New Here. Fixed blade for <$100?

(Yay for late night knife researching lol)

That Becker BK7 looks real nice and might really be something to get. Becker is owned by Ka-bar right? At least that's what I think I read. Are there any other good Ka-bar knives out there since a lot of them seem to be much less expensive than $100.

And thanks for the heads up on the Ontario Rat series and the RAT Cutlery series. The RAT series is just a hair out of my price range (actually my girlfriend's since it's going to be her gift to me).

Also, this might be an incredibly stupid question but what is the difference between a "fighting" knife and a "fighting and utility knife"?
 
Jake Bauer said:
I dont trust SOGs choice in blade steels for their knives. You can get a lot better for the money.
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+1 on that.

SOG, to me, is living mostly off their past. They were better than they are, IMO. They had interesting and well priced knives, like a BG-42 folder for around $50.00. And when they first started out, their big fixed blades were excellent and IIRC made in Japan.

But they stuck with AUS8 in most of their folders for too long while their competitors moved to better steels.

They moved production of their big blades to places where the quality wasn't up to the standards set by the originals.

And they did some things that didn't seem real customer-friendly.

For example, when they finally switched the steel in many of their folders from AUS8 to VG-10, they didn't designate which knives had which steel! Customers and dealers alike had to end up guessing which steel their knife had - unless they wanted to send it off to some metallurgical laboratory for testing.

Then they came out with the Fusion line, made in China, which did not receive very good reviews at all.

Then there were a several reports here and elsewhere about less than stellar CS.

SOG does seem to be producing some better knives again, and I do hope the best for them. I like seeing knife companies producing great stuff.

But as far as fixed blades go, IMHO the other recommendations in this thread (RAT, Fallkniven, Becker, etc.) will serve you better than a comparably priced SOG.
 
^That's too bad about SOG! That Tech Bowie was such a beautiful looking knife... the way it was designed and everything. Oh well... I'd want a knife that looks as good as it performs! Maybe I'll just get my GF to get me it just as a nice paper weight or something ;)

Are Boker's good knives? That's another one I was eye-ing (the Valkyrie by Boker). Not sure if 440C is a good steel for knives though.
 
HamMach1 said:
^That's too bad about SOG! That Tech Bowie was such a beautiful looking knife... the way it was designed and everything. Oh well... I'd want a knife that looks as good as it performs! Maybe I'll just get my GF to get me it just as a nice paper weight or something ;)
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Look around, you'll see lots of great looking knives - there are many options out there. :)

HamMach1 said:
Are Boker's good knives? That's another one I was eye-ing (the Valkyrie by Boker). Not sure if 440C is a good steel for knives though.
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Boker is a German company, but they manufacture their knives in the USA, Germany, Taiwan, Argentina, and China.

The Boker's made in Germany have an excellent reputation. Boker's been making knives there for over 100 years. The Argentine knives - mostly fixed blades - are pretty good but there's better value for money out there.

The Boker Plus line of knives, pretty recently introduced, has models made in the USA, Taiwan, and China. I happen to like the USA and Taiwanese blades more than the Chinese made ones, (although I know there are those who disagree with me on this.)

I don't know where the Valkyrie is manufactured, but by the steel used (440C) and the price point, I'd guess it's made in China.
I am generally not a big fan of knives made in China.

440C done right is darn good blade steel. It's been used for a long time.
But it depends on proper heat treatment, etc.

So I'd personally stay away from the Boker Valkyrie - assuming it's a mainland China made knife - except maybe as a display piece.
 
I'd go custom on the forums here, or Fallkniven, ROSARMS or RAT. I have a RC5 and hest, love them both to death. The fallkniven F1 street price is 100 dollars, or you can get a ROSARMS stalker for 80. You can get a screaming nice knife for 100 dollars.
 
PayetteRucker said:
The fallkniven F1 street price is 100 dollars, or you can get a ROSARMS stalker for 80. You can get a screaming nice knife for 100 dollars.
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The F1 is my go-to fixed blade; I have 3 of them.
Just the right size for most tasks, and incredibly well made.
IIRC, it was designed and is still used by the Swedish Air Force as their survival knife.

