Recommendation? looking for a small high quality fixed blade edc type knife

I recommend spending some time in the knifemaker section (Fixed Blades) of the Exchange. That's where I found several of these:
KyXJLKF.jpg


If you want something that is truly "heirloom quality", check out TK Steingass
 
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cbach8tw said:
View attachment 1192933

These are my two smaller JKs, not the folder. One is a Bird and trout and the other a stretched Worker, both with a blade about 3 inches in 01, one with desert ironwood and the bottom one in natural or tan micarta. John will also work with your designs too. He has some stainless.
Lastly, I would seriously look at Horsewright knives, Dave Ferry has some great knives and leather work to hold them, active cowboy stuff....and right pretty ones too.
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Thanks for the shout out! Finishing off the sheaths for a new batch right now.
aribus said:
The Horsewright Bandito has my interest. The mosaic pins and walnut handles really appeal to me. This kind of attention to detail pleases me. Thank you very much.
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Thanks.
 
I see that Dave Ferry of Horsewright has posted just above me. He is perhaps one of the top two or three makers on this forum. I have owned his cross-draw leather, one of his VERY fancy fixed blades with solid silver bolster and buttcap. His site has MANY different models to pick from, as well as steels and blade-lengths suited to your fancy.
He runs a large ranch in California, is a renowned leather-maker for equine and human needs, and I cannot come up with a finer choice for your knife. And...his knives fall around the mid-mark of your stated price.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...
Dave Ferry posted this link here on BF, and it showcases a fair amount of his leather-work and his knives, as well as the rodeo skills of his family...
Well worth reading....
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/tour-of-horsewright-knives-at-the-pro-am.1528947/page-2
DON
 
Sonnydaze said:
I see that Dave Ferry of Horsewright has posted just above me. He is perhaps one of the top two or three makers on this forum. I have owned his cross-draw leather, one of his VERY fancy fixed blades with solid silver bolster and buttcap. His site has MANY different models to pick from, as well as steels and blade-lengths suited to your fancy.
He runs a large ranch in California, is a renowned leather-maker for equine and human needs, and I cannot come up with a finer choice for your knife. And...his knives fall around the mid-mark of your stated price.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...
Dave Ferry posted this link here on BF, and it showcases a fair amount of his leather-work and his knives, as well as the rodeo skills of his family...
Well worth reading....
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/tour-of-horsewright-knives-at-the-pro-am.1528947/page-2
DON
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Wow thank -you sir!
 
Horsewright said:
Wow thank -you sir!
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Always a joy to read your posts and stories.

A aribus I like a lot of fixed blades. The "heirloom quality" and budget have me a little hesitant to make a recommendation. I am very fond of Bob Dozier's knives (have 6 or 7), but I don't consider them to be heirloom quality. His niche is making "blue collar" knives that work and the dominant steel he uses is D-2. I don't consider Fiddleback Forge knives heirloom quality either, but they are very good knives and I would be proud to own one. You want to seek out a Master Bladesmith and get a hand forged knife; somebody very well known.
 
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aribus said:
I have posted this elsewhere but haven’t received a whole lot of recommendations. I’m hoping you fine folks can lend your expertise.

My birthday is coming up soon and my wife is letting me pick out my present this year. I’ve been thinking about a really nice small edc fixed blade with the intent to pass it down as an heirloom. Of course I’ll pass down everything I have, but I’m hoping this one is special.

- I’m looking for blade around 3 inches, give or take.

- I prefer steel with at least some stain resistance since I live in a humid environment.

- I’m fond of exotic scales with fancy flourishes like polished bolsters and mosaic pins, but I’d consider almost any design as long as it’s sturdy, and looks and feels good.

- I’d like to keep the price under $500, under $400 preferred, under $300 would be ideal, and anything less better be damn good since...

The Bradford Guardian 3 is what immediately stood out. It’s small, the steel is the high end M390, the shape is excellent (I love a good choil), and the sheath is pretty much what I’m looking for (simple leather). In a vacuum, this knife is perfect.

Then I started browsing around for other knifes that fit this basic format. I’ve had a Bark River Bravo for some time and the fit and finish are a league above most of my knifes. I looked around and narrowed their line down to the Essential.

The Bark River Essential comes in M4 and CPM154 as well as a Zoe Crist Damascus. It seems the cool handle/bolster combos are the CPM154 models and the plainer ones are in M4. The Damascus models are even more limited, but sufficiently fancy with a few good options. However, I can’t find a whole lot of information regarding how it performs and any general opinions of Bark River knives using this steel.

