Looking for a do it all knife

J

"J" man

Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
11
Hi BF'ers,

I'm looking for a knife to function as a backup to my main chopper (ESEE Junglas). I would like this backup to have more of a multi purpose role than the Junglas. Something that is livelier in hand for defense, but also tough enough to baton through hardwood if the need arises (leaning more to wood processing than a defense). I think this calls for a blade that has a full flat grind with a spear or clip point. The Ontario SP-42 and SP-43 have both caught my eye. The problem is that there are no local knife shops that carry this line and I can't handle them to see which one feels better in the hand. I'm sure either would be good for what I'm looking for, but it would be a great help if someone could help me decide between the 7" SP-42 or 8" SP-43. I really like the spear point leaf shape of the blades and the 5160 steel, but maybe there are other choices out there someone could recommend to me. I'm leaning more towards the 8", but I'm worried about it being a little forward hefty making it a little sluggish for a defensive role. Thanks.
 
Welcome.

Have you considered a blade smaller than 7 inches long for a do it all knife? Many here, including me, believe a "do-it-all" blade does nothing well and everything poorly. That said, I would think that a do-it-all blade would need to be in the 3-5 inch range to perform the more-delicate tasks that your Junglas cannot.

Just something to consider.

As far as the SD aspect, ask whoever trained you in blade based self-defense what they think is best....if you haven't been trained in blade based self defense, then any blade is going to be pretty mush as effective (or ineffective) as any other blade.
 
Check out the SP-2 Air Force Survival Knife. Excellent smaller knife. You simply can not go wrong with the SP line. I currently own; SP-2, SP-8, SP-10, SP-17, SP-47, SP-51, SP-53, SP-Kukri. I have beat the snot out of them & they all laugh at me. GREAT "bang for the buck." I would trust my life with any one of them.
 
I've got a CS Kukri for my chopper, and a Black Jack for my main blade, then of course my folders. I really like the looks and applications of either a ESEE 3 or the ESEE Izula for a fixed blade for finer work.
 
Hi Marcinek, thank you for your insight. The RAT Model-1 folder I carry covers fine detail work and food prep quite well, so I guess my "do it all knife" was a bit misleading. I use my folder smartly enough to not worry about having a major failure. My Junglas on the other hand is rough use, and I would be in trouble if it would ever crap out on me. The further off the beaten path I go, the better I would feel being 2 survival knives deep, albeit the 2nd being much lighter (obviously less capable). This is why I was looking at the Ontario SP-42, SP-43, SP-46 blades. They're pretty light with their full flat grinds, and their thickness is decent enough for moderate wood processing. The SP-46 is the same weight as the SP-42 at 9.7oz. The SP-43 on the other hand weighs in at 11.1oz, just 1.4oz more, with a 2" blade length advantage over the SP-46. I keep the Junglas in the pack, so I plan to use this as a quick access belt knife. I have no formal training, and I doubt I would ever need to use it in a defensive role, but I like options. The SP-43 strikes me as a good wood processor, and decent defensive blade. Am I wrong to think this?
 
TwinStick said:
Check out the SP-2 Air Force Survival Knife. Excellent smaller knife. You simply can not go wrong with the SP line. I currently own; SP-2, SP-8, SP-10, SP-17, SP-47, SP-51, SP-53, SP-Kukri. I have beat the snot out of them & they all laugh at me. GREAT "bang for the buck." I would trust my life with any one of them.
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I've heard very good things about the new GEN II SP knives. The 5160 used to make these knives is supposed to be high quality American stuff. The sheath is terrible though, I hope they will come out with an upgrade soon (hear it's in the works). I will probably just end up purchasing an SP-43 now and deal with the sheath. Nobody makes an aftermarket kydex for them, so that kind of sucks for now. They're priced low enough to buy the SP-42 at a later date.
 
To make the factory sheaths MUCH more versatile & user friendly, this is what i do to almost all my stock sheaths:

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Go to a police supply store or your local gun store & buy a pack of 4 Belt Keepers (that is the black double snap thing that holds the swivel to your belt.

Go to your local hardware store & buy a couple pieces of 3/16" rod. Measure, cut & bend your own D-ring.

Use some type of cordage for a leg tie. By doing this (making your own drop-leg-swivel set up) you make large knives 1000% more easy to carry aal day long, working , getting into/out of vehicles, atv, horses & makes it easy to work, squat, sit, bend & reach, without it poking you in the side, etc....

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I personally prefer sabre grind blades to FFG's. The extra steel gives me peace of mind when wailing on them with a baton. But thats just me.
 
That's a great idea, I might just end up rigging my sheath that way. I'm in agreement on the sabre grind as well. That's why I chose the Junglas over the RTAK II. But seeing as how it will be my back up survival blade, I would rather sacrifice the strength of the sabre grind for the lightness of the full flat grind to make it easier carrying both. I find it pretty unlikely that both blades would crap out on me during a the same trip. Also, the full flat grind shears better. That's another plus to defensive capability.
 
Anyone say Smatchet yet? A do it all knife will always have compromises. What compromise are you willing to live with?
 
zachtateknives said:
Anyone say Smatchet yet? A do it all knife will always have compromises. What compromise are you willing to live with?
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I can live without being able to do fine work, the folder will make up for this. I know it's not going to be a chopper either, but if it chops half as well as the Junglas, I'm happy.
 
The best light weight do-it-all knife i can think of, is not a knife at all---it is a modified, high quality Ontario 12" machete. It is easier to make a big blade do smaller things well, than it is to make a small blade do bigger things well.

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Made a BOWIE tip.

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Modified the D-handle, made a 2 finger choil, jimped the spine good & made a fire-steel flat spot. :D Yes, i have batoned this machete REAL hard after the mods, just to make sure it wouldn't break.

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Take a CLOSE look at the tip. It is badly deflected to the left. Afterwards, it went back to perfectly straight, due to its GREAT heat treat.
 
I consider a good 16" machete a great do-all "knife." For precise tasks there are lots of tricks that allow you to to precise tasks without much difficulty. I can do an awful lot of fine tasks with a 28" machete if I have to. When I get a chance I'll do a writeup on the various holds to use on a long blade for doing small work. :)
 
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