Need fixed blade advice

G

Greyfist

Joined
Aug 24, 2000
Messages
2
I love blades. Knives, swords, doesn't really matter, I salivate at the way light flows over a well-made blade. Unfortunately, although I collect Japanese swords, I am woefully ignorant of knives younger than a century, and many of the terms and technologies of modern knives are an utter mystery to me. I want a good sheath knife to carry around, and as I don't care to strap an antique tanto on my belt, I turn to folks with the practical experience that I lack for some help...

I'm seeking a utility knife, something that will cut cleanly through most things, isn't too high maintenance, holds its edge well, and will perform through undue abuse in an emergency. It doesn't have to look pretty afterwards, so long as it doesn't break and leave me high and dry when I really, really needed to hack through some wood or the like.
From what I understand that leaves most of the ceramics and other exotic blade materials out of the picture, though I've been reading all sorts of conflicting reports on this talonite stuff, with the only thing people agreeing on being that it's expensive. While I don't mind tossing $400 on a 4" blade that lasts for decades, I mind if I spend that much on something that's dull after opening one box and broken after a year, and am a little paranoid about picking a poor knife that performs well in the shop but won't last.
 
Gray Fist: Welcome to the forums..You will find alot of info and great people.

There are Several stars that shine but one is really bright and it is called Busse(BUS-E) these are great knives hella strong and will be around long enough for your great grandkids to use. Here's a link to the Busse Forum. http://www.bladeforums.com/cgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Bus se+Combat+Knives+Forum&number=39

OPPS....almost forgot the Variant HQ.. http://home.earthlink.net/~gregrnamin/andy/sharper.htm

Jerrys blades are no frill or foufou...there not made to be pretty or trendy but they do the job,do it well and BEG for more.

You can access the One stop knife shop by using the link below..They carry the Busse Basic line..Check it out


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My blades,Family and sale items.

More knives than you can shake a stick at...Well you could shake a stick at all of em,but yer hand would be REALLY tired.

[This message has been edited by Endura Duck (edited 08-24-2000).]
 
Hi Greyfist,
Welcome to the forums, I'm sure that members will be comming to you for info on old swords. Hopefully we can help you find a good soild Utility knife, that will stand up to some abuse. You might start by visiting my Web-site, were I offer a complete line of full tang, fixed blade cutlery.
Jay Maines
Sunrise River Custom Knives www.sunrisecustomknives.com

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Greyfist,
Welcome to BladeForums.

The questions you pose about knife choice are not easy ones. The word utility knife is a little vague. For me, a utility knife has come to mean the Busse Mean Street. This is a knife you can pry with, stab with and it cuts pretty well too. And as tough as it gets. Yet there are many knives out there that slice much better. It's a world of trade offs. Thinner means better slicer, thicker means tougher (usually). The Mean Street has another advantage in being made of an exceptionally fine steel called infi.

Bob Dozier makes some pretty solid knives out of D2 at very reasonable prices and these are excellent slicers. There are bunches of others. Chris Reeves makes some outstanding hollow-handled fixed blades machined out of a single billet of A2 steel.

In short, there are many knives out there that will serve your purposes and I'm sure once you get into the shorter blades, you will want more than one. Like your swords, fixed blades are addicting. Jens mentioned mayo knives. Beautiful stuff there. There's a whole world of custom knives out there. Hang around the forums for awhile and you will get a feel for some people's favorites. Ultimately, it will come down to how it looks and feels to you, personally. And the only way to find out is to go somewhere you can handle the product.

BTW, you can also search the forums. There have been a lot of threads on this topic.

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Hoodoo

Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?

The Merchant of Venice, Act IV. Scene I.
 
AHHH, fixed blades. Real tools for real people who do real things where the sheeple dare not play.

Your question could be the prologue to a good sized book. Unless I need corrosion resistance, I am kind of a carbon steel or tool steel kind of guy. You could do much worst that one of the fine Chris Reeve One Piece Range knives. You may not get the charge from watching the light shine on the blade because of the coating, but you will get one heck of a knife that will last your lifetime and beyond. Besides, there is a great company and good people behind that product.

Though many collect CR Knives, they are designed and built as users. You sound like you have already have collector pieces and want something to use.

