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theblacksheep

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May 19, 2007
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trying to find an all purpose outdoors knife. should i go with a RAT 7, TOPS black rhino or with the old school Buck Special or a ka-bar. please help. any other suggetions would be welcomed
 
I myself wouldn't go with any of those, but note that I'm not an American, and there seems to be some difference in preferences between American and Scandinavian tastes as far as knives are concerned. Americans appear to prefer bigger knives with guards, and Scandinavians smaller knives without guards. (Although that's generalizing things a bit too much, really.) For an all-purpose outdoor knife I'd want something relatively compact, maybe Fällkniven F1, or if you'd prefer larger, S1 or A1 even. Fällkniven knives are stainless, which you may or may not like. If you spend a lot of time in rainy or snowy woods, stainless is a good choice. Just another option worth considering.
 
Seriously, what you need is a Fallkniven F1, S1 or A1. www.fallkniven.com
Go to a knife store and hold on to a S1 for some minutes, change grips and so and feel if you like it. If you think its too big, then get the F1, too small, get the A1. Those knives are the same quality steel so the silly "cutting the fingernail test" is redundant.

The F1 is a very popular allround/bushcraft/military/survival/camping knife.
The S1 was developed for use in the nordic forests and is also a popular knife.
The A1 is a big knife (in european eyes) about the same as a SRK and might suit your needs best.

When you buy your big knife, get a smaller knife as well for smaller work, then the WM1 or U2 is great. Fallkniven knives are like drugs, when you start you can not stop. While you are at it, buy a F1 too.

There are several US soldiers using the Fallknivens in sandland and they are very satisfied with it. A big part of the european bushcraft community use them and are very happy too.

The recommended tools nessmuk/Lars Fält style is:
Sandvik/Bahco folding saw or axe.
Fallkniven A1 or S1 (and a F1 for backup in your backpack)
Leatherman Wave, PST, Fuse or similar.
Dont forget the swedish firesteel as well.

If you do a search of Fallkniven you will most likely find lots of info on them.

PS. Change the headline to something more like "All purpose knive help wanted".

Good luck and let us know which one you get.
 
I myself use an F1, it is light enough to be carried in a neck sheath inside your jacket or a baldrick like the real guys do and still be sturdy enough to be batoned on.
The choice also depends on if and where you are going. You dont NEED a bigger knife, it can do anything you need it to do.

Short list: F1
Long list: F1, S1, A1, WM1, H1, F2, A2, MC1, G1 etc.

Anyway, whatever big knife you choose, you need a small knife too. To avoid bad taste to the food that is :)
 
As Elen and the others noted, tastes in knife design and construction vary widely. I prefer a knife with a 1095HC carbon steel blade, thicker spine, trailing point and substantial guard. Not a huge knife, but not too small either. For many of us, price is a major consideration, right behind quality. With a knife of this type which I intend to use, brand-new-in-the-box is not an issue. I quite recently picked up this knife on the knifebay for fifty:



It is a used Schrade 165OT Woodsman with a good, usable leather sheath. The full tang and spine of this knife is nearly 1/8" thick. I've used this pattern for about thirty years and never had a blade or any other component fail. In fact, my original kinfe is still in service. I got this one to be embelished with Gabon ebony and mammoth ivory handle with filework on the spine and tang.

If you are set on new, or even stainless, they can still be found in this pattern for $100 or so even though the company closed in 2004. For stainless, look at any of the limited editions. Most are also hollow ground, not the sabre grind of this regular production knife.



Codger
 
Get a Bark River Bravo-1 (just got mine, and DANG), or a Fallkniven F1.
 
Another nod to the Fallkniven F-1. I love mine but, then again, I'm easy to please...All I demand is perfection.
 
Just in case you decide for a Fallkniven F1, there are four major models and a special one. First came the F1 ATS34, easy to recognize since the tang doesnt come out at the end. Then came the flatgrind VG10 followed by the convex VG10 to be followed by the current Laminated VG10, and the special limited 110 unit F1 3G. All versions except the current one are almost considered collactables.

No matter which F1 you get, it will suit your needs, and the differences in performance is nothing you will notice even if you use it extremely hard.
Its easier to grind a convex knife to a flatgrind, than opposite.

I think the difference in knives is that a European style knife is only used for cutting, while an American knife traditionally also was used for stabbing (the occasional bear). Its a traditional thing.

Good luck with your knife choice and just remember to post pictures of the knife you choose jammed into a tree with a sunset in the background :).
 
ibBUSSE :D Someone had to bring it up!

