Researching a knife purchase. Am I missing anything?

N

Narz

Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
5
Hello all,

I've been lurking for a few weeks gathering information for an upcoming knife purchase and am at the point that I need some advice.

Background: General outdoors guy. Hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, bushcraft, mountain biking etc. I'm not a collector in any way. My main woods knife I bought on a whim about 8 years ago (?). It's a Gerber LMF. Admittedly the "tacticool" aspect grabbed me more than anything and I've just made the knife work for me over the years. My secondary knife that I've used for smaller tasks such as processing smaller game has been an Old Timer 3.5" to 4" fixed blade. I don't even know the model or if there is one. I've had it for 20 years or so.

So I'm thinking I'm going to replace the LMF. I'm looking for something between tactical and bushcraft (I use those labels loosely). Here's what I want:

Full tang.
Scandi or Saber type grind. Nothing convex.
Drop point but may consider others.
No combo edges.
At least a 3/16" thick spine.
5" blade length. May consider a 6" blade.
Gimping on the spine but not a must (I can cut my own if not).
HC Steel (must throw sparks from fero rod).
Pomel utilized in some fashion. Scraper, skull crusher or even something flat.
$200 limit with a sheath of some sort.

The knives that I narrowed it down to:

The Busse Rodent 5
Esee 5
GSO 5 (A bit over budget it seems)

I'm sold on these companies and the knive's features but each one poses a small problem for me.

The Rodent 5 I have to order and wait and I've missed a couple of used ones on the exchange (how are you guys so fast?!). Over all this seems like the best choice for me.

Esee 5: 1/4 spine. I'm thinking this just may be too much. I'd have to use it to tell for sure. But I'm skeptical.

GSO: Seems almost perfect but a bit out of my price range and I'm not wanting to wait months to receive it.

Sorry for the long winded post but my question is this. Can you guys suggest another knife or knives that would meet my list of wants that I may have missed?

Thanks!
 
Becker bk2 or one of several others, the bk2 and esee5 are hefty blades. The swamprat ratmandu is a nice one as well.
 
Is there some reason you don't have a Becker on your list? Something like the BK10 should be right up your alley.
 
You said "at least a 3/16 inch spine"...which indicates to me that is your minimum blade thickness requirement. The next thickness up from that is 1/4 inch, yet you now say that's too thick. So what is it then?
 
All 3 are good but I immediately thought Becker. If you don't like the plastic handles you can buy custom ones and still stay under budget, or make your own if you are handy. The rodent 5 (swamp rat not busse) has an odd handle so you would want to be sure it felt good to you - whereas the ergos of the ratmandu are simply stellar and so it's more nimble in the hand than other knives its size - but although swamp rat knives have outstanding steel they don't come with sheaths so that's extra. I don't have experience with the gso but the knives have a good rep. As do esee's but my friend has one ant it feels blocky to me.
 
Last edited:
Bark River Bravo-1 or Bravo-1.5... research them, and you may find it's what you're looking for. Bravo-1 is 4.25" blade; Bravo-1.5 is 5.80" blade, and they come in a variety of steel choices and handle materials. Here's my Bravo-1 in Tan G-10 with A-2 tool steel - excellent:

 
1/4 inch isn't too thick if your going to chop, I prefer about 3/16 but its all up to you. +1 on the bk2. And in the end if you absolutely can't find a knife that fits your specs, I would head down to the custom knives forum and I'm sure you could get a great custom knife for $200.

Goodluck finding your dream knife bud.:D
 
dipti said:
Apart from all this few more points are important which i would like to share with you..

1)Focus on the quality and not brand: Because your main aim is to buy good quality product at cheap price.Many designer brands are found selling poor quality knives at a high rate but it is possible to find improved quality set with cheaper rates may be from some fewer known brand.

2)Do not pay for any knife that is not ready to ship before your payment:Paying for a knife before it is delivered to you can be little risky but if they have refund option then go ahead.

3) Do online research: Go through the online history of the problems against the dealer/seller and then you can reconsider it before placing an order.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more with all of the above. I've been researching knives for 3 to 4 weeks now. I started with a huge list and have narrowed it to these 3. I was floored at the choices. Tons of great knives at all price points. I've learned a lot along the way. Outside of custom ordering exactly what I want there will always be compromises (unless you get lucky). So in narrowing the list I made some tough choices and also decided on compromises that I was willing to make. Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. I really appreciate the feedback.

Knives from the BK line were on my list and I think the Companion stayed in the top 5. But enough of you guys quickly came back with the BK line as a suggestion that I decided to revisit them. I'll keep you posted.

fishface5 said:
The rodent 5 (swamp rat not busse) has an odd handle so you would want to be sure it felt good to you - whereas the ergos of the ratmandu are simply stellar and so it's more nimble in the hand than other knives its size - but although swamp rat knives have outstanding steel they don't come with sheaths so that's extra. I don't have experience with the gso but the knives have a good rep. As do esee's but my friend has one ant it feels blocky to me.
Click to expand...

You touched on a few good points here that I was curious about. So is Swamp Rat separate from Busse? I was under the impression Busse was the mfg that produced the Swamp Rat line? The handle's contours along the bottom did stand out as a question to me. But based on everything else the knife offered I was willing to chance it. I agree on the Esee as well. Just looking at it it's blocky. As a side note I did find that I can buy the Esee 5 blade, G10 replacements and sheath for under my budget.

Quillan said:
You said "at least a 3/16 inch spine"...which indicates to me that is your minimum blade thickness requirement. The next thickness up from that is 1/4 inch, yet you now say that's too thick. So what is it then?
Click to expand...

