Fixed Blade Knife Recommendation

H

Hondo_Lane

Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
35
I'm in the market for a large fixed bade knife, 6-7" or so. I have narrowed my choices down to TOPS Alaskan Harpoon, TOPS Hawk Recon, or Fehrman First Strike. However, I would be willing to consider a knife in a similar vein as the ones mentioned. The knife could see some use in a jungle environment. Looking for a camp/survival type knife. Already carry a good folder (Microtech) and a leatherman wave. Any advice would be appreciated. Thankyou.
 
nothing wrong with any of those knives. i do think you are over paying quite a bit however! i think cs srk or recon tanto for about $ 90.00 ea, would be better choices. scrapyard knives also makes a wonderful knife for the money.
 
Of the knives that you listed, the Fehrman is the best choice IMO. Use the search feature to look at threads on Fehrman. I have been pleased with my First Strike as a camp knife. Not sure about 3V in a jungle environment as it reportedly tends to pit. "Reportedly" because I haven't had that problem. But I'm a maintenance fanatic.

I have the TOPS Alaskan Harpoon. It took me a lot of grinding to get it to cut decently, althought the steel (1095 on mine) is certainly tough enough.

Have you considered Ranger Knives? They have received pretty high reviews by users. I am very happy with the RD9 I have. It is made of 5160, a steel that rusts but does not pit (Think car leaf springs. Wouldn't want those to pit.) Service and guarantee are first rate.
 
I can definitely second Ranger Knives. An RD6 should fit your needs just fine.

rds.jpg

RD6, 7, and 9 respectively.

RD7_on_porch.jpg

My RD7 on my front porch.
 
You might try Swamp Rat Knife Works and Scrap Yard Knife Company, subsidiary companies of Busse Combat. I wanted a TOPS Hawk Recon, and was torn between the TOPS Tom Brown Tracker, Hawk Recon, Ka-Bar d2 extreme and Swamp Rat m6. TOPS are 1095, which is high carbon so corrosion might be an issue. All of my noodling happens in the sierras and forests so I don't have a lot of experience with that.

My M6 arrived today. You might also try the for sale forums here. I've seen great prices on good knives.
 
If your budget can afford a Fehrman, I'd go with that over the Tops, EASILY. But in that price range, you might also want to consider a Busse, Fallkniven, Swamp Rat, or Chris Reeve. Emphasis on Busse or Fehrman.

For the cheaper prices, I don't think you can beat a Ranger knife or a Fallkniven A1.
 
Wow, those Scap Yard knives look like a real deal. I'm going to have to look into those
 
If for nothing other than comparison purposes, you may look at the RAT series and the RTAK series from Ontario. They come in 1095, but I believe they're coated. You can also find some of them in D2, which is about as good as you can get for corrosion resistance in a steel that is non-stainless, technically speaking.
 
My main using knife of late has been my 7" blade Busse mud razor. I absolutly love this knife. The infi steel is super tough, keeps its edge and stays sharp. Any 6-8" Busse blade will suit you. Swamp rat and scrap yard are from the same family and are top notch, however go for a coated blade for rust protection.

Fehrmens seem to be very good knives and look like they would work well to, go for a coated blade here too.

Tops do make good knives, but, I would highly recomend a flat ground style blade or similar and most of the Tops have very thick edges that will reduce their cutting ability.

On the cheaper, but still quality side, I would recomend the Ranger RD7, Ontario RAT7, Becker BK7 and the kabars to a lesser extent.

I have used most of these knives and at the end of the day any of them will get the job done, so just get the best you can afford and the one you like the most. Good luck with your choice.
 
I am looking for a knife in this length due to a trade off between portabilty and usefullness. I wanted a long knife for is usefullness in a jungle environment, kinda like a machette. However, I will be unable to carry a machette. I am a pilot in the USAF and will need a blade portable enough to jump out of an airplane with. A machette, the ideal knife I think for a jungle environment, is impractical for this.

I had considered a TOPS tracker. However, after reading several reviews I have decided that folks are too polarized over that knife. They either like it or hate it. They find it all encompassing or awkward. This creates doubt and indecision in me. I have not been able to find a bad word about the Fehrmans (other than price). I liked the design of the TOPS Harpoon or Hawk Recon, but been unable to find a lot of info. Thinking the 1095 steel on the TOPS was coated would cut down on the corrosion issue.

I do thoroughly appreciate the responses so far! Thanks.
 
Hi Hondo,

Does the USAF have specifications over the length of blade? I ask because Australian pilots used to carry short machetes as their survival bail-out blade.
Check out this link about half way down the page, look at the USAAF survival machete.
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-weapons/knives.htm

That tool might be of interest to you. It strikes me as a optimal survival tool if you are in the jungle -- long enough to slash and with a squared tip useful for light digging. In the jungle, there are lots of tubers that you can use for food and the ground is quite wet so the blade isn't likely to snag. I think Becker produces something like that but longer.

Just thought you might want to look at something different.
 
I just got a TOPS Mission Team 21 and it is outstanding! Perfect size for a "do all" knife for me. I'm either having a kydex sheath made or getting a Spec-Ops sheath. The standard sheath is okay, but it is held by velcro and I just don't care for that. TOPS offers alot of knife for the money. Hope that helps...Jim
 
alephlex said:
That tool might be of interest to you. It strikes me as a optimal survival tool if you are in the jungle -- long enough to slash and with a squared tip useful for light digging. In the jungle, there are lots of tubers that you can use for food and the ground is quite wet so the blade isn't likely to snag. I think Becker produces something like that but longer.
Click to expand...
Reminds me of the Spetsnaz GRU, only more useful for hondo's application.

I don't know the going rate for ratweiler's on the for sale board, but you could do a lot worse as far as the knife goes.
 
A note on corrosion: since this knife is for the possibility of emergency use, as long as you have it oiled & sheathed, it will be fine, even if it is a high-carbon steel somewhat subject to rust.

If you do end up in a jungle, you won't have to worry about corrosion much as long as you are using the blade, and wipe it off after use. Salt water tends to be a particular problem; avoiding that, all the knives mentioned will hold up.
 
Hondo_Lane said:
I am looking for a knife in this length due to a trade off between portabilty and usefullness.
Click to expand...

Whenever I use my Ka-Bar, I find myself wishing it was either a couple inches longer or a couple inches shorter, that's why I asked :) But given your response, I totally understand and I think the gys here have you on the right track.

P.S. don't forget the lowly Ka-Bar, now available in two blade sizes, a couple finishes, carbon or stainless steel, leather or kydex sheaths... pretty cheap, too.
 
To bring some closure to the thread, I have ordered a Fehrman First Strike knife. 13" knife w/ 7.5" blade and black fininsh I also ordered the kydex sheath. I went with Fehrman due to the extremely high reviews I have read. I also like the steel they use. If I can find the time I may post a review on this knife in the review forum. Thanks for the inputs.
 
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