So, I have the Bradford and the Bark River on my short list and I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. Both are the right size but the Bark River looks the part, but mainly in CPM154 and Damascus. The Bradford arguably has much better steel.

Any other contenders out there? Comparing the steels in the size and form factor, is there an argument for either? I’m open to suggestions.

As I understand it, CPM 154 is a pretty high end stainless, but not the newest or the most cutting edge. M390 is supposed to be better than CPM 154 in edge retention, but much more difficult to sharpen. M4 is apparently similar in edge retention to M390, but both M390 and CPM 154 has it beat on corrosion resistance. Finally, I have no idea what to expect from this Zoe Crist Damascus. Can I sharpen it easily? How’s the corrosion. What about edge retention? Is it completely idiotic to choose Damascus for an edc knife? I have no clue.

In all honestly, this will likely just be a fancy pants box cutter and light use utility knife. I’m not going to be doing anything extreme with it like building a bug out shelter during the apocalypse, but I do plan to use it often. Ultimately, what I want is a really nice small edc fixed blade in a good steel that I can pass on to my kids. I’d like to sharpen it as needed to keep a good edge on it. Another factor is that I live in a very humid environment, so corrosion resistance is a valid concern.
Click to expand...

Dave Ferry Horsewright Horsewright is a top choice, though I dont have anything by him yet. Another to consider is Dawson Knives of Prescott Valley AZ. Here are two of my smaller Dawsons.

Dn6KGZL.jpg

d0ig2pc.jpg


Zieg
 
hhmoore said:
I recommend spending some time in the knifemaker section (Fixed Blades) of the Exchange. That's where I found several of these:
KyXJLKF.jpg


If you want something that is truly "heirloom quality", check out TK Steingass
Click to expand...
Thank you very much. I never really considered smaller knifemakers because I really didn’t know where to start. You all have been the help I’ve been looking for.

I checked out the TK Steingass website and it looks like they are making the kinds of knifes I’m looking for. Particularly the Davis Special (though the blade might be a tad too big at 4”), the Honey Knife (the stainless model specifically, but with the Ironwood handles). This is great. Thank you very much!
 
22-rimfire said:
Always a joy to read your posts and stories.

@airbus I like a lot of fixed blades. The "heirloom quality" and budget have me a little hesitant to make a recommendation. I am very fond of Bob Dozier's knives (have 6 or 7), but I don't consider them to be heirloom quality. His niche is making "blue collar" knives that work and the dominant steel he uses is D-2. I don't consider Fiddleback Forge knives heirloom quality either, but they are very good knives and I would be proud to own one. You want to seek out a Master Bladesmith and get a hand forged knife; somebody very well known.
Click to expand...
Most of my limited collection are folders and survival knifes, almost all sub $200.This is the first time I’m considering something upwards of $500. I do plan to use it and expect to acquire patina. I realize it doesn’t make sense for some to beat up a nice knife, but I want it to be a usable blade, but nice enough to see past the scuffs and scratches to recognize the craftsmanship under it all.
 
If you are interested in the Dozier line, take a look at his Personals as they are the right size (for me) to edc or carry conveniently. I have one in CPM154, so he does at least sometimes use steels other than D2. His kydex sheaths are fantastic for edc and you can attach one to your belt without removing it. That is a small thing, but to me important. The knife can be dressed up with stag if you like stag.
 
I love my RMJ sparrow. The sheath is great. I swapped out the belt loops for a multi clip and clip it in my pocket. The nitro v takes a good edge and holds it for awhile.
 
aribus said:
I have posted this elsewhere but haven’t received a whole lot of recommendations. I’m hoping you fine folks can lend your expertise.

My birthday is coming up soon and my wife is letting me pick out my present this year. I’ve been thinking about a really nice small edc fixed blade with the intent to pass it down as an heirloom. Of course I’ll pass down everything I have, but I’m hoping this one is special.

- I’m looking for blade around 3 inches, give or take.

- I prefer steel with at least some stain resistance since I live in a humid environment.

- I’m fond of exotic scales with fancy flourishes like polished bolsters and mosaic pins, but I’d consider almost any design as long as it’s sturdy, and looks and feels good.

- I’d like to keep the price under $500, under $400 preferred, under $300 would be ideal, and anything less better be damn good since...

The Bradford Guardian 3 is what immediately stood out. It’s small, the steel is the high end M390, the shape is excellent (I love a good choil), and the sheath is pretty much what I’m looking for (simple leather). In a vacuum, this knife is perfect.

Then I started browsing around for other knifes that fit this basic format. I’ve had a Bark River Bravo for some time and the fit and finish are a league above most of my knifes. I looked around and narrowed their line down to the Essential.

