Minimum price knife

I am totally comfortable with a basic plastic handle Mora, costs about 2.50 EUR here, for any period of time. These take more abuse than needed and can be sharpened with a hard fine file if needed, but can also be honed razor sharp.
 
A Mora or a cheap finnish puukko will usually do everything needed and more,might not chop down a tree, but thats what an ax is for ..:)
 
a standard model mora... costs less than a big mac here in sweden. i've seen it with a stainless blade for about $1,50 (9,95 SEK)
 
Swedish Army Knife (SwAK), around $10.
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Survival and cheapest one that I own? Probably my Cold Steel Bushman, my truck knife. I also have a Benchmade Nimravus Cub in there.
 
I think the cheapest knife that i would carry is my CS SRK (which is the one i carry anyway). The sheath is fairly decient and this blade has seen moer use by me than any other kife i own. I have taken it to Montana, Glaicer Nat. Park on my bpacking trip, to WV Dolly Sods wilderness, to the AT. Even though its the least expensive fixed blade I currently own (the most expensive is a BRKT NorthStar, so you can see i dont have much experience in the way of truly expensive fixed blades) it still gets the job done and stays sharp while doing it.
 
Wow! I'm in agreement with of this except the part about Swamp Rats, no experience there. Moras are great so are Russell Green River knives though you have to make your own sheath. Cold Steel's Master hunter as a factory second is cheap and good. SAKs are great, I much prefer the lock blade models.
 
How about te Ontario butcher or chef. I picked 'em up at Wal-Mart for like $4.95 each (at different times) Take a razor edge.
 
One thing to consider about the Beckers is that I've heard more than owner of both the BK7 and BK10 say that they tended to carry the shorter BK10 more often. Its smaller size makes it easier to carry but with a 5.5 inch long blade it is still plenty of knife.
 
For long-term EDC, I would go with one of the FRN Spydercos. The Calypso Jr. would be my pick, but it is out of regular production - if I couldn’t get one I would probably go with an Endura 4.


For Kitchen light kitchen duty, the $3 - $5 Victorinox paring knives are great.


For utility or as a light hunting/camp knife the $10 Frosts Mora Clipper is an excellent buy.


For an extended stay in the outdoors, it is hard to beat the $6 Tramontina machetes for price/performance (machetes generally very good deals). I would also want a file and a course credit card size DMT sharpener maintain the edge, even though these each cost more than a Tram machete dose.


The CS Bushman makes a great low cost survival knife. And a Victorinox SAK with a saw is a must for the outdoors.


As far as sharpeners go I would rate the ShapMaker as a best buy and I wouldn’t want to have to make do with anything cheaper long-term.





- Frank
 
I bought a Buck 110 for less than $24.00 dollars at Wal-Mart--awesome deal IMO.

Allen.
 
For cheap and functional check out Mora knives. Steel can't be beat. They come hair popin sharp. They can be had for around ten dollars from Ragweed Forge. The guy that runs that site is cool to work with too.

Goto...

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

A mora #1 is 9 dollars. The triflex, further down the page, is a very tough no frills knife. I think its 11 dollars. Also on that site check out Okapi knives. The simplicity and low price (~10 dollars) make this pocket knife a winner. Plus the blade is convex ground. That is good too.
 
For cheap working knives, I've had good luck with the GI Camillus blades. I carried a Camillus "Ka-Bar" around Alaska for three years. Big enough to chop branches with for shelter, cheap enough to abuse, but will take and hold a shaving edge.

I also like the aircrewman knife. Mine was given to me as a foundling, rusty and without a sheath. I cleaned it up and built a leather sheath with a sub-sheath for a sharpening steel, and a loop big enough to hang from a GI pistol belt. It was my emergency knife, never neede, when I was in the Sudan.

The little Moras are nice. I remember, as a kid, having one as a fish knife. Maybe I need another one.

I have a Cold Steel SRK, and don't like it mich. The taper is too fat, and it doesn't chop as well as my cheap "Ka-Bar." My other Cold Steels are nice, but they're not survival knives.
 
While I admire the "Mora's" for value, in a "budget" survival situation I'd take a Cattaraugus 225Q. It's a 6" utility pattern from WWII. Made in the 100,000's, they are readily available on eBay or at gun shows.

Beaters can be had for $25.00 (got one two months ago). As long as the handle is sound (most are), you have a knife made of the same 1095 as the "Ka-Bar" but less prone to breakage. The single guard doen't get in the way like the Ka-bar's guard, and it has a heavy (apx 1/2" thick) steel butt for field-expedient hammering. The point is less fine than on a Ka-bar but also less likely to break if abused.

They sell for less than Ka-Bar "vets" since they were incorrectly identified as "quartermaster" knives. They were, in fact, issued to combat units in very, very large numbers. (MY uncle traded for one off a Marine because Unc's issue knife was a flimsy Mk. I.)

Cattaraugus was a very reputable cutlery company and did a good job on the heat-treatment. They are pretty Murphy-resistant.

The issue sheaths stink. Wartime meant shoratges of leather, and it shows. However, they fit many aheaths built for 6" knives. I got a new sheath at the same gun show for $5.00.
 
Cold Steel SRK Second is about as good as you can get IMHO for a cheap smaller decent blade.

It chops some and can be beat on and pryed.

The Becker line is also decent cheap larger blades.

Skam
 
I've been very pleased with the Becker BK-10 Crewman that I've had for about a year. It is big and heavy, but so much sharper than the Russell/Grohmann #1 that I also have. The smaller Grohmann stays at home most of the time now, even when the Becker is a bit of an overkill, due to its superior edge holding. The sheath has an expandable pocket big enough to store some small essentials (lighter, multitool, etc.), and there are hollow spaces under the handle slabs that some guys stuff with other small items.
At $45, it's cheap enough to abuse too, although it would take a lot to really harm it.
 
Foilist said:
I've been very pleased with the Becker BK-10 Crewman that I've had for about a year. It is big and heavy, but so much sharper than the Russell/Grohmann #1 that I also have. The smaller Grohmann stays at home most of the time now, even when the Becker is a bit of an overkill, due to its superior edge holding. The sheath has an expandable pocket big enough to store some small essentials (lighter, multitool, etc.), and there are hollow spaces under the handle slabs that some guys stuff with other small items.
At $45, it's cheap enough to abuse too, although it would take a lot to really harm it.
Click to expand...

I have an early Grohman boat knife and while its a thing of art, beautifully designed and sharpens to a razor edge in seconds (for me anyway) the steel in it is the worst of any blade I ever owned. It dulls if I look at it wrong.

Skam
 
the Ontario 12" machete makes a decent chopper after you fix the edge and would be a good big knife for 20bux, the tramontinas can be had for 6bux at www.eknifeworks.com they also have 2 diffrent chef knifes in 10" or 12" that do really good. Old Hickory butcher knives can be had for as low as 2.99 for seconds or about 6bux for the regular ones. Moras are 8bux for the Clipper which is my favorite.
 
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