Recommendation? Fixed & Folding Combo

B

Branden O'Donnell

Joined
Sep 13, 2020
Messages
25
Hello again everyone,
Thanks very much for opening my eyes to the world of knives from my first post (originally only looking for a folding knife).

I have done quite a bit of research and decided to go with two knives instead (budget is still $300 CAD / $250 USD).

Looking for recommendations on a fixed blade and folding knife. Prefer a wood handle, but open to all models.

I will only use the fixed blade in the woods/hiking (splitting wood would be the hardest task) and the folding knife only around the house. Any other information I am happy to provide!

I plan to invest in a sharpening kit around xmas, so I will be back with a post about that in the future.

Thanks!
 
MolokaiRider said:
Becker BK9 with upgraded Micarta scales.
Spyderco Endura in your flavor of steel.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much - I have heard great things about the ka-bar fixed blades!
A question about the Micarta scales - I could only find the BK16 version. Does this fit the BK9 or do I have the wrong one?

sorry - I had a picture but can't seem to get it working.
x7KwszJ
 
For your budget and as a way to start, go Buck. Buck folder and fixed blade. They still make some pretty decent knives. Stay with their traditional lines. The new stuff not so much at all. Check their “custom” page.
 
If thats your budget for both knives also take a look at Esee. Can get some really great knives either large or small and they have a really good no questions asked warranty. Take a look at the exchange on the forums as well, there's some really nice stuff that craftsman on here make and sell for prices in your budget, have several that i got from the makers here and they're some of my favorite knives.
 
XtianAus said:
Lionsteel m4 in olive wood scales
M390 and a great price of $155
Click to expand...

That is very nice! I think might be a bit short for wood splitting, though.

mendezj said:
For your budget and as a way to start, go Buck. Buck folder and fixed blade. They still make some pretty decent knives. Stay with their traditional lines. The new stuff not so much at all. Check their “custom” page.
Click to expand...

I had considered the 110 & 119 combo, but I thought I may be able to get a bit more quality out of the budget.

Weasipoint said:
If thats your budget for both knives also take a look at Esee. Can get some really great knives either large or small and they have a really good no questions asked warranty. Take a look at the exchange on the forums as well, there's some really nice stuff that craftsman on here make and sell for prices in your budget, have several that i got from the makers here and they're some of my favorite knives.
Click to expand...

I was eyeballing the Esee for the fixed blade. Between that and the Bk9 previously mentioned.
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When searching for fixed blades it seems very common to have a black blade, what is the reason for that?

Thanks guys!
 
The black blade is style and preference, personally, and others might think otherwise, I like a more working finish on my user knives where the scuffs are harder to make out. The black in my experience can show more scratches and scuffs if its on a blade youre using for harder cutting tasks. If its a folder thats just cutting boxes and other easy things then the black is nice because it looks good on alot of blades
 
This is what i bought for me for that price

Benchmade Leuku 202 in cpm 3v for the fixed blade 140 dollars
spyderco Chaparral in Cts XHP for about 96 dollars

I would recommend you to go and watch youtube videos about the knives that have called your attention. ESSE knives I have seen some not so great reviews. And I kinda feel that in terms of steel you can do better than what kabar has to offer. But that's just my opinion and I am not a expert or something.

I would also recommend the mora gearberg for a fixed blade and almost any spyderco for a folding
 
Branden O'Donnell said:
So do I want a black blade for the fixed blade then?
Winter is coming soon and it will be used in a lot of wet environments.
Thanks
Click to expand...
If you wipe your knife down after getting it wet, the coating isn’t necessary. Look at ESEE’s knives, excellent heat treat and they come with better sheaths from the factory than most.
 
Hey guys. I am going to be the advocate of the devil here. But why is Esee being recommended so much? Because they mostly use 1095 steel and the hardness is between 57-59 which is not surprising.
From a just spec standpoint they don't have anything than a normal mora companion doesn't have. They use the same steel, the same hardness. And with both companies you have a insurance that the knife will be right. However the mora cost 10 times less.

Here some videos to back up my opinion

esee edge retention


a 10 dollar mora did the better in edge retention


if you are wondering about thougness. Here is one about the moras

I wouldn't pay 100 dollars for a knife that is a mora in performance but with prettier looks
 
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PlumasDePan said:
This is what i bought for me for that price

Benchmade Leuku 202 in cpm 3v for the fixed blade 140 dollars
spyderco Chaparral in Cts XHP for about 96 dollars

I would recommend you to go and watch youtube videos about the knives that have called your attention. ESSE knives I have seen some not so great reviews. And I kinda feel that in terms of steel you can do better than what kabar has to offer. But that's just my opinion and I am not a expert or something.

