Recommendations for farm EDC

A

anonmlous

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Nov 26, 2016
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I've lurked here for a while and decided it was finally time to post. :)

I'm looking for a fixed-blade EDC for use on a small homestead or hobby farm. I expect the most normal jobs will be of the hacking variety - small limbs, brush, etc. Maybe an occasional "dispatch" of sick or injured small livestock, such as rabbits or chickens, but nothing big. I doubt I'd ever need a knife for defensive purposes, but you never really know for sure.

I have separate skinning knives and carry a small Leatherman for more delicate work, so my fixed blade can be reserved for the tougher jobs.

Anyway, I've been looking at some KA-BAR and equivalents, and can't really decide on size and blade type. The Big Brother is impressive, but I'm not sure 15 inches of knife is the most practical thing under the circumstances. Their 5-inch Tanto looks nice but I'm not sure it's big enough for a hacker.

I have precious little experience with fixed blades, so thanks in advance for any thoughts on the balance between size and function that I might be looking for! :)

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Doesn't seem like this is what you want, but there is no knife I use more then my 18" machete around my yard.
 
We used to have a small ranch. If you want to lug around a heavy knife all day while working in heat and cold, go ahead. I would recommend something in the 4 to 5" blade range, in the middle being best. And, it would need to be light in weight with a full tang. Save your chopping for a proper tool. Most of the time I simply carried a Buck 110. My father carried a Buck 102 Woodsman fixed blade. When I carried a fixed blade, I carried a 4.25 inch light weight knife. Spyderco makes the Junction, which is about perfect.
 
I'd honestly go for a mora I've done farm hand work and a companion served me much better than the much more expensive folding knives the other guys were carying. Don't get me wrong I like a good folder with high end steel but it's dirty work and a fixed blade really shines. My other suggestion would be an izula 2 the one with scales and the longer handle.
 
What is your specific price range. If you don't have one you should check out Bradford Knives.

They make some very nice 3-6 inch models in M390 and CPM 3V that are tough as nails to handle anything you could throw at it.
 
What's your budget?

Never mind, that question was already asked above^^^

Really hard to recommend anything without knowing how much you want to spend.
 
Budget is up to $65 or so.

Regarding a proper tool for hacking - I agree that would be best, but it seems there's always some incidental limbs and such to deal with and I don't want to lug a hatchet with me all the time for that.

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I work in agriculture. The problem, Iv discovered with knives is its very difficult to have a blade that makes an excellent chopper and slicer. Its better to have a blade for chopping and a blade for slicing. Above your price but Id say ESEE 6 (an excellent all around utility blade) or ESEE Junglas. The Junglas has exceptional hacking weight in a steel that can take serious abuse and hold an edge.

A much cheaper option right in your price is the ESEE lite-machete which I carried around for the first time yesterday walking through the woods clearing branches (some were 1"+ and took 1 swift swing w/ 0 deformation to the blade) and overgrowth. 17.25" of 1075. and very light @ only 17oz. It flys through the air, and is easy to bring back for strike after strike And has a ton of chopping power.

lite-machete and 3.5" folder



I would consider the combo of the lite-machete for hacking and a 4.5-5" fixed blade for farm task. I carry a 4.7" fixed blade in CPM-3V on me everyday as well as a 3.5" folder in S35VN. They do their jobs exceptionally well but these particular ones are way above your price. As will most of my recomendation be. I believe in saving money but wont reccomend things that I personally wouldnt use myself.

4.7" fixed and 3.5" folder above




Another option would be a fullsize kabar. Not much steel behind the edge for hacking though.

If you only want one all around I would get an ESEE 6. Has a good heft/weight for light hacking, takes an edge, takes abuse, and not over-cumbersome when you're on your feet all day. Its a utility tool well worth the investment. I personally wouldnt try to hack with anything smaller than the 6. I think the ESEE 6 would make you very happy. Buy once cry once w/ a No questions asked lifetime warrenty :D


Iv heard some great things about okapi machetes as well. No personal experience but to my understanding they cant be beat for the price. Only one I would try under the ESEE.
 
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Hey anonmlous. I'm a rancher and my edc while working is a Victorinox Swisstool and a large one hand opening folder. Seems to cover my personal needs very well on a day to day basis. I use the saw on the multitool for dealing with troublesome small limbs, though it sounds like you likely have more trees/brush than I do.

