Need a fixed blade edc reccomendation

C

chris call

Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
5
hi im a new member to the forum and i need a little help deciding on what fixed blade edc id like to get.
im a laborer so im in the dirt all day and put my knives through a lot of abuse on a daily basis cutting rope, canvas tarp,
fiberglass cloth paper, cardboard, plastic straps, etc. doing some landscaping its also common for me to end up cutting grass sod with it.
needless to say i sharpen my knife several times a week.
my current carry is the kershaw blur in s30v which is the first knife ive owned in a good knife steel and for what i paid its done its job but it just falls short of the demand i need from my edc. some of the main problems i have is the edge retention, id like to at least cut back to only having to sharpen my knife once a week at least(not that i dont enjoy honing a blade). second issue is that the folding mechanism gets so full of dirt i have to spend a lot of time cleaning it every day after work so id like to switch to a fixed blade edc. ive seen the pocket sheaths on KSF for the first time and that really opened up the door for a suitable way to carry a fixed blade on a regular basis so it would need to be a knife that will fit one of the medium sized sheaths. ive done a lot of research on knife steels but could use some education on which ones are best suited to withstanding the abuse i mentioned. a couple of my favorites im looking at now are the bark river essential edc and city knife. and information on those knives you can give me? also any other recommendations? from what ive read the cpm m4 in the essential seems like it wold be fantastic but as a said the only real steel ive had use with is s30v and of course the other 440s, 420s, etc. this will be my first purchase of a 'super steel'. my budget is around 300 or less unless there is a knife maker who can make all of my dreams come true id spend up to 500. thanks in advance for any advice.
 
With you price range go to the knifemakers section of the forum and browse in there. You will either find a knife for sale or someone to make the knife you want.
 
There are a bunch of custom makers on the forum who would be happy to make the knife of your dreams.

JK Handmade knives

AA Forge

Graywolf Knives

Bryan Breeden

DP Knives

GL Drew

D. Farmer

Ryan Weeks

Lon Humphrey

Those are a few names - all of which I've had experience with and highly reccomend - off the top of my head. There are many other makers who have stellar reputations.

I'd contact a few of them with your thoughts on the ideal knife and go from there.
 
JK is correct. I would imagine you can get a great fixed blade, the blade-length and blade-thickness you want/need, and the blade-steel you want, for less than $300. I've purchased about six fixed blades off of that section and you should be fine. I guess one decent way of finding a knife-maker is to watch the ad pics for a while and see what quality is produced. I would suggest checking the maker's feedback too, which is listed. Let him know what your needs are and ask his advice on blade-steels, carbon or stainless, and configuration. It wouldn't hurt to contact more than just one maker. You do need a very special steel, but they are available. There are at least four or more which come to mind, but it's best to ask the expert.
 
Welcome Chris! Wow, you sound familiar! Maybe I've read your posts in another forum or something.

Anyway, 3 questions:

1) Does your knife encounter rocks while doing that lansdcaping and have you looked into how rocks "play" with the steels you are looking into;
2) Is a pocket sheath going to be big enough to hold a fixed blade that will cut sod;
3) What do you sharpen with?
 
marcinek said:
Welcome Chris! Wow, you sound familiar! Maybe I've read your posts in another forum or something.

Anyway, 3 questions:

1) Does your knife encounter rocks while doing that lansdcaping and have you looked into how rocks "play" with the steels you are looking into;
2) Is a pocket sheath going to be big enough to hold a fixed blade that will cut sod;
3) What do you sharpen with?
Click to expand...

yes it does encounter rocks on occasion although the s30v of my kershaw has held up well no chipping just some dings i could buff out with some work so i assume steel of similar or greater toughness of s30v will resist any chipping which leaves just the added desire for more edge retention so i dont need to sharpen as often. perhaps a good tool steel is what i need? ive heard bob dozier makes a heck of a D2 blade. a blade that cuts sod doesnt need to be more than 3 inches so i assume yes these sheaths accommodate that size? i have just a cheapo medium stone to buff out dings and a fine arkansas stone to hone i have never owned or used some of the more expensive stones or diamond sharpeners. i dont put a razor edge on my blade because i dont want to risk chipping the blade which seems more likely the finer the the edge of the blade.

im also looking for existing production knives of high quality steel that anyone has personally owned and can recommend not just a custom one by a knife maker. ive already scoped out the bark river essential and city knife and like the looks and specs of those what are some others by different companies that would be comparable.

and if anyone as exceptional knowledge of steels it would be nice to know if there are some types that would be especially well suited for a knife that can be super tough but still hold an edge through the abuse i would put it through? or is there perhaps another thread that can give me some good insight into the kind of steels i should seek for? that would narrow down my search for a knife considerable.

thank you for your quick and specific replies ill start looking at that other thread for some knives made by members.
 
i have looked at a lot of spyderco knives over the years but never but one the solo reason being that i just dont like the look of them. i know not really a valid argument where performance is the big concern here, but if im going to drop some cash on a knife i want it to be aesthetically pleasing to me. as far as serrations go yes they definitely do cut more aggressively but(and i should have mentioned this earlier) i do some whittling on occasion and my edc is what ill have with me camping as well and serrations leave grooves in the wood making it difficult to carve. im hoping that i can find a good enough knife that i can keep it sharp enough it will cut so well that serrations will be redundant.
 
Have you looked at Busse, swamprat and scrapyard?

