Heavy Field Knife - Becker BK-21 (Ka-Bar). It's hard to beat the toughness of Ka-Bar's 1095 and this particular design of Ethan's checks all the boxes for me - it's a hard working tool. (Edge needs some tuning - a good lesson here, don't loan tools to your brother)

Current Skinner - Smokestack Bullnose from Redmeadow Knives. This knife is pretty special - comfortable and keen with grippy stacked leather.

Pocket EDC - Siegle "Puukko". I don't really do the whole pocket EDC thing but this one would make for a good candidate and it gets a lot of use. It usually goes in my daypack. Sturdy, keen, and comfortable.

 

[black mamba]

Beautiful group, Dylan, and thanks for the explanations, very well thought out!

 

[Will Power]

I'm cut off from most of my fixed, they're out in the country and after deep snow nobody has ploughed the road probably won't for weeks either....

I'm amazed nobody has nominated a Sharpfinger For me, these are a quirky and typically American knife, light yet versatile with tasks.

Obviously I'd have a Puukko but being here in the land of I can't ever envisage wanting a Custom one for foreigners OK but here it's a working tool so a simple one gets my vote-doesn't cost much either Ordinary Marttiini in carbon.

Buck Gen 5 Skinner has pleased me, again a versatile knife can skin, but makes good fire-sticks and food prep, easy to strop or resharpen, a must outdoors.

Grohmann Bird&Trout flat ground, what a knife I don't hunt but I used to like fishing and these gut a fish very well, thin, ergonomic and another agile food prep type, I don't want anything heavy or large on the belt or in the pack.

Finally a bit of flash I'd opt for a Bark River but I have certain reservations, they're not as durable as you might want but they can look good So a Lite Hunter in stainless, a Pro Scalpel in Micarta (actually a really remarkable small grippy knife in 0-1 I believe) or a Boot Knife for showing off, a pretty and small knife.

I need no bush knife or chopper, here they're dead weight so a small hatchet works better. I have got a broad bladed Russian knife Kizlyar that's a heavy weight thing, looks good but I don't carry it, too awkward really. See if I can assemble some pictures in a few days.

 

[black mamba]

I nearly nominated a Sharpfinger, as I used the heck out of one for about 20 years until it was stolen out of my garage (I think) by a friend of my daughter's. Easily the best small game knife I ever used. I put some book-matched walnut on a 440C blade blank about 10 years back-- very pretty, but I liked the original in 1095 better, I think.

 

[Old Hunter]

Nostalgia and age for my first one - Imperial M-4, first outdoors knife I remember, my Dad brought it back from his pacific tour in the Army (54-55). When I was a boy it was on his belt when we camped, hiked, hunted, or fished - in my minds eye I can see it on his belt in a black M8 sheath (Dad painted all his tools black for easy recognition of ownership - my Granddad had painted all of his red for the same reason - I don't paint mine). Long retired from the Guard, Dad gave it to me just before Desert Storm in 1990; I carried it for the remainder of my ARNG career to include OIF in 2003.

Bit more nostalgia for my second. A Western, Boulder CO L66 Black Beauty. Christmas gift from my folks in 1968 - my first fixed blade knife for hunting and Boy Scouts. I had just turned 13 and I remember the excitement of opening that gift (don't remember anything else I got that Christmas!) Shown here on its third sheath, I have a custom sheath being made for it now.

Buck 121, three-line, tip down variation (1971/72). Of all the Buck 121 Fisherman models this is my favorite for its namesake use - thin enough to flex when it needs to, thick enough not to break (which plagued the earlier models).

I was a Group and Task Force commander during OIF in 2003, on our redeployment to Fort Bragg I was presented this Randall #1 by the Officers and Soldiers of the Group HQ. I miss those Soldiers and those days, good folks all.

The most ergonomically perfect fixed blade for deer hunting I have ever had my hands on. As an industrial arts major and longtime employee of a building materials manufacturer I am all about form following function. However Buck managed to put equal amounts of both into this fixed blade - enough handle to use for cleaning several animals without fatiguing the hand, enough blade to get the job done without getting in the way when working inside the cavity, enough sweep to be efficient at skinning, and the right steel to hold an edge without a chance of rusting in the field. That's my five for the thread. OH

 

[black mamba]

Good stuff, Bruce, I was hoping you'd contribute!

 

[Old Hunter]

Good stuff, Bruce, I was hoping you'd contribute!

Thanks Jeff! But, but, but - hard to pass up a chance to talk fixed blade traditionals, I have at least as much interest in them as I do pocketknives. Thanks for starting this thread. BB

 

[deovolens]

Nessmuk types all hand forged except the first one

 

[ismaris]

All useful for specific jobs, but the little Frost's Scout is the one I use the most.