The Bark River Essential comes in M4 and CPM154 as well as a Zoe Crist Damascus. It seems the cool handle/bolster combos are the CPM154 models and the plainer ones are in M4. The Damascus models are even more limited, but sufficiently fancy with a few good options. However, I can’t find a whole lot of information regarding how it performs and any general opinions of Bark River knives using this steel.

So, I have the Bradford and the Bark River on my short list and I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. Both are the right size but the Bark River looks the part, but mainly in CPM154 and Damascus. The Bradford arguably has much better steel.

Any other contenders out there? Comparing the steels in the size and form factor, is there an argument for either? I’m open to suggestions.

As I understand it, CPM 154 is a pretty high end stainless, but not the newest or the most cutting edge. M390 is supposed to be better than CPM 154 in edge retention, but much more difficult to sharpen. M4 is apparently similar in edge retention to M390, but both M390 and CPM 154 has it beat on corrosion resistance. Finally, I have no idea what to expect from this Zoe Crist Damascus. Can I sharpen it easily? How’s the corrosion. What about edge retention? Is it completely idiotic to choose Damascus for an edc knife? I have no clue.

In all honestly, this will likely just be a fancy pants box cutter and light use utility knife. I’m not going to be doing anything extreme with it like building a bug out shelter during the apocalypse, but I do plan to use it often. Ultimately, what I want is a really nice small edc fixed blade in a good steel that I can pass on to my kids. I’d like to sharpen it as needed to keep a good edge on it. Another factor is that I live in a very humid environment, so corrosion resistance is a valid concern.
Click to expand...


As someone who has carried a fixed blade edc for decades, I find myself gravitating to a much smaller knife than what you've mentioned. My current knife is 5.5" overall with a blade of about 2 1/8". This size seems to suit me very well and I do use a knife everyday, sometimes quite a bit. I have become fanatical (personally) about crossdraw horizontal carry, handy out of the way, and I can get to it with either hand. You are not crazy to consider damascus as an edc and there are stainless dammys that can help with your corrosion concerns.
 
22-rimfire said:
Always a joy to read your posts and stories.

A aribus I like a lot of fixed blades. The "heirloom quality" and budget have me a little hesitant to make a recommendation. I am very fond of Bob Dozier's knives (have 6 or 7), but I don't consider them to be heirloom quality. His niche is making "blue collar" knives that work and the dominant steel he uses is D-2. I don't consider Fiddleback Forge knives heirloom quality either, but they are very good knives and I would be proud to own one. You want to seek out a Master Bladesmith and get a hand forged knife; somebody very well known.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

The Zieg said:
Dave Ferry Horsewright Horsewright is a top choice, though I dont have anything by him yet. Another to consider is Dawson Knives of Prescott Valley AZ. Here are two of my smaller Dawsons.

Dn6KGZL.jpg

d0ig2pc.jpg


Zieg
Click to expand...

Thanks The Zieg The Zieg
 
Check out White River Knife and Tool, especially their custom shop offerings, might be just what you're looking for...
 
With the budget you posted I would look into a custom ... Horsewright is top notch ... as are several custom makers on the forums ...

the CPK EDCs are great knives and are not stainless but his Delta 3V heat treat makes them very resistant ...

I could mention several production knives ... but again if you are looking in the $300.00 to $500.00 range ... I would check out the makers and get something unique.
 
Busse Combat Anniversary Mean Street. Arguably one of the toughest steels you can get, perfect EDC size, comfy handle, guaranteed forever.

The base model isn’t all that fancy, but you can get them with polished blades and fancy handle materials. Should last a few generations at least. :D

Here’s a couple of crappy pictures of mine. I didn’t waste any time beating on it and it just laughs off the abuse.

8-D16-B726-A099-4477-8-F1-A-C88-EB826293-D.jpg


image.jpg
 
I was going to suggest a maker on the forum here too.

I always thought @duckchidress has awesome value in his small knives. I would PM/email him and ask if he works in steel other then 440C. You could also pick out the wood, handle material, mosiac pins, etc. you wanted. The size of his knives seem perfect for you. Plenty of room in the budget to get a custom and one off special knife.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...ck-knife-440-c-stabilized-maple-burl.1682281/
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/childress-soldred-black-g10-440-c-neck-knife.1679548/

PS. I don't know Wayne, just a fan of his work. :thumbsup:

Lionsteel M1 in Santos Wood. M390.
https://www.bladehq.com/item--LionSteel-M1-Fixed-Blade-Knife--76150
 
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Childress makes a good small blade, moatly 440C, but he does use some other steels too. Lastly, Big Chris knives in different steels.
 
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