I'd probably go custom with your budgetN Busse and bussekin second and Bark River third. Honestly, you can probably get a nice custom and a Barkie for that price range, maybe a woodland special.
 
I would contact Alan Davis and tell him how you want it! He will use what ever steel you choose and will fix everything like you want it too! HIS PRICES ARE VERY CHEAP! GOOD LUCK! Kevin :D
 
$300 sounds like a lot for a knife that you're going to stick into the ground, $500 for a custom knife REALLY seems like a lot for a knife to stick into the ground.

I would think that a good old fashioned Kabar would do the job, and for a LOT less money. I don't see where your requirements for a fixed-blade requires any sort of super-steel, especially considering the expense. I don't know how much laborers get paid in your area, but I'd rather spend a few minutes sharpening a $50 knife every night than spend $300-$500 on a knife that's bound to be damaged by rocks anyway.

Good luck in your search.
 
I would love to check out something in cpm m4 if I ever got back into landscaping. The steel has a great mixture of toughness and edge holding, it is by far my favorite steel. I would probably check out the brkt Edc essential, though the blade is a bit short for me. if the blade length works for you, though...

there are a lot of good fixed blades in 1095, but you will probably find they don't hold an edge as well as s30v. In fact, for your work you will be hard pressed to find something that holds it noticeably longer, as what you do eats up edges.
 
chris call said:
i have looked at a lot of spyderco knives over the years but never but one the solo reason being that i just dont like the look of them. i know not really a valid argument where performance is the big concern here, but if im going to drop some cash on a knife i want it to be aesthetically pleasing to me. as far as serrations go yes they definitely do cut more aggressively but(and i should have mentioned this earlier) i do some whittling on occasion and my edc is what ill have with me camping as well and serrations leave grooves in the wood making it difficult to carve. im hoping that i can find a good enough knife that i can keep it sharp enough it will cut so well that serrations will be redundant.
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You would have a couple hundred left over for a plain edged whittler. One knife to rule them all is a hard task regardless of budget bro. Think of a pro kitchen where one knife does most work but still use others to specialize.
 
good input everyone some good points. your right it doesnt make a lot of sense to throw down 300 on a knife 'im going to stick in the ground.' is there any cheaper knives that would outperform my s30v kershaw blur as a workhorse or is that about as good as it gets in that price range? sounds like im looking for 2 knives then. in that case what would you recommend as a cheaper alternative that could be my work horse everyday and take a beating and what would be a more expensive backup knife that could excel in all of those tasks if needed but held in reserve except for lighter tasks. this thread all boiled down, what 2 knives together would be the dream team for my needs?
 
Check out Gravelle knives. Great price, great maker, great product. He makes a few nice EDC sized ones.
 
it's really hard to say, knife use and pros and cons are often so subjective and can change a lot from person to person. even if you are doing identical work.

if I got back into work like you are doing I would probably have my Spyderco Military cpm m4 on me at all times, but have either a Mora or my esee 3 as my main work knife.

The fixed blade would be for the real dirty work and constant use, the spyderco would be if I needed something clean and razor sharp at the end of the day when the fixed blade is dirty and dull.

Also, serrations are great for landscaping, but I hate sharpening them. If sharpening was not an issue, then I think a serrated hawkbill spyderco would be a good addition to the fixed blade...

It sounds like the blur is working well for you, so it's tough to say. most fixed blades I like are in simple carbon steel that won't hold an edge like your blur will.
 
goodeyesniper said:
it's really hard to say, knife use and pros and cons are often so subjective and can change a lot from person to person. even if you are doing identical work.

if I got back into work like you are doing I would probably have my Spyderco Military cpm m4 on me at all times, but have either a Mora or my esee 3 as my main work knife.

The fixed blade would be for the real dirty work and constant use, the spyderco would be if I needed something clean and razor sharp at the end of the day when the fixed blade is dirty and dull.

Also, serrations are great for landscaping, but I hate sharpening them. If sharpening was not an issue, then I think a serrated hawkbill spyderco would be a good addition to the fixed blade...

It sounds like the blur is working well for you, so it's tough to say. most fixed blades I like are in simple carbon steel that won't hold an edge like your blur will.
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very good and helpful input. so the spyderco military cpm m4 is your knife of choice based more on the steel or the spyderco design? can you tell me more about cpm m4? from what ive researched it seems like one of best you can get for a hard use knife. also can you recommend one or two knife makers that excel in working with cpm m4? i dont know a lot about heat treat other than its just as important as the material used, but who has excellent heat treatment results that could make a custom cpm m4? and the more i think about, a good sharpening stone may alleviate a lot of my frustration over alwas having to resharpen my blades what is your sharpening stones of choice and are there different kinds that would work better for a tougher steel like cpm m4 and s30v?
 
The BRKT Essential EDC is a very nice nice, high quality. CPM-M4 rocks! It takes a very aggressive edge and holds it for a long time. I would match that with a Spyderco Gayle Bradley, also in M4. The blade is sick, with a high hollow grind, thicker spine, but thin behind the edge, making excellent use of the material. It is one tough working folder.
 
I would use a mora as a dirt knife. Seems like it would sharpen easily and you could keep a bunch of extras in the car or lunchbox
 
I'm in the landscaping/ concrete profession. I carry a Glock Field Knife every day and put it through some serious abuse. Just the other day, I had to use it to dig out some plants. The spring steel really holds it's edge well. It is one of my favorite knives.
 
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