Knife recommendation?

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glocker199

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Mar 14, 2005
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I'm looking for a general purpose small-medium sized fixed blade. Will be used for food prep and light field tasks.

3.5-5" blade
Quality stainless steel (440C, 154CM, ATS-34, etc.)
Drop point -Probably hollow ground
Plastic, rubber, G10 or other moisture friendly handle
Kydex or plastic sheath

Suggestions?
 
Not sure what you want to spend or if you are stuck on USA made. I have a Boker Plus Rold with a six inch blade and for the money it is a great knife. Look at the Boker Plus Rold Scout. Made from stonewashed D2 which is almost stainless as far as corrosion resistance.There are many cheaper or more expensive knives some USA made but I know these are nice knives. Bark River makes a few and the list can go on and on. Maybe a max price you want to keep under would help.
 
Ontario SK-5 Blackbird comes to mind. Or ESEEs stainless models.
But if you are not set on USA made, the Rold mentioned above is a FANTASTIC knife.
Its one of the best allround blades I've ever seen and I love mine.
 
Have you looked into the Becker BK17?
1. Clip point/hollow grind
2. 1095 Chromium Vanadium Steel/ 4 1/4 inch
3. Full tang
4. Various handle options
5. Sheath is not the best but the knife makes up for it, you can find a kydex sheath for it on Ebay for cheap
6. <$70
I can attest to its performance from my own experience and it's a wonder knife, I can't ask for anything better for the price. Will last you forever



 
Or you can get the BK16, which is the same thing as the BK17 except it's a drop point:
 
It needs to be stainless, not carbon steel. I've got RATs and ESEEs but they're thicker and wider than I'd like for this purpose. They're more of a dedicated hard use outdoors knife, IMO.
 
Well, you didn't provide a budget, so I'm gonna go ahead and recommend the Chris Reeve Nyala. Nice hollow ground drop point blade, S35VN steel, and nice micarta handles. Plus a waterproofed leather sheath. S35VN is so rust resistant I wouldn't even worry about storing it in the sheath long-term, though you can always have a kydex sheath made if you prefer.

Being a Chris Reeve it ain't cheap though, it retails for $230 and is near the smaller end of your size range.

At the other end of the price spectrum, any of the stainless Moras will serve you well. The Sandvik stainless they use is really great stuff, though it's not going to hold its edge quite as long as 154CM.
 
Hmmm...the new Benchmade Steep Mountain looks interesting and comes with a kydex sheath. I wish it was a bit larger.

Blade Length: 3.50"
Blade Thickness: 0.140"
Handle Thickness: 0.620"
Blade Material: S30V Premium Steel
Blade Hardness: 58-60HRC
Blade Style: Drop-Point
Weight: 4.40oz.

1cf749ea1849d8cda7930d1d1d794b7e_zps684be39a.jpg
 
I've not owned any BM fixed blades, but I've handled a few and they all seemed like good knives for the money. If you like the Steep Mountain, I'd say go for it.
 
glocker199 said:
I'm looking for a general purpose small-medium sized fixed blade. Will be used for food prep and light field tasks.

3.5-5" blade
Quality stainless steel (440C, 154CM, ATS-34, etc.)
Drop point -Probably hollow ground
Plastic, rubber, G10 or other moisture friendly handle
Kydex or plastic sheath

Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Kershaw Diskin Hunter
  • Blade length about 4.6"
  • 14c28n stainless steel blade, takes a very sharp edge without much effort, edge retention comparable to 440c but easeier to sharpen to scary sharp.
  • Current production model has a flat grind, knives produced before fall of 2013 have a hollow grind and shouldn't be too difficult to find, you might have to make a phone call to confirm inventory or buy from a B&M vendor if you prefer a hollow grind. I am happy with the flat grind and actually prefer the aesthetics.
  • G10 handle, the older version has handles that are slightly smaller than the tang, the current version still has an exposed tang, but the handles fit closer.
  • Leather sheath, suprisingly high quality given the price, likely nicer than any kydex sheath you'd find for the same price.

1085_render_profile_1020x400.png
 
kornphlake said:
Kershaw Diskin Hunter
  • Blade length about 4.6"
  • 14c28n stainless steel blade, takes a very sharp edge without much effort, edge retention comparable to 440c but easeier to sharpen to scary sharp.
  • Current production model has a flat grind, knives produced before fall of 2013 have a hollow grind and shouldn't be too difficult to find, you might have to make a phone call to confirm inventory or buy from a B&M vendor if you prefer a hollow grind. I am happy with the flat grind and actually prefer the aesthetics.
  • G10 handle, the older version has handles that are slightly smaller than the tang, the current version still has an exposed tang, but the handles fit closer.
  • Leather sheath, suprisingly high quality given the price, likely nicer than any kydex sheath you'd find for the same price.

1085_render_profile_1020x400.png
Click to expand...

That is a nice looking option.

For a hard use knife I like the flat grind but for food prep, the hollow grind works best for me.

I don't want a leather sheath but that knife is cheap enough I could have a kydex one made.
 
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