Seeking advice

R

Rainweed

Joined
Apr 28, 2006
Messages
16
Hello everyone ~
I hope this is the right place to post this. I apologize if it's not!
I am looking to purchase a knife. I've been reading and reading all about knives and I am very overwhelmed! I'm posting here in hopes some kind and knife-wise folks can give me some much needed advice.
In 2 months I'll be hitting the road and traveling around the country. I'm going to be attending a few primitive skill gatherings and spending a lot of time in the wilderness.
I'm looking for a nice knife to call my very own and cherish forever.. one that will be my compainion through thick and thin. I am in love with Randall knives.. but I'll be 30 by the time one arrives in the mail. Randall knives are also pushing it for me price wise. I'd like to spend between $150 and $250 on a knife. I'm looking for a fixed blade that can tackle most wilderness type stuff.
I hope I've made my intentions clear. If anyone can offer me any advice I would be very greatful! Thank you ~ Rain
 
Bark River Knife and Tool...something in A2.
I prefer a gaurd (at least half guard) and some Barks come with
them, some don't.

What blade length? A combat style Randall, like the 1-7, may not make the best outdoor knife. There are plenty of threads that cover this.
 
Hi Racegunner ~
I'll check out Bark River Knife and Tool. Thanks.
I was thinking of a 4 1/2 to 6 inch blade. I really like the Randall "Trapper", "Small Camp and Trail Knife", and the "Bushmaster". They are all so beautiful!
 
Hi Rainweed,

You might want to check out the Swamp Rats if you want new, or maybe one of the Busse basic line might be within your reach as well.

Be Well,
 
Get yourself a Becker Crewman for about $60.00 and get a nice leather sheath made for it, that thing will last a lifetime and even if, for some reason, it doesn't, you can afford to get a new one.
 
Fehrman knives would be a excellent choice I also think high of BRK&T, also if you want custom, I highly recommend Bill Buxton's EDC....
 
There's so much to say about knives, and it almost always comes down to personal preference. Some will tell you to get a bigger knife, seven inches or longer, while others will tell you to get something smaller -- in the 4 inch range.

A lot has to do with what you think you'll be doing with your knife.

If I was you, where I would start is by reading through Doug Ritter's pages on knives. He has a lot to say on the topic, especially where it comes to survival situations. As it turns out, a knife that is adequate for a survival situation is also adequate for most normal knife usages.

Note that by "survival situation" I don't mean "knife fighting." I mean, using a knife as a tool to help you along in the world.

Another site that I found very informative was A.G. Russell's knife encyclopedia. This does a great job of describing everything from blade geometry to serrated vs. plain edges. I particularly liked the article on steel types.

As my opinion, I suggest a good first fixed blade is something in a 4" range made out of A2 toolsteel or ATS-34 if you're into stainless steels. As Ritter points out, a 4" knife won't be in your way, so you're likely to actually have it with you if you need it. That should do you well for everything up to batoning big chunks of wood, and you can do the batoning thing too if you develop the necessary skills.

Another feature that I like in a knife is a bright orange handle. That way, if you lay it down in the grass or the woods, you have a much better chance of finding it again. Take a look at the Bark River Knife & Tool Northstar for an example of what I mean. I don't currently own this knife, but it is next on my list of things that I MUST buy. :)

My understanding is that BRKs don't come with the best sheath in the world, so expect to spend a little extra money on that.

Anyway, just my 2 cents....
 
If you want it for Bushcrafting and to cherish for a life time then I suggest a Fallkniven F1 Military

F1_Military.jpg


Fit and Finish (F&F) are absolutely spot on. Its VG10 (Core) is a very well thought of Stainless. It has a small guard and the convex ground is perfect for what you are looking at doing. If its a bit too expensive, then a Bark River Highland Special will also perform admirably.

First-Split.jpg
 
If you are going to be travelling around the country going to Primitive SKill gatherings, I would look at the Bark River as previously mentioned. The Northstar was made for Bushcraft. I have a Northstar and a Woodland Special, and love them both. Holds a great edge (convex), easy to sharpen, strong straight spine great for batoning, strong tip for drilling...

No matter what you get, spend another $11 and get a high carbon Mora. I bet you will use this more than any high dollar knife you purchase. At the very least, you have an inexpensive back-up.

Primitively yours,

Chris
 
Quiet Bear ~ I love your name

I really appreciate everyones advice. It's nice to hear from some people who know about knives.
I've been looking obsessivly at all the Bark River knives online. There are so many places that sell them. I'm falling in love with them all. The Northstar is so tempting because it's made for bushcraft.. I also see they have a mini Northstar. Now comes the tough part.. makeing a choice!! It's a good thing I have such good intuition! :)
 
Looks decent, good old Ray Mears has spawned a real growing industry in the UK. :thumbup:

Beats lager louts and footie Hooligans any day of the week :)
 
If you want a knife to cherish all your life I wouldn,t make it your first one . Get yourself a 50 dollar becker or other knife and live with it for a while . Get to know what you want . That way when you get the one you cherish it will last a lifetime .
 
I hear what you're saying Kevin the Grey. I'm not one to spend money on something cheapy though. If I'm going to spend any money, it's got to have some quality. Not to say the 50$ knives aren't good knives!
I've had 2 knives in the past few years. The first one I had was bought in Oregon. I was climbing trees and living in the woods and I needed a knife. I had 200$ in my pocket and I went to the big knife store to buy one. I feel silly that I don't remember what kind of knife it was. The knife guy talked a lot about knives.. but it was all very new to me. Anyways, it was a nice knife. I also had an Entrek Javilina knife for a while. Thats the extent of my knife knowlage.
 
i would have to say get a brk&t golok in 0176-6 steel and a northstar in a2 with a micro canadian in a2 then you would be set for what ever you need to do that would give you one for your pac (golok) one to carry on your belt (northstar) and one around your neck (micro canadian) and here is a great place to get them good people to deal with by the way i dont have anything to do with the company just good peopl to deal with http://www.dlttradingcompany.com/index.php?cPath=24 good luck sounds like a fun summer scott
 
A Bark River Highland or Fox River should be adequate and it leaves plenty of $$ in your budget to buy a Victorinox Rucksack or Trekker. That small saw can be very useful.

The Bark River North Star is the BRKT knife in my pack. It's a nice size and fairly robust. I'm not sure if all BRKT knife sheaths have it, but teh North Star sheath has a loop for ferrocerrium rod -- very nice to have.

Here they are at Sage Creek Outfitters all on one page.
 
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