Recommendation? Looking For a Certain Type of an EDC Fixed Blade.

C

CalmAsHinduCows

Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
127
Hello everyone!

I've been lurking these forums for years and have posted here and there. I'm always amazed at some of the quality of beautiful of the blades that are shown on here. Some great works of art that a lot of you own.

I've been in the market now for a good EDCer. I'm not much into folders and have always preferred a fixed blade for my day to day tasks. I've been on the hunt for the last few weeks, but haven't really found anything that has met what I'm looking for.

Two of my main must-haves are a choil and finger guard. I do a lot of work on my homestead and these two features have come in handy more times than I can count. Blade length and overall length aren't super important to me - maybe like a 7+ inch over all length and a blade length anywhere from 2-5 inches?

I've recently purchased the TOPS Pathfinder School Knife which I thought fit the bill exactly.
TOPS Pathfinder School Knife
Sadly, it seems like it was made for 6-year-olds as both the handle and choil are unusably tiny. Hurt my hand to work with that knife for too long. I do love TOPS' quality and have their Apache Falcon which is probably my favorite knife of all time. A true workhorse.

I've had the Izula 2 and loved it. I've used that blade for about everything I can think of. I just wish it had a finger guard and I'm just looking for something with a little more robustness for my day-to-day tasks. I'm leaning towards the ESEE 4 as I've handled one, loved it, and think it will fit my needs.

But, before I snag the ESEE 4, I was wondering if anyone else had any suggestions for my particular style of knife I'm searching for? I don't mind if it is mass produced or a one-of-a-kind, hand forged beauty. Price isn't too much of an obstacle for me (within reason) and I'm open to just about any kind of steel and other materials as well.

Thank you for taking the time read this and hopefully input any suggestions. :)
 
White River Caper (old models in s30v, newer in s35vn)?

WTWRCPBLKG10nt.jpg


Or Bradford Guardian 3.5, perhaps? (m390 at the moment, but he has done the guardian 3 in 3v, n690, and vanadis 4e, so might see those eventually)

guardian-35-m390.jpg
 
Seconds on the Whiteriver knives Caper. Hands down the best small fixed blade there is. It melts in your hand, the sheath has very positive retention, if you need/want it it comes with a G-clip for the sheat and if it's worth anything to you it had the best factory edge of any knife I ever received (with a beautiful thin grind). I haven't used the S35VN version but I imagine it blowing the S30V away(I fucking hate S30V, but I'd still recommended the knife if it had S30V). There also is the firecraft series that I don't have any experience with but it may be worth a look.
 
I have a White River Firecraft 3.5 pro due to be delivered today. I’ll report back with pics later. I was torn between this and the backpacker pro, I may end up with both.
 
Spikediesel said:
I have a White River Firecraft 3.5 pro due to be delivered today. I’ll report back with pics later. I was torn between this and the backpacker pro, I may end up with both.
Click to expand...
Looking forward to this as I am looking to add another White River soon (bought the Knucklehead within the last couple months and loved it). Unsure whether I wanted the Caper/Backpacker... or a slightly larger offering.
 
Well tracking now showing delivery tomorrow :mad: so the review will have to wait a day.... Either way, what sold me on the White River knives is the way they are finished with the smooth contoured edges Especially in the finger choil. I have a TRC K-1 that has the same smooth rounded edges that is a joy to handle and use.
 
Spikediesel said:
Well tracking now showing delivery tomorrow :mad: so the review will have to wait a day.... Either way, what sold me on the White River knives is the way they are finished with the smooth contoured edges Especially in the finger choil. I have a TRC K-1 that has the same smooth rounded edges that is a joy to handle and use.
Click to expand...
Their attention to detail is amazing, as is their customer service. I ordered the Knucklehead from CK (must have been older inventory) and I wasn't very happy with the kydex retention. Sent them a msg on their BF area and also a quick email once I noticed their section of the forum was a little slow. Turns out they revised the sheath for more positive retention in newer models. Sent me the revision ASAP. No questions asked. No proof of purchase necessary. Just mutual trust and respect. Great company to deal with!
 
White River is a fantastic and fantastically underrated company. The fit and finish on the Caper/Backpacker is incredible. And the Backpacker is under $100!

The only two knocks I have against them are the S30V base steel and relatively (but not ridiculously) low hardness for small blades. I like that they are upgrading everything to S35VN as a standard, but it would be nice to have an upgrade option to 20CV as well, if they want to keep their steel American.
 
Go with you friendly neighborhood knife maker like CM.

If you don’t have a dedicated budget you should checkout the custom knife forums here.

Not only will you end up getting exactly what you want and need the experience is worth while too.
 
46647
maybe not for everyone, but here's my self modified swamp rat rodent 3. I EDC it in a custom leather pocket sheath by Mark Condos.
 
Wow, thank you everyone for the replies and suggestions. There are definitely some awesome blades for me to check out.

Charlie, do you take custom orders? I'm basically looking for something like the TOPS Apache Falcon, but in the 7-9 inch range. Your work is amazing and I've seen it many times on here. Love it all.
 
Yes, I take custom orders... In fact, I'm one knife away from clearing my pending orders.
 
The White River firecraft 3.5 came in today I’ll post pics in the latest aquisitions. Looks like the op is gonna have CM make him a custom which is a great idea, I’d love to have one myself!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top