Fixed blade options for a hunting/camp knife

Charr

Charr

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Oct 8, 2013
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So I've been looking for a good durable fixed blade knife, preferably with a blade that is easily maintained, sharpens well, and sits around the 5"-6" blade range. I've got about $200 that could fit in the budget for it, and the knife would be functioning mainly as a field knife for camping and hunting trips. I already have a hatchet for heavy field work, and a smaller game knife for dressing game, so this knife would essentially do everything else, at least ideally.
The options I'm currently looking at are the Hogue EX-F01 (This one is interesting, but not sure how well it fits the roles), the BRKT Bravo 1.5 Field Knife (only real concern here is how well the steel holds up in moisture), and the Fallkniven S1 (just not sure how well VG-10 holds up to heavy use and field work).
I'm looking for something that can be used for a wide variety of tasks, and honestly fixed blades are not my forte. I'm typically much more of a folder nut, but I need a good knife for a bunch of excursions with my uncle that are planned later this summer, and will be continuing well past the end of the year on and off, some lasting about 2 weeks at a time, all outdoors.

Thanks in advance guys!
 
Btw, I've also considered the Survive 5.1, but they're sold out everywhere I look, and they don't seem to come up too often here unfortunately.
 
The survive 5.1 looks really cool and tough steel. Have you considered an esee or plsk?
 
Look at the ESEE 5. Its got a .25" thick blade thats 5.25" long. It has a glass breaker on the pomel and a bow divot whole in the handle. Micarta handles with kydex sheath!
 
Thanks guys, I'm wandering through the list of knives now to look at them. I have a cousin that uses a Becker BK-7, and I thought it was a good knife, the only issue I had with it was the handle, which seemed to wear at the base of the hand and the joint of the thumb when using it for heavier work. I was hoping that the contouring of the other would be better?
Esee has also been a serious consideration of mine, forgot to list it. The only issue I have there is that I've heard people saying that the edge-holding is not as good as some other options, and considering the amount of time we will be spending mobile and doing work with our tools, edge retention is a somewhat crucial factor. I am again not that experienced with fixed blades, and not with 1095 either, so this could be a mute point, please let me know.

Thanks for all of the help already though guys. This has helped me get some good ideas.
 
1095 doesnt hold an edge as well as some other higher end steels but its used on a lot of outdoor type knives because its easy to put an edge back onto it and does not take that long either!
 
Bradb4178 said:
1095 doesnt hold an edge as well as some other higher end steels but its used on a lot of outdoor type knives because its easy to put an edge back onto it and does not take that long either!
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Thanks for the info. I've heard a lot about it but have very little actual experience, and the steel often goes a long way to define a knife, so I definitely want as much info as I can get. I'm definitely interested in trying 1095, and I have experience sharpening in the field, so I may look more into knives that feature that steel.
 
Maybe look at swamp rat and scrapyard. Knife plus sheath should be under your budget and the steel will be much better than 1095.
 
Anyone have any experience with Fallkniven laminated VG-10? The stainless quality is very appealing, and I wanted some experienced opinions of how it compares to other common utility steels like 1095, A2, and 3V (I know 3V is insanely tough, but I've never used it in an instance where it wasn't coated, and I know it can be prone to rust).
 
Shotgun said:
Maybe look at swamp rat and scrapyard. Knife plus sheath should be under your budget and the steel will be much better than 1095.
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Where is the best place to get one? I've been interested in the Mudd Mutt for a while, but getting one seems pretty hit-or-miss.
 
Charr said:
Anyone have any experience with Fallkniven laminated VG-10? The stainless quality is very appealing, and I wanted some experienced opinions of how it compares to other common utility steels like 1095, A2, and 3V (I know 3V is insanely tough, but I've never used it in an instance where it wasn't coated, and I know it can be prone to rust).
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Is excellent. Slight risk of chipping if you use it without sharpening it a bit first. Other than that....great stuff. Get that S1.
 
Charr said:
Where is the best place to get one? I've been interested in the Mudd Mutt for a while, but getting one seems pretty hit-or-miss.
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Direct from the manufacturer. They don't sell through vendors. You can try the scondary market in the exchange sub-forum. I think scrapyard has a beefier mud mutt available now through their website. They call it the safety mutt. http://www.scrapyardknives.com/knives/
 
I'd go look at the knife maker exchange area and see if you like anything up over there. I always see a lot of options in the $200 range.
 
I recently purchased a TOPS B.O.B. and really like it. 1095 with excellent woods focused utilitarian blade and handle geometry. Seems to hold a good edge. TOPS has a very good HT IMO
 
655B-500x.jpg

(655B) Curved Skinner/Sticker/Boning 6 "

870BB-500x.jpg

(870BB) General Purpose 6 1/4 "
L6 steel dht
http://www.svord.com/
 
Check the Custom knives made by folks on BF. There is every kind of knife you can imagine. And they are great prices compared equivalent custom or production knives of the same quality.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm looking around the custom section a lot more from makers here and I'm also considering a couple options you suggested here right now. I'll post my decision but it'll probably be a few days.
 
I have the following as general hunting/outdoors knives:

ESEE-4
Falkniven F1
Becker BK-15
Spyderco South Fork

My favorite is ths South Fork, but they all have their strenghs. The s90v on the Spyderco should give you extreme edge-holding, but at the expense of ease of sharpening and toughness. As long as you want a knife mainly to cut stuff, I'd say it's a champ for what you describe. It's a bit over your budget, but I found mine for about $220.

My second favorite of what I have is the ESEE-4. It's the one I grab if I'm going to do something stupid, lol :rolleyes:

So that's my $0.02 fwiw. Plenty of other options out there as well.
 
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