is this a good knife? for hunting and camping use only?

+1 to knifenut. SOG's customer service has taken a turn for the worse. Warranty work is a hassle and quality control is below satisfactory.
 
I have an Ontario TAK-1 which is Basicaly a RC-4 sands warrantee and sheath. Very tough knife.

I would recomend throwing a Mora into your set up too. They are the best cutters/ carvers for non rugged chores.

ragweedforge.com has a great selection and service.
 
If you want a knife that will last a lifetime.. Imo I would recommend either a Busse-Kin,RAT or Bark River since there knives are great and they have a great warranty so if you manage break it you will get a new one.
 
big_chief said:
would you feel well equiped with the rat knife and a bradley alias hunting in the mountains?
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Yep. The RAT knives are very good quality stuff. Just take a min and visit the RAT forum here at BF. Plenty of guys use a RAT as their main hunting/camping companion.

IMO, SOG is overpriced for what ya get. I've owned 3 over the years and have turned around and resold them. I don't see myself owning another.

Btw, welcome to BF.
 
+1 for RAT, have an Izula and RC6, RC4 and HEST on the way, really nice knives, haven't touch another knife since.
 
It doesn't look like a bad knife...although I never even heard of the steel (not saying much because i'm quite ignorant when it comes to knives). Like others have said though, you could probablly get a similar Busse or Rat for a similar price and you know what you are getting. And if you don't check out the forums they have. They are full of helpful and knowledgable people :thumbup:
 
Boy, you look at the better stuff.

The Team Leader (DuraTech™ 20CV) should easily last a an average lifetime of use, as well as any well made fixed blade will at any rate. That steel is supposed to be pretty tough.

As you can tell, RAT cutlery has a lot of "hype" right now. For some reason people have been spitting on SOG of late. Whatever.

I see you mention the Alias - another knife that should last.

Remember to bring some diamond sharpeners when going out.
 
yes i am only interested in top quality and (right now anyway) i am not a knife nut but ive bought and then later sold off enough guns to know that i want to buy the best knives available once and be done with it. so possibilities for a folder are the bradley, or a sebenza which appear almost the same i am assuming fit and finish are the main differences here. as for my fixed blade i am kind of undecided the rat looks like a good blade but i am not really loving its appearance, i am sure i would learn to like if performance is great.
 
I don't own any Rat knives but I like the 1095 steel they use. When hunting and camping you want to be able to sharpen you knife without too much difficulty. That Duratech looks like really hard steel. It may be hard to sharpen. I agree with the suggestion on Bark River knives also. I own a few and they are top quality. A2 steel and convex ground which will hold a great edge but still sharpen easily. They are also very good looking knives as well. Also get the Sebenza. You won't regret it.
http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/deluxegame/index.php
 
Well, the "top quality" outdoor fixed blades seem to be the semi-customs - BUSSE with its INFI being an example of a maker of top performing knives (I don't like the "HOG" thing concerning BUSSE, but there is no denying the performance of many of the models).

Good luck in your search.
 
If it cost $50-$60 I might would be OK with that knife but for that price there are a lot of knifes that I consider much better.
I would look at Busse,Swamp Rat, Scrap Yard and RAT cutlery.Spyderco also has some good knifes in that price range also.
 
There are also a pile of Custom makers that could hook you up with a nice knife in that $150 to $200 price range. A few that jump out at me are Phillip Patton, Bailey Knives, Fiddleback, GL Drew, Dan Koster, Tom Krein..... Pop over to the Makers section of Blade Forums and Click on Fixed Blades For Sale..... surely you can find something you like there.
 
big_chief, welcome to the forums!

Listen to the people telling you to go with a RAT. It isn't hype. They make extremely rough use knives, and if you do actually manage to break one, they'll replace it, no questions asked.

I have a RC-3, RC-4, and RC-5. My suggestion would be for the RC-4. Unless you're expecting to survive Armageddon, in which case the RC-5 is the knife you want. The RC-4 is perfectly sized for camping and skinning. It's tough enough to handle anything you throw at it.

I have owned a few SOG fixed-blades, and I agree with others that they are overpriced for what you get.

Good luck in your search!

BTW, your link doesn't work!
 
If you wanted to go stainless I would also consider Fallkniven. The SI for example is an excellent all around outdoor knife. The F1 would be a good choice for hunting.
 
Lots of good advice given to you here. Here are some basic thoughts. If you hunt game that you will skin with your hunting knife, I would prefer a blade that is not so pointy. Although doable, the sharp point makes it easier to mess up and accidentally pierce the animals hide. That's one of the reasons pure skinning knives have the big blade sweep towards the front. Another point would be if you are going to be dressing out larger animals, where your hands get inside of the animal and covered with blood. You want a knife that is going to protect you from your hand sliding down over the blade and cutting all the tendons in your hand. Not a good thing. A roughed up handle is not good enough. YES, lots of people use folders, and knives that could slip in their hand easily, and never get hurt. But if it happens you'll be sorry for a long time. So something on the order of a nice forward quillon that will keep the hand from sliding is a very good thing. This knife is a good example of what I mean.

331gcj9.jpg


It has the good sized quillon to protect your hand. Also, it's blade is not sharpened all the way to the hilt. This would allow you to choke up on your grip if you wanted more control. Ed Fowler is a farmer/rancher/knifemaker who knows how to build serious hard use knives. He lives in Wyoming, and sells to a lot of people that use their knives everyday. They are made with 52100 ball bearing steel. They will be durable, take a great edge, and be easy to resharpen in the field if required, and be safe. I'm not trying to sell you on Ed Fowler, because there certainly a lot of makers who can build a good knife, at a price you can afford. Just showing you a good style of hunting knife.
 
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big_chief said:
http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/professional/highlandspecial.php#

i love the look of this bark river, is it considered top quality? also what would be the ideal handle material i love the look of some of the wood ones but is g10 or micarta or carbon fiber better for the uses i stated? basically i am looking for a 100% weatherproof and very rugged handle, also would three pins be better than 2 or is that all relative?
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I’ve never handled a Highland Special, but many people love it. Browse the Wilderness & Survival forum and you’ll find it mentioned. Not as often as the Bark River Bravo-One. But the Bravo is a more recent blade, and the current fashion.

Ornamental wood is certainly prettier than a synthetic. It will serve you well enough as long as you care for your knife. If you want wood and weatherproof, get stabilized wood scales. If you expect to leave your knife in the snow and rain for a month, go with micarta or G-10. (I’ve never used carbon fiber.)

Two pins are all you’d need on that size of knife. Get a third only if you like the look.
 
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