Blacksheep, the knives you listed seem to be leaning towards the combat-type blade. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but what exactly do you see yourself doing with the knife? Will this be your first knife, or do you have others? Will you do any hunting while carrying this knife? Are you looking for a knife that accels at one or two specific tasks (like chopping or stabbing), or a knife that can go from slicing tomatoes to opening a can of beans, to whittling tent stakes to splitting kindling?
 
this knife will be used for everything under the sun. i am quite ignorant when it comes to knives and have been looking around at sites trying to get in as much info as i can. i will be taking this knife camping, hunting, and hiking with me. it will be my first fixed blade. i want something that will perform any task at had with flying colors and that i never have to worry that it wont perform up to my high standards.
 
I've had my fallkniven f-1 for about 3 weeks and can't say enough good things about it I've beeen searchig for the better part of a year for the best "all purpose woods knife" and I can say now that the search is over if you pair it with a small axe/hatchet and a multitool (with a saw) you should be able to handle the laege majority of outdoor utility needs good luck in your search. if you are looking to save a few $$ than try the mora 2000 a great knife by all means and cheap enough to be a good starter knife.
 
F1 would be my choice and if I had twice the money, I would opt for the BRKT Bravo-1, but if you are steadfast in the US version of a field knife and are looking for something with a 7in. blade, the Rat knife I guess.
 
The F1 is an awesome knife, however I am skeptical that it will satisfy the blacksheep. If it will be your first knife, and you want it to:
theblacksheep said:
...perform any task at had with flying colors and that i never have to worry that it wont perform up to my high standards.

this knife will be used for everything under the sun.
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...Then I suggest going with the Buck special. That way you won't feel so bad about the money you spent on it when it breaks. If you're feeling spendy, the RAT-7 (I'd go with the 1095 version) is a decent blade and has serve many here well.
 
theblacksheep said:
trying to find an all purpose outdoors knife. should i go with a RAT 7, TOPS black rhino or with the old school Buck Special or a ka-bar. please help. any other suggetions would be welcomed
Click to expand...

Here is the thing to do bro.....get whichever knife you like the look of the most because none of the knives you or anybody else mentioned is likely to let you down !!!
I must admit , that TOPS Rhino does have something about it and I have found myself looking at it a few times ! TOPS knives are real good quality hard working knives but they are a still a little overpriced IMO !
Have you had a look at Ranger knives ? They are some of the toughest knives on the planet and still at a good price, do a search on the forum and you won't find a bad word said about them !!!
There are also Scrapyard knives to consider, their knives are built like tanks and will perform any camp tasks etc they also come with an unconditional lifetime warranty !!!!
 
RAT-5 or RAT-3. Think about how big of a knife you really want to lug around the woods. I just got my new RAT-3 yesterday in the mail and I would feel completely comfortable with that as my only knife in the woods. My suggestion would be to pick up a 3.5"-5" good, solid knife, and then get something like a machete, hatchet, or CS Bushman for bigger tasks.
 
theblacksheep said:
trying to find an all purpose outdoors knife.
Click to expand...

theblacksheep said:
this knife will be used for everything under the sun. i am quite ignorant when it comes to knives and have been looking around at sites trying to get in as much info as i can. i will be taking this knife camping, hunting, and hiking with me. it will be my first fixed blade. i want something that will perform any task at had with flying colors and that i never have to worry that it wont perform up to my high standards.
Click to expand...

There's really no such thing as an all purpose knife. Something that you could use to chop down a small tree wouldn't be much good for cleaning fish or small game and vice-versa.

I admittedly just skimmed the responses so far, but I don't think anyone has mentioned the knife/multi-tool/hatchet combo. A 4 inch fixed blade, multi-tool or Swiss Army type knife, and a hatchet should take care of just about anything you may want or need to cut or chop. There is room for adjustments for personal taste or for dealing with particular terrain or situations you know you'll face, but some variation on those three tools is highly recommended and it's a pretty well tested set up.
 
thank you everyone for your input. you have been a great help. while on here i picked up another name-scrapyard- any opinions
 
I personally adjust Salamander's combo by adding a folding saw, and dropping the 4 inch fixed blade with a 3 inch folding. Worked great when I went camping last weekend.
 
Codger_64 said:
It is a used Schrade 165OT Woodsman with a good, usable leather sheath. The full tang and spine of this knife is nearly 1/8" thick. I've used this pattern for about thirty years and never had a blade or any other component fail.


Codger
Click to expand...

Well, probably not........However, I took the exact same model to VN in 1970-71. I had it when I got shot down in Laos and was very glad I had it. My only complaint was that it was a bit heavy on the hip along with my sidearm and flares......It did a great job getting me out, but sadly it stayed behind when I came home.
 
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