Knife Picking Help, Por Favor? Already Have Some Ideas.

J

JellybeanAR

Joined
Sep 11, 2012
Messages
31
I suppose this is where I put this, so here goes nothing;

I have been looking into aquiring a full size fixed blade knife for quite a while now, and I'm not anywhere near an expert on the topic, but I'd like to think I've read and self-examined enough to have a fair idea of what I want.
Problem is there are so many good looking knives out there that I'll see a review and think " I must have THAT one" and then after another review "wait- this one's even better- maybe I should get this one instead..." and it just goes around in circles after that.

Anway on to what I'm looking for:

I am looking for a full sized (5-6" range) general purpose knife. Something that's going to be durable enough to take some hard use, but not so insanely expensive I'm afraid to use it. Of course something that holds an edge well, even through chopping stuff up and such would be nice as well.
I am also on a pretty tight budget. (uh-oh...:D)

So far I have narrowed my top picks down to these 5:

-Swamp Rat- Ratmandu CG (since that's the current one)
-Swamp Rat- Rat 6
-ESEE 5
-ESEE 6
-Scrapyard 511
-Ontario RD 6

Here's part of my dilema- if somebody threw any one of these at me for free, I wouldn't be complaining. But that's not going to happen, and I'm dishing out my own money, AND on a budget and can only pick one or the other, so I can't really do the "buy one of each and pick what you like" bit.
I really really really really really would love to grab an RMD while I can (or the SR6 for that matter)- from what I've read so far, that would probably do 90% of whatever I can dream up and it seems sooooo nice. BUT it's still 150 bucks (pretty much the max limit I can spend on a knife right now)- which I'm sure is a steal, but rewind back to the part about the budget. So I come back around to the RD6, which it just so happens for a variety of reasons I can get for significantly cheaper than any of the others.
My brain says get the RMD or SR6, my wallet says "you fool-you're broke. Get the RD6"
Problem is, I've played the "buy a cheap one now and upgrade later" game. It always ends in a catastophe that ends up costing me twice the money. Buy once, cry once and all that wallet busting fun from now on.
That being said- If there's a knife that's above and beyond better than the others, I'll just suck it up and do it. BUT if there's a "90% of the features/quality for 50-75% of the price" knife, I can't ignore that option right now either.
All the rest fall somewhere in the middle between wants/needs/price.

Then there's the stuff I haven't quite fully looked into yet, such as sheath options- off the top of my head, I just read a thread about possible dimensional differences with the RMD which may cause some (minor) problems getting one to fit, and one of the sheathmakers I was looking into (Godspeed Tactical) apparently doesn't make sheaths for the RD's. Of course I can get an ESEE with it's own, but I'm really not sure how great their factory sheath is, or even if I am 100% sold on the ESEE knives at all.
And so forth.

What's a guy to do?


(This is not a spam post- just my first one here. Plus I typed this up at around 2AM, if it comes off a little long-winded and scatterbrained ;))
 
Last edited:
If the RMD is too expensive look at the SYKCO 511. Scrapyard knives are still Bussekin and still have the same great warranty, but are a good bit cheaper. Also, remember that Bussekin do not some with sheaths and budget money for that.
 
Small knives don't chop all that well compared to an ax or large blade. There are tons of options out there in the size range you mentioned. Look at some of the Becker knives, especially BK15, 16 and 17. They're under $70 and come with a serviceable sheath.
 
I don't think you will find the ESEE-5 to be a "general purpose knife". In that role, from ESEE, you'd be looking at the ESEE-6 or (not on your list) the ESEE-4 or the ESEE Laser Strike. I have all of the above. The ESEE-5 is very thick. It is pretty much, IMHO, best left in its intended role of vehicle egress, urban survival knife (it would pry like the dickens if you got enough of the blade behind the object). It will not work well in the woods, wouldn't make a very good hunting knife and is somewhat difficult to get an edge on it that will perform light duty tasks. As a beast, it is one of the best...general purpose, not so much.

ESEE-6 (since that is on your list) is a little bigger than I like in a general purpose knife but geometry and all else are spot on. I cannot speak to the other models you've specified. I love my ESEE-5 for what it is, I will say that, and it does have a loyal following.
 
An option is get a $12 Mora, $15 kukri or bolo machete, firesteel and sharpening goodies all for $60-70 then save up till you have plenty of money to spend on the "one knife to rule them all"
 
Becker BK2 plus a custom sheath would be under 150...heck u can even throw micarta slabs and still be under 150...for such a thick mutha it cuts great and u can one-up with convexing.
 
