Fixed blade recommendations for infantryman?

Seems like there is a consensus toward going for more along the lines of:

- a 3-5" blade
- stainless steel

I've contacted Charlie Mike, btw.

But the F1 seems to have a lot of support, and the ESEE4 seems like a strong contender as well.
 
Charlie Mike said:
My preferred method of carry works with the ACU uniforms. Its still very accessible while wearing armor.



Something like this would be perfect for a ground pounder.

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See above for a custom that will survive anything thrown at it, made by a Veteran for someone still enlisted.

See below for a production model that is renowned for its capabilities in a tough environment.
Rat Finkenstein said:
Swamp Rat Ratmandu
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Personally, I would go with a Custom from Charlie Mike.
 
I'm going to suggest the Gerber Strongarm. It's got great hard-use reviews. I haven't gotten to use mine yet, but it feels great in the hand with a nice textured, grippy handle that should do well wet. The sheath is Molle compatible (although is the weakest aspect of the knife). It also has a spiked pomel for breaking glass, or anything else you might need. Good luck with the hunt.
 
The biggest factor is going to be the sheath. Proper cold and cheap plastic is not a great combo. Charlie will set you up without a doubt. I'm guessing that most of the usage it will see will be general utility while on exercise, so a knife thought out for utility first will be the winner.
The only thing I'd toss into the mix as an additional thought would be something by LT Wright or a Fiddleback. Either way one thing I have leaned is that when wearing big mitts, there is no such thing as too much handle. If I was to move back to canada and was going to be playing in the woods, I might even consider a winter knife and a summer one, or get something I could add liners to the scales to bulk up. But your needs (and fingers) may vary.
 
If I were back jumping out of airplanes, I would want a Cold Steel SRK. It is carried by many soldiers. It is available in at least 4 different steels, so you have a choice. It is so good Benchmade unabashedly copied it.

Another great choice, and tested in war, is the Buck 119 S30V offered by Copper and Clad. It is not Molle compatible, but that would not be hard to fix.
 
If I had to do it over again today, I'd go with a stainless, high wear resistance 4"ish blade with a large micarta handle. The knife likely gets used for general utility, carving sector stakes, etc vs chopping. My guess is you'll be in the field for long stretches and won't want to carry sharpening or weatherproofing equipment.

I think a Bradford Guardian 4 in M390 would be perfect.
 
I just grabbed a Bark River Bravo Survivor in 3V for $25 over your budget.. Maybe keep an eye out for a used one. Or you could go with a A2 version for about your price point.. But I'd pony up the extra $20-$40 and get the 3V. Buy once, cry once. It's a monster.

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I also have an F1 that is a great knife for the $$. The A1 may be a good option if you want a bigger knife still. Bark River makes a ton of different knives, give them a look if still deciding. The Bravo series has a lot of newer designs. Best of luck.
 
I dunno what the knew ones are like either, but you can find SRKs in VG-1 for around $80 bucks in pretty much any exchange or PX (in the US anyway). It seems like my Exchange always has those, CS Tantos, and Ka-Bars in stock. I have an old Carbon V SRK that I ended up using as my hunting knife a couple of years back. It did the job on fish, rabbits, antelope and deer. I was quite happy with how it performed and how easy it was to touch up.

C_Claycomb said:
I have an old CarbonV bladed SRK and never liked it simply because the blade was ground at too obtuse an angle to cut wood or field dress small game the way I wanted. Maybe if was ground convex, like the A1 etc, it would have cut better and had more use. I just found that it acted like a semi sharp pry bar with the factory edge and I never wanted to spend the time grinding it back.
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Charlie Mike said:
My preferred method of carry works with the ACU uniforms. Its still very accessible while wearing armor.



Something like this would be perfect for a ground pounder.

Click to expand...

