Fixed Blade to keep in my car trunk

Hickory n steel said:
The edges on mine are always rusting, but that comes off with sharpening and the orange coating is tough as nails.

However if carbon steel is an absolute no-no then I'd not get a machete, because to me machetes = carbon steel.
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? Maybe you should try oiling them ?
 
LEGION 12 said:
? Maybe you should try oiling them ?
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I use them all the time and sharpen them often, so I just let the stone remove the rust.
These are just a working tool for landscaping around the yard and they're always chopping into the ground, I should probably oil them but I just don't.
 
Lord_Balkan said:
Do you think the leather handles will hold up?
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The one I keep in the car has the rubber handles but I have a leather one thats seen a lot of use and its still fine. Only thing I'd worry about with leather is the handles baking and hardening, but that would probably be many years down the line.
 
I decided to keep a Buck Selkirk and a KABAR in my trunk. That should cover all my bases, be able to take a beating, and not break the bank for me. I will post some pictures once I get them.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions and advice.
 
Lord_Balkan said:
I decided to keep a Buck Selkirk and a KABAR in my trunk. That should cover all my bases, be able to take a beating, and not break the bank for me. I will post some pictures once I get them.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions and advice.
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I'd go for the Ka-Bar Dog's Head if I were you, you can put a lanyard on it.
 
I have a knife and a hatchet in the trunk; so maybe I'm not one to talk. But what is expected from a truck knife?
 
I second some of the seasoned knife nuts here just get yourself a Mora and you will be set.
I keep a carbon steel Mora in my car all the time and it came in handy on more than one occasion.
 
Moras won't fail you. Best fixed blade value by far.
But a good Kabar won't fail you either. Good choice! I would go for the rubber handle if it were me. My Kabar is the next gen 440a with the rubber handle: a model that's no longer offered by Kabar but is now Cutco's outdoor knife.
 
save some money and get a vg1 cold steel srk. If you really want you can get it in 3v or in sk5. I got the 3v version and its an outstanding blade.
 
Lord_Balkan said:
I decided to keep a Buck Selkirk and a KABAR in my trunk. That should cover all my bases, be able to take a beating, and not break the bank for me. I will post some pictures once I get them.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions and advice.
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A good choice. Usually a 2-knife solution is far superior to trying to use one "compromise" sized knife for all tasks. The Selkirk will be your most-used knife by far.
 
I agree a Mora could be part of a solution. I like Mora as a utility knife and have one in carbon steel. However....it cannot replace the Kabar in the OP's 2-knife solution as a larger and tougher blade for splitting, prying, digging, and chopping. Even the Kabar isn't quite big enough to be optimal for those things, but close enough to get you by in an emergency situation. I like the OP's approach of a 2-knife solution, it's already what I do for backpacking and increasingly, I think I will be doing this in my emergency kit for vehicles. As part of a 2-knife solution, a Mora is a good option for the smaller knife but you'd still need something bigger to go with it. Some people go with something like a Mora or a small ESEE 3, and then a hatchet or a larger chopper knife. Geez, if you went with something like a stainless Mora for the utility knife ($16), plus a small chopper knife of 7" to 8" like a Schrade SCHF52 ($36), or an Estwing 14" hatchet ($43) for the large cutting tasks, you'd have a very inexpensive combo of cutting tools for total cost of $52 to $58, and you'd cover a huge range of cutting tasks in just 2 tools.
 
David Lowry said:
Go buy a $14 Mora and call it a day.
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V84mystang said:
Moras won't fail you. Best fixed blade value by far.
But a good Kabar won't fail you either. Good choice! I would go for the rubber handle if it were me. My Kabar is the next gen 440a with the rubber handle: a model that's no longer offered by Kabar but is now Cutco's outdoor knife.
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oldtymer said:
Get a Mora SS with a plastic sheath & handle, stow it & forget until it is needed-problem solved
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even if not as a primary blade, Moras can't be beat for the price or as backups, for the $ of most blades recommended here you could get a Mora and a big machete or hatchet, or saw, and that'd beat any big blade alone

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Moras are incredible. I just got my 3rd one yesterday (I know...I'm way behind): a cyan Companion in sandvik stainless–my new salt water/diving knife.
For 95% of woods craft tasks they work just as well as knives that cost 20x more. I probably wouldn't baton one into anything much bigger than a 1 1/4" sapling (though truthfully: if you do it right and are patient you can baton any fixed blade through just about anything) nor would I try to split cord wood with one.
Not that having expensive knives is at all bad. I don't want this to sound like a "my $20 pawn shop knife can do anything your Busse can do!" kind of comment. But for the cost of a good steak knife Moras are about the best functionality-to-dollar ratio.
 
V84mystang said:
Moras are incredible.
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They're ok. I have one and like it, I'll never knock Mora as it's a high-value, low-cost knife and I'm a big believer in that. I will say though not fond of Scandi grinds--using or maintaining--and not fond of the skinny partial tang blades for this type of knife, or the cheap sheaths they use. Again, they're ok, nothing against them, just don't buy some of the hype that goes on about them. They're really really good--for a sub $20 knife. However, there are a number of better choices in the under $100 stainless utility/survival knife range. The OP's choice of the Selkirk, or a Gerber Strongarm, or a SOG Seal Pup, or a Buck 119, would all be better choices for a stainless utility knife. All come with a better sheath. Of course if you want the hands down cheapest option, Mora is indeed hard to beat, and a very decent performing blade for such a low price. If I only had $20 to spend, Mora would get the nod. Since it's not that much of a stretch for me to bump up to $50 or $75 to get a utility/survival knife that I really want, I'd pick something else.
 
maximus83 said:
or the cheap sheaths they use. Again, they're ok, nothing against them, ju
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To be fair, you're correct. I make my own kydex sheath for most of my knives so I usually forget to figure in the sheath in my assessment of knives. I don't really like the mora sheath that much. If I needed an out of the box "turn key" knife with a serviceable sheath then I'd also spend the $50-$60 on a strongarm or something similar.
Since a great kydex option costs me a couple dollars then the playing field gets leveled between a lot of blades in different price ranges.

Edited to add that my EDC is a BK14 (and probably my favorite knife right now). But would be almost useless with the factory sheath as it dulled the cutting edge off the blade just by pulling it out once or twice and never even using the thing. Being able to put a good sheath on it easily changes the value of some blades drastically.
 
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