Recommend Me a Fixed Blade

i'll point you at one i bought, and one i almost bought..

and neither one is small enough to fit your requirements.

My 'camp' knife is a Rat-3 in D2, potato skinner and fuzz stick maker.. and if i reach for a bigger blade i want fast, so i go for large.

My 'Survival' knife, the Kershaw Outcast in D2, is about 65$-75$ and plenty to do the job, but the factory edge almost isn't an edge. With a complete reprofile to a full convex edge it's amazing, and without that it's a somewhat sharpened crowbar. Start THIS week getting it ready for NEXT week, it's hard steel and you'll be there a while.

OR.. the RTAK II in 1095, at about 100-110$.. and it's easily worth 50% more than its cost.

I don't know the customs about linking to sales venues, but if you do a google search you can find that RTAK as low as 99.95 + ship.

Both of those knives are too big for common tasks, but perfect for a survival shelter when it's spitting snow. Given the absolute need for < 8 inch blade, the Fallkniven wouldn't be wrong. One helluva knife.. If you got a Rat-5 in D2 you wouldn't wear it out, but you've got the same reprofile issue as with the outcast. . and by the time you do anything to D2 you feel like you paid for it twice...

if you had someone put it on a belt and convex it before you saw it, there wouldn't be much question it worked.

Far as i'm concerned, D2 is as good a steel as is made for woods use. . it Stays sharp very nicely, and is findable at prices you can afford. Next is 1095 (on bang buck) but it's a little more fragile and a little more demanding of touch-ups. It's not about the steel alone, but how many examples of it there are in the 'affordable' bracket.

Given enough money you can get great knives in exotic steels, but a Very Good knife in steel that's more common, at 1/4 the price.. just feels smart somehow.. ;)

And getting that shelter built before dark feels smart too..
 
Ramm9 said:
You're looking at some quality knives. Generally a pointed 3"-5" knife without a guard or choil is considered best for bushcraft.
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Why without a choil or guard? The choil I can maybe understand, but it seems like the lack of a guard makes it a little too easy for your hand to slide up onto the blade when it's wet.
 
I like the FallKniven F1, but its to short.

Now I am starting to think 6" or greater is just to big.
 
4" is about right for me. You can carry a lightweight saw or hatchet to do the chopping. The nessmuk trio idea works well for most forays into the wild, IMO...
 
I like my "Howler", Eric is right on this one....the Res-c sticks to the hand, if your hands get real sweaty(TX humidity) or slimy/bloody(TX catfish) the stuff feels like its got half dried elmers glue on it.
 
res-c handle is a wonderful substance. One of my favorite features of my Camp Tramp. Not pretty, but so stinkin' functional that I have learned to love the looks.
 
I like large knives, but I rarely USE large knives. So, my advice is to buy a 12" Ontario machete and sharpen it real sharp. Use it as your beater. Then get something like a Fallkniven, RAT 4, or SOG Seal Pup Elite for more general use. I'd also have a good pocket knife in hand and I predict you use it more than all the others combined. There are lots of choices for a folder; I like the larger sized SAK's, some Sypdies, a Schatt & Morgan Mountain Man, or a good Remington or Case in a Stockman style.
 
elkins45 said:
Why without a choil or guard? The choil I can maybe understand, but it seems like the lack of a guard makes it a little too easy for your hand to slide up onto the blade when it's wet.
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That's a good question and it has been the subject of many never ending debates. The logic of sliding down onto the blade, especially on a wet knife is brought up mostly by hunters cleaning, skinning and butchering game animals. These hunters are often times working blind inside body cavities.

The bushcrafter on the other hand is using the knife for carving, notching, and other utility uses. In these cases the guards get in the way and restrict the use of pressure at the ricasso.

One of the respected instructors in the bushcrafting field presents it this way. "A guard on a bush knife is in the way and detracts from many operations...Some people prefer a guard for fear of slipping forward onto the knife edge, but unless the knife is used for stabbing, the hand should never slip in this way."
Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills & Wilderness Survival , Mors Kochanski.

When I use a knife with a guard I use it along with my index finger for security and for leverage. If there is no guard I don't miss it. Usually the biggest proponents of un-guarded knives are users from the Scandinavian Countries where knives without guards have been used for generations. A canvas micarta handle with a moderate indent for the index finger probably makes a good compromise.
 
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