Looking for a good Bowie

S

stefanj

Joined
Aug 5, 2007
Messages
748
I am looking for a good Bowie at a decent/reasonable price.
I would realy like something along the lines of stag or bone handle.
Damascus or traditional blade but would like it of good quality steel ie I would prefer that it be capable of holding a blade longer then just cutting through one tomato. I am thinking about a 8 inch plus blade (its a coping thing:D).
I would actualy carry it and I use what I own ie it will not just sit in a rack on display!!! Something stainless or rust resistant would be good since I do some long trips and have been known to carry knives into combat which doesn't always allow me the time to maintain the blade as well as I would like sometimes but if need be I have no issues taking care of a good blade!
Any suggestions???
 
busse fbm (fusion battle mistress). made of infi steel. holds edge. easy to sharpen. not stainless but corrosion resistant. 10" blade. full tang. micarta or g-10 scales. a bit pricey, but will last a lifetime. buy one at the exchange! look out, these blades are adictive!!!
 
The best of the customs at a affordable price is Voorhis and you can find them here and on e bay ,the blades are 1050 tool steel not stainless and hold a edge very well, he makes them plain or fancy and several sizes , I have 2 and am very happy with them, I also like and own a large bowie/camp knife made by Marzenelli ,marked Marz which I like very much its ats 34 stainless with a elk handle.
 
sorry, i have been down the affordable road and i'm simply trying to save him time and money that will inevitably (spelling?) end up with the one blade (imho) that will be the last one standing. now i have several affordable ($185 tops condor assault-$310 hattori big bowie II, etc...) that i now will try to sell. (more wasted effort)
 
as i procure more knives, use them, and research the steels, design, etc... i find my tastes are being finer tuned. also my funds are running low (direct correlation?)
 
bottom line is there are decent knives at most price ranges (Except made in china=junk) once you start spending $100 and above, chances are you'll get a knife that will do the job intended. be sure to get one with a full tang! some good brands off hand are tops, hattori, ranger, cold steel, etc... just do your homework first and you'll be fine.
 
It's ugly,it does not have a bone or stag handle but for around 50.00 bucks the Ontario Knife Spec Plus SP10 Marine Raider Bowie with Scabbard is a lot of knife for the money.
I own one and like it fine.
Very heavy duty,carbon steel blade.
For the money it can't be beat.

If you have the money to spend,I'd check out the makers section here "fixed blade knives".
Custom knives have something production knives are missing.
 
I'd agree to go custom if you can - Ranger knives can be customized for about the same money as a high quality production knife. I'd also agree that by and large, the Ontario Spec Plus series are allot of knife for the money :thumbup:

I've got the 8" blade SP6 and have thrown it a bunch and used it on vegetation & live oak enough to have allot of respect for them as $35 - $55 blades. You may have to file the edge some or have a new one ground for optimal performance but they are decent knives...
 
Eight inches is ALOT of blade. A "Bowie" is a specific design. Are you looking for a large camping/survival knife? Or are you looking for a "Bowie" knife?

Here's a Bowie to consider: http://www.dlttradingcompany.com/index.php?cPath=24_245_247
Bark River Teddy Hunter. A2 steel convex ground (will require some reasonable care but nothing to fuss over), 6-1/4" blade, almost 1/4" thick, aluminum guard. Pretty nice.

If you're not looking for a "Bowie", then the Busses, Rangers, and Scrapyard's are all nice. I don;t own any (yet), but I sure like them.
 
Keep a hawk eye on the For Sale By Makers forum section. There are some incredible bargains to be found there, including "bowie" knives, but you have to jump fast.

-Bob
 
Wow, thank you!!
I didn't expect this many replies so quickly.
I was looking around the $100-150. I might have to save up a little to get a nicer knife!
So many selections!
 
Stefan..
Now just slow down ... your post ihas a number of contradictory statements ....
If you want a GOOD RELIABLE knife for combat, you sure don't need (or want) the stag/bone handles and damascus steel. Look into a RANGER RD7. It'a about $100, and it will fill your needs plus some.

JGarth
 
JGarth said:
Stefan..
Now just slow down ... your post ihas a number of contradictory statements ....
If you want a GOOD RELIABLE knife for combat, you sure don't need (or want) the stag/bone handles and damascus steel. Look into a RANGER RD7. It'a about $100, and it will fill your needs plus some.

JGarth
Click to expand...

+2 on that one. Also, I am not sure that you can get a 8 inch Damascus blade with stag or bone handles for under 150......

but at that price you can get a good hard use knife. Cold steel has Trailmaster Bowie (9 1/2")in SK-5 high carbon steel for less than 100, or the Recon Scout (bowie with 7 1/2" blade also SK-5....both are 5/16" thick.

there are a lot of viable options if you want to spend a bit more and get micarta handles. but before you lay your money down on anything you should run it by others for advice (like here on bladefourms) if you pick a lemon they will tell you.
 
you are correct in that!
I was looking in the custom section and there are some nice knives which I would take to combat (I'm strange that way).
I really just want to make sure that it won't fall appart on me ie it is a tough knife! I understand that these are in many ways works of art but they are also functional tools dependent on their design and build.
I was jumping the gun and have very quickly realized that my cost is not reasonable for what I want!
I will keep looking and I appreciate the help!!!!
 
Checkout the Cold Steel TRAILMASTER! I purchased a Hen & Rooster Large Bowie for my father last Christmas ($100.00) It has a full tang w/ real stag slabs. :thumbup:
 
There are a heck of a lot of good ol' Bowie knives made in Solingen, Germany that you could get for well within your price range via eBay. $50 is a common price. They're classically traditional, often with stag handles, and the high-carbon steel is tough and takes and keeps a good edge. Some are full tang with slab handles, and will be tough to break. Because they're not the fad du jour, they can be had for about half the price of equivalent knives with black handles and black coating on the blades. (They're not stainless, but stainless is often a compromise, with more brittle steel in exchange for the shinyness. A little rust won't hurt you, I've always figured--unless you're going to be using it all the time as a dive knife or something.) Also, www.trackofthewolf.com, in their cutlery / knifemaking section, have a good range of Solingen blades that are quite good and pretty inexpensive, and you can make your own knife with those.
 
I already have an older Solingen Bowie that is stainless steel which was a gift from my Iraqi Strike Platoon leader who I had helped to train when I was in Iraq!
 
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