First Knife - What to get

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matt89

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May 16, 2011
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Hey guys, First post here, hope you can help out. I'm looking for a decent quality knife for an all around camp purposes( cooking, skinning, cleaning, carving sticking, cutting rope etc.) not worried about chopping or splitting wood right now. Im just looking for a simple blade that will perform well and hopefully last. I started my search by looking at KA-Bar as they've been around for ever, but upon seeing them in person, I'd much prefer something around the size of my frost river knife(made by mora) I bought from mountain co-op. Ive also looked at Helle, as i like the traditional look of them, specifically the odel as its made with those with smaller hands in mind. Another knife that seems to come up everytime i search is the cold Steel SRK. Also carbon vs stainless steel? My price range is around the 100$ mark. Any suggestions ideas or comments? Im a student and enjoy the outdoors but dont have the money to burn on the most expensive knives, but id still like a quality blade. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Matt
 
As far as a fixed blade goes, I do not have much experience in that arena. Mora is always a name that pops up, but, with your price range, I would point you toward something like the Kabar becker BK2. It is massively loved by the community and always gets recommended by at least 1 or 2 people. the fallkniven f1 is slightly out of your price range, but is recommended a huge amount. other good knives could be bark river, cold steel, and many others i do not know about.

if you want a pocket knife, then I would point you toward the ZT 0200 blem (search for kershawguy on the forum). it has gotten many good reviews and is an absolute beast of a knife. if you can break it, then you are going things with it that no folder is meant to do.

Find something you like in your price range and go to a store to handle it. If you don't like how it feels, then you will not use it.

By the way, how long is your frost cutlery? there are lots of them. just take a ruler and give an approximation of how long the cutting edge is.

forgot to say, welcome to bladeforums. join in, ask questions, and have fun.
 
The blade is 4 inches forgot to mention that, ops. I would prefer a fixed blade, but definitely will look at your suggestions, Thanks!
 
For general purposes a great fixed blade is an esee 4. Great camping knife and good for bigger chores but small enough for fine work
 
The bk2 is also a great choice and with its size and strength it can person chopping and atoning chores as well. Better to have and not need then to need and not have
 
In Regards to Carbon vs Stainless its your preferance really, carbon is gunna take a bit more looking after (wiping the blade down after use, oil when in storage etc) stainless is nice because its a little more forgiving but can still rust. however most carbons are easier to sharpen then stainless i find and will hold an edge longer, until you get into the super stainless steels (CPM s30v, CPM154, Vanex 75, Elmax) but in truth whatever you feel comfortable with is what you should go for, i personally prefer carbon in a fixed blade like the 1095 thats in my Mora 612, a knife i would recommend for a more tradition Puukko feel

you might also want to look at the shorter Ka-Bars in the 5" range, still sturdy but shorter like the moras.
 
I'd take a look at bark river knives. Many options but may be a bit over your price range. However I think you will find them to be worth the cost :)
 
ESEE 4, Fallkniven F1, Bark River Aurora are probably your best options here. You may also want to consider a smaller Himalayan Imports knife. A khuk is always a good choice for a utility camp knife, and they're very much in your price range. Might also look into Grayman.
 
I'd have to go with those recommending the ...

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Beckerhead #42
 
I would suggest a Scrapyard Mudd Puppy. You can find them for around a hundred or cheaper if you go to a show Sykco will be at. The RES-C Handle is seriously the most comfortable I have ever handled. Thick blade stock the 154-cm is stainless which would cut down on maintenance but I dont get all the hate on carbon steel. Its full flat ground so it could handle food prep and in the wood working that I have done it shaves wood easily. Plus who but Esee can match a you break it we replace it free warranty?
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Id go for an ESEE knife whichever looks like it suits your purposes the best. I think the three is quite handy and a great slicer
 
Another vote for the Fallkniven F1. It's a pure, no bells-and-whistles slicer, and a slicer is going to take care of 95% of your camp tasks (cooking, skinning, cleaning, carving sticking, cutting rope etc). The Helles you discussed are a great choice, but I have found that Scandi grinds like the Helle are terrible at food prep...can't slice a veggie worth a darn.

The F1 is worth the extra cost...its not a fortune, but it's going to outlive you.

Later you can get some big, thick, coated basher/smasher/chopper to bash the bejeebus outta trees and stuff with...if you are into that kinda stuff. Fun!

But get yourself a great pure slicer first.

(The Bark River NorthStar would be a great choice too....just a bit more "spendy.")
 
Would you buy a Ferrari as your first car right after you get your license?
No. You would buy a Toyota corolla. Used.
$15 on a mora as a first knife is money well spent. It will serve 90% of your purposes. If it (ever) becomes insufficient, then and only then go out an buy something fancier, knowing what you will have learned from using it.
 
I have completly different take. I would not spend one hundred on my first knife. I would by a great knife that you can use for the rest of your life. The spiderco Endura V-10 will never become boring or obsolete. It's cheap, 55.00 and will leave money left over for another cheap/good field knife like a Mora, or a Kershaw Antelope/bear hunter.
 
My first knife was a Boy Scout knife that did darn near everything I ever asked of it and in return taught me knife safety and sharpening. It was followed by a Swiss Army (Tinker, I believe) when I lost the Scout knife. Again, darn near everything I ever needed to do in a camp I could do with that knife. I host of knives have followed in fixed and folding formats, and while my first impulse is to throw out some of my favorites from memory lane I'm going to have to defer to Attila and others who have recommended smaller, thinner, eminently practical, inexpensive knives like the Mora and it's ilk. Skinning, filleting, shaving, feathering, carving, package opening, line cutting, and the host of mundane camp tasks are beautifully simple with a knife like that. When attending a well known survival course some years ago I was highly amused by the number of people (including myself) who after hacking away at the various tasks with expensive, gaudy knives for a day ended up buying a simple Frosts knife in a plastic sheath for its ease of use. There's a reason they waited until the end of that first day to announce they had them in their canteen! If you've used that knife for a while and have perceived some additional needs (batoning, chopping, surviving the apocalypse) you can add to your collection. Actually, adding to your collection can be a perceived need all by itself, as many here can attest! If you just gotta, well, the ESEE 3 and 4 are great camp knives, and the Rodent Solution looks like it would serve admirably as well. I'll have to look into getting one! There's that perceived need again...
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
ESEE 4, Fallkniven F1, Bark River Aurora are probably your best options here. You may also want to consider a smaller Himalayan Imports knife. A khuk is always a good choice for a utility camp knife, and they're very much in your price range. Might also look into Grayman.
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Good suggestions. Can't go wrong with any of those. And if you don't like the one you get, you can always sell it. (good secondary market for good knives)

Side note: Becker and Kabar are coming out with a bunch of new "tweener" knives. (4" range) Look like some nice stuff. And shoud be VERY good values. Just and FYI.

Another vote for the Mora too. Best $15 you can spend.
 
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