In my research I've seen one or two knives that were between those thicknesses. I can't remember which ones at the moment. And not keeping up on knife manufacturing I have no idea what's available and what's not. So I left it open ended in case there were sizes just over 3/16" or just under 1/4"". Why do you ask? Did you have a knife in mind?
 
I like the Esee knives, but you just cannot beat the Beckers for their value. If they are not your taste, the Tops BOB is an excellent choice, but I think the blade is 4 3/4". The tahoma field knife is sweet too, but it may take 2 or 3 weeks to get it. I love my Beckers and my Tops knives. Oh, and the Tops Tex Creek XL is an awesome blade, and in you length and thicknesses. I have all of them I mentioned and would highly recommend them.
 
I cannot say enough good things about the GSO 5.1. I have the GSO 7/7 as well, and I carry the 5.1 far more often. I hear you about not wanting to wait for it though. Keep looking at the sale threads to see if you can shark one closer to your budget. 3V is an incredibly tough steel, and has some stain resistance.

Why do you rule out convex ground knives? Sharpening?
 
Ditto on the Tops blades. The Tops Moccasin Ranger is maybe a bit sleeker than some of the others mentioned, but I find myself reaching for mine more and more, and liking it even better every time I pick it up. The ergos are spot on for my taste, and I think it would be equally at home in the bush or on a deployment. I measure the cutting edge as just under 6", and like many of the other Tops offerings, it's smack dab in your price range, too.
 
Narz said:
HC Steel (must throw sparks from fero rod).
Click to expand...
Just throwing it out there but stainless steel throws sparks from a rod, as long as there is a 90 degree spine any steel will work. However, HC will throw sparks from hitting the spine with a hard rock.
 
knifeguy101 said:
Just throwing it out there but stainless steel throws sparks from a rod, as long as there is a 90 degree spine any steel will work. However, HC will throw sparks from hitting the spine with a hard rock.
Click to expand...

This is correct. I have used my RAT-1 in AUS-8 to throw sparks. It's not ideal, but it does work.
 
link2derek said:
Bark River Bravo-1 or Bravo-1.5... research them, and you may find it's what you're looking for. Bravo-1 is 4.25" blade; Bravo-1.5 is 5.80" blade, and they come in a variety of steel choices and handle materials.
Click to expand...

I'll second the Bark River 1.5 with an A2 steel blade (58-60RC) that's 5.8" long and 0.217" thick. They come with or without ramp and satin or matte blade. The basic one with black canvas micarta handle and sheath is exactly $200 and readily available.
 
Quillan said:
You said "at least a 3/16 inch spine"...which indicates to me that is your minimum blade thickness requirement. The next thickness up from that is 1/4 inch, yet you now say that's too thick. So what is it then?
Click to expand...

:suspicion: 7/32 or approximately 5.56mm is a fairly popular width with all kinds of makers. You're giving up 1.6mm jumping from 3/16 to 1/4, or .06 hundredths in a stretch where a lot of knife makers like to play. One of my favorite knives, the CRK Green Beret is 0.22". I would guess there are dozens of knives that fall within that thickness.

Although OP, it sounds like a lot of your specs are arbitrary. Why rule out convex or FFG? If you plan on chopping, a convex edge would be beneficial, and a lot of people prefer CG on their wilderness knives. Having the requirements that it "must throw sparks from a ferro rod", have jimping on the spine, and the pommel function as some type of dual use tool just doesn't seem as important as the properties of the steel used, the handle configuration for comfort and the geometry of the knife so you get the best knife for your uses.
 
I have a Survive GSO 5 and it's a great knife . You did your homework and found it yourself . I'd say spend the little extra money and get what you'll be happy with . The GSO 5 meets all the things you are looking for .

Narz , I sent you a PM to check out


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
Last edited:
Both are great companies and I really like the Esee 5, scrapyard and swamp rat are good to consider too. Your picks so far you can not go wrong with either of your picks as far of quality goes.
 
A Justice said:
Although OP, it sounds like a lot of your specs are arbitrary. Why rule out convex or FFG? If you plan on chopping, a convex edge would be beneficial, and a lot of people prefer CG on their wilderness knives. Having the requirements that it "must throw sparks from a ferro rod", have jimping on the spine, and the pommel function as some type of dual use tool just doesn't seem as important as the properties of the steel used, the handle configuration for comfort and the geometry of the knife so you get the best knife for your uses.
Click to expand...

I agree. Geometry and materials were an important part in my decision making process. The reason I didn't list properties of steels or the such as a prerequisite is simply because my knowledge is very limited and it seems it could be a very complex/debatable subject. I learned enough to guestimate what will work for me and what won't. In my list I intentionally generalized to side step those debates or questions. If a knife was suggested that had different steels or treatments than what I was familiar with I could do a bit more research to see if I thought it was for me. As for comfort and feel, you can only guesstimate when you're shopping online. :(

Some are curious why I didn't specify a convex grind. I considered it in the beginning but ultimately it boiled down to I have the most experience with flat type grinds and I have the tools to keep a flat type grind in shape either at home or in the woods.

I appreciate everyone's input. This forum has been invaluable for me in my decision making process. I've never been a knife nut. Just used the few I've had for a long time. But after spending some time here and learning what's out there I can see how it can be addictive. There are a lot of great stuff out there.

I'm going to make my decision by the weekend and pull the trigger! Thanks again!
 
I picked up a TOPS Tahoma and I am very pleased with it. It can handle anything I have thrown at it like a champ. Very well made and thought out. Great all around field knife, however the sheath SUCKS (so I made one). I purchased my knife on EBay, received it within four days, and it was cheaper than the TOPS website.

14076014258_92937367e0_m.jpg
14076074587_8c332d38e9_m.jpg

14282803463_75b022e170_m.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top