Looking for a budget camping/EDC fixed blade.

Cajun Carry said:
I appreciate the reply. Most of my camping is done out of a canoe, and usually 2-3 day trips. We go down a river and camp on the banks. No hunting involved but we do try to catch and cook fish. I have a tacklebox that fits a small filet knife, so the new knife wouldn't need to clean any animals.

I am definitely going to pick up a Mora. I like the look of the Kansbol, and I hadn't really considered that model. Would the grind make it hard to sharpen? I typically sharpen with an angled system (Worksharp Precision Adjust).
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Lots of good suggestions here, some of them not around when I was looking last. But the Morakniv knives have been around forever doing their work. Take a look up a few posts at Molokai Rider's great pictures. Not the same knife, but the blade is the same shape and probably the same size.

He shows his in action; cleaning a fish, and cleaning something a little more hairy (!). Coincidental that you would list your camping as including canoeing, as that is my favorite. The blade is constructed of Sandvik 12C27, which is a very nice stainless steel. Will take a fine edge, hold it pretty well, but easy to sharpen. It's pretty rust resistant, too. Look at his pics; you can see what it will do. And if you have seen many of Molokai Rider's posts, you will know that he puts his knives to work in the field. No safe queens.

The knife is easy to sharpen as the taper is mostly a reduction in thickness of the blade. Once again, take a look at the pictures above and you can see that there is no fancy, disruptive grind plane. The thinner first third makes it slice a little better closer to the belly, and pierce a little better if needed. (Think of gutting a fish.) The blade is thin enough that you can pretty handily take apart any river fish you catch along your travels.
 
slyraven said:
Is the kansbol full tang? It looks nice
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No, most Morakniv products are not. That being said, a failure of that knife is an absolute rarity.

I did find on the 'net that the length of handle buried in the polymer hand is 83mm. The handle is about 4 1/2" long, so the tang is in the poly about 3 1/4". So the tank is about 3/4 of the way into the handle.

Don't worry. You won't break it.
 
I'm gonna be the odd man out here,and recommend an Ozark trail 3 or 4 inch fixed blade from Walmart.
The ones with the wooden handle (scales).
$5 gets you a good tuff knife that takes a beating and asks for more.
I have one,and I work knives HARD. It's held up and I'm extremely pleased with it.
It'll get razor sharp,and although I don't know the mystery steel it's made of,it holds an edge fairly well and super ez to sharpen. For the price of a lottery ticket,it's a good little fixed blade that really like any tool,you take care of it and it'll take care of you.
 
midnight flyer said:
I did find on the 'net that the length of handle buried in the polymer hand is 83mm. The handle is about 4 1/2" long, so the tang is in the poly about 3 1/4". So the tank is about 3/4 of the way into the handle.
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If OP wants they can google mora kansbol blanks and see pics. Pretty robust looking. Plus saves weight.
 
HJA said:
If OP wants they can google mora kansbol blanks and see pics. Pretty robust looking. Plus saves weight.
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Kansbol/Mora 2000/ Bushcraft Forest tang ...

Old style tang - nice.
1658861577015.jpeg

New style adapted for automated manufacturing ...
1658861651382.jpeg

If they break when batoning, it will be where the deep cutouts are.
1658861717594.png
 
I'll break my rule against recommending Cold Steel post-acquisition, but their Peacemaker III is a full tang with a Mora 2000 grind if you want something more sturdy.
 
TommyWalnuts said:
I'm gonna be the odd man out here,and recommend an Ozark trail 3 or 4 inch fixed blade from Walmart.
The ones with the wooden handle (scales).
$5 gets you a good tuff knife that takes a beating and asks for more.
I have one,and I work knives HARD. It's held up and I'm extremely pleased with it.
It'll get razor sharp,and although I don't know the mystery steel it's made of,it holds an edge fairly well and super ez to sharpen. For the price of a lottery ticket,it's a good little fixed blade that really like any tool,you take care of it and it'll take care of you.
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Raku said:
In my Bow River what they did with 8Cr is f***ing amazing :)
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Most of the Ozark Trail knives seem to use 3Cr13 as blade steel. Coincidentally, that steel is also sometimes used to make liners and the bodies of steel frame locks. I don't know how hard they run it, but it remains about as low as you can go as far as blade steel. It is reasonably tough and stainless, and is evidenced by its use in some of the budget machetes from companies like Schrade. The issue is that the edge retention is straight-up bad relative to most any of the other recommendations here.

