Knife For The Outdoors

J

jfive

Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
201
Hi Guys,

I'm looking for a new FIXED blade that fulfills the following requirements:


Length: Between ~ 4" and 4,5" maximum

Steel: Important for me is edge retention and sharpness. Carbon steel works for me as well as stainless steel. I like 1095 and 154CM for example. Never tried CPM steels or VG10.

Price: ~ 100-120 $ (Definitely not more than 130 bucks :) )

Intended Use: I'm looking for a survival/camp knife. It should be able to handle cutting tasks which are requiered in the kitchen like slicing an onion. But splitting woods once in a while shouldn't be a big problem either. So in general the blade is supposed to be an all-rounder if that's possible.

Handle material: I think I would like synthetic materials like micarta, g-10 or something rubbery.

Blade shape: Form follows function (-> see "intended use")


Right now i think of the Esee RC4 or the Fällkniven F1. If there is any knife I should consider too...please let me know! So thanks in advance ;)
 
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ESEE RC 4 is a good choice.

Check out some of the custom knife makers too.

I got a really nice blind horse fixed blade knife in O-1 steel in your price range and its a great knife.
 
maverick3981 said:
Cold Steel SRK.
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4.5" maximum, broooo....

It's literally impossible to choose the best "all-rounder" in that size range. It doesn't exist so don't even try. But I'd say if you're doing more food prep than anything else I'd go with either the Fallkniven or a Bark River Kephart, or get a custom Nessmuk from one of the makers here. Or if you're on a budget, Mora. :D My $.02.
 
F1 is great. There are alot of spectacular traditional Scandinavian blade designs out there made by alot of reputable people in alot of different steels. Karesuando, Helle, Enzo etc. My personal favorite for this size blade has been 15N20, as made by Koyote Knives. Christof Harper's scandi/convex hybrid grind in combination with the nickel steel is just crazy-I've owned mine for 8 months. It's been my primary bushcrafter and I have yet to sharpen the edge, because I know touching a stone to it is just going to wreck it. It's still shaving sharp. There's something about that heat treat, edge and steel combo that's just crazy. RAT Cutlery is an awesome company-I have a HEST, RC3 and RC5, but the handle of the RC3/RC4 I feel is inadequate for a main blade. The choil must be used to offer a full grip and I think it's uncomfortable for extended use. The BRKT Aurora seems to be really popular lately and I can see why. I'd suggest hanging out in the Maker's forums. Ray Loconico makes a MEAN hundred dollar utility knife, and Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge does some beautiful knives as well.
 
I am a restaurant professional and outdoorsman, and if you want something to excel at food preparation you are going to want it to have a blade design that has a blade height high enough to leave your fingers a little wiggle room under the handle when the blade is flat on a cutting surface. Both the designs you mentioned will likely not be ideal for food prep as when the blade is flat on a cutting surface, so is your hand. I also find a thinner edge geometry to be the best for food prep, but then you lose some durability when it comes to splitting logs, etc. There is a trade-off, but you can usually find something that has a good balance of design features that will suit what you intend to use the knife for. I find the Nessmuk designs to be ideal for this type of stuff, and good Nessie will also be solid at other camp chores as well. I just put a Down Payment down on a Koster Monster Nessie but that is significantly larger than what you are looking for. There are many smaller Nessmuk designs out there.
 
Canadian Belt Knives are great for food prep-they've got all the finger clearance in the world, just the right blade size, lots of belly and a centered point. R Murphy makes an 18 dollar rosewood handled high carbon CBK that comes with a leather sheath.
 
hey folks,

i'm really thankful for every suggestion. unfortunately 130$ is the limit so almost every knife manufactured by brkt exceeds the budget by far.
plus i need the knife august 18th so time is a factor. laconico's knives really rock however i'm afraid there is not enough time for a custom knife :(.
unfortunately the length is limited to 4,5" (12 cm to be exactly) and can not be exceled.

the ontario ranger rd 4 is most likely way to thick for the job, right?
 
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jfive said:
hey folks,

i'm really thankful for every suggestion. unfortunately 130$ is the limit so almost every knife manufactured by brkt exceeds the budget by far.
plus i need the knife august 18th so time is a factor. laconico's knives really rock however i'm afraid there is not enough time for a custom knife :(.

4.5" is unfortunately the limit.
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Sit in the Maker's forums, under the for sale fixed blades. They pop up alot. Many other great makers post there that charge comparatively nothing... GL Drew, DFarmer...
 
jfive said:
hey folks,

i'm really thankful for every suggestion. unfortunately 130$ is the limit so almost every knife manufactured by brkt exceeds the budget by far.
plus i need the knife august 18th so time is a factor. laconico's knives really rock however i'm afraid there is not enough time for a custom knife :(.
unfortunately the length is limited to 4,5" (12 cm to be exactly) and can not be exceled.

the ontario ranger rd 4 is most likely way to thick for the job, right?
Click to expand...

If you don't mind my asking, why the 12 cm length limit? Is it a legal issue in Germany?

The reason I ask is that I fool around with knife design a bit, and the answer could be something to keep in mind.
 
dawsonbob said:
If you don't mind my asking, why the 12 cm length limit? Is it a legal issue in Germany?

The reason I ask is that I fool around with knife design a bit, and the answer could be something to keep in mind.
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I tried to avoid this topic but since you were asking :D
In general you are right. As far as I know you are allowed to carry - concealed or non-concealed, doesn't matter - a FIXED knife with a blade up to 4,5". If the blade is longer than 12 cm you better have an "excuse" like hiking, working, stuff like that to justify the big knife attached to your belt. Of course this regulation gives the chance of arbitrariness...and of course this law is nuts but what can one expect from german politicians :D ?!
So with a knife < 4,5 inches you are on the safe side and for me a knife between 4 and 4,5" works quite good. If you want to sell fixed knives over here I think this regulation should be considered. If you have more questions...feel free to ask.

I hope there are some suggestions left :)
 
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What about a Buck Vanguard? Or for less money the Buck Omni Hunter?

My personal favorite is the Spyderco Bill Moran Drop Point. But I’m probably not going to split wood with it.

Rafael
 
jfive said:
I tried to avoid this topic but since you were asking :D
In general you are right. As far as I know you are allowed to carry - concealed or non-concealed, doesn't matter - a FIXED knife with a blade up to 4,5". If the blade is longer than 12 cm you better have an "excuse" like hiking, working, stuff like that to justify the big knife attached to your belt. Of course this regulation gives the chance of arbitrariness...and of course this law is nuts but what can one expect from german politicians :D ?!
So with a knife < 4,5 inches you are on the safe side and for me a knife between 4 and 4,5" works quite good. If you want to sell fixed knives over here I think this regulation should be considered. If you have more questions...feel free to ask.

I hope there are some suggestions left :)
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Thanks, jfive. It was just for general information, mostly. It never hurts to know what the restrictions are in an area.

Oh, and I think you can expect the same from German politicians as you can expect just about anywhere: idiocy.
 
F1 hands down. I have an RC 4 and it is a great knife...but a choil on aknife this size is just a pain. The F1 ia easy to resharpen and holds an edge very well. Has no choil and excells at every task I have put a blade this size to. The handle is very comfortable and is much harder and more durable than the handles on Cold Steel knives.
 
+1 the F1.

also have a look at the H1 as it's inside your size limits.

but yuh, you won't go wrong with a Fallkniven.
 
F1, it can't be beat, not even by bark river, which is saying a lot because bark river makes fantastic knives!

-Freq
 
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