I need a fixed blade for my upcoming deployment.

S

Skyssx

Joined
Feb 12, 2002
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I am in the Army and am about to be deployed. I currently have and love my Benchmade model 722BT but in the field I don't think it would be as useful. The action would need to be cleaned almost daily and it is relatively small and easily lost. I feel a good fixed blade would be more appropriate.

So far i'm leaning towards the Benchmade Nimravus because of my experiance with the 722. Good quality and great cost. It appears to have a strong blade and good cutting ability. I don't know wether I should get the 154CM or M2 steel though. Extra edge holding ability is good when I probably won't have much time to sharpen but does that make the tip substantially more fragile?

I have largish hands and prefer a robust grip, the butt of the 722 hits me right in the middle of the palm when I hold it with my thumb on the spine grip for a thrust. The knife will be used mainly for general utility and cutting zip ties and lacing cord on aircraft along with anything else I need it for. I am unsure of the limit on the blade length I can take but 6 inches is the smallest figure i've heard from my command so far and sounds about right. I am opposed to metal and wood grips but I will consider them, G10 is my favorite material. Any other suggestions for blade material will be considered if reasons are presented. I'd like to keep the price under $200 but that is not set in stone, lower is better if quality doesn't suffer.

I currently have a Gatco kit for sharpening. Will the stones and guides be big enough and effective enough for a fixed blade? If not what should I consider?
 
Check out a Buck/Strider Solution. G-10 handles and ATS-34 3/16th thick. Perfect knife for a deployment.
Have seen it around $170 on the internet.

It has a big handle IMO and an excellent sheath system.

I think it would be better suited to rough use on a deployment better than the BM Nimravus. I had one of those and found it to be to thin.

I guess it comes down to your use of the knife. The majority of your use will probably be utility. Contact Mr. Greg Walker he is on this forum and has been there in Kuwait and Bagdad, he is an excellent source of very valuable information.
 
The stones you have should be ok but I would consider carrying a DMT foldable sharpener. Or if space is available get a Spyderco sharpmaker you will be very busy sharpening all the other guys knives with that thing!
 
Skyssx,
Not knowing your budget, MOS or future mision makes it hard to reccomend a knife. However the Becker and Swamp Rat a come to mind, also a good multitool would be a goog idea (Gerber, Leatherman, etc.). Good luck.
 
I like the 140HS I own but it could be little thin for heavy work and field work.

If I where you I would look into the Fallkniven S1 or A1. Great knives great price.
 
I've got a Swamp Rat Camp Tramp listed in the for sale section, It would makle a perfect deployment blade.:D

catmath 1911
 
First thing is to ignore anyone trying to sell you their knife instead of trying to find one that will fit your needs.

There are a lot of really good choices in your price range. The Nimravus is a great knife, but the blade is on the thin side. It should hold up well, especially in M2, but the blade thickness worries me a little bit. The sheaths that come with the knives are crap, so it would definately be advisable to get a custom kydex one from OST, Buy Brown, SSS, etc.

The Swamp Rats and Fallknivens have rubber handles with a fancy name. The are fine knives, but I would be concerned about the durability of the rubber, especially compared to materials such as G-10 and micarta.

Check out this one from Mission. I am sure you will find that it meets your needs well. This would be my choice for under $200.

http://www.tadgear.com/edged tools/mpk-10a2.htm

There is a Mission Forum at www.knifeforums.com if you want to talk with the owner of the company about the knife.

The Buck Strider is another knife that would easily meet your needs, as would the Simonich mid-tech.

TOPS knives may be another consideration, although some are not fond of the blade steel. They have a very large variety of products and great service through their website. http://www.topsknives.com/
Take a look at the Dawn Warrior and see if that one might be something that you are looking for. For the price though, I think the Mission is a better buy (A2 is a very good, tough steel)
 
Get yourself an Extrema Ratio Harpoon with the camo sheath system and OD handle. It comes in at your price point.

Here's a pic o' mine (you can also get it with a "tiger stripe finish" and aircraft-ripping spine cuts):


attachment.php
 
Get a Fallkniven F1 , whichever model of SAK is appropriate to your needs and a multitool of the Leatherman/Gerber type. Use the surplus cash to buy Diarolyte sachets.

Take a pocket stone for the SAK and a mousemat & some silicon carbide paper in 600/800/1000/1200 to sharpen the convex grind on the F1 (if you ever use the F1...)

You'll use the SAK 10 times for every time you use the multitool and the multitool 100 times for every time you use the F1.

maximus otter
 
I'd think long an' hard about a Becker. The Model 10 (five and a half inch blade), 9 (nine inch blade), or 7 (seven inch blade)...biggest one you think you can tolerate on a day to day basis. Awesomely tough performers, and at the price it won't break yer heart too badly if ya' lose it. I carry a much thinner Bladed Becker quite frequently, and it's hacked through cable, trees, pried, sliced, ventilated 55 gallon drums, and made many a meal without a problem. The price point is a nice addition, but the truth is that it's among the best real users out there available at any price.

http://www.onestopknifeshop.com/store/becker.html

SwampRat knives has one heckuva following around here too, but I don't have any personal experience with them....yet...:D
 
"The knife will be used mainly for general utility and cutting zip ties and lacing cord on aircraft along with anything else I need it for."

Sounds like you need a utility knife more than a big combat knife - and what you really DON'T need is a big knife that you'll hardly ever use. I think Maximus Otter is right - get yourself a SAK for the pocket, a multitool with a belt sheath, and then a Becker model 10 with 5.5" blade. That way you'll be prepared for anything. You can get this all for under $200, so if you turn out not to use one of the three it's no big loss, & you can probably sell it to another serviceman pretty easily. You DON'T need a big, heavy survival knife, if you're not a grunt in the field. In fact you could probably go with a 3-4" blade for most tasks, BUT you probably want something with a thick 5-6" blade for those times when you might need to pry something. The Becker is strong & cheap & you can rough up the handles for better grip if you want, or file them into a thinner/more comfortable shape, or see if Bill Siegle is still making replacement G10 handles for them. There are a lot of other great knives available that would fit your needs, but none are as inexpensive (except maybe a factory 2nd cold steel SRK, but that has rubber grips).
 
If $200.00 is not set in stone, take a look at the Simonich blades and Chris Reeves.

Both of these guys make fine heavy use fixed blade.
 
What's your MOS?
Everytime I deployed I was completely happy with my cheap, strong Cold Steel SRK.
 
Speaking of Cold Steel factory seconds, I saw a pretty decent sized list of 'em over at thier website the other day.

http://www.coldsteel.com/seconds.html

SRK, Recon Tanto, and Bush Ranger for $50 bucks. I just got a Bush Ranger last week. a very nice cutting knife and very light, especially for his size. Definitely not as robust as other choices though.

I've been assuming that you were gonna be carrying that Benchmade for minor tasks yes? If not then I think Fishface gives extremely sound advice, 'cept for myself being from the "bigger is better" Becker Camp.
 
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