Help I need more Knives can't decide what fixed blade to buy

I have a CR Mountaineer I, CR Shaddow IV and I feel I need a larger fixed blade. Senario you can only have one object a knife. I'm thinking of a CR project I or II, Fallkniven A1, or a Bob Dozier Custom.. I like the CR project because of its solid one piece design. I want to start doing several survival expeditions throughout the summer and some next winter. Two people minimal supplies living off the land. I like a blade on 7" or so.

Thanks,
Wolf

[This message has been edited by The Wolf (edited 03-24-2001).]
 
How about a Chris Reeve shadowI ? At 13" OA its a mans knife.
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www.tactical-knives.com
 
Project One. Notwithstanding the fact that I have recently been bitten by the Busse Bug, I can now say from experience, and not merely from theory, that while the big Busses may be better at certain things compared to the Chris Reeves One Piece range Knives, the CRKs have better overall performance for the real life things we do with the knives mostly. Get the P1.

In other words, I will concede certain attributes to the Busse Combat line. I think they are better at certain things than other knives. However, unless you have the luxury of a gaggle of knives, the "multi-viscosity versatility" (my phrase, I coined it) of a knife should be considered. In that regard, I have to give the nod to my number one favorite knife, The Chris Reeve Project 1. If you do a lot food prep, you may prefer the P2.

[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 03-24-2001).]
 
My personal choice for one knife only as an all purpose survival knife would be the Busse Steelheart II or the Natural Outlaw. That's not hypothetical, those are my main carries now [except for a small talonite I always have on me in the field. The busses may be a bit thick for cooking, which is one reason why I always have a smaller knife too, but if I really only had one I'd rather err on the side of a capable chopper. Infi is a superb material, as good the the CRK's may be.
 
I've tried to get info on the Busse knives but What the hell is Infi. Some secret steel.

Thanks for the replies so far
 
Since you already have a couple of CR knives, it sounds like you need to acquire a Dozier, a Busse(steel heart or natural outlaw)and a Randall model #14. Just my personal opinion. Good luck in your quest for steel. Adam
 
The Big Country knives at www.knifeware.com are tough! The Kampr is really multipurpose, and the sheath can be worn in several positions. All Big Country knives are full tang construction. Convex grind. Works like an ax or a chef's knife! Strop it, and it's sharp as ever.
 
Well,

You have any number of options.

Allen Blade can make you a Custom Big Knife of just about any reasonable design, so can Bill Siegle.

Speak to any forger you like, and they can most likely whip something up that will suit your fancy, Ed Caffrey, Wayne Goddard, Jim Hrisoulas come to mind.

Busse makes a great knife, not many know exactly what INFI is, but I have yet to hear a reasonable argument that it is crap, on the contrary, I have heard many testify to it's amazing abilities.

Nest Livesay makes bigger knives too, at a great price, the one designed by Jeff Randall is called the RTAK. 1095 may not be the newest wonder stuff, but I imagine it will get the job done for you. Less gets the job done for millions the world over.

Camillus/Becker Knife and Tool offer the Brute, Machax, and soon the Patrol Machete(Bush Hog?), steel a little better than 1095, less expensive than most of the other options, but it is a regular production knife, the Reeves might have given you champagne tastes. I own two Beckers, and may own a couple more.

Matt Lamey makes some mean blades, and I don't mean average. He works a number of steels, and offers standard patterns with a heck of a lot of appeal.

Mineral Mountain offers basic knives in a whole passel of shapes, out of tough steel, 5160. And they have a great guarantee, something to the effect of... "break it, tell us how you did it, we'll replace it.

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

>>--->Bill Siegle Custom Knives<---<<
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

"To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death." -Japanese Proverb

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
I have a busse#9 and that knife, you can abuse it till your heart is content and it will just keep smiling. I also have a Basic#5 both of these knives are made with m-INFI steel. INFI steel is not a stainless steel but it is really rust resistant and amazingly tough.
These knives almost cut like my lightsaber. :-)

Darkjedi- "May the Lord be with you always."
 
There was a great review of the Becker Brute on the review forum, just within the last few days.

Virtually everything I've read about the Fallkniven A1, or S1 for that matter, praises it/them pretty highly. Their own website has some statistics on what it takes to break the blades on their knives. A lot of people seem to like the VG10 steel from which it is made quite a lot. I saw an A1 somewhere on the web a couple months ago, for $100.

I just checked out the Survival forum for the first time recently. I don't know if they talk too much about specific knives there, but there are real experts on wilderness survival participating frequently there. A pretty cool forum, in my mind.


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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Well...
since people have been suggesting customs, I thought I'd chime in too.
I strongly prefer customs for many reasons. Custom fixed blades are a real bargain, especially when compared with folders, and you can often get incredible quality superior to productions, at a very fair price, in a design made especially for your particular needs and preferences. The pride in having your own one of a kind is, as the credit card commercial says, "priceless".
Two makers out of Canada you might consider are Wally Hayes, an ABS Mastersmith who forges superb camp knives; and George Tichbourne. I mention these two, out of many superb makers, because years ago Knives Illustrated did a comparison test of custom camp knives and singled out these two, and about two or three others, for outstanding performance. Wally's backlog is pretty big now but if you ever get a chance to get his camp knife in 52100, get it. I think it's the best big blade I own. George's work is less expensive, not forged, and very heavy duty stainless [I think mostly 440C, which is great for the field], and although he too is much in demand [for very good reason] his work is so good that it is worth the short wait. And he's great to deal with.
This isn't to take anything away from the other great makers that were mentioned, but it's hard to beat the value of Canadian work because of our pathetic Peso, I mean dollar, and because we happen to have some great makers up here that don't get the recognition they deserve, with a few popular exceptions.
It's the rare production that comes close, all things considered. The CRK's I hear are good knives by any standard. The Busses certainly are and from my perspective, because of infi, they're the best productions for tough use.
It's hard to beat the hell out of a fine custom, especially one good enough to be comparable to the Busses in performance. If the use is light to moderate, that's different. Pick or make a custom you love, I think. But for really hard use, or super adverse conditions, my usual choice and suggestion is Busse.
Mind you, the way they have been appreciating in value, especially the old straight handles, it might have been cheaper to store the old Busses and use some of my customs
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Ya, buy two: one to use and one to collect.
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You already know the virtues of Chris Reeve Knives. I love my Project II, and have just bought two more CR. A Shaddow III as my small fixed, and a Project I because I wanted one. The Project I, I consider the best 7 inch package out there.

You already have a Shadow IV, so I can't see you gaining any real practical advantage by purchasing a Project. Ask the girls: that extra inch doesn't make a lot of difference if you know what you are doing in the first place. If you think you need more knife then you need a whole lot more knife, 10 inches or machete size.

I'd try something different. A 9 inch Busse Limited Edition Bolo (big bucks) or a Granfors Brucks Small Forest Axe (lot less bucks). Two people then you can share kit and share the weight of a larger tool.

Another idea is to put your money towards a professional survival/living off the land education courses. One where you learn rather than an adventure course where they push you to your limits. Living off the land is really hard work, and even the best survival instructors say in private that they wouldn't relish practicing it for real; well, not without suplimenting their diet with plenty of off the shelf stuff or a rifle. A fun trip is adventure trecking on horseback, where you cover some miles in a relatively short time.

I always say invest in good boots, warm clothing, sleeping system, compass, good maps and your bergan/rucksack. If you get that right then spend any other money on just doing it.

[This message has been edited by GREENJACKET (edited 03-25-2001).]
 
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