Looking for "best" hard- use knife;Carothers/Survive! or

After seeing some of the suggestions, I think a Benchmade Bushcrafter may be what you are looking for.
 
I'll throw out my suggestion, out of all the knives I've bought my favorite is surprisingly my Morakniv Garberg. Some might say that the 14c28n steel is to much of a down grade but I've actually come to really love it. Anyway, I haven't tried any of the companies you mentioned, although I am familiar with them, but out of the companies I have tried ESEE and the like, my Garberg is the knife I'll suggest every time for a outdoor bushcrafty, survival knife.
 
There are quite a few knives that would qualify. In my own collection I'd list an original Blackjack Campanion, Fallkniven F1, Marble's Campcraft or Fieldcraft in 52100, Dozier K1, Ivan Campos Scandi grind in 1070 (or his American Standard Tanto, a 1/4" thick chisel ground slab of D3), Grohmann's Canadian Belt Knife, Cold Steel Master Hunter or SRK.
 
I have no experience with Carothers knives. I've owned two Survive! 4.1's in 3V, one FBF Production Kephart, one SYKO 311, multiple, multiple Bark Rivers and BlackJacks, a bunch of Fallknivens, a half dozen or more BHK's, four LTWK's and more customs than I can count.

I have settled on a Fallkniven F1 in CoS-Lam for my purposes. (I also kept a couple of the older ones in VG10-Lam as "back-ups). I would also be more than happy with one of Bark River's Bravo series. Either of these would be my recommendation. They cut like lasers, have excellent edge retention, sharpen up easily and you would have to really work at it to break any of them.

BHK - I've had difficulty in sharpening some of them -they would only get so sharp and even with a convex edge they did not cut like the BRKT and Fallkniven knives. One exception is an Essiac in O1 that has sharpened up like a razor and has excellent edge retention.

FBF Production Kephart - really nice knife. REALLY nice. Cut well, had excellent edge retention and easily re-sharpened. I only sold it because I use the F1's for everything and it was not getting any use.

LTWK's - I've owned three in A2 and one in 1075. Never tried their 3v, but both the A2 and 1075 were unremarkable with regards to edge retention.

Survive! 4.1 3V - nice design and very comfortable handle. I hated the blade geometry and all of the convex grind knives just cut circles around them. IMHO, one of the most over-rated knife brands in terms of actual performance. I would only buy another one if I could flip it at a profit.

SYKO - 311 Great blade geometry for a cold chisel. Stupid textured coating dragged on everything it cut - which was just about nothing without a ton of effort. Never again.

ETA: I've since tried an LT Wright Next Gen in 3V. My experience with it was similar to the Survive! and BR knives I've owned in 3V. Never again. I hate 3V.

YMMV
 
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For me if I was looking for something like this in 3v or similar, I'd be looking at carothers. I've been looking at their designs and everyone and their brother says their HT is spectacular. They also seem like they try to stay within their limitations rather than make like they can sell a ton and then not actually kick the knives out for a year or so. I don't mind waiting, but I don't like waiting when I'm not expecting to.

I've got plenty of Busse-kin and I am very impressed with how SR-101 has performed. I've acquired some INFI but I haven't pushed it like I've pushed SR-101. One thing about Busse is that not all of their knives are differential HT, but I also don't think it matters as their HT protocols produce very good results.

From testing I've seen, INFI is tougher but doesn't quite keep up with SR-101 in edge holding. SR-101 chips easier though, and it will rust on you if you don't maintain it if stripped. Just depends on what you want.

I really want to get some 3v/delta 3v and push it like I've pushed SR-101, but I'm not super motivated as I'm happy with the knives I have throughout the size range from 3" to 10" and they are in a whole smattering of steels from 1095 to INFI.
 
I would recommend William Collins , Fiddleback Forge Camp Knife, or LT Wright 3V knives they all use Peters Heat Treat. I have 2 Survive Knives but just had to cancel a order for the GSO 5.1 because of reasons known already. As far as the Delta Treat I am not certain you will notice a big difference over the normal 3V. I have a LT Wright GNS in 3V and that is my go to knife.
 
And if you don't feel like spending lots of money, you may want to look at Cold steel's cheap line of knives made from 1055 carbon steel. Probably the toughest knives they make. And they are dirt cheap. I love my GI Tanto and at 30 bucks it is hard to beat. Also the Bushman now comes with a nice sheath and it is dirt cheap as well. I have beaten both and they did not fail, where other more expensive CS products have. Just an option.
 
I think it all depends on what you need. It seems like you are looking for a super steel to complement tough but good cutting geometry.
CPM 3V is great. My favorite overall steel. I use peters heat treating and use 2 different hardness protocols. 59-60HRC for max toughness and modified 61HRC.
The max toughness is nearly indestructible, while the modified is better at edge holding and corrosion resistance. The modified is NOT DELTA, only 3 makers can get it, one of them being Carothers.

I use tons of different "super steels" and modern steels. It all depends on what you need, i have several models that would likely fit your price range and needs.

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Z-Wear is another exellent steel. Better edge holding than 3V but nearly as tough (basically CPM- Cru-Wear)
Z-Tuff is likely tougher than 3V. Currently working on a knife in it. Supposed to have S7 toughness and A2 edge holding and wear resistance.
 
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Busse and Kim are great, you can find some great deals if you look around. I just picked up a DS8 for the same purpose. Have other Busses that work great. Gossman is another great one, Bill Seigle uses 5160 and takes a serious beating, his HT is solid. I have heard nothing but great things on the the original two you posted about as well.
 
To be honest I have all the great steels and in the woods doing knife things I have never had issues with a knife failing on me. I have people tell me that 3V is no good since Delta 3V has come out and yes only 3 makers claim to use it others know how to treat the metal in that manner and improve on it. William Collins makes custom knives and his heat treat will nearly double the performance of standard makers because he knows his business. My AEB-L is al tough as any O1 or 52100 knife and is stainless too. It is my now go to steel because I can re provision it easy. Anything Mr. Collins makes will last and is backed by him too. Don't let people tell you that you need Cru-wear or 3V or Infi to have a great time outdoors. I will take the LT Wright or Fiddleback Forge Knife in 3V, A2, or AEB-L and go out there and do all the things a knife should and some things it should not do. I don't care what the steel if you mistreat it one day it will fail and I don't care if it take 5 years it will have micro fracture from banging on it all day. Plain ole 3V is tougher than anything you will ever need. A2 or O1 is good enough for most people and in the hands of someone that knows their business it will get the job done. A benchmade Bushcrafter or Pukko in 3V in the hands of Mors would never fail. The issue is get better with the knife and master that blade and you will be able to make a person with his $500 custom ??? look stupid with just a plain ole Mora Garberg. I am moving and all my blades are packed but the Mora Garberg and my LT Wright Lg Northern Woodsman and I doubt I will have any problems. If you want a tough but cheaper knife get one from Dave Canterbury. I think 1095 has been around for a long time for a reason and at 3/16 thickness it is not going to fail you. Bottom line is if it is a knife steel and the heat treat is right it will work fine. It only cost me thousands of dollars to figure out I don't need super fancy. If I were to be dropped off on the Alone Show I would take William Collins, LT Wright, or Bussie and not worry about a thing. In fact I know my steel choice is AEB-L if I go on that show. A genesis 5 in A2 would do just about anything you could ask a knife to do.
 
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