Recommendation on 6++ inch fixed blade

M

Macbeth

Joined
Jun 22, 2003
Messages
98
I am curently looking for a 6++ inch general utility knife or survial knife.

That is :
- strong 6 inch ++ blade
- with saw back and some seration (combo)
- full tang for streagth
- good corrosion resistant

Able to pierce well and slash well. And can do some heavy choping.
 
depending on your budget chris reeve green beret, sog seal , becker BK7, Fallkniven A1 (?)
 
No saw back, but the SOG Tigershark is a pretty good choice.
 
I've had several knives that had a sawback but never found them to have an advantage for utility /survival.

If anything I found the sawback to limit the usefullyness of the knive.

The sawback prevents you from using you thumb to push the blade thru what ever your cutting. An example of when you might want to use your thumb to push the blade is when you are shaping a 1" limb to a point or other bush craft.

Have you considered a carrying a saw separately or a SAK with a saw. I found the saws on the SAK's to be the best performers.

I recently purchased the Fallkniven S1. For my needs it's just about perfect for utiliy, survival and bushcraft.

I don't have a need to use this knife for chopping since I started carrying a Gransfors but if you do, perhaps the Falllkniven A1 or A2 may suit your needs. They are very similar to the S1 except with longer blades.

The knives from Fallkniven are not fancy, they're actually kind of boring but they are excellent knives.

Cheers,
Collector
 
Sounds like you want the Buck Intrepid, if you can find one. It is solid, holds a good edge, corrosion resistant, has serrations on the edge and part of the spine can be used for chopping with. The handles are removable for cleaning and the sheath is nice. Best of all it was designed by Kit Carson, who indicated to me that Buck did an excellent job in making the knife exactly as he designed his U-2, which is Carson's custom version of the Intrepid.

I have two, a user and one stored and I have put my user through the proverbial ringer. It holds an edge similar to 440a steel used in sog knives. The blade is saber ground and 1/4 inch so it fits the sharpened prybar category.

You cannot go wrong with it. It is a much better design than the Puma Tac 1. I considered this one a while back but didn't like it when I saw it at a knife shop in Orange, CA. Quality is lacking compared to the Buck.
 
from 8,500 ft in the SW Utah Mountians. Used a SRKW Camp Tramp splitting wood with a billet and teaching my 12 and 10 year old boys the same.

Dosen't "chop" as well as the 17" Gerber/Fiskars, but is GREAT for camp, yes, and survival chores - will never let you down. These are just what they're marketed to be: tough, affordable USERS.

This was backed up by my BM 710HS and V-Nox Fieldmaster SAK - used for fuzz sticks.

Used the LM Wave for hot pots, etc.
 
No saw back on this knife as they seldom work very
well but for one of the toughest do it all anywhere
knife get a Buck Nighthawk. ;)

I carry one in my truck as work knife using it to
vent 55 gal. drums,split marking stakes, dig cat
holes and cut steel banding. In other words any
damn thing that needs an edge the "hawk gets the
job. For smaller light fine work I carry a Buck 307
stockman.

Sure, I've had to "fix" the edge a few times but
that was about a 10 min job on the 'hawk. There
are other knives with fans to support them but
for a good quality priced right field knife the
Nighthawk is hard to beat! :D :D
 
Originally posted by collecter
I've had several knives that had a sawback but never found them to have an advantage for utility /survival. If anything I found the sawback to limit the usefullyness of the knive.

The sawback prevents you from using you thumb to push the blade thru what ever your cutting. An example of when you might want to use your thumb to push the blade is when you are shaping a 1" limb to a point or other bush craft.
Click to expand...
My sentiments exactly.

At very best, the saws on big knives are mediocre. Usually they suck.

There are a large number of good folding saws out there, here are the first couple I found via Google. The small ones are in 6oz range and would serve you far better than any saw back on a knife. And, once they dull, you replace the blade. Ever tried to sharpen a high performance saw blade or saw blade back on a knife? It can be done, but it's a serious pain.

And while the Victorinox Swiss Army knife saws indeed work very well for their size, they are tiny at max of around what, 3" long? Work well, just small.

http://www.gerberblades.com/gerberlegendaryblades.html?46034
http://www.gardenscapetools.com/pages/FelcoSaw.htm
http://www.knifestuff.com/browning/outdoors/saws.htm

Also, avoid hollow handle knives except for the Chris Reeve knives unless/until you study the design/construction closely for soundness. Many of the hollow handled knives are for show, not for go... they'll be bolted or glued together, pretty cr@ppy and likely to break when you need them most.
 
Cobalt,
The Buck Intrepid was one of my original choice but it has been discontinued by buck. And i was told that puma aslo produce a very similar model called the puma tac 1 and puma scout. Been considering the puma scout for sometime but have been told that the quality is bad. So i am trying to get some other option here.
 
macbeth, I noticed your address so I thought I'd share my own experience in Malaysia.

actually, a good sharp parang/golok with a blade length of 11 inches or more is one of the best options for a survival knife, especially in the tropics. oh, plus a good survival kit stuffed into a metal tin.

serrations are near impossible to sharpen in the field without proper tools. but a high carbon parang can be easily sharpened. and that 6 inch blade is definitely not going to "unhusk" (if there is such a word:o ) a coconut easily.

my $0.02 only.

:D
 
spyken,
I have always rely on a good sharp parang/golok during my camping trips. Will have to say it rust very easily. Just leave it for a few hours and the rust will go on. I use it for hack and slash activities where you do not need a clean cutting job like clearing ground, choping wood and bamboo. But come to think of it using a rusty blade is very dangerous. Just a simple cut can course serious injury.
 
consider the following combo for survival purposes:

(1) parang +
(2) a short, say 4inch "slicy" flat-ground blade like the spyderco bill moran in VG10 or even a good kitchen blade.

Get a sheath made for the parang with a secondary sheath for the spydie. I think Trace Rinaldi has this same concept for this armageddon and gambit combo.

The high carbon blades rust like nobody's business in Malaysian weather - however, if you used them often, they develop a "patina" that somehow "coats" the blade and prevents rusting. They're stained but not rusty - see the old kerises.

cheers,
spyken
 
i've noticed that happen on a SOG seal 2k that was brought diving
after a while the metal turns dull and the corrosion just stops

i like the idea of a kukhri too

btw, ken, i think it's dehusk :D
 
Al Mar has a new SERE Operator out with a saw back. The steel is $30V and I've seen it priced around $115 on the net.
 
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