Hello and what to get

hughewil

hughewil

Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
943
Hi,

I'm new here and simply put know pretty much nothing about knives. Lately the family and I have been going out hiking and camping, I have a cheap folding knife but have decided that with this becoming a regular thing I should have a good reliable knife to take with me.

I want something sturdy and reliable but not very expensive. A no frills utility kind of knife that is sturdy and wont rust. Something to cut boxes, string, take bark off of sticks, just general camping stuff. I have been looking at several but really have no idea which to get. I thought I could post them here and get some feedback on what would best serve my purpose.

Benchmark

Buck bucklite max

Gerber profile

Cold Steel pendelton lite

Schrade woodsman

Mora clipper

kershaw bear hunter 2

I am leaning towards the Mora or Buck, but hopefully you guys can enlighten me on which is best for my needs.

Thanks
 
Welcome to BladeForums! Personally I'd say save up some more pesos and get something a lotta bit nicer. BUT, that's not what you asked. It's hard to beat a Mora for general knife use, (cutting, slicing, carving, shaving sticks, etc.) it has a nice thin blade that'll get razor sharp and stay that way through a good amount of use and the quality for the price is fantastic. Buck, Kershaw and Gerber also put out very good blades at a fairly low cost, and the customer service of those companies is as good as they come. I have no personal experience with Cold Steel but I've heard good things about them as well :thumbup: Do a little homework, shop around some more, watch some videos, read some reviews, try BF search to read some older threads on the subject, and you'll find something that fits your needs perfectly. Good luck!
 
Good advice from Tx above. I prolly would go for a fixed blade rather than a folder. This group would probably agree that high carbon steel like 1095 steel would be a great choice for your needs. Like any thing else, there are lots of great choices, but please look at Becker Knife and Tool for some incredibly great designs and great prices. Look specifically at the BK2 and the BK7. Classics! Remember the old saying about "only paying for quality once"............certainly applies to Becker knives.
And Welcome! Happy hiking.
 
Becker Knives are real workhorses, true functional pieces of utilitarian art, designed by a man that would give the Dos Equis guy a run for his money. If there was a strange situation where I could only have one knife the BK-2 would definitely be it :thumbup: The EsKaBar and BK-11 are fully capable but a bit smaller if size is a concern. Check 'em out!
 
My suggestion would be to go with the Mora. They're a classic and won't break the bank. Use it for a while to see if it meets your needs. If it turns out you need something a little more robust, you'll still have the Mora for lighter duty tasks. You'll also gain some insight into what your preferences are by using a cheaper knife first. Mora knives are what I consider low cost/high value knives and everyone should have at least one in their collection.
 
Oh yeah, I noticed that you listed the gerber profile. I got that one for my son for $20 at wal mart, and its been a pretty good knife when I had it and when he talked me out of it, so for 20 bucks you ought to get that one. But like I was saying above, if you dont mind looking at specific brands, Becker's great. Another thing: Don't think that one knife will do it all, so get used to bringing a couple/few along during hikes/camps. Finally, a serious warning: Staying here at Bladeforums will make you spend a lot of money on knives that you didnt know you needed!! That being said, the group here is so knowledgeable about knives that its a great place to spend time and really get " edjimicated" bout knives. One thing that is recommended is to go to youtube and look up potential purchases and after seeing a few vids you will be able to see if it will work for you. There are knuckleheads there just like everywhere, but you will be able to sift thru the dweebs pretty quickly.
 
I just picked up a Mora TopQ Craftline 4" All Around with Stainless Steel Blade and it's easily the best inexpensive knife I've ever seen ($20 shipped). Touched it up on ceramic stones, and viola! Awesome value.
 
The Gerber Freeman Drop Point Hunter is also a great budget fixed blade camp knife, I picked mine up for about $30 and it's served me very well. Gerber gets a bum wrap about their "mystery steel" but I look at is this - Gerber has been around for 70+ years, and you don't sell knives for that long without knowing how to heat treat a blade properly. Proper heat treatment is more important than blade steel 99% of the time, and for what it is Gerber's steel takes a keen edge, holds it well enough, and is easy to sharpen up.
 
Hmm all good suggestions so far. You can't beat a Mora at its price point. For 20 bucks after tax, you get a really functional, easy to sharpen knife that can take the abuse of most camping chores. IMO any of the knives listed will suffice for the tasks you have listed. Just don't baton too much wood with it ;)
 
I have the Mora clipper (carbon) and the Kershaw bear hunter. Mora feels like a cheap kitchen knife compared to the Kershaw. Kershaw is definitely a hunting blade with nice leather sheath. With FFG, it cuts better than the Mora for food chopping task. It's kinda big with 4.5" blade. The antelope hunter is more comparable to the Mora I think. The TopQ Craftline is very similar to the Clipper. The blade is SS, slightly longer, slightly thicker. I think the carbon blade is sharper though. I just got the Kabar USMC and it's very inexpensive at around $50 and it feels right at home with camping chores....
 
Thanks everyone for the advise.

I have never neard of Becker but will check them out. From doing some research I am leaning towards the Mora right now, I don't plan on using it to cut anything down or split wood, plan on using an axe for that.
 
I picked up a Mora scout for a friend of mine to use fishing. I have the Mora 546. They both sharpen up real nice and they have the good stainless steel. The scout with the 2 mm blade cuts a little better than the 546 with the 2.5 mm blade. I'm not sure which blade thickness the stainless clipper has but the 2 mm blade is probably better for your purpose than the 2.5 mm.
 
hughewil said:
Hi,

I'm new here and simply put know pretty much nothing about knives. Lately the family and I have been going out hiking and camping, I have a cheap folding knife but have decided that with this becoming a regular thing I should have a good reliable knife to take with me.

I want something sturdy and reliable but not very expensive. A no frills utility kind of knife that is sturdy and wont rust. Something to cut boxes, string, take bark off of sticks, just general camping stuff. I have been looking at several but really have no idea which to get. I thought I could post them here and get some feedback on what would best serve my purpose.

Benchmark

Buck bucklite max

Gerber profile

Cold Steel pendelton lite

Schrade woodsman

Mora clipper

kershaw bear hunter 2

I am leaning towards the Mora or Buck, but hopefully you guys can enlighten me on which is best for my needs.

Thanks
Click to expand...

of the knives that you listed, i would personally buy the bucklite max large fixed blade. i am a fan of bucks 420HC steel. the bucklite max is full tang construction, grippy rubber handle, comes with a nice sheath and it has a very good warranty.
 
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Umm am I the only one who noticed the "Benchmark"? Its a knockoff Benchmade... I would personally go with a REAL Benchmade :D
 
Yes the Benchmark gave me a good chuckle, especially when I saw the logo. Speaking of Benchmade the Nim Cub would be an excellent knife in the roles you have mentioned, albeit a bit spendy.
 
freq18hz said:
Get a mora for fixed blade, and a sanrenmu 710 as a backup folder.

-Freq
Click to expand...

After reading around the forum this is actually whta I am leaning to!

Either a mora 911 or Clipper as my standard fixed blade and one of the cheap SRM's as a EDC and little backup. Right now I carry a ozark trail folder $8 job from walmart as my EDC. The same one as this http://cgi.ebay.com/2-ozark-trail-3...944?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item3cb7015668 funny thing is it has been pretty sturdy.
 
I had no idea carbon blades rusted, i guess that narrows it down to the stainless clipper then thanks for th einfo.
 
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