I would also recommend the mora gearberg for a fixed blade and almost any spyderco for a folding
Click to expand...

Thank you! This helped me see you can get two quality knives for a decent price.
Thanks for also mentioning the Mora Garberg. It seems to be very high up on the list for fixed knives.

Lee D said:
If you wipe your knife down after getting it wet, the coating isn’t necessary. Look at ESEE’s knives, excellent heat treat and they come with better sheaths from the factory than most.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I'll just bring a small cloth.

PlumasDePan said:
Hey guys. I am going to be the advocate of the devil here. But why is Esee being recommended so much? Because they mostly use 1095 steel and the hardness is between 57-59 which is not surprising.
From a just spec standpoint they don't have anything than a normal mora companion doesn't have. They use the same steel, the same hardness. And with both companies you have a insurance that the knife will be right. However the mora cost 10 times less.

Here some videos to back up my opinion

esee edge retention


a 10 dollar mora did the better in edge retention


if you are wondering about thougness. Here is one about the moras

I wouldn't pay 100 dollars for a knife that is a mora in performance but with prettier looks
Click to expand...

Thank you, I've been searching for more videos.

When it comes to the Mora Garberg should I try for a carbon blade or stainless steel?
(Might be answered in one of those vids, I am going to watch them tonight)

Some have recommended the civivi elementum for the folding knife edc. Should I spend a bit extra for a spyderco or will it be pretty much the same? It seems to get great reviews.

Thanks again everyone!
 
Not that Moras aren't decent knives. But you should not process wood with them at least not anything very large ... they will not hold up to that.

I better say this or some will jump on me for saying it ... I would not recommend batoning with a Mora ... I have broken one being lazy using it to notch a 2x4 instead of getting the right tool. And I have seen one broken off while trying to baton a piece of wood. So although I find them useful and a bargain "I" would not bet on wood processing with them.

I have own several Esee and Becker knives ... both are solid choices that will handle some wood processing. The BK9 is a great knife for that but you may not want that big of a knife for some things.
It will do smaller chores ok if you learn with it.

If you plan on using your folder for the more detailed tasks a big knife like the BK9 may be exactly what you want.

The coating is mostly used on non stainless steels for corrosion resistance but with a little matainence it isn't hard to take care of a non stainless knife.

What type of things do you see using each of you knives for? That will give everyone a better starting point fir recommending a good combination.
 
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JJ_Colt45 JJ_Colt45 not al moras are made for battoning. The mora companion has a 22 degree angle which is great for cutting but not for battoning . While your average esse has a bevel with 40 degrees.
If you are going to batton you may be happier with a mora companion heavy duty who has a 28-degree angle.

About Branden Odonnel question. I can't recommend the mora carbon because I don't own one and I don't know which materials the blade is made of.
The normal mora Garber is in 14c28n steel which is the TOUGHEST stainless still that you can find in a production knife and which has a more than decent edge retention. (Way over any common carbon steel like 1095 or 51200)
Here I leave you one of the most trustable info there it exists on the subject https://knifesteelnerds.com/2020/05/01/testing-the-edge-retention-of-48-knife-steels/

Civivi elemntum is a folder that I didn't know of its existence. It is in D2 which is not a super steel (Supersteel are the ones made with powder metallurgy) however is a great steel. With great heat treatment, it can get pretty close to 3v in terms of edge retention. However, be aware that steel is semi-stainless.
Note that for example something like S30V will cut longer, be easier to sharpen and be stainless while having the same toughness. However, that knife is very reasonably priced. And in the real world, you don't need something better than that. Overall I would say that it looks like a good knife.

If you want to have a chart with a point system given to all the steels based in its corrosion resistance and want to know more about the corrosion resistance here I give you another info https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/10/14/corrosion-resistance-testing/

Also to clear your worries about Benchmade 3V.
Benchmade 3v was at first at something like 56-58 hrc. which was on the lower spectrum of hardness. Which in comparison to a 60hrc the knife sacrificed like 25% of its edge retention but it did have a lot more toughness (Like 50% more though). Even though I wouldn't choose a 3v knife in 57 over something in 60 because 60 is already way tougher than you need. However, Benchmade changed its 3v hardness to 60-62 HRC. And be aware that even under 57 HRC, 3v will cut more than twice as long as 1095 (which is the steel esee knives have)

Here you see another video of the same gut that tested all the videos i give you above. He is criticising the 3v of Benchmade. However, the Benchmade 3v had just performed twice as a similar priced esse or bk9 will do

here the guy testing the "1095 crovan" which is the steel kabar uses

 
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I understand all the specs and videos and talk ... but my personal experiences having seen a Mora Garberg snap at the handle when they used it to try to baton an fairly small round of wood ... I can't recommend a Mora for a wood processing tool. Moras are great knives ... just not for batoning wood IMO.

