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Help with a 6"-7" yard knife...

0

05dr

Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
150
well guys, i'm looking for a 6-7"ish knife for general use around the house. It will need to tolerate some limited chopping and need serrations for cutting. seeing as it will spend a lot of time outside while we work on landscaping some degree of corosion resistance would also be nice, maybe 154cm/d2/s30v/440c and not 1095 so far as i can see... i would also like to keep the price close to $100 and definatley under $150 as i am saving for a FBM... anyways, here are the options i have come up with so far, any thoughts, concerns, ideas welcome!

1. Benchmade 156SBT: 6.05", D2
2. Benchmade 155SBK: 6.20", 154cm
3. Ontario RAT 7: 6.50", D2
4. SOG Navy Seal Knife: 7.00", AUS-6
5. Bark River Knife and Tool ??? lots of praise online, sorting through there models is somewhat painful. i could live without serrations if anyone could point me to a model that would fill the need here.... most of there blades appear to be fairly short. Expedition Knives Inc. Zero 1?, Teddy? Rogue?
6. Fallkniven? appear to be a bit out of my price range but suggestions welcome
7. Swamp Rat? Camp tramp would fit the bill but does push my limits with regards to looks, i wouldn't mind springing for the Ratweiler but what is the wait time with these guys now days?

so far i am slightly leaning towards the Ontario Rat 7 but basically am still open to all ideas.
ryan
 
I was going to recommend the RAT 7. I have a pair of them (one at home, one in the vehicle), along with a couple of other Ontario RATs. They take abuse and feel good in the hand. Not much to dislike. Don't be afraid to go with the RAT 7 if thats where you end up.

cheers
 
Have you considered the Becker Knife & Tool "Combat Utility 7"? It's a 7 inch blade, quite thick and robust, with a good handle. Carbon steel with a tough black coating. I have one, and although I haven't beaten on it personally, I'm sure it's up to the task.

Oh, the BKT CU7 is far more economically priced. I got mine at a gun show for $50.

-Jeffrey
 
For $ 100 you could get a number of Opinels which I use all of the time for working in the yard. Easy to sharpen and just dry and oil them afterward. If you really trash it, you don't feel badly about throwing it away and starting on another fresh $ 10 Opinel.
 
peacefuljeffrey said:
Have you considered the Becker Knife & Tool "Combat Utility 7"? It's a 7 inch blade, quite thick and robust, with a good handle. Carbon steel with a tough black coating. I have one, and although I haven't beaten on it personally, I'm sure it's up to the task.

Oh, the BKT CU7 is far more economically priced. I got mine at a gun show for $50.

-Jeffrey
Click to expand...


i second the bk7 GREAT KNIFE OF RPICE AND QUALITY. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
I know that it's not a "real" knife, but I bought my wife a hori-hori knife at Lee Valley and she loves it. It's perfect for digging and weeding, I think that the stainless version is about $25. You could spend the other $75 on a knife for actually cutting things.

Gordon
 
great thoughts so far everyone. the reason i wanted to get a fixed blade for around the house is that i get tired of continuously cleaning out my folders, all axis locks, as it seems to me a fixed blade would be much easier to care for. Please don't think i am going to use this knife (frequently atleast ;)) in place of more appropriate tools or that it will only be used in the yard.

the ranger is an interesting option. i only became aware of the brand recently as it related to tactical tomahawks, and there knives don't look half bad. rd7 especially. i would prefer either micarta or g10 for scales after all. oh yeah, serrations are a preference, not a must have.
ryan
 
I jave an RD9 and I have trimmed lots of the trees in the yard, killed a few snakes and done a lot of other things with it as well as hunting. I really like it and I think they are spectacular knives for the money. Holds a great edge, comes back quick. Two things I didn't like was the coating, I hot blued it, and the sheath, talked with Justin today and he told me where to get one. I will be getting some different sizes in the near future.
 
Get a Ranger RD-6, 7 or 9 for chopping. My RD-7 chops through branches and splits wood quickly and easily.

Don't go stainless for a chopper. Carbon Steel is much tougher for that purpose. The Ranger RDs are made with 5160 spring steel and that's pretty tough stuff. It's not hard to take care of. Minimal care will prevent rust. After all, you're going to be using it around your home, where you'd presumably have access to an oily rag or Tough Cloth.

I'm not sure why you need serrations, but there is a partially serrated 4 and 1/4" Swedish Mora available at http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html for $13.50.

Don't try to get one knife that does everything -- I'd get the best knife for each purpose.
 
I am sure Justin could add serrations to your RD Series knife, if you ask him!!
 
My yard knife is an old carbon steel 8" butcher knife. I beat the heck out of it and use if for all manner of disgusting tasks. Replacement cost is $1.00 at a garage sale. :D
 
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