Good small fixed blade for utility purposes.

H

Homer49

Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
127
I need a small fixed blade knife - about a 3 inch blade at the most - for utility purposes and maybe a little food cutting. I'd like for it to be able to withstand getting water on it as well as the sheath. Thanks.
 
If you have the cash, go for the RC-3. Kinda expensive by my standards, but you do get what you pay for. For around half that, & I know I'll catch hell for saying this, get a RAT 3 by Ontario. I don't like what the company has done, but imho it's a superior knife to most other knives out there for what you need in the $80.00 price range. Expect to pay twice that for the one by RC.
 
screwthe49ers said:
If you have the cash, go for the RC-3. Kinda expensive by my standards, but you do get what you pay for. For around half that, & I know I'll catch hell for saying this, get a RAT 3 by Ontario. I don't like what the company has done, but imho it's a superior knife to most other knives out there for what you need in the $80.00 price range. Expect to pay twice that for the one by RC.
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If you are willing to settle for a 1095 Ontario, you can do one of those for less than $60.

When Kabar reintroduces the Becker Necker (BK-11), which should only be a few months out (word is fall 08 IIRC), that would be virtually perfect for you. Of course, you can always try to find a Camillus made Bk11 and pay more!
 
May I recommend Ragnar's Forge (www.ragweedforge.com) as a source for serious quality in blades of all sizes.

You will find a number of Swedish and Finnish knives in the size range you specify, and priced pretty much all over the place.

You can get a small puukko-style knife with a 3-inch blade (or even smaller).

I have nothing but good things to say about the Scandinavian blades.

Simple, strong, sharp. An effective and durable piece of cutlery at an affordable price.

 
look at the wolf pup from tops or the boker subcom FB. little over 2 inch blades. the boker is 440c full flat grind but has a crappy sheath and no handle, while the wolf pup has an excellent sheath and micarta handle but 1095 steel--albeit coated with some tough stuff. I didn't think it was very useful at first, but I found you can do some pretty big jobs with a small knife.
 
I just ordered from Ragnar's got 3 mora's they shipped really fast and the knives are far better than expected.
 
For the size you're asking about, the Ontario Rat3's nice. I also like the Entrek Badger, & while it's smaller, my Becker BK11 works very well :D.

If you can find one for the price, Bark River's PSK isn't bad, either.

Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
ArfinGreebly said:
May I recommend Ragnar's Forge (www.ragweedforge.com) as a source for serious quality in blades of all sizes.

You will find a number of Swedish and Finnish knives in the size range you specify, and priced pretty much all over the place.

You can get a small puukko-style knife with a 3-inch blade (or even smaller).

I have nothing but good things to say about the Scandinavian blades.

Simple, strong, sharp. An effective and durable piece of cutlery at an affordable price.

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I completely agree.
 
Nobody's recommended Bark River yet?

Benchmade's Activator series is also very nice, under 3"

AG Russel's Woodswalker is a very inexpensive, very portable paring knife.
 
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I EDC a Busse Game Warden and I really like it. I do think Bark River would be a great choice too, although I've never owned one. I keep talking about getting one; I need to just pull the trigger on it soon.
 
Does food prep and ability to be around water indicate a stainless blade? If so, the A.G. Russell Bird and Trout Knife in Aus 8 would fill the bill as would Cold Steel's mini Pendleton Hunter (no longer made). Both have polymer sheaths. The Russell knife was also available in VG 10, another stainless steel. It might be worth calling them up to see if the have any of the VG 10 in stock, although they haven't been mentioned in their catalog for some time.
 
Ive got a PSK and a activator and id pick the PSK anytime over the activator its so easy to sharpen its so easy to conceal its a perfect small blade IMO and the steel seems tougher than i ever thought ive smashed it up bad and it shows no signs after a few strokes on the paper.Price is good also.
 
I ordered one of the Helle Fire knives from Ragweed today. Will update on time of delivery as well as the knife itself. I choose the Helle Fire because it is a true full tang knife and I like the fact it can be either belt carried or the knife can be attached to my gear or belt loop via a carabiner. I can also remove the carabiner and use a lanyard should the be desirable.

helle-fire.jpg
 
Many great choices mentioned.

Another one is the small Blackjack hunter.
Rosewood handle version with AUS10 steel; made in Japan.

A great flat-grind slicer. Comes with a nice leather sheath, too.

Also, though I've not seen one in person, the new Buck Gen 5 looks real nice as well.
 
Fallkniven WM1 is a good choice, esp if you can find one with the micarta scales.
 
I,ve used a Buck woodsman for years with excellent service. Mine is well over 30 years old and still going strong. I have since bought 2 more...one for my tackle box and one for my camper. Godd customer service and outstanding product...Jim
 
Absintheur said:
I ordered one of the Helle Fire knives from Ragweed today. Will update on time of delivery as well as the knife itself. I choose the Helle Fire because it is a true full tang knife and I like the fact it can be either belt carried or the knife can be attached to my gear or belt loop via a carabiner. I can also remove the carabiner and use a lanyard should the be desirable.

helle-fire.jpg
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I had my eye on that one too for a while. Really nice looking, unusual knife. Good choice! :thumbup:
 
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