Reliable Sturdy Knife? For Working/Camping

Dude stay away from these cheap crappy knives. How much are you looking to spend on a folder? How much on a fixed blade? Do you want something that you can chop small branches and cut rope but also fish with to cut line and stuff? I would suggest a SAK or a Vic swisstool. They have everything you could need like a saw and stuff and theyre not going to break your wallet. These cheap knives you keep looking at on e**y are crap and theyre just pretty much for show.
 
Na i would be looking at $150 no more for a folder for cutting branches with. Then a small strong titanium bladed folder or bowie.

Would it be wiser to get a bowie for tree branches and then use the folder for scrapping bark off and using it to spark my fire with the fire starter kit?

the Alaskan Guide Buck 110 i might get looks like a beautifull blade and strong. Thats what im looking for EXTREMELY Strong but well built and not as big as a machete.

Wanna help me out with that...

SO $150 for a folder and about $200 for a bowie
 
Spending too little on a camping knife is usually not a good deal. Any big knife like those you see sold for $20 or so are pretty likely to either break the first time you put them to serious use or have the crappiest edge you've ever tried to keep sharp.

There's another thread here going on discussing Cold Steel's laredo bowie. That would be good enough for anything you needed done that didn't require a full-sized ax. The buck 110 has a lot of fans on this forum. It's a good knife.
 
I will give you the Benchmade options here I guess. For a fixed try a 140 nimravus. they have a D2 blade and not too big. If you want a bigger fixed blade you can try the fixed presidio. For a folder look at the rukus 610 and mini rukus 615. I have both and the 610 is my camping and hunting folder because of its massive size for a folder and the handle is very ergonomic.
 
Get a Mora 2000 and the Kabar Heavy Bowie. Get them both for under a 100.00 and save your money because you really won't do much better. Need a Big folder, CS Voyager.
 
If you're familiar with the game Paper, Rock, Scissors, the rock always trumps the scissors for the obvious reason that it's harder. So I agree with the others that you should stick with the rugged tools designed for that work.

That said, every electrician needs a good knife, and my candidate (as someone above also recommended) is the Cold Steel Recon 1. Specifically, the clip point, partially serrated model.

The serrated version of this knife is recommended because, unlike most partially serrated knives,, the serrations on the Recon 1 make up two-thirds of the blade. These serrations are fine enough to do limited cutting on drywall, plus it leaves enough of the blade at the front plain, so you could strip wire. The blade's serrations also are perfect for cutting through small branches. Its teflon coating reduces friction in removing it from tight spots, too. The steel is AUS8, which is a good balance between hardness and toughness, so it would be well suited for your purpose. It can be easily opened with one hand, and it's one of the strongest, toughest folders on the planet; its axis lock is probably the strongest locking mechanism a folding knife can have. And best of all, the price is very modest.
 
neeman said:
I was an electrician for 20 years.

I am not sure you need a knife!!

For sheet rock....
Get a Stanley folding saw ($15) where it uses the blades for a Sawzall.
Get sheet rock blades.
Best is a $10 sheet rock saw with a fixed blade, will work much better.

BUT
If you are working, then get tools for work.
Buy a set of screwdrivers.
Lineman 9" pliers, Diagonal cutter, Needle nose plier, and a flat stripper..
And Electricians Jack knife with a blade and screwdriver, or a box cutter
And a sheet rock saw.
Put is all into a work pouch with a belt.
All of this for less than $100


If you need to open the occasional screw then a Leatherman is fine.
If you turned up on my jobsite and intended to work with a leatherman, I would send you home.
Click to expand...


I spent a spell as an electrician as well. neeman is 100% on. A knife is the wrong tool for the job. Stanley folding saw is the one you need.

And for Pete's sake get a set of Kleins for your tool pouch. An electrician is known by his tools. No tools? No tool pouch? Not an electrician. Get a Wiggy, too. Ideal makes a robust one. I've had mine for 30 years and it still works.
 
knarfeng said:
I spent a spell as an electrician as well. neeman is 100% on. A knife is the wrong tool for the job. Stanley folding saw is the one you need.

And for Pete's sake get a set of Kleins for your tool pouch. An electrician is known by his tools. No tools? No tool pouch? Not an electrician. Get a Wiggy, too. Ideal makes a robust one. I've had mine for 30 years and it still works.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

A set of Kleins will set the sum up to $150.

My 9" Klein linesman after 33 years still will cut 10 penny nails with easy.
Just a little loose at the joints, but so am I....
 
Hi Curks (are you by any chance a Whirlpool member?)