I have used Esees and Beckers for batoning lots of wood and chopping even more. They handle it well ... some are better at it but I would not hesitate to recommend any of those personally.

I personally think it's best to have a big knife for wood processing and a good smaller fixed blade for most other chores. A Mora Companion paired with a BK9 would work and both could be kept under that budget with a folder added also.

There are many combinations that could work depending on the OPs needs and uses.
 
JJ_Colt45 said:
Not that Moras aren't decent knives. But you should not process wood with them at least not anything very large ... they will not hold up to that.

I better say this or some will jump on me for saying it ... I would not recommend batoning with a Mora ... I have broken one being lazy using it to notch a 2x4 instead of getting the right tool. And I have seen one broken off while trying to baton a piece of wood. So although I find them useful and a bargain "I" would not bet on wood processing with them.

I have own several Esee and Becker knives ... both are solid choices that will handle some wood processing. The BK9 is a great knife for that but you may not want that big of a knife for some things.
It will do smaller chores ok if you learn with it.

If you plan on using your folder for the more detailed tasks a big knife like the BK9 may be exactly what you want.

The coating is mostly used on non stainless steels for corrosion resistance but with a little matainence it isn't hard to take care of a non stainless knife.

What type of things do you see using each of you knives for? That will give everyone a better starting point fir recommending a good combination.
Click to expand...

My daily use for the folder will just be around the house -opening packages, food prep, and light tasks. More convenience than anything.
Very sad to hear that the mora may have trouble batoning. I heard such good things. Still viable since I do have an axe... I just prefer to travel as light as possible.

PlumasDePan said:
JJ_Colt45 JJ_Colt45 not al moras are made for battoning. The mora companion has a 22 degree angle which is great for cutting but not for battoning . While your average esse has a bevel with 40 degrees.
If you are going to batton you may be happier with a mora companion heavy duty who has a 28-degree angle.

About Branden Odonnel question. I can't recommend the mora carbon because I don't own one and I don't know which materials the blade is made of.
The normal mora Garber is in 14c28n steel which is the TOUGHEST stainless still that you can find in a production knife and which has a more than decent edge retention. (Way over any common carbon steel like 1095 or 51200)
Here I leave you one of the most trustable info there it exists on the subject https://knifesteelnerds.com/2020/05/01/testing-the-edge-retention-of-48-knife-steels/

Civivi elemntum is a folder that I didn't know of its existence. It is in D2 which is not a super steel (Supersteel are the ones made with powder metallurgy) however is a great steel. With great heat treatment, it can get pretty close to 3v in terms of edge retention. However, be aware that steel is semi-stainless.
Note that for example something like S30V will cut longer, be easier to sharpen and be stainless while having the same toughness. However, that knife is very reasonably priced. And in the real world, you don't need something better than that. Overall I would say that it looks like a good knife.

If you want to have a chart with a point system given to all the steels based in its corrosion resistance and want to know more about the corrosion resistance here I give you another info https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/10/14/corrosion-resistance-testing/

Also to clear your worries about Benchmade 3V.
Benchmade 3v was at first at something like 56-58 hrc. which was on the lower spectrum of hardness. Which in comparison to a 60hrc the knife sacrificed like 25% of its edge retention but it did have a lot more toughness (Like 50% more though). Even though I wouldn't choose a 3v knife in 57 over something in 60 because 60 is already way tougher than you need. However, Benchmade changed its 3v hardness to 60-62 HRC. And be aware that even under 57 HRC, 3v will cut more than twice as long as 1095 (which is the steel esee knives have)

Here you see another video of the same gut that tested all the videos i give you above. He is criticising the 3v of Benchmade. However, the Benchmade 3v had just performed twice as a similar priced esse or bk9 will do

here the guy testing the "1095 crovan" which is the steel kabar uses

Click to expand...

Thank you for taking the time to detail a response for me. I found the videos helpful (and humorous). It seems whatever I end up going with (that has been recommended here) will meet my needs. There is quite a bit over my head, but I am trying to catch up to the terminology.

Heavily eyeballing the BK9 and Mora both. Not sure which way to go yet. I appreciate all the suggestions and help!
 
JJ_Colt44

Are you sure that the one you saw snapping on it's handle was the Gerber? Because the others like the Heavy duty don't have a full tang and the Gerber does has a full tang.

About Branden last comment. Overall non of this knives are bad knives. I may be a little picky. But I am just talking in a pure "the best for the price" perspective. However i want to clear that non of them are bad.

And another more thing. The BK9 is going to be the best chopper and battoner. Because is huge. Bigger knife means more weight while chopping and bigger frame to be hitted while battoning.
 
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