That blade reminds me alot of a Perrin Street Beat. The Street Beat is one of my favourite fixed blades. Spyderco version's sheath seems to dull the blade though.
 
gadgetgeek said:
The biggest factor is going to be the sheath. Proper cold and cheap plastic is not a great combo. Charlie will set you up without a doubt. I'm guessing that most of the usage it will see will be general utility while on exercise, so a knife thought out for utility first will be the winner.
The only thing I'd toss into the mix as an additional thought would be something by LT Wright or a Fiddleback. Either way one thing I have leaned is that when wearing big mitts, there is no such thing as too much handle. If I was to move back to canada and was going to be playing in the woods, I might even consider a winter knife and a summer one, or get something I could add liners to the scales to bulk up. But your needs (and fingers) may vary.
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^This is an excellent point and I think it should be taken note of.

In Canada with cold winters a knife has to be usable even with thick gloves/mittens.

Going with Charlie Mike is definitely the right choice. Prepare to get hooked up.
 
cbach8tw said:
I think a smaller blade would be better, I have read over the years from active duty troops that smaller is better for their needs, depending on what you do of course, but worth considering. +1 on the Falkniven F1. ESEE3 or 4 also come 440C stainless, and I think where I just saw where new handles can be attached to the 3 to give it a little bit longer handle length. If you can find them, the 3 came in D2. If larger, the ESEE 6 fills the bill, although in 1095.

More expensive, but I have always liked some of the knives from Martin Tactical Knives. Lastly, what about a multi tool? Let us know what you decide.
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The knife center (TKC) has G10 that make the grips longer, I had some and they were pretty nice.
 
Lapedog said:
That blade reminds me alot of a Perrin Street Beat. The Street Beat is one of my favourite fixed blades. Spyderco version's sheath seems to dull the blade though.
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You wouldn't be the first (or the 10th) guy to compare my work to Perrin. He has been quite an influence.
 
Charlie Mike said:
My preferred method of carry works with the ACU uniforms. Its still very accessible while wearing armor.



Something like this would be perfect for a ground pounder.

Click to expand...

Slightly off topic, gentlemen, I hope you will forgive. It's a method of carry diversion.

I must ask you, CM, because I know you've done a lot of experimenting. For civvy use, you seem to use the same set up, right?

I found myself strapped up in safety belts in a bus on a wild ride up a mountainside with incredibly tiny seats and it occurred to me the only pocket I could get to quickly if the even the bus went down the ravine and I survived was the breast pocket, where I decided to put my rescue tool (glass breaker, serrated blade etc).

Bottom line is, I wonder about the offhand i.e. left breast inverted carry. For small knives like the SRK, it may not be that bad, unless there's something else that should be there that I don't know about. Or some disadvantage I don't know about or haven't thought through.
 
spykez said:
Slightly off topic, gentlemen, I hope you will forgive. It's a method of carry diversion.

I must ask you, CM, because I know you've done a lot of experimenting. For civvy use, you seem to use the same set up, right?

I found myself strapped up in safety belts in a bus on a wild ride up a mountainside with incredibly tiny seats and it occurred to me the only pocket I could get to quickly if the even the bus went down the ravine and I survived was the breast pocket, where I decided to put my rescue tool (glass breaker, serrated blade etc).

Bottom line is, I wonder about the offhand i.e. left breast inverted carry. For small knives like the SRK, it may not be that bad, unless there's something else that should be there that I don't know about. Or some disadvantage I don't know about or haven't thought through.
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I carry this way all day, everyday everywhere. Due to the forward cant, it is easily accessible even while belted into the driver's seat.
 
I concur with CM on the ease and comfort of carry with the inverted kydex.
 
couple of thoughts on shirt pocket carry. Shirts move more than pants, so indexing the pocket might be hard after the rolling stops. a hard object against the chest wall can act like a fulcrum for a rib cracker, smaller risk, but possible.
 
Svord Hunter 7
Svord%20Deluxe%20Hunter%20Knife%20-%20Model%20280H%20copy.1.jpg

Length of Blade (inches) 7"
Over All Length (inches) 12"
Blade Shape Hunter
Handle Material Mahogony and Brass
Steel Specifications 15N20
Blade Thickness (mm) 3mm
Sheath Leather
 
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