Yes, you can get a "screaming nice knife" for 100 dollars!
 
Dang! Who would have thunk that there would be so much "work" in just buying a knife. I should have never found this site :p

That Stalker looks like a real fine piece.

It seems that all the knives I'm really interested in have larger sized blades, like that of a bowie.

I'm going to 2 other sporting good/outdoor store today to check out some more knives to get a feel for a bunch of them. I may just end up going with that Becker BK7 or some other relatively inexpensive Ka-bar for like $60-70 for now and then get a nicer knife later down the road.

EDIT: Oh and according to shopwiki the Valkyrie by Boker is made in Taiwan? Not sure if that's true or not.
 
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wongKI said:
Get half a dozen Moras.
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LOL, you should get some Mora knives. LOL at least one or two.

It you want a really inexpensive knife that can take abuse, for under 30 bucks you could get a Cold Steel Bushman -get the bowie shaped fixed blade. It has a great steel. It just needs some athletic tape on the handle for traction and its all good.

With the Cold Steel and a Mora and you could have a very usable set up for under 40 bucks.

If you wanted to spend the full amount, get two Mora knives (20-30 bucks total) and one Ontario Spec-Plus knife (50-60 bucks) or a kabar large heavy bowie (same price range).

two moras =25
one Kabar or Ontario =60
Shipping = 12
TOTAL = $97 bucks and you have three awsome knives
 
HamMach1 said:
Can I get a link to these Moras that I've seen mentioned? I've looked on google but I come up with like 10,000 different things lol

Is this them? http://www.swedishknives.com/morakniv.htm
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Yes, that is them. I would suggest this dealer: http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html
the guy who runs the site is named Ragnar -quite a character. He is very nice and helpful, so dont be afraid of ordering from him -I have ordered many many knives from him.

I would suggest a laminated Mora (look for the description to note "laminated" -only wooden handle versions). They are all great knives, you cant miss with a Mora.;)

These scandinavian style knives have a grind that carves wood like no other. I originaly posted that Mora knives have a Moran Grind, that is not right. The term Moran comes from a man, Bill Moran, not a place Mora of sweeden -I had always had it mixed up, my apologies.
 
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The Government said:
The Mora knives have a "Moran grind" wich is very similar to a "scandi grind"
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Maybe Im understanding incorrectly what you're saying but the Mora knives get their name from the city that the knife factory is in, the city of Mora in Sweden. It has nothing to do with Bill Moran or the convex grind.
 
HamMach1 said:
Dang! Who would have thunk that there would be so much "work" in just buying a knife. I should have never found this site :p

That Stalker looks like a real fine piece.

It seems that all the knives I'm really interested in have larger sized blades, like that of a bowie.

I'm going to 2 other sporting good/outdoor store today to check out some more knives to get a feel for a bunch of them. I may just end up going with that Becker BK7 or some other relatively inexpensive Ka-bar for like $60-70 for now and then get a nicer knife later down the road.

EDIT: Oh and according to shopwiki the Valkyrie by Boker is made in Taiwan? Not sure if that's true or not.
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While you're at the store, take a look at the Becker BK9.
It might be just what you're looking for.

As for the Valkyrie being made in Taiwan, I'm not sure whether the ShopWiki info is accurate. You can contact Boker USA in Lakewood, Colorado and find out easily.

If it's made in Taiwan, I'd seriously consider it if you really like the design and the way it feels in your hand.
Taiwanese knives IMO are well made today. They've come a long way in just a few years. Some very highly regarded knives from Spyderco (eg the Terzuola Slipit),
and Browning (the Crowell Barker Competition), and Ka Bar (The Heavy Bowie) are made there.
 
