General utility/beach/woods bumming knife

J

Javelin

Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
320
So I'm looking for a knife for ~50$ that I can use for general utility and maybe some batoning in a pinch. This knife will be mostly used for food prep, cleaning fish/game, feather sticks, and will be subjected to salt water. From looking around a bit I've come across a couple candidates: SOG team leader, Outdoor Edge Hybrid Hunter, Kershaw Military Boot Knife. So far I'm leaning towards the Kershaw. I was just wondering if there were any better options out there for what I'm looking for.

Side note: opinions on the Gerber Profile and Hen & Rooster fixed knives?
 
Mora Forest or Force would be a good choice for about $30 delivered. You can spend many hours reading up on all of the reviews and loving recommendations Moras have received over the years.

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edit to add: banana-clip beat me to it, second time in the past week I got beat to the punch while typing out a reply.
 
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+1 on the Mora options. take a look at the Clipper 860.

and for $50, you can have three of them :)
 
Hmmmm, I definitely overlooked the mora, generally associate them with carbon. I was thinking of something that didn't have a scandi grind however half an hour's convexing is worth 40$ in the pocket.


Igotta say though, the plastic handled modern moras and the spydercos.... yick. Just too ugly, I would cringe every time I went to grab it.
 
MarineAir said:
Spyderco Aqua Salt won't rust, even in salt water.
Click to expand...

Judging by my Pacific Salt (which I love), I think that H1 wouldn't be a good steel for making feather sticks or batoning. I think it's too soft, mostly because I've rolled the edge on my knife a few times, but I'm far from an expert when it comes to steels.
 
For $50, you can have a Frost/Mora Clipper (carbon or stainless) and a SAK alox Farmer or Soldier with probably a few $$$ to spare. It would be hard ot beat that combo -- even at double the cost.
 
Mora's definitely a good choice, specially for food preparation and light wood works. I like to have a kitchen/food related knife (like a Mora or a SOG Seal Pup) and a tougher knife for wood batoning or heavier jobs (this can (shall) be replaced by an hatchet in some cases).

From my knife options when it comes to salt water I use titanium (Mission Knives) but that's just an exquisite and expensive taste of mine :D
 
SOG SEAL Pup, ColdSteel SRK, or Ka-Bar Next Gen. AUS6, AUS8, and 440A are good salt water steel.

If you're willing to take care of the knife you can even go for carbon steel.
I've used carbon steel Opinels all my life and grew up fishing in the Mediterranean.
 
For food preparation and light to medium camp chores, I think a Mora is an excellent option. I've used mine in salt water environments, but never had problems with that. If you clean your knife regularly, I think it shouldn't be a problem.
 
I don't think H1 steel is necessary or even ideal. just take minimal care of a regular stainless steel.
 
The SOG Team Leader is a nice knife, but if you've not laid hands on one yet, it's much larger in the hand than the specs on it lead you to believe. I was surprised at how large and bulky the knife was when I held it.

The Hybrid Hunter is a nice knife too, not nearly as bulky as the SOG. I'd pick it for an easy to carry, multi-use blade, out of your choices.

The Mora knives are the best deal on the market for a quality user knife. Any of the stainless models would be ideal, and the price is good enough that you could get the knife and a custom kydex sheath with multiple carry options for around $50 or a bit more.

As for the plastic handles, well, I wouldn't want a wood handle knife that's going to get exposed to saltwater frequently. I love my Mora Clippers. If that blade was just a bit wider and a bit thicker, it would be my ideal 4" knife.
 
Javelin said:
So I'm looking for a knife for ~50$ that I can use for general utility and maybe some batoning in a pinch. This knife will be mostly used for food prep, cleaning fish/game, feather sticks, and will be subjected to salt water. From looking around a bit I've come across a couple candidates: SOG team leader, Outdoor Edge Hybrid Hunter, Kershaw Military Boot Knife. So far I'm leaning towards the Kershaw. I was just wondering if there were any better options out there for what I'm looking for.

Side note: opinions on the Gerber Profile and Hen & Rooster fixed knives?
Click to expand...

Look for a Cold Steel Twistmaster. They are discontined many years ago but can still be found. The medium size is just right size. Being older they have the good carbon 5 steel that Camillus used to provide for Cold Steel.

FYI, The Kersahaw military boot knife is near useless for a woods knife.
 
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