I swap the folder out for a mora and clip the sheath inside a coat pocket once it gets really cold so I don't need to take off gloves over and over in the frigid weather to get a knife out of my pocket to cut twine/net wrap on a bale or whatever else I need a knife for. The mora companion is inexpensive and a great general use fixed blade for farm use, but it's too light to be much use chopping.

If you're looking for something heavier duty in that price range, you might check out the Condor line to see if there's a model that suits your needs. QC can be a bit spotty on Condors, but if you order from Baryonyx knives they inspect them for problems. Plus he's a great contributor here on blade forums.
 
If you want something bigger, (you mentioned you have dedicated skinners and a leatherman), and eyeballing kabars, see if you can pick yourself up a bk5 magnum camp. Great "do a little bit of everything" knife, a bit smaller then the big brother but more ergonomically friendly to handle.

It's not necessarily the best at any one task, but it can adequately do every task well; slice, chop, stab, hack, etc.
A great well rounded larger blade.
 
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If you want to stay way on or under budget, check out the Schrade line of fixed blades.
 
Since you will also have a folder, I would go with a 5 to 6" blade. The most important feature to me would be the steel. Get something with tough steel that you can sharpen or repair after it is damaged. That almost eliminates custom or even high end knives. I had great luck with a Buck for many years on the ranch but there are any number of inexpensive blades that will fit that description. For blade shape you should consider just what kind of jobs you may want to use it for. To me a drop point is the most versatile but many will disagree.
 
Condor Crotalus is right at your budget at $65. Nice, solid 1075 steel and mostly a flat grind. The sheath is so-so but the blade is nice. A nice, less expensive option at your budget vs a Becker or ESEE.
 
+1 on the Kabar Becker BK5

Excellent choice and now, sadly, discontinued. They fall right under your spending limit too.
 
I grew up on the farm, and although my income is mostly generated off farm now, I'm still out here in the sticks.

I'll tell you straight away that just one knife won't do you right. A good pocket knife is pretty tough to beat, in my opinion. The big problem with fixed blades is that they snag on just about everything. Climbing off and on tractors, climbing or building fence, and clearing brush are just a few examples.

Way back when, I carried an Old Timer Stockman, and I got by just fine with that. For brush work, you may need a machete, (we used much lighter and more nimble corn knives), a hatchet, an axe, and finally moving up to a chain saw.

It's not that way for just knives, as I'd bet I use at least five different hammers for different tasks.

Trying to choose just one tool for a multitude of tasks is nearly impossible out here.
 
If you feel inclined toward something in the spirit of the Marine Corps Ka-Bar but desire more modern materials plus superior blade-to-tang strength, there's always the Taiwan-built Cold Steel Leatherneck with the clip point blade. It has a more ergonomic handle with an oval cross section which assists in orienting the blade edge. However, for some reason, the Leatherneck's blade was designed with a length of about 6-7/8" or roughly 1/8" less than the iconic Ka-Bar. Just why that is, I don't know (or really much care). Blade steel of the Leatherneck is so-called "German D2" which should afford it better corrosion resistance than 1095. Admittedly, the supplied synthetic sheath is a bit noisy compared to the traditional leather, but it won't retain moisture and won't rot. Best of all, if you shop around, a brand new Leatherneck will set you back less than $53.

I fully agree that no knife the size and weight of a Ka-Bar makes a good chopper and that having on hand a dedicated large knife or better yet, an axe or hatchet makes a lot of sense. But if you insist on a ~7" blade to tackle such roles, then it's best to seek one out that improves on the Ka-Bar of World War II fame.
 
farmboy said:
I grew up on the farm, and although my income is mostly generated off farm now, I'm still out here in the sticks.

I'll tell you straight away that just one knife won't do you right. A good pocket knife is pretty tough to beat, in my opinion. The big problem with fixed blades is that they snag on just about everything. Climbing off and on tractors, climbing or building fence, and clearing brush are just a few examples.

Way back when, I carried an Old Timer Stockman, and I got by just fine with that. For brush work, you may need a machete, (we used much lighter and more nimble corn knives), a hatchet, an axe, and finally moving up to a chain saw.

It's not that way for just knives, as I'd bet I use at least five different hammers for different tasks.

Trying to choose just one tool for a multitude of tasks is nearly impossible out here.
Click to expand...

Not saying you were wrong any way but I know exactly what you're talking about and there are several different ways to carry a fixed blade.I've never had a problem horizontal carry on my lower back.
 
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