I personally love my SOG Tech Bowie, such a beautiful knife. The design is excellent, very comfy, and the sheath is kydex with quick attach/detach. In my opinion AUS 8, if done correctly, is an adequate steel, although for $100 you could do better. I have not used my tech bowie hard, but i would venture to think it would take it just fine (you will have to sharpen more often than "super steels"). As far as customer service goes I have heard mixed things, but they fixed my Flash 1 with no problems. I always buy what catches my fancy, within reason of affordability and quality. Don't think that SOG knives are crap, there are just knives out there that may suit your needs better.

P.S. RAT Cutlery is awesome.
 
rifon2 said:
While you're at the store, take a look at the Becker BK9.
It might be just what you're looking for.

As for the Valkyrie being made in Taiwan, I'm not sure whether the ShopWiki info is accurate. You can contact Boker USA in Lakewood, Colorado and find out easily.

If it's made in Taiwan, I'd seriously consider it if you really like the design and the way it feels in your hand.
Taiwanese knives IMO are well made today. They've come a long way in just a few years. Some very highly regarded knives from Spyderco (eg the Terzuola Slipit),
and Browning (the Crowell Barker Competition), and Ka Bar (The Heavy Bowie) are made there.
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I checked on Boker's site and this is what I got:

* Boker knives: Solingen, Germany
* Boker Arbolito knives: Argentina
* Boker Plus knives: Taiwan (except model 02BO012, made in the USA)
* Cinch knives by Boker: Solingen, Germany (except model 11CI403Y, made in Argentina)
* Magnum knives: Taiwan and China
* Marttiini knives: Finland
* Opinel knives: France

So it looks like it is indeed made in Taiwan.

Fpooner said:
I personally love my SOG Tech Bowie, such a beautiful knife. The design is excellent, very comfy, and the sheath is kydex with quick attach/detach. In my opinion AUS 8, if done correctly, is an adequate steel, although for $100 you could do better. I have not used my tech bowie hard, but i would venture to think it would take it just fine (you will have to sharpen more often than "super steels"). As far as customer service goes I have heard mixed things, but they fixed my Flash 1 with no problems. I always buy what catches my fancy, within reason of affordability and quality. Don't think that SOG knives are crap, there are just knives out there that may suit your needs better.

P.S. RAT Cutlery is awesome.
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I don't really have any "needs". I don't camp or hike much, though I will be in a few weeks. I just love knives period. The Tech Bowie really caught my eye and to be brutally honest, it's looks were what made me want the knife (besides the overall feel for it).


This Ontario Spec Plus knife looks pretty badass too:

QN-SP1.jpg
 
Thanks for the links. I'll check them out.

Are Ontario knives good? The Government recommended them to me and I was looking at the Air Force Survival knife because it has a straight edge on one side and a serrated on another side. The handle looks nice too. And it's only like $40-50

OK8305.jpg
 
The Rats, Bark Rivers and Moras are seriously good knives that will last you. Don't go for a Rambo blade cause it looks cool!
 
PatriotDan said:
Maybe Im understanding incorrectly what you're saying but the Mora knives get their name from the city that the knife factory is in, the city of Mora in Sweden. It has nothing to do with Bill Moran or the convex grind.
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You are completely right. My apologies.
 
rpn said:
The Rats, Bark Rivers and Moras are seriously good knives that will last you. Don't go for a Rambo blade cause it looks cool!
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I'm really wanting an RC-5 still but I don't know if it's worth it since I don't really camp/hike often so I don't know if a "serious" knife is absolutely necessary.
 
HamMach1 said:
I'm really wanting an RC-5 still but I don't know if it's worth it since I don't really camp/hike often so I don't know if a "serious" knife is absolutely necessary.
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Mora= 10 to 20 bucks:thumbup:

if you really need to split wood buy a cheap axe or hatchet.

RAT Cutlery knives are awesome, but if you dont really need a "survival knife" often -it might be a little overkill. For car camping they come in handy, but other tools can get you by. A hatchet for example, or if you want a knife -a cold steel bushman (bowie). Those are both really cheap.

If you want the firepower of a survival knife, just go for it.
 
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