Recommendation? Jack of all fixed blade

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perry81

Joined
Jul 12, 2024
Messages
14
I’m looking for a solid all around fixed blade. I know the passion some might have for a certain brand, but I’m not beholden to any one.

Parameters:
• 5-7 inch blade, straight edge, preferably full tang.
• blade shape that lends itself to general use, with some survival and self defense. My work can place me in remote situations where a working blade is a necessity. On the flip side of that coin, there is also a better than average chance of encountering thieves and addicts, hence the defense.
• Some jimping for better fine control, but I’d also appreciate some aggressive flattening on the spine for potential steel strikes. Willing to forgo the jimping.
• I’m 6’3, 225. My gloves are L-XL. I don’t exactly have catchers mitts for hands, but I do tend prefer a handle with some mass.
• Decent sheath. I have no preference for vert/hori/cross. All I ask is solid lockup with minimal edge wear during sheathing and un.
• preferably in the 3/16-1/4 (.19-.25mm) neighborhood. I’d like stout, but I don’t need a axe knife.
• the steel would need to be able to survive the weather conditions of Southwestern Virginia, eastern Tenn, southern WV, and northeastern NC. Moderate humidity in summer, rain/snow/sleet possible in all seasons. My work can potentially keep me in the elements for up to 12-24 hours before I’d be able to perform blade maintenance. So any steel that is prone to rapid rusting is not likely to pan out.
• price point is flexible, but I’d prefer to not go over $300.

Thank you if you made it through that laundry list.
I was looking at the Gerber Strongarm, but also at some Winklers, to help give a visual. I figured I had access to this forum, so why not use the collective knowledge.

I will look into any suggestions and try to respond promptly if there are questions I didn’t address.

Thanks yall.
 
You are going to get a bunch of really good suggestions in the next few days.
Lots of great people here!
With your price range you should get everything you're asking for and more.
Hopefully you take some time and check out what everyone says.
It's a great type of knife category, one of my favorites
 
HexY3co said:
Cold steel recon scout in 3v
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I have the scout and SRK in cpm 3v. It’s a good knife, but for some reason, CS put a thinner(?) grip on it than the SRK. I don’t know why they would do that considering the robust size of the blade. With it being the over-molded rubberized grip, I’m not sure what can be done to replace/fix that, but it would also warrant a new sheath to accommodate the new/fixed grip.
 
jlauffer said:
Cold Steel SRK (6") or SRK-C (5")
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I responded to another comment before I saw yours. I currently have a scout and a SRK in 3v. I addressed the concerns with the scout to the other person, so I’ll stick to the srk here.

The handle is grippy, but I have concerns about its durability. The bullet I made about sheaths was with this one in mind. The fit is so tight that I’m literally shaving off pieces of the sheath every time I put it in or take it out. I understand the need for security of the blade but I also have wonder about the edge being constantly worked against it. Maybe I’m nitpicking and just need a leather sheath.
 
Check out Work Tuff Gear, Knives of Alaska, White River Knives, Ka-Bar or any of the vendors here on the board.
 
perry81 said:
I responded to another comment before I saw yours. I currently have a scout and a SRK in 3v. I addressed the concerns with the scout to the other person, so I’ll stick to the srk here.

The handle is grippy, but I have concerns about its durability. The bullet I made about sheaths was with this one in mind. The fit is so tight that I’m literally shaving off pieces of the sheath every time I put it in or take it out. I understand the need for security of the blade but I also have wonder about the edge being constantly worked against it. Maybe I’m nitpicking and just need a leather sheath.
Click to expand...

Cold Steel has been using that type of handle for several decades. I've not heard of any durability problems.
Cold Steel sheaths are problematic, though. Some are OK, some not. It appears to just depend on the individual sheath as to whether there's an issue with dulling the blade.
 
Not quite a 5” blade (4.5”) but I’d look at the White River Ursus 45. Specifically the magnacut version.
 
Daedric Panther said:
Kabar?
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I have the kabar traditional military 7”, as well as the bk-2 and bk-9. A in between of those would likely be just fine. The trad is a good fighting style/all offense, but the rat tail gives me pause for hard use. The BKs are just monstrously overbuilt. Fun, damn near indestructible, but too bulky for finer work/daily work carry.
 
perry81 said:
I’m aware of Demko, but I hadn’t looked at their fixed. I’ll give them a peek. I have the ad-10 too. It’s a slab alright haha
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The thing with that fixed blade(and I own a SRK san mai, which is going to be a head to head competitor)

Is they have created this massive secondary level. Which as far as I can tell removes the amount of knife you push though when you cut things.

So it slices a lot nicer than the SRK. (Mabye not as strong though) Still baton through wood strong though.
 
There's some good suggestions here. It's difficult to find a knife to do everything well. I have an Architect 5.5 and I think it would work well for you. It's available in Magnacut (not at the moment) and one of the best handles on any knife. You can build it the way you want and be under $300. I suggest Architect several times. I have other more expensive knives and like many brands but haven't found a better value than Architect Knives. The only hesitation would be It's self defense capability. It has a proper handle but the blade shape isn't super stabby.
 
perry81 said:
...I was looking at the Gerber Strongarm...
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Honestly, with all the outstanding fixies available to us these days, I'd have a hard time recommending less than 30 that would meet your criteria.

That being posted, and like the SRK, EVERYONE should have a Strongarm or two in their collection and/or available to them. If Gerber continues to raise the price at about $5 a year, they'll eventually price themselves out of the market. However, for now, the $89 going rate is not necessarily outlandish for such a great knife. If you're patient, and can wait for a "holiday" sale, you might be able to score one in the $69 range...which is an absolute no-brainer for me. I'd highly recommend that you score one or two, no matter the outcome of this thread.


Just my humble opinion. Happy hunting.
 
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