First Good Fixed Blade Suggestions?

J

Jarrett2k

Joined
Dec 11, 2011
Messages
78
Well first off, it's obvious I'm new here, but I'm an avid gun enthusiast and I'm looking to dive into knife collecting too. I have a good friend that's good with knives and he's given me some good suggestions as my first good one, but I'd just like a few more opinions in case there's some companies I've missed. Here's basically what I'll be doing with it, and some of the specifications that I want. And before I get flamed, yes I have done quite a bit of research and I already have a couple of nice blades in mind.

Uses:
-Knife will be used heavily and for some uses it's not really intended for.
-Will be carried often.
-Will be used to cut rubber, wood, and plastic often.
-Probably used as a hammer from time to time.

Specs:
- 5"-7" blade
-Standard, durable handle. I don't care for having sharp finger groves for all fingers.
-Must be able to obtain reasonable sharpness, but while retaining a good edge.
-GOOD warranty
-Price range of $100-$250 USD

Knives already considered, just to give you an idea of what I'm into:
-ESEE 5
-ESEE 6
-Tops Apache Falcon
-Tops Cobra 6
-Tops Tom Brown Tracker
-Zero Tolerance ZT0170
-Zero Tolerance ZT0100

As stated, I'm not limiting myself to the knives I've posted. So far just by my research and what my blade crazy friend suggests, I'm leaning heavily toward the ESEE blades.
 
BK2 or BK7 with Micarta if you have normal or large sized hands. Esee 5 or 6 if you have smaller hands. Scrapyard 711 is great but you will need a sheath.
 
I've looked at the Beckers but I'm not a big fan of the handle

Psyop said:
BK2 or BK7 with Micarta if you have normal or large sized hands. Esee 5 or 6 if you have smaller hands. Scrapyard 711 is great but you will need a sheath.
Click to expand...

Not sure of my hand size, but I'd assume it's fairly large? I can palm an official sized basketball if that helps any. Great suggestion on the Scrapyard though, hadn't thought about them.
 
TriviaMonster said:
How about a scrapyard 511 or 711, or maybe a ratmandu from swamprat? I also really like the ESEE knives.
Click to expand...

Honestly I hadn't even considered swamprat, didn't know they offered a reasonably priced blade. Though the blade length is on the shorter side for my preference.
 
TwinStick said:
Ontario RD 6 or 7.
Click to expand...

From what I understand, Esee/Rat and Ontario used to be together and they split due to Ontario wanting to lack in the QC department, so i'll pass.

thanks for the input though. Like I said, I'm going to beat the crap out of this thing, so I need a great warranty.
 
Something simple, no radical designs.

There were alot of politics involved in the ESEE/Ontario split. Ontario is known for their no nonsense beaters, and in that sense, why increase the price to improve fit and finish on a knife that is going to get hammered anyway? It'd be like putting a pair of spinners on a Land Rover. Ontario makes some of the best hard use knives in the industry. They may not come razor sharp, but they are real easy to get that way. At the price point they are very competitive in the industry, and I think the Ontario TAK 1 or RAT-5 would be one of the best choices you could make for a first fixed blade knife. The steel is good, the grind is good, the handles are practical and ergo.

I'd take a look at the Ranger series, the Enzo Trapper, anything by Kabar, one of the ESEEs (if you get the 3 or 4, I'd highly suggest the Knife Connection scales over the factory ones) or one of the quality custom knives that you can find on here.
 
Justin still makes the Ranger line of knives, there's the solution to the F&F issue with the RD line.
Remember that the Becker full size knives have optional aftermarket micarta scales.
 
Jarrett2k said:
I've looked at the Beckers but I'm not a big fan of the handle



Not sure of my hand size, but I'd assume it's fairly large? I can palm an official sized basketball if that helps any. Great suggestion on the Scrapyard though, hadn't thought about them.
Click to expand...
I have large hands, sounds like yours may be a bit larger. I can palm a basketball if I try but not while playing for sure. The Becker handles fit me great, the Micarta is much better than the stock ones. The Scrapyard 711 should be a good fit for you but the 511 has a smaller handle. Becker-Ka-Bar, Esee and Scrapyard all have top notch service and warranties.
Here is my BK2 with a SYKCO 511

DSCN0179.jpg
 
Psyop said:
I have large hands, sounds like yours may be a bit larger. I can palm a basketball if I try but not while playing for sure. The Becker handles fit me great, the Micarta is much better than the stock ones. The Scrapyard 711 should be a good fit for you but the 511 has a smaller handle. Becker-Ka-Bar, Esee and Scrapyard all have top notch service and warranties.
Here is my BK2 with a SYKCO 511

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu46/stjoefd2003/DSCN0179.jpg[/IG][/QUOTE]

Thanks man, all of the suggestions you have made seem to fit me well. I may look into the Ka-Bar if they offer different handles. It's just that I like to have stuff that looks as good as it operates, and they just don't do that for me. And I like to promote the smaller, more unheard of companies.

[quote="PayetteRucker, post: 10472364"]Something simple, no radical designs.

There were alot of politics involved in the ESEE/Ontario split. Ontario is known for their no nonsense beaters, and in that sense, why increase the price to improve fit and finish on a knife that is going to get hammered anyway? It'd be like putting a pair of spinners on a Land Rover. Ontario makes some of the best hard use knives in the industry. They may not come razor sharp, but they are real easy to get that way. At the price point they are very competitive in the industry, and I think the Ontario TAK 1 or RAT-5 would be one of the best choices you could make for a first fixed blade knife. The steel is good, the grind is good, the handles are practical and ergo.

I'd take a look at the Ranger series, the Enzo Trapper, anything by Kabar, one of the ESEEs (if you get the 3 or 4, I'd highly suggest the Knife Connection scales over the factory ones) or one of the quality custom knives that you can find on here.[/QUOTE]

I'm not saying i hate Ontario, it's just that ESEE offers the unconditional warranty, and the Rat-7 is about the only style knife Ontario offers that i like. I'd rather spend 30-50 bucks more on an ESEE and get the "no matter how the hell you broke it" warranty.
Click to expand...
 
Jarrett2k said:
Uses:
- Knife will be used heavily and for some uses it's not really intended for.

-Will be used to cut rubber, wood, and plastic often.
-Probably used as a hammer from time to time.

Specs:
- 5"-7" blade
-Standard, durable handle.
-Must be able to obtain reasonable sharpness, but while retaining a good edge.
-GOOD warranty
-Price range of $100-$250 USD

So far just by my research and what my blade crazy friend suggests, I'm leaning heavily toward the ESEE blades.
Click to expand...

based on what you said, the ESEE 5 is my recommendation.
 
Animatronic Fireman said:
Fallkniven A1 if you want to go stainless.
Click to expand...

Forgive me for being new to this, but isn't 1095 stronger than stainless? Even if it is prone to rust, I'd rather have to do some general cleaning and have the extra strength. And thanks for your recommendation.

Also, any opinions on a Grayman Sub-Saharan? I saw the name come up in another thread so I looked them up, looks promising.
 
Last edited:
Some of those Black Jack knives look nice. I looked around on there warranty, but I didn't find a home page. It might be worth a look.
 
TriviaMonster said:
How about a scrapyard 511 or 711, or maybe a ratmandu from swamprat? I also really like the ESEE knives.
Click to expand...

This. These knives will do what the OP is looking for. I like the 5" Ratmandu, just recently got one plus a Mashed Cat sheath to go with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top