Esee 6 or bk 7 (a little bigger than you wanted)
 
Insipid Moniker said:
If the RMD is too expensive look at the SYKCO 511. Scrapyard knives are still Bussekin and still have the same great warranty, but are a good bit cheaper. Also, remember that Bussekin do not some with sheaths and budget money for that.
Click to expand...

A good point- I almost forgot about the Scrapyard's. I think I'll add that to the list.
The only thing there, is I'm not sure I'm 100% sold on the handle-part of me likes the two-piece designs better.

Yes, I am aware most of these do not include a sheath- I am budgeting that seperately from the blade itself, as the general concensus I seem to be reading is most factory sheaths suck and I'll have to go aftermarket anyway. The only reason I mentioned sheaths in my original was to convey that I am aware of this, and that a knife that fits a larger number of sheath-makers products would probably have a bit of an edge over the others. Or something like that...

Fanglekai said:
Small knives don't chop all that well compared to an ax or large blade. There are tons of options out there in the size range you mentioned. Look at some of the Becker knives, especially BK15, 16 and 17. They're under $70 and come with a serviceable sheath.
Click to expand...

Hmm- I may have mis-used the word "Chop" in my original. I know I'm not going to take a tree down with this thing, or be any kind of efficient against large pieces of wood that I'd need a dedicated chopper or axe to work with. I was referring to a knife that can do general tasks, as well as split/baton smaller wood for, say a fire. I personally feel that the knives in the 3" range are a bit limited (although I will someday pick up a smaller knife to augment my full size, after I have one), and knives over 7" (ie, Ka-bar sized) are a bit to much to efficiently carry around- I also know a lot of this is personal preference. But having handled a small number of knives of all sizes, I am reasonably sure that 5-6" will work well for me.

Anyway- I don't really like the BK series. They were one of the first brands I looked into when starting to research a few months back, but they seem....clunky, for lack of a better word, compared to the others. Plus, if I'm going to pay for one of those I'd rather dish out $30 more, and get a Scrapyard.
I know that sounds like I'm completely contradicting myself from previously, but I'm not- like I said, I WILL go the extra dollars route for a knife that is above and beyond another, up to and including the $100+ it would cost for an ESEE or SR, even if the price is a little more attractive on another, if it gets me a knife that I feel is of superior quality. The RMD or ESEE is not "TOO" expensive, it's just the max of what I can spend with a good consience right now. It's kind of like a law of diminishing returns in reverse. ;)
Like I stated originally, I have done the "start with an entry level product" thing with EVERY hobby/activity I have gotten into, and without fail, every time I do that I get neither the quality I want, nor the item I *really* wanted.

I do not care so much about getting one knife to rule them all (although I imagine a full-on BUSSE would be close as they are apparently gifted to us from the gods :D), I just want one serious high-quality knife in a certain size range for a reasonable price.
The list in my original was included, as I was under the impression those were some of the better "bang for your buck" knives, that were a good cross between higher than average quality and price.

My apologies if I mislead anyone- I don't mean this to come across as a "pat me on the back for picking an SR" type thread, and I AM open to any other suggestions not on the list (like the SYKCO, or others that are on par with the SR/ESEE/RMD), but maybe I should have changed the title to "which off this list should I pick" just for simplicity's sake....:o
 
The real problem is there are so many choices it's hard to narrow it down without getting very specific as to what you plan on using the knife for. Stainless or non-stainless? Thick or thin blade? There are tons of choices for handle scales. There's full exposed tang or hidden tang. There are so many options and there's no "right answer" so it's not necessarily a bad idea to start with cheaper knives until you figure out what you like. Your tastes will probably change and what you want out of a knife might change over time.

A $12 Mora is a serviceable knife able to handle a lot of tasks and perform well. There's no question that Mora knives are of good quality to the point that they show up in almost every knife recommendation thread and even when people say "I don't want a Mora" at least one person is going to reply, "Get a Mora."

The Becker knives aren't "entry level" despite their low price point. They are solid, well built out of quality materials, and come with a lifetime warranty. If you don't like the handles you can add micarta ones or make your own out of wood or some other material.

Swamprat and Scrapyard have great knives. SR-101 (52100) is a good steel but it has low corrosion resistance compared to many other steels. The main problem with these is if you buy one new you're going to pay for the knife, probably $15 or so in shipping, and then you have to spend ~$40 for a kydex sheath unless you can make your own from kydex, leather or some other material. My Scrapyard 511 + azwelke kydex was about $140 after I factor in shipping.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top