Fixed blade for camping/survival?

S

Schnouttz

Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
7
Hey guys, I'm new to this community and I'm hoping you can help me out! :)

I'm looking to purchase a fixed blade for camping and outdoors stuff - mainly for chopping and carving wood. I have a budget of about 100 dollars, but I'll go a little higher for a very good product. It has to have good edge retention, resistant(ish) to rust, and be able to take a solid beating and accomplish tasks such as batoning and chopping (kindling, cutting through branches, etc.) Blade length should be between 4-8". I've done some research, and 2 knives I'm considering right now are:

Benchmade Bone Collector 15005-2 (D2 steel, walnut wood handles... GORGEOUS KNIFE! :) )
KA-BAR Extreme Fighting/Utility knife (Also in D2 steel, not a big fan of the serrations but I can forgive it for looking so awesome :thumbup: )

Any other suggestions in this price bracket?
Comments or experience with the suggested knives?

Thanks guys!
 
Check out the becker bk line, they can be had for around 60-90 dollars depending on the model. Look up BK 2/5/7/9
Ka-bars are good and they produce the becker line.
Esee is awesome - esee rc-3,4,5,6
Falkniven F1 could be had for a bit over if you want something stainless and a thermorun handles.
These are just some of the more popular ones.
 
the kabar BK-2 is very high quality has 1095 high carbon steel and has aftermarket micarta handle scales and is very tough and an added bonus is does not break the bank at around $60... the Kabar fin fixed is good and is also nearly indestructible and has a D2 blade the fin fixed is a bit more expensive at around $80
there are a bunch of options out there for around 100 bucks
good luck
 
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Thanks for the suggestions!
I'm just not too sure about 1095 steel (in the becker bk line and ESEE). It gets really humid where I live in the summertime, and rust drives me crazy!
It also doesn't hold an edge as long as I'd like, which is why I chose a D2 Ka-bar.
 
Fine carving or just general carving? Because something small like a swiss army knife would help with the fine carving
 
Just general carving, like debarking or splitting off edges on a branch. I have lots of small knives for fine carving :)
 
Cold Steel SRK, Mora Robust, Condor Bushlore, etc etc etc. You have the world in your reach at that price. Check the fixed blades for sale that are made by BF members. You'll find better knives for the money. And you support Bf members!
 
Thanks for the suggestions!

Jimh0220 - I wasn't aware that there were homemade blades for same on BF. I'll definitely check that out, thanks!

9blades - I've had my eye on the SYCKO 711 for a long time, but I just couldn't justify the price without a sheath produced by scrapyard. I'd have to get a custom sheath for at least $50, and on top of shipping to canada I'm looking at $200+ !!
 
Check out Ragweed Forge for a broad selection of Scandinavian blades that might fit your requirements.
 
To find the handmade blades, look in the fixed blades for sale section in the exchange. All handmade knives by folks here with much more talent than I'll ever had.
 
The three knives i can think of would be the Ka-bar next gen, cold steel srk, and maybe a smith and swesson fixed blade( i know they may not be the best blades out there but they seem to have worked well for me atleast)
 
Save your money at first. I have had Fallkkniven F1 and a few Barkies. I also have used the Condor Bushlore which is under $40 and find it great for most chores and the scandi grind is easy to maintain. Like any High Carbon blade just wipe a little coat of oil on the blade after use. Condor has made several changes based on customer feedback. I rolled an edge batoning with a Barkie Aurora I have yet to roll one on the Condor. Truthfully it does most things better than either the F1 or the Barkie but all of them are great blades. The Scandi blade on the very inexpensive Condor Bushlore works well and sharpens easily. You don't have to spend big bucks to get a good bushcraft knife
 
I'm generally not a big fan of D2 for chopping although if it's hardened specifically for that purpose (e.g., the Kershaw Outcast), it performs very well. If I were shopping for a corrosion-resistant, fixed-blade knife in the 4" to 8" range that's tough enough to use for general utility purposes, I'd be looking at Fallkniven knives. They run a little more than $100, but they're worth it.
 
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Definitely check out the Beckers. The BK2, BK7, BK9 would fit the bill well. Also check out the Ritter Perseverance(it's Ritter designed, made by Rowen, and has the Becker handles). The tweeners(BK15,BK16, and BK17) are damn nice too, but wouldn't really fit as "choppers," but they're great to pair with a larger knife. The BK9 and BK16 are, for now, my favorite pairing for woods use.

Also check out the ESEE's, The 4 is a nice knife(one of my "go to's") and the 6, and Junglas give you a bit more length for chopping tasks.
 
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