Knife under $250 for HS graduation gift

Sharp Eye

Sharp Eye

Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Messages
1,551
My son is graduating from High School in June. I would like to get him a bushcraft/ survival knife as a gift. My two limits are: it should cost not much over $250 with sheath and that it should be available by June 5th. Thanks for your thoughts.
Sharp Eye
 
Not sure it is possible in the time frame, but for price you could probably get some knife from Dan Koster.
 
(plug) why not look in the "knifemaker - for sale" forum. i have two knives available now in that price range...(/plug)

seriously though, take a look at what is currently available, MOST makers have a waiting list that will make your time frame a little tight
 
How about like 50 moras in a modified shotgun shell webbed belt so he can strap all 50 on at once :)

Agreed the timeframe might limit you
I would lean to Koster's Bushcrafter or Bushmaster.

Basically... is your goal to get a quality knife? Or spend $250? There are an awful lot of nice knives in the $100 range. Some of these $250+ knives, I feel, are set so expensive due to outragiously high markup or super fancy materials. Does fossilzed mammoth tusk make a better survival knife handle? No, but it sure adds $400 to the cost of it. That sort of thing.

Koster's bushcraft
Fallkniven F1
Ranger RD4
Most Bark River Knives
These can all be had in the $100ish range

A lot of really nice traditional Pukkos can be had for $50ish.

If you want to spend the money, then perhaps look to making one of the standards a little nicer. Get a really nice leather sheath for an F1. Or have Koster do a bushcraft with Arizona Desert Ironwood instead of Micarta. Something like that.

Just my $.02
 
fro a production knife around that price rane you should try bark river I've had several of thier smaller knives and they are well made and suited for the outdoors for bushcraft I'd rec. some of there mid sized models such as the fox river or the Northstar. Also I'vew owned a fallkniven f1 and aside from the bark rivers it was one of the finest knives I've owned all of the models mentioned above can be had for about 100 dollars less than your price range the surplus can be used for other gear...good luck...and congrads
 
Noshtero said:
Some of these $250+ knives, I feel, are set so expensive due to outragiously high markup or super fancy materials. Does fossilzed mammoth tusk make a better survival knife handle? No, but it sure adds $400 to the cost of it. That sort of thing.
Click to expand...


Fossilized Mammoth Tusk - Decent quality pieces $80 to $150 dollars a set.
Professional stabilizing services $20 to $40

Added time to the production process to layout and work a MUCH harder material @ a Meager $10/hour for EASILY 15 hours = $150 (and thats assuming NOTHING goes wrong and destroys the extremely fragile scales your playing with)

it all adds up quick, and when you start talking about custom pieces that AREN'T punched out on a machine and glanced at by a minimum wage slave as "quality control"


so tell me again, why shouldn't Fossil Mammoth cost $400 more?????


now, that said, you probably dont WANT mammoth on a general use / survival type knife
 
I think I would reccomend one of Dan Kosters Bushcraft models. Reasonably priced custom, good sheath, outstanding steel.

If I was going production Fallkniven F1 or Bark River Northstar and then I'd get a JRE sheath for the F1.
 
stephanfowler said:
Fossilized Mammoth Tusk - Decent quality pieces $80 to $150 dollars a set.
Professional stabilizing services $20 to $40

Added time to the production process to layout and work a MUCH harder material @ a Meager $10/hour for EASILY 15 hours = $150 (and thats assuming NOTHING goes wrong and destroys the extremely fragile scales your playing with)

it all adds up quick, and when you start talking about custom pieces that AREN'T punched out on a machine and glanced at by a minimum wage slave as "quality control"


so tell me again, why shouldn't Fossil Mammoth cost $400 more?????


now, that said, you probably dont WANT mammoth on a general use / survival type knife
Click to expand...

I'm sorry either my post was mistyped, or misread. The added cost of exotic materials is well justified. The point I was trying to make was for a survival/bushcraft type knife, it doesn't make a lot of sense to turn a $100 knife into a $500 knife to get an exotic material that doesn't even make sense for the application.
 
If your son already likes and appreciate knives then I would suggest getting him a custom. There are plenty of great makers on these forums and you can shop their personal websites to see what they offer. Often times they have unique knives already available; or keep an eye on the exchange forum by maker. A custom knife (qualified for someone who loves knives) is as unique a give as you can get. There is only one of these things - here you go, enjoy it 'cause it will last you a lifetime....

If he is not into knives per se then you might just be better off with a really nice production model. I would second Bark River models here as having outstanding fit and finish qualities mated to excellent bushcraft usability.
 
I absolutely agree Noshtero, i was just trying to clarify where pricing like that comes from. Personally, i won't work with antique ivory and such because I can't justify putting it on the types of knives i make. I make knives to be USED first and foremost.
 
It's a little tough to think about this really. I at least, and bet some others would agree, am torn between function and heirloom-ability.

For me, my bushcraft/survival/field knives are meant to be used and abused. I would almost be shy to take my very expensive graduation present from my father out into the woods to beat it up.

To be honest, I see these types of gifts as heirlooms passed from father to son, meant to be kept a lifetime. Along those lines, I see a lot of fathers go the high quality folder route. Your folder doesn't take the beating like your fixed blade does (at least mine don't). Maybe get your son a good, trusty production fixed like a Fallkniven, Rat, Bark River, etc... for less than $100, and then get him a very nice $150 dollar folder that he can keep for a lifetime.
 
texastonydobbs said:
I would suggest a RAt Cutlery Blade, RC3 or RC4, excellent knife with $$ to spare...
Click to expand...

This is a good idea "And if I were your son...." a cutting and chopping kit maybe

a small hatchet Wetterlung, Fiskar....
a fixed blade knife RC-3, Rc -4, even a Mora 2000 ...
a swiss army knife Champ. Farmer, Trekker....

That would be a good kit to start with in your price range...it would work for me. Pat
 
This is a high school graduation?

I'd go with an F1. That way he can use it. Its not too sheeple scary. And its a dadgum good knife.
 
I'd go with a Bark River Aurora for a bushcrafty knife. They have it in a number of handle materials, some of which are really beautiful. Great knife, great warrantee, great service.
 
Either one of the Bushcraft series from Bark River, or a re-handled F1.

A very cool alternate route would be to get the regular F1 and get him a decent pack, filled with some basic, inexpensive gear. An example would be a decent Kelty daypack, the F1, then some paracord, a compass, a firesteel, brew kit, etc. You could definitely do all that for under $250, and he'd have a really awesome set of kit.

Just for fun:
Kelty pack (or comparable): ~$75
F1: ~$80
SAK Soldier/Farmer/OHT: ~$25
Paracord: $10
Compass: $20
Firesteel/magbar: $5-10
nalgene plus steel cup: $15
Small cooking pot: $6

Puts you right at $241 :thumbup: (Man I love making gear lists, it's like a new zen technique...)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top