Welcome to the Forums.

[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 08-24-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 08-27-2000).]
 
There are a lot of options, especially if you are not shy about spending some decent money on a knife.

Allen Blade has a promising Talonite knife that may fit the bill for under $200.

Carbon Steels will have a lower price point and may take more abuse if that's important to you.

Checkout the custom forum. You will find some pics in a couple of threads about his knives.

Stay Sharp,
Sid
 
Greyfist,

Welcome to the forums.

This topic if an all time favorite on these forums and you can expect a braod list of knife suggestions. It would help if you told us a little about what you like, how much you would ideally like to spend, what use will the knife primarilly have, and how large a knife do you want (is weight a factor?).

The selection of cutlery is currently very rich and there are a large number of makers producing excellent work knives. The best fixed bladed trail knife for you may be a:
- Ax
- Bolo
- Bowie
- Kukri
- Machete
- Small fixed blade

Do you have any preferences?

 
Grayfist, welcome to the Forums
smile.gif

If you want very decent fixed blade, which doesn't need too much maintenance, and do want to pay only for things useful for you (not for manufacturer's impudence and advertising trials) - certainly go with Fällkniven knives. According your needs you can choose the size between WM-1, F-1, S-1 or A-1.
They are preparing some news also.

Think also about SPYDERCO Bill Moran Featherweight and BENCHMADE Nimravus or Nimravus Cub.

All depends on your particular needs, exactly as Not2sharp specified
smile.gif


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Sergiusz Mitin
gunwriter
Lodz, Poland

[This message has been edited by Sergiusz Mitin (edited 08-25-2000).]
 
There have been more than a few comments from users in this forum that their Cold Steel SRK is still doing fine long after others aren't. You can get fancier steel, better slicing, better handles, but it seems harder to do so for less.
 
Greyfist,

I would have to go along with Wild Bill 1896 suggestion, and take a look at the Cold Steel line of knives.

Just last week, I bought a CS Stainless "New-Style" Tanto. That is one EXCELLENT knife!
.
smile.gif
.

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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
www.newt.livesay.com
has an excellent selection of neck knives that make a fine utility knife.

The Spyderco Moran is also a great knife,
small, sharp, ergonomic, Vg-10 flat ground with concealex sheath...... a great bargain
View


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"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell
"Those who hold the thin blue line keep order, and insure that anarchy and chaos will not prevail."
 
Get a khukuri from HI. They're big, tough knives that are made from 5160 steel. They take an edge real well. They can also take anything that you throw at them. Not only that, but they're very beautiful knives, ones that you'd be proud to pass on to your children. And since you are fond of Japanese swords, I'm pretty sure that you'll appreciate the fact that they're handmade, meaning that no two are exactly alike. HI (Himalayan Imports) has a forum here, hosted by Bill Martino. They also have a website that you can visit at http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
Try an Intrepid from Buck Knives you might also want to look at Becker Knife and Tool from Callimus
 
Welcome to the forums, Greyfist. Lots of good suggestions so far. I'd suggest going to the links here, click on custom makers and start browsing. Lots of great custom fixed blades to choose from, reasonably priced. Many blade steels will perform well, heat treat is one of the keys. Most makers you find here are very reputable, tough to go wrong. Be prepared to spend many enjoyable hours in your search!
smile.gif
 
I would agree that all of the choices above have merit, although your primary interest seems to be in a chopper, and some of the suggestions are not of this type.

Talonite (r) is not useful as a chopper, as it is far too expensive for this purpose. I have a Busse that I carry in my car for a chopper.

If you instead decide on a fairly large fixed blade that can be used in a pinch as a chopper, but will not perform as well as a blade designed for that purpose, then a good fixed blade from the manufacturers mentioned above will serve you well. Talonite will work extremely well for this purpose, as upkeep and maintainance is nil.

Although controversial, the Mad Dog line of blades, particularly the ATAK series is worthy of consideration. I own four of these, and have not been disappointed with the performance of any Mad Dog knife. As far as construction details go, it is reasonably similar to Nihonto. Hand ground, individually heat treated on site, each one (IMHO) a work of art.

Hope you find a good knife. Walt
 
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