First foray into EDC fixed blades!

Your going big for an edc fixed blade. You should really check out the knife makers market at that budget. I would especially look at Bradshaw blades, but there are a lot of great makers out there and it depends on your style, but from the knives you mentioned I would assume you would go more modern and utility. For production I would also look at the Cold Steel SRK, but there are many good knives out there.
 
You thought the BK12 was just too damned small for EDC??
(I would have understood, if you said you didn't like the sheath or attachment options; but too small doesn't make sense, especially since it is in the size range you posted.)
 
Tanto-esque. L6 dht.
UGP-500x.jpg

(UGP2) Utility General Purpose 4 3/4 "

870BB-500x.jpg

(870BB) General Purpose 6 1/4 "
http://www.svord.com/
 
I really like this TKT JEN made by our very own "flatblackcapo". He has many sheath options as well.

 
+1 on the Spyderco Street Bowie
Excellent Fred Perrin design, with multiple applications. Spyderco discontinued production a few years ago & they were expensive & hard to find. I was very please when they put them back into production again, as it saved me a lot of money. I have several, just in case they go out of production again.

Haven't been to Denver - except for just a quick change of flights - for several years, so I don't know what the social climate is there now. As far as a 'weaponized' look, in some areas a 5"+ fixed blade knife would cause the locals to get excited and consider it a 'weapon'.
I spend half my time in the rural eastern portion of my state. We went for breakfast at a local restaurant that was very busy that weekend. There was a young kid - maybe 16 years old - in camo (lots of hunters in the area) and I noticed he had on a leather sheath with a fixed blade knife in it. No one got excited, of course. It brought a smile to my face that there are still places where people have some good sense. If he'd been in the big city west side of the state, they probably would have called out the SWAT teams & locked down the whole area.
 
It's a touch smaller than you were looking for, but Foster knives has its book open on their Bushcraft model. 4" 3v steel, 4.5” handle.
 
Funny how you can get some weird looks from people when you carry a fixed blade. I have toted a Marttiini filet knife with an 8 inch blade and it seems no one cares. I guess they think I'm going fishing! LOL! But if I have a Gerber Steadfast hanging from my side I get plenty of glares!
I carry a fixed blade everywhere on weekends, right now it's the Benchmade SNODY with a leather sheath. It's just about right in size to get by with minimal amount of disapproval from the vegans. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Alright, so far my main contenders are:
CRKT Sakimori
CS Warcraft Tanto
Spyderco Street Bowie
Boker Vox Rold

The Bowie is the cheapest but has the thinnest blade. I think I'm looking for a blade that is thick enough for rough applications but doesn't weigh ten million pounds and has a utilitarian blade shape. The WC Tanto is still in the running because of the price:materials:quality ratio, but I think I would end up leaving it at home a lot as it really is a very large and intimidating knife.

The street bowie is light and has a great carry system, but I have reservations about durability; I want to be able to use the knife without hesitation and for anything from food prep to hacking into a tree. A ridiculous spectrum of uses, I know.

The Boker looks fantastic but I have reservations about the choppiness of D2 under stress.

The Sakimori looks to be a very interesting knive, but perhaps not as utilitarian as I might want given the backswept blade.
 
Concerning the strength of the Rold's D2, I haven't used mine enough to tell, but look up the reviews on Youtube - it seems to hold up quite well.
Watch the nutnfancy vid (yeah, yeah I know) he pounds on it quite a bit.

I love the shaped handle, it allows multiple grip positions and the wider end of the handle is great for chopping because you don't slip off that.
The handle could be grippier though on both the micarta and the G10 model.

For utility I wouldn't go with a Tanto, drop or spear point works much better for me

How important is wear resistance to you ? Because another blade that I really like is my ESEE Laser Strike. A little shorter than 5", but very stout and great handle too. ESEE 6 would be another contender, or maybe the Ratmandu by SwampRat, supposedly one of the best knives in that size range and their 52100 has a very good rep too.
The ESEEs come with pretty good sheaths too, among the best in production knives IMHO.
 
The Tops Moccasin Ranger is worth a look, it has great lines and ergos, but not sure if the 1095 HC steel would be optimal for your requirements. Mine has held up well with no need for sharpening, though it hasn't been abused. Has a Kydex sheath with attached rotating belt clip.

Have you seen the SOG Large Kiku? It has AUS-8 steel and I believe a molded sheath. Kiku's own knives also come with Tek-Loks, so I would imagine this should at least be set up for one, if not included.

Then again, maybe you had it all along, you've got me thinking about a CS Warcraft Tanto!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top