Outdoor fixed blade

R

RSL19

Dealer / Materials Provider
Joined
May 16, 2020
Messages
245
Looking to purchase an outdoor knife for camp, fire making, meals, potentially game if needed (buy a separate knife if needed) and all around outdoor uses.
Easy to sharpen in the field
$200 or less
3.5-5” blade
Maybe 1/8”
Carbon steel
I was thinking scandi or convex zero

So far looked at bark River Liten Bror, UP Gunny when available, ESEE RB3
 
Would certainly be cheaper. Boring but effective. No clue what model is a good one. What is their carbon steel?
Should probably pick one up in addition but I’m kind of wanting something else
 
Last edited:
All the Moras are pretty good knives if you use them within their limitations. To be honest, of the 4 or 5 I own, the Companion gets the most use. Boring but easy to sharpen stainless steel, good length blade for most chores, incredibly inexpensive to buy. They really are a great knife to buy a few of and stash away in your car or camping kit as a back up.

Most of the time I have used mine is when I was expecting to use my nicer more expensive blade but the Mora was handier or just made better sense for what I was doing.

I did use their Robust model as a work knife last year. Man, that this would be TOUGH to destroy. The only issue was that i was working around a very wet environment and didn't do my part to keep the blade dry during the day, and it rusted up pretty good. Their carbon steel is great. I am a huge fan of carbon for hiking and daily carry, but I don't think I would go with one if I were wading hip deep in water again. My fault, not the knife's. I have never been able to even get the steel of my Companion to spot let alone rust.
 
What steel is the carbon? Does it hold an edge? Not that personality or more “permanent companion” matter when you need a knife, but I was hoping for personality as well as performance and good edge holding.
 
I think Moras use Sandvik 12c27 for their stainless knives, it's good stuff. Not sure what carbon steel they use.
 
Surprised only mora and one BM suggestion in here. BM models look interesting. Any bark river or esee or others?
 
Over the years I've had a Benchmade Puukko 200, Esee 4, and a few stainless Mora Companions. The Puukko was my favorite out of them all. Its handle was a lot more comfortable than the Esee, and it was more robust than the Companions.
 
RSL19 said:
Surprised only mora and one BM suggestion in here. BM models look interesting. Any bark river or esee or others?
Click to expand...
bark river has a history of mislabelling steel, and for ~ 2 bills I'd (personally) rather not take the chance

for that kind of $ you can get many good makers
https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/custom-handmade-knives.678/

also
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/paid-dealer-members-list.1783428/


do not discount the worthiness of a mora, yes they don't cost much, but their utility far outshines the $ you pay for them

if you need to spend 2 bills, there are so many to look at, I'd start with some bradford guardians, high end fixed buck knives with s30v or s35vn steel, ... or really enjoy the process and look thru the above links ; ) it's half the fun for most of us
 
I have quite a few different brands as I searched for the perfect one for me for quite some time. I have spent between $500-$20 on individual knives and have come to the conclusion the my favorite for actual outdoor/survival use is a bk2 with micarta scales. Some of the more expensive knives I have are great but truthfully I just dont like getting em dirty. If you need something for smaller jobs I find the $20 mora paired with the bk2 covers all my needs!
 
Now if we are talking about what I really carry out on the trails:
20210403-155146.jpg

This is my edc set up. Truth be told, I would take a lot of convincing to step up to more than this for general woods walking/hiking/potential emergency bushcraft. The knives are not big choppers. I won't build a cabin (easily) with this set up. However, it's a nice useful combo of a sub 4" fixed blade and a set of rudimentary tools that can do a of "smart" work over just being a clumsy chopper.

This also happens to be my edc set up, thus why I could snap a pic here at work.

The fixed blade is over your budget by a bit. Its a Fiddleback Forge Monarch, but anything similar in size would work. Comfy in hand and certainly more durable than a Mora. Carbon steel with a convex edge. The stock is under 1/8", but I have grown to appreciate knives that cut better at the expense of being ridiculous prybars.
 
I’ll grab a mora for $20. Those lists are a little too broad. Dealers combined carry thousands of knives and well, I always enjoy the customs. I often look at the makers for sale here and can’t believe how inexpensive they can be. Like the puukko I listed.
 
I’ve owned that exact model and maybe 5 other Fiddleback. They are some of my absolute favorite knives and would be what I’d get if I had twice my budget.
Sold mine when I needed money.
Steely_Gunz said:
Now if we are talking about what I really carry out on the trails:
20210403-155146.jpg

This is my edc set up. Truth be told, I would take a lot of convincing to step up to more than this for general woods walking/hiking/potential emergency bushcraft. The knives are not big choppers. I won't build a cabin (easily) with this set up. However, it's a nice useful combo of a sub 4" fixed blade and a set of rudimentary tools that can do a of "smart" work over just being a clumsy chopper.

This also happens to be my edc set up, thus why I could snap a pic here at work.

The fixed blade is over your budget by a bit. Its a Fiddleback Forge Monarch, but anything similar in size would work. Comfy in hand and certainly more durable than a Mora. Carbon steel with a convex edge. The stock is under 1/8", but I have grown to appreciate knives that cut better at the expense of being ridiculous prybars.
Click to expand...
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Now if we are talking about what I really carry out on the trails:
20210403-155146.jpg

This is my edc set up. Truth be told, I would take a lot of convincing to step up to more than this for general woods walking/hiking/potential emergency bushcraft. The knives are not big choppers. I won't build a cabin (easily) with this set up. However, it's a nice useful combo of a sub 4" fixed blade and a set of rudimentary tools that can do a of "smart" work over just being a clumsy chopper.

This also happens to be my edc set up, thus why I could snap a pic here at work.

The fixed blade is over your budget by a bit. Its a Fiddleback Forge Monarch, but anything similar in size would work. Comfy in hand and certainly more durable than a Mora. Carbon steel with a convex edge. The stock is under 1/8", but I have grown to appreciate knives that cut better at the expense of being ridiculous prybars.
Click to expand...

Holy crap someone else who owns a free P4...I dont feel lonely anymore. I bought one on release and it got a lukewarm welcome by friends and the interweb lol. I do the exact same thing as you, I have a leatherman and a folder setup, today was s Caribbean since I was going to the shores.

Bark Rivers are cool, the Aurora and Bravo are their staples but are not the sliciest so I wouldn't say they're best at cooking/hunting tasks. I still endorse the 200 puukko, one of the best multipurpose knives out there.
 
Dergyll said:
Holy crap someone else who owns a free P4...I dont feel lonely anymore. I bought one on release and it got a lukewarm welcome by friends and the interweb lol. I do the exact same thing as you, I have a leatherman and a folder setup, today was s Caribbean since I was going to the shores.
Click to expand...

The P4 is the tool multitool guys love to hate for some reason. I really dunno why short of the expense of it compared to other tools. Sure, it's within 30 bucks of the Charge TTi and doesn't sport premium steel in the knife or titanium handles, but I have found that in the year and 4 months I have carried it, the P4 has been a wonderful edc. I have well over 20 Leatherman tools and dozens of others from other brands. I'm kind of a junkie about buying the newest/best in multitools. Hell, my wife bought me a Surge as a wedding gift right around the time they first came out back in 2005. I feel absolutely naked without a multitool on my person. I will literally put one in my pocket before anything else first thing in the morning. The Charge is the only model that I don't own that I wish I did. However, ever after handling the TTi at Smokey Mountain Knife Works, the P4 is just a better fit for me. I bet I have had it on my person the better part of 350 days since I purchased it. I use it at work, at home, and everywhere I need a tool to get something done. While I will pack my ST300 for most of the days spent on the construction site, the P4 has been 100% flawless. No magnetic failure, no metal getting stuck to said magnets, little clicky lock thing is still working fine, and I ADORE the spear point blade. I hope that blade shape makes it onto future LM models.

Truth be told, if they made a $199.99 version with titanium handles and a premium blade steel, I would probably buy it and leave most every other folding knife I have at home.

Anyway, sorry about the thread drift. A Mora is a fine choice. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top