Narrowed camp knife choices to three. Please compare and contrast!

I do got a TAK and rally like it. It can do wood work/carving, is good for slicing and you can chop with it! Good steel that can take a beating and keep a good edge. The coating is very long lasting. It is a nice overall small camp knife for lil’ money, but is quite heavy.

I never handled a Northstar or Masterhunter so I can’t really commend on theme two. From reading on the forum I got the idea that the Nordstar is more a bushcraft/wood-work type knife and the Masterhunter more a…hunter, because it is easy to clean and light weight.
 
I vote for CS, because I like their knives and I think they are an excellent value, although I haven't seen the other knives you mentioned.
 
Cold Steel Master Hunter - Carbon V. Availability might be an issue though, considering Camillus' problems.
 
I have both the cs and tak. The CS is a knife that will last and you won't be afraid to use. The handle on the tak is very comfortable and the blade is very sharp. Both knives would be a good choise and are inexpensive enough that you can buy both. If your addictied to knives like me.:rolleyes:
 
Allow me to chime in. I prefer the massive blade of the Busse Battle Mistress, BTW I have 2 and both are users. My other camping field knive is the Falkniven A1.

Check those bad boys out!
Jay
 
barrabas74 said:
prices pulled from knife center

Tak1: 64.95
rat5: 84.95

CS website.
CS master Hunter: 124.99

knifeworks.com
Bark River Northstar:104.95
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For pete's sake, don't quote the price for the MS from the CS website! :) I got one (new, CarbonV) about six weeks ago off Ebay for $45, shipped. I'm very happy with it; I nearly bought an Ontario TAK-1 instead and I think I would have been happy with that, too.

I think you'll find, as I did, that there are a LOT of good quality camping/field knives out there at fair prices. :D Perhaps you should look at the other knives in each maker's line to decide what to go wiith, since this might well not be the last knife you buy!

PS Andrew mentioned sheaths as a factor (rightly so) When I got my MS, I ordered an old-school leather sheath for it as well, because I thought the Kydex was just plain ugly. However, after camping with the knife several times, I can really say the kydex has grown on me. Can be quickly strapped on any belt you can imagine, doesn't slap against your leg or butt, and though I do use the snap handle strap, I have yet to shake the knife loose from the sheath without it(yes, I tried). It does rattle inside the sheath a tiny bit. Just for the hell of it, I zip-stripped a nylon pouch to the front of it, via the thong holes; it holds a diamond stone and a magnesium firestarter thingy... bottom line, it's my first kydex sheath but won't be the last... the leather sheath I got for it is in the bottom of my toolbox somewhere.
 
My vote goes for Bark River Northstar. I have one and love it. You can find one for less than retail, just like every other knife, so don't let that sway you too much. I will say that among knives that are equal, you are getting a GREAT warranty with Mike Stewart at Bark River. It does not matter if you are the orignial owner, second, third, etc. I have seen Mike offer to take back knives for service really if anything is wrong with them whatsoever. In fact, I have never seen nor heard of him NOT taking something back for service. And if they can't fix it, he will replace it with an equivalent.

BTW, check out the Bark River sub-forum over at KF. I challenge you to find one unhappy person there.
 
Okay, back from the shootin' match and perusing the thread again..... seems that all three knives have good reputations. The BR seems to have the greatest following, at least so far.

Andy
 
I would like to have a Bark river knife some day. As for the ones you listed I have a CS Master hunter in carbon v I like very much. Mine is a 2nd not that you can tell. The seconds can be found for much less $. Having said that I love my Dozier. It's a one of a kind.
 
All right, being quick to change my mind, I decided to go with a knife which is none of the above; the Bark River Fox River.

I decided on this knife because of the Bark River reputation, but more specifically because this knife seems to be a North Star, plus. Heavier, stronger, but basically the same dimensions. I haven't received them yet (I ordered two of them), but am looking forward to getting them.

Thanks for all your help!

Andy
 
You have chosen wisely, Andy!

The Bark River Fox River is indeed an excellent knife, super sharp and heavy enough for just about anything!

Which handle material are you getting? If you want one that isn't currently available (available stock of FRs are low right now), Mike is going to be doing a new run of Fox Rivers in a month and a half - order one through one of the BRKT dealers, and you'll have a knife made just for you!
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
All right, being quick to change my mind, I decided to go with a knife which is none of the above; the Bark River Fox River.

I decided on this knife because of the Bark River reputation, but more specifically because this knife seems to be a North Star, plus. Heavier, stronger, but basically the same dimensions. I haven't received them yet (I ordered two of them), but am looking forward to getting them.

Thanks for all your help!

Andy
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I thought that the North Star was .170" thick and the Fox river was .150" thick, and, other than that, they were identical. Am I mistaken? I don't have either of them personally, the information just came off a couple of websites.
 
bigbcustom said:
I thought that the North Star was .170" thick and the Fox river was .150" thick, and, other than that, they were identical. Am I mistaken? I don't have either of them personally, the information just came off a couple of websites.
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Northstar A2 4.000" 8.500" 0.170" 4.625oz Convex Full Exposed

Fox River A2 4.250" 8.250" 0.170" 5.625oz Convex Full Exposed

Generally, it is my understanding that the Fox River has an untapered full tang, whereas the Northstar has a tapered tang. The Fox River is a drop point design with a deeper belly. The meatier blade adds and ounce to the weight.

Andy
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
Generally, it is my understanding that the Fox River has an untapered full tang, whereas the Northstar has a tapered tang. The Fox River is a drop point design with a deeper belly. The meatier blade adds and ounce to the weight.
Click to expand...
I can confirm that the Fox River has an untapered tang. I wouldn't mind a lighter knife, but I like the belly, and the thicker (heavier) tang balances the heavier blade. Mine balances right at the forefinger.
 
The older Northstars had a tapered tang, the newer ones are skeletonized full tang.

I have a Northstar, and a Forager (the stick tang version of the Gameskeeper). The Northstar is better for traditional woodcraft work, and the Gameskeeper is a good big game hunter. It has a heavy blade.
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
Probably I would be using the knife for more slicing and general cutting than chopping.
..........
So, I guess I'm looking for more of a slicer than a chopper
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So why would you want a "heavier" version of a knife that already has a narrow, relatively thick blade?
I'd go for the TAK since it has a full flat grind, plus handles that are much more durable than the CS's, and much more secure than the BRKT's.
 
OwenM said:
So why would you want a "heavier" version of a knife that already has a narrow, relatively thick blade?
I'd go for the TAK since it has a full flat grind, plus handles that are much more durable than the CS's, and much more secure than the BRKT's.
Click to expand...

Good point. My thinking though is that this will be a general utility camp knife, more likely used for slicing and cutting that chopping, but the heavier blade could be pressed into that job in a pinch. The knife only has a 4.25 inch blade, so wouldn't be much good for chopping, anyway.

Andy
 
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