Outdoor Knife that last

[knifedude802]

Sorry, double post.

Or was it....
bum bum bummmmm

 

[Jim malone]

Smatchet?

 

[savage99]

View attachment 545864

This is my 1970's K. Tragbar. I've had it since I was 11. It has done camping and hunting duty from the Brooks Range to the Grand Canyon, From the Olympic Rainforest to the Catskills, and even a fair bit in the woods of Quebec (though I was living in the woods then, so it wasn't really camping). I have fancier, tougher, more modern knives, but this knife has done everything I've needed a knife to do in the wild for over two decades now. It is not a special knife in terms of value or materials (well it is very special to me, but that is a sentimental special). It has required no special care. It doesn't even have a full tang (it has a rattail). But sharpening it and not abusing it has kept it in good working shape.

Learn to sharpen your knives.

And if you aren't going to learn how to care for your knives then get a Mora.

I really like this post rat tail tangs have been good enough for many years for outdoorsman of all types.

 

[Zuluninja]

Smatchet?

you win.

 

[K.O.D.]

What this guy really needs for his survival trips is the shark knife. You just can't beat it, especially the surgical steel.

 

[Liberando]

I agree, about the 105, awesome piece, extremely capable,


But you have to remember, this is survival we are talking about!

:thumbup:

 

[DanH45]

Ontario, Becker, ESEE, Fallkniven, Bark River, SOG (Seal / Seal Pup)...

 

[BenHarris]

Um... The question I would have to ask is ; "Why do you need a knife that big?" If it is for fire prep, go with a folding saw, buck saw, etc... and a Condor of some sort. My recommendation would be to buy a stove, and carry a Swiss Army Knife, (small Leatherman would also suffice.) Throw a Mora or a Condor in there, and you've hit backpacking perfection.

 

[craytab]

Um... The question I would have to ask is ; "Why do you need a knife that big?"

No, the simplest question is why does the OP break all his knives and doesn't know how to sharpen yet claims to not abuse his tools and knows how to take care of them.

The folding saw, SAK, leatherman, mora, condor, or probably backpack will just end up broken like all his other knives.

 

[BenHarris]

No, the simplest question is why does the OP break all his knives and doesn't know how to sharpen yet claims to not abuse his tools and knows how to take care of them.

The folding saw, SAK, leatherman, mora, condor, or probably backpack will just end up broken like all his other knives.

This is true. Here's an idea, learn to use knives well. In the mean time, buy a Mora and a cheap folder and only use that. Stop watching Man vs. Wild, and get your outdoor knowledge somewhere other than the Rambo movies. THEN, decide that you don't need a big knife and join us over on this side of the river.

 

[gitarmac]

A Harbor Frieght 1x30 belt sander is only like $30-$40.

And....Becker!

I live less.than a mile from harbour freight! I didn't realize they were that compact and inexpensive. They get good reviews except for the belts but amazon has a nice selection.

I'm definitely going to look into that. A lot of the reviewers use it for knives and get good results.

 

[gitarmac]

Any Busse. Or Swamp Rat. Or Scrap Yard. Or Busse.
Could always go with a Busse.
Or a Busse.

Also, the dude just asked for suggestions, doesn't sound like a Knut....lets give him suggestions. Like Busse.

...or Busse.

As others have said, it sounds like you really might be better off with a machete. What do your friends carry? Maybe get a lighter-duty fixed blade, maybe a Mora, and a machete?
If you want something you can beat the snot out of, and yes, abuse, Busse has got your back.

Problem is, there are no knives that meet the criteria he wants. I have some swamp rats and the first time I used my camp tramp on a few small sticks I got a chipped edge. The OP wants a knife he can beat up that will not chip and not get dull, there is no such animal. He said he's gone through several knives, not just one.

It would make more sense to figure out where he's going wrong and correct it. If he is able to sharpen and maintain a knife after a week of hard use he probably would get more mileage out of them.

Even a small hatchet needs to be maintained. I have several convex edge knives an a couple of hatchets, I think a convex edged tool would hold up better for his needs, and if he was able to buff out the nicks with a belt sander it would be quick and easy!

Fwiw my favorite outdoor knife is my swamp rat howling rat. I find a small hatchet to be more useful than a large chopper.

