Need a fixed blade edc reccomendation

[herisson]

You need a knife to use and (mainly) abuse as I understand. Don't throw down that heap of hard earned dollars for a simple tool. Condor makes a great array of tough, no frills knifes. Their production is definitely aimed at working people : efficient, tough as nails, but little to dream about. Thick blades : the 4" are at least 0.10" thick, steels are mainly 1095 and 420 HC (less prone to rust). I especially like the 1095 : it takes a very good edge, holds well and is quite easy to sharpen on a random fine grained stone. Handles are tropical redwood, robust but easy to shape to your liking. Some are nicely designed, finish is overall very basic, cutting edge is misaligned sometimes (but it will even out, given how you will use it). Following size the prices range from roughly 30 to 60 $. They make some Micarta handled ones : too expensive for what you get, IMO.

 

[FTR-14c]

Check out Survive Knives GSO 4.1. You can choose from M390 or CPM-3v for your steel.
There are many handle options and comes with a very nice Kydex sheath. On their
site Guy gives a brief description of each steel to help decide which is best for your needs.

 

[goodeyesniper]

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?

It's my knife of choice for both reasons, it is the best working knife design with a 4" blade in my opinion. I work with gloves on and it is great for that. The steel is also superb, but they made very few with it, so it is hard to find and expensive.

I would be hesitant to use most knives in this steel for the pure hard work just because they are usually expensive. I am fine using it hard, but if I know I will be digging through the mud all day I will get a less expensive fixed blade to do it.

 

[Mikael W]

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.

A Diamond stone is a good help to quickly fix a dinged edge in the field.
I use a combo stone from Fällkniven with diamond / ceramic stones.
And it doesn't cost a ton of money either.

A Bark River Essential sounds freaking cool for Your kind of use!
That would really tell what M4 at RC63 can do (or not do).
The Mini Fox River in 3V would be another interesting choice as toughness seems important in Your work.

I like the KSF pocket sheaths and I use the larger Hunters sheath.

As You have some serious wear on Your knives I would also recommend You to toss a plain Mora in the toolbox.
A Mora 511 would do, but I think You would like the Mora HQ Robust.


Regards
Mikael