Recommendation for small fixed blade

C

CutThe Cheese

Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
9
Hi, Im new to the forum and I'm addicted well made knives haha. Anyway, I need a little help choosing a small fixed blade for EDC. I work from home as a Luthier (I build guitars) and I always carry a knife, a folder, its a Protech brend 3, I got at the antique store for $30! its very helpful around the shop. I cant carry it outside of my home because its illegal in my state. I also do a Lot of fishing especial this time of year since the Big blue fish and strippers are in. what is best all around knife will be for me. something small that I can cut bunker with and easy wear in the shop and into town. It will be around salt water so stainless will be best I think . I would prefer to carry in side the waist band but im open to opinions. I have been eyeing the bradford guardian 3 and I also like the Bark River Blackwater Boot Knife Series. any info will be a big help. thanks!
 
CRKT Minimalist, a Mora in stainless or for more money a Childress necker. Or the Izula in stainless. Hope this helps.
 
Izula in stainless is a good idea. There's also the White River Backpacker in S30V if you don't mind a paracord wrap.
 
For fishing and a slim EDC, consider the Spyderco Aqua Salt in rustproof H1 ...

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How small? Both of the knives you listed are fantastic quality, but neither is super small. Are we talking ESEE Izula small, or just "most people would agree this is not a sword"?
 
I really like the idea of the guardian 3 but, one i would like to cary in IWB, it would be nice if i would add a clip to the sheath. and two im not sure if it looks to much like a weapon if i take it out. the esee Izula or Candiru are and opinions too but I'm just not sure if there are better options out there
 
I want to try the Guardian 3 myself. I have never heard a bad review of this knife. He makes a polymer sheath also.
 
The guardian3 is one of my top EDC fixed blades. Steel options are great. And yes, you can get a kydex sheath for it with a Spyderco G-clip from Bradford. This is what I did and I EDC it IWB all the time. Some criticisms I've heard about the G3 is that some don't like that the finger choil is integrated into the handle, as ni you need to use it to hold the knife. This puts your finger very close to the edge. I dulled about a millimeter of the edge to mitigate that worry. I also don't use this as a weapon or for stabbing so sliding up on the blade isn't much of a worry. Also, some don't like the blocky handles. I actually like them for EDC as the provide extremely good grip. I wouldn't want to be bushcrafting for hours with them though, however that is not what this knife is for IMO. He does sell a more rounded scale as well so that problem can be alleviated.

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This last picture isn't the G3 but it can give you an Idea of a kydex sheath and G-clip setup. Bradford offers this from his website last I checked.
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I have a Guardian 3 & carry it a lot for edc. I really prefer the leather sheath that came with it, but Brad has a kydex sheath available for the G3 too. Add a G Clip, & you have multiple carry options- IWB, vertical, diagonal, horozontal, crossdraw, etc.
 
Oops! Craytab already posted a pic while I was pecking away with my post. Mine has the new 3D scales on it, so you can compare the difference. The rough texture provides a very good grip. When I first got it, I thought the finger choil being close to the blade edge may be a problem, but after using it alot for different everyday cutting chores for the last few months, it turned out to be a non-issue. It'll handle light bushcrafting use, but that's not the knife's intended purpose. For a small edc fixed blade, that's easy to conceal, it's perfect.
 
I don't recall the model ID on this one. It was a gift from my Son when he was active duty. Two models that I think are also nice is the Boker Cowboy cross draw and the Boker Pine Creek. Both under 4 inch blades and less than $100.
 
What is your home state and while you're at it, tell us more about these strippers that you go fishing for? :D
 
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