I love my bark rivers but I use them strictly for meat processing. They are fine bush knives but the swamps are lighter. Its just personal preferance, when I am butchering a large animal I don't want to spend a lot of time gathering stuff up, it's enough work as it is. After the first few times using the barkies, I just started keeping them with my butchering and canning supplies.

Bark river mini Canadians are used for everything. They can skin, they can whittle, I've even opened cans with them. They are a "big" knife in a small package. The only thing they can't do is chop.

 

[mec003]

I think that everyone is missing the mark here. OP is talking about serious survivaling here. And the outdoor kind at that. I think the best option would be to contact a reputable maker and have a custom blade designed in adamantium or maybe mythril if you want to save some cash. Depending on how much you want to spend, you could also invest in a knife with a plasma edge. No sharpening required. And then it would be really laser sharp. Because when you need to do survival for a weekend, a sharp knife just doesn't cut it (pun intended). You need laser like sharpness. That covers the seriousness, chopping, hacking, whacking, slicing, smashing and cutting. All survival needs seem to be met with this one custom knife. Except of course for the sawing. Ive read countless accounts of people not making it in a survival situation because they didn't have a knife saw. You might just have to suck it up and carry a folding saw. Especially if you are desert survivaling for any length of time. That's when the knife saw is paramount. This is just my 3 cents. Serious survival blades require that extra cent.

 

[craytab]

OP is talking about serious survivaling here. And the outdoor kind at that.

Ha!!!

 

[Velitrius]

This is just my 3 cents. Serious survival blades require that extra cent.

Indeed. Once you surpass the "Weekend BBQ" threshold, you spare no expense.

 

[MeanBeaver]

If you are going to be using it for shelter building and heavy work it seems like a hatchet might be more up your alley. Or maybe a tomahawk. I don't have much experience with those but a lot of members seem to dig them.

If you're looking for toughness check out ka bars website.

 

[Gaston444]

For the most extreme and serious use I would recommend this, in stainless:

This has been tested against a Busse BM and has far superior chopping power in wood, particularly hard woods, largely because of the thinner 0.5 mm edge. In fact it likely is the superior chopping knife you can get in that weight range, around 20 ounces.

A 0.5 mm edge is still strong enough to widthstand most abuse, particularly since here it is forged: Despite being 440B stainless, the edge will bend with almost no chipping, even under extreme abuse... This is also just about the only large forged stainless knife you can buy... The point is strong yet can cut.

Forget everything you heard, 440B and C are still the standard against which all other steels are measured. Randall's B is apparentlly higher in carbon than typical B, and has incredible edge-holding (a stainless Model 14 emerged largely undamaged at the edge, even in a concrete-chopping test, and this compared to a Busse Sasquatch in INFI)...

What really makes Randalls unique is the edge grind: The 0.5 mm thin V-edge bevel is only approached by convexed edges in most other brands, but convex edges are not easily sharpenable in the field, and offer nothing over much easier to sharpen V edges.

Because of the hollow grind, initial wood penetration when chopping is far deeper than most other convexed knives: Not only that, but such thin hollow grinds have a huge advantage over years of use in that, as you wear the blade up, the edge bevel doesn't get thicker, so the remarkable sharpness remains exactly the same over decades of use: The blade is designed with a huge "wear area", that allows wearing upward on the blade, without any major re-grinding or any blade thicknening.

There's actually nothing that compares in terms of durability and raw performance, but pick the handle style shown above, as other handles tend to be very bulky and less functional. Pricy, but you do get what you pay for... On the downside, expect the blade finish to be rough for the price, blade thickness is only .22, not the claimed .25, and the claimed 9" blade length is usually .1" below specs, as on most Randalls.

Gaston

 

[strategy9]

 

[Ebbtide]

Indeed. Once you surpass the "Weekend BBQ" threshold, you spare no expense.

Exactly.
This is why the OP needs and deserves the exotic super steel 420J2.
No chipping.
No rusting.
No sharpening.

 

[miltmaldo]

I haven't had a chance to use this knife . ( I need to get out ) . But the ergos are great and it has a great knife balance for chopping sweet looking knife . I own a fallkniven A1 and I like this one more than the A1 and it's a an inch or more bigger .