Like some of Spyderco's other Chinese-made knives, the Bow River probably gets one of the better heat treatments you'll see on 8Cr13Mov. It's a much better steel than 3Cr13 or other lower-numbered members of that series. The problem is that it is still 8Cr13Mov; a steel that has long been common on $20 knives. While its toughness is okay, 8Cr13Mov is pretty mediocre in both corrosion resistance and edge retention. It is dwarfed by 9Cr18Mov on both metrics. This is especially true on edge retention for the Civivi and Sencut knives. For instance, check out the comparably priced Sencut Waxahachie.

For all-purpose outdoor fixed blades, 14C28N remains my top choice. It has respectable edge retention and excellent corrosion resistance. It is one of the toughest stainless steels and is easy to sharpen too. While not as impressive, 12C27 isn't bad. As far as the _Cr_Mov series, I don't recommend anything lower than 9Cr18Mov. I've also had good experiences with the cobalt steels: VG-10, 10Cr15CoMov, and N690.
 
Chronovore said:
Like some of Spyderco's other Chinese-made knives, the Bow River probably gets one of the better heat treatments you'll see on 8Cr13Mov. It's a much better steel than 3Cr13 or other lower-numbered members of that series. The problem is that it is still 8Cr13Mov; a steel that has long been common on $20 knives. While its toughness is okay, 8Cr13Mov is pretty mediocre in both corrosion resistance and edge retention. It is dwarfed by 9Cr18Mov on both metrics. This is especially true on edge retention for the Civivi and Sencut knives. For instance, check out the comparably priced Sencut Waxahachie.
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Regarding Bow River, most of the time I use it in the kitchen and often leave it wet (water, juice, meat...). No corrosion at all :-)
 
Raku said:
Regarding Bow River, most of the time I use it in the kitchen and often leave it wet (water, juice, meat...). No corrosion at all :)
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Like AUS-8, 8Cr13Mov is in a weird place. It is notably more stainless than D2 or XHP but notably less stainless than 9Cr18Mov, N690, 14C28N, etc.

Some people use it dirty and it never matters. Some people sweat on it a little and it spots. Using Larrin's ratings, both of those steels are a 7 out of 10 on corrosion resistance. Everyone's circumstances are different but for me, the right level of hedge starts at 7.5 with steels like 440C, VG-10, and S35VN.
 
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Try the Cold Steel Drop-Forged Hunter. 4 inch blade of teflon coated 52100 carbon steel, nothing to break, less than $45, if you shop around. Wrap the handle in leather, or tape, or something. It's worth getting a better sheath made for it.
 
williamsheikspare said:
Are you sure ?
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justjed said:
Try the Cold Steel Drop-Forged Hunter. 4 inch blade of teflon coated 52100 carbon steel, nothing to break, less than $45, if you shop around. Wrap the handle in leather, or tape, or something. It's worth getting a better sheath made for it.
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A couple years back they were maybe $35. or less There are a few currently for $37 - $45.
 
C Cajun Carry

The Mora Companion is a heck of knife for its price. It holds an edge well, slices well, and even takes a bit of a beating (I may have used a stainless one to baton through some small logs, but that's another story, and I'd usually rather use a hatchet). The handle is comfortable and just the right amount of grippy. It's not just one of the best knives you can buy for $20, it's one of the best products you can buy for $20. Highly recommended.
 
Hotshot10 said:
C Cajun Carry

The Mora Companion is a heck of knife for its price. It holds an edge well, slices well, and even takes a bit of a beating (I may have used a stainless one to baton through some small logs, but that's another story, and I'd usually rather use a hatchet). The handle is comfortable and just the right amount of grippy. It's not just one of the best knives you can buy for $20, it's one of the best products you can buy for $20. Highly recommended.
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The Companion is an awesome knife for the price. I got one for each of my kids. I keep a few spares as loaners. A certain magic happens when somebody from the city is doing their first ever camping with you, and you get to equip them with a knife and flashlight. It's also fun when everybody has the same knife or a different color of the same knife.

My only issue with the Companion is that I don't love the stock sheath. It cost a few dollars more than the knife itself, but I got a sheath from RK Custom Kydex. It really takes it to the next level.
 
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ESEE 3 in 1095 for my vote… it’s been beaten, dropped, carried a lot, holds a nice edge. Processed more animals with that than anything else I have
 
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