Some inexpensive classics that should do the jobs you are after. Both knives come in a smaller size too

Buck 119

bu119.jpg


Kabar

kb1220.jpg
 
yep i am a whirlpoolian :D. I wish i could get the buck 119 alaskan folding knife but for some reason it is restricted>S

Hmm
 
Curkz said:
yes by titanium i mean blade. Guys if you are recommending me knives are there some shops that u can suggest that you have had good deals with and fast shipping via USPS. ? Thanks for all the replies i would probably be doing more heavy stuff rather then filleting the fish...
Click to expand...

Do you want a Ti blade because of using it around saltwater? There are some very good stainless steel blades for use around saltwater. They would be cheaper and maybe hold an edge better.
 
Curkz said:
yep i am a whirlpoolian :D. I wish i could get the buck 119 alaskan folding knife but for some reason it is restricted>S

Hmm
Click to expand...

Ah I thought it might've been you. Dunno if you remember me but I'm on there as scope ;)

I'm pretty sure the Alaskan Buck 119 should get here no problems. Another knife you might want to look at is the standard version (looks identical, the Alaskan Guide is like a special version) which uses 420HC steel but it'll be easier to sharpen which is an advantage for someone new to knives and is much cheaper. It'll be more rust resistant too which might be important since you want to use it at the beach. If you're gonna use it a lot around water though, I'd avoid wooden handles. The Kabar I mentioned above wouldn't be good for use around water too since it has a carbon steel blade.


Regarding titanium blades, like the person mentioned above me, it will cost very dearly. Titanium isn't a common blade material. A better choice is something made with H1 steel commonly found on diving/boating knives, or you could look at the stainless steels (which is more stain resistant rather than being true stainless).
 
yeh john i remember u :P. Can you link me to some sites where i can buy them i need someone that accepts paypal and has those knives otherwise i gotta use my visa :(. I might get the alaskan for just home use and the kabar or something similar bowie for the beach... Wood dont like salt water very much
 
Is the Buck 119 better then the kabar due to its handle? Also can you help me with sharpening the blade as i dont want it to be blunt after using it once if you know what i mean
 
Curkz said:
Thats what im looking for EXTREMELY Strong but well built and not as big as a machete.

Wanna help me out with that...

SO $150 for a folder and about $200 for a bowie
Click to expand...
You might also want to check out the Spyderco Manix.
It's on heck of a tough folder!
 
Curkz said:
yeh john i remember u :P. Can you link me to some sites where i can buy them i need someone that accepts paypal and has those knives otherwise i gotta use my visa :(. I might get the alaskan for just home use and the kabar or something similar bowie for the beach... Wood dont like salt water very much
Click to expand...

The Alaskan Guide Buck 110 I think you can only get at Cabela's. AllenC could you correct me if I'm wrong? Other good places include knifeworks.com which accepts Paypal according to their Faq page and knifecenter.com. I've never used knifeworks but I'm about to try them out with my next order so I'll let you know how that goes. Most Australian retailers are very expensive compared to importing from the US but http://www.rusticforge.com/knives.htm has more reasonable prices. I've never tried them out myself but a lot of Australian knife enthusiasts use them.

Lastly, you should also check prices on ebay as they can be cheaper

Curkz said:
Is the Buck 119 better then the kabar due to its handle? Also can you help me with sharpening the blade as i dont want it to be blunt after using it once if you know what i mean
Click to expand...

The Kabar isn't really suitable for use around the beach because of the carbon steel and leather wrapped handle (although there's a version that comes in a kraton covered handle should is better around water) so yes, the Buck 119 (or its smaller cousin) should be better in that regard.

For sharpening, I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker which makes it really easy to maintain a consistent angle when sharpening. Lansky also makes good sharpening systems but the Spyderco one seems to be the most popular one.
 
You can get a relatively inexpensive clipper from a hardware store that is light weight and will cut a 1/2" branch.
 
Curkz said:
jeez thanks for all the replies guys that was bloody quick!. Basically i want a knife that does it from A-B and that i can sharpen it so it wont be blunt like some cheap crappy knives on ebay.

Something that i can also use in an emergency would be nice so when im at the beach i can strike the magnesium fire starter without the blade snapping and i can cut branches with...

So yeh i might get 2 knives 1 for work and 1 for the bEach and fishing....

Cheers guys

Keep the replies going

PS i dont really care about size as long as its not like a giant samurai sword.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you need one of these mate..:thumbup:
2169258_20070531_jason.jpg
 
lol im gonna get the buck knives if i can :S. THe folding buck for some reason at cabela's is restricted ? Ill try the bowie version hmm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top