looking for recommendation please, medium sized fixed blade camp type knife.

S

Spinerazor

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Mar 30, 2012
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Hi everyone i'm looking to get a fixed blade knife that i can take along in my pack when i'm out in the bush, not a machete i have one already and that's what iv'e been using but want something smaller, so the requirements are...

1. it has to be full tang
2. max length can be 16 inches minimum would be 12 inches.
3. sheath can attach to my pack, molly preferred but not that important.
4. has to be able to cut decent sized firewood and wood to make shelters etc, take twigs off branches and that kind of thing.
5. micarta scales would be nice but not a deal breaker.
6. has to be able to take a bit of abuse like prying and hammering if need be.
7. I would like to spend is about $75 - $100

My local knife shop here in Canada does not have the best selection so i'm starting my search online, right here!

So if you have any suggestion please let them be known, i'm not really sure what's even out there yet cause i'm into folders mostly. I want to get this thing asap cause the weather is finally getting nice and i need to get out in the bush!

Thanks a lot!
 
CS Recon Scout in SK5. I have beat on mine more than it deserves, and it has just shrugged off all the damage. It is a concealed tang and not technically a full tang since the tang doesn't show all the way around the hilt, but it has served me very well

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Check out the Becker line up, I have a BK9 and love it, also check out the Condor Hudson Bay Knife. Other suggestions BK7, Rat 7, and ESEE 6 or Junglas. Maybe a BHK Lumberjack Toothpick of your feeling saucey.
 
I recently picked up a Becker BK9 and a BK7 and they are my first fixed blades. I can't stress enough how happy and impressed I am with both blades. Not only are the prices unbeatable for the quality you get but go check out the Becker Knife & Tool forum and check out all the mods you can do to make them your own.
 
thanks guys, after watching a bunch of vids today i'm thinking the BK2 might be the knife for me, i saw a few other ones from boker i liked as well but the BK2 seems the most solid to me.
 
As others have stars the Condor Hudson Bay knife offers a great deal of knife when you take into consideration the price. While it's made of 1075 I've found that particular blade steel more than adequate for a larger fixed blade. Also IMO it gets extra points for it's traditional and earthy styling.
 
If you doubled your max price, you could get a decent custom.
 
Josiah Gravelle of Gravelle knives from the forums here makes a medium fixed blade camper. Choice of several steels too.
 
Charlie Mike said:
If you doubled your max price, you could get a decent custom.
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Wouldn't need to necessarily double it. I could spend my life savings $150 at a time buying customs in the forum here. It's unbelievable how many beautiful knives can be found in there.

Also take a look at Scrapyard Knives.
 
Get a hand made Himalayan Imports kukri:

- BAS (10.5" blade, approx 14.5" overall)
- 15" Ang Khola (slightly larger and heavier than the BAS)

Nothing will chop, split and process wood like a kukri. No knife out there will put up a shelter and get a fire going like a kukri. You will have your shelter up, fire roaring and dinner on the table as you watch the other blades drudge through these tasks. They take a bit of getting used to with their curved blade but soon you will be doing even small camp chores like a pro. The kukri is also second to none as a camp protector.
 
You can check out a kabar kukri if they are still made, plus also have a look at Condor Hudson bay knife, affordable, and steel will hold edge and still take beating and sharpen easily. I have been checking out a canandian maker at north river custom knives and hawks alot, great looking stuff. I belt knife with about a 5 1/8 blade in 1/8th thickness and cool wood scales can run about 160.00 plus shipping. I have alot of ML knives too, Matt is in upstate NY and is great to work with, check out sites.:D
 
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Up your price just a wee bit and you've got a new SYKCO 711, bussekin quality and warranty at an affordable price :thumbup: Better steel and more blade for the same weight as a BK2. (but it is more expensive)

res1cue said:
CS Recon Scout in SK5 ... It is a concealed tang and not technically a full tang since the tang doesn't show all the way around the hilt...
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I know this is confusing for many, but exposing the tang does NOT define a knife or any tool as "full tang" compared with one where the tang is concealed.
If the tang extends contiguously from the blade through the handle-portion of the handle, the tool can be described technically as "full tang". This is as much the case for screw-drivers and chisels as for knives and swords. A concealed tang which runs the full length of the handle is "full tang". And to help people better understand this, imagine taking a tool where the tang is exposed along the length of the handle and wrapping it in paracord, or as an extreme example wrap it in masking tape, concealing the tang... no longer a "full-tang" tool? I hope this helps vocabulary in the community.
 
chiral.grolim said:
Up your price just a wee bit and you've got a new SYKCO 711, bussekin quality and warranty at an affordable price :thumbup: Better steel and more blade for the same weight as a BK2. (but it is more expensive)


I know this is confusing for many, but exposing the tang does NOT define a knife or any tool as "full tang" compared with one where the tang is concealed.
If the tang extends contiguously from the blade through the handle-portion of the handle, the tool can be described technically as "full tang". This is as much the case for screw-drivers and chisels as for knives and swords. A concealed tang which runs the full length of the handle is "full tang". And to help people better understand this, imagine taking a tool where the tang is exposed along the length of the handle and wrapping it in paracord, or as an extreme example wrap it in masking tape, concealing the tang... no longer a "full-tang" tool? I hope this helps vocabulary in the community.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_(weaponry)

It should be noted that most of these design styles can be used with full or partial tangs and the use of one does not exclude the use of another. For example, a sword may have a hidden, encapsulated, rat-tail tang.

Push Tang: the tang is inserted or pushed into a pre-made handle and fastened in place.

Encapsulated Tang: handle material is molded around the tang itself and fastened in place.

Hidden Tang: the tang is fastened within the handle such that neither the tang nor the mechanism by which it is fastened is visible on the surface of the handle. A hidden tang may be accomplished in a number of ways. The simplest way to accomplish a hidden tang is with epoxy. A more sophisticated method is to construct the tang with a small protrusion (or a protrusion may be welded onto it) which fits into a notch in the handle, preventing the blade from being withdrawn from the handle. Another common method is to cut bolt-threading into the end of the tang whereby a pommel-nut screws into place. Inexpensive decorative knives and swords occasionally feature a hidden false tang consisting of a separate thin bolt welded to a stub tang on the blade, the bolt is then inserted through the handle and fastened in place by a pommel-nut.

Stick and Rat-Tail Tangs: the transition from blade to tang involves an abrupt decrease in the amount of stock metal such that the tang is narrower than the rest of the tool, moreso when the transition resembles that between a rat's thick body and its thin tail. A narrow tang provides less material strength to the tool than a wider tang but is also lighter and can be constructed to provide sufficient strength to prevent failure of the tang during use of the tool. It is a common misconception that all rat-tail tangs are weak and unsuitable in tools designed for hard or heavy use. Historically, the majority of swords and bladed tools produced prior to the advent of modern machinery and techniques featured such tangs as an indirect result of the forging process. The failure-rate of properly designed stick-tangs is quite low, and the vast majority of catastrophic failures in swords and knives occurs in the blade, not the tang. Features of a well made stick-tang include the following: increased ductility relative to the blade, uniform grain structure at the transition between blade and tang, and a more gradual/less abrupt (and preferably radiused) transition.

Tapered Tang: the width of the tang gradually decreases in one or more dimensions along its length. Tapered tangs may feature thinning along the spine from blade to pommel, thinning from spine to belly, or even hollowing from the edges toward the midsection of the tang-stock. This is an uncommon but sophisticated design used to reduce the amount of material (and thereby the weight) in the handle of the tool without significant sacrifice of strength along horizontal and vertical vectors.

Skeletonized Tang: large sections along the tang are cut away, reducing the amount of stock material to a basic framework while still providing structural support. This is another sophisticated, modern method of reducing the material weight of the tang without sacrificing significant material strength or support. Skeletonized tangs are also commonly utilized to provide storage space in the handle of the tool.

Extended Tang: the tang extends beyond the grip of the handle. In knives, the extended tang may function as a hammer-pommel.
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Yes, you are correct that an hidden tang is a type of full tang. I should have clarified to say that it turns some people off when they can't see it all the way around the handle.
 
i'm more undecided than i originally was with all the great options, i may have to blow the budget on a custom or maybe get 2 production knives, i'm liking so many in this category i'd like to try a few different blade styles, i need to make a decision by friday!
 
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