Short-ish, slim profile fixed blades?

R

RedLynx

Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Messages
11,445
Hi guys,

When I first got into knives, I was a fixed blade only kinda guy. As I moved to a more urban area, being able to "comfortably" (for me) carry some of the blades I loved was a rarer occurrence. I still do sometimes, as my town if pretty live and let live and all, but mentally, I'm not always comfortable with it. Maybe that's just a me thing.

That said, I think I could get back into it if there were some short-ish (5" or less) blades that had slim, less noticeable profiles.

I'm sort of thinking like the way some of the Beckers are shaped--one piece slim constructs, or it seems to me, having never owned one. One or two of them seemed that way last time I looked but I don't remember the models.

Any suggestions on what you would carry if you wanted an urban area fixed blade that wasn't so obvious?

Thanks guys. Happy to get more specific but those are really my only parameters.
 
RedLynx said:
Hi guys,

When I first got into knives, I was a fixed blade only kinda guy. As I moved to a more urban area, being able to "comfortably" (for me) carry some of the blades I loved was a rarer occurrence. I still do sometimes, as my town if pretty live and let live and all, but mentally, I'm not always comfortable with it. Maybe that's just a me thing.

That said, I think I could get back into it if there were some short-ish (5" or less) blades that had slim, less noticeable profiles.

I'm sort of thinking like the way some of the Beckers are shaped--one piece slim constructs, or it seems to me, having never owned one. One or two of them seemed that way last time I looked but I don't remember the models.

Any suggestions on what you would carry if you wanted an urban area fixed blade that wasn't so obvious?

Thanks guys. Happy to get more specific but those are really my only parameters.
Click to expand...
Mora 👍
 
5 inch overall or 5 inch blade length. I'm guessing overall. There is the Bradford Guardian, it's abit longer but a perfect urban fixed blade. Or you could look at neck knives that double as belt knives. Personally I love the Silent Soldier necker by Brous Blades, particularly the Ranger model. There is the Spartan Enyo which is made for low profile city carry. There is also the Fred Perrin little bowie. That is a great city knife.
 
My most regularly carried fixed blades: Bark River Mini Fox River, bacustomknives personal utility or scary carry, LT Wright Patriot, and Bradford Guardian 3.
Of course, my choices are limited by legal restrictions; but I have become quite fond of 3-3.5 inch fixed blades.
 
1) Becker BK11csm

I find the San Mai works nicely with the harder W2 core, takes a Great edge, and the coloration of the blade irks nicely to asuage people's immediate concerns and actually pushes the curiosity button in some.

2) Bark River Essential in a fancy scale material.
1336426588-Essentials_018__640x425_.jpg

Older models were available in M4 but I believe the newer ones are m390/cts-204p/20cv. They are also available with and without bolsters.
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I have a BK11CSM and I Love it. It has a Very secure spot in my rotation, and isn't being budged by many others.
That being said, if anything were to budge it, it would be an M4 essential. I absolutely love that alloy and it is more stain resistant than most will lead you to believe.
 
The Spyderco Mule series is very good. The blade is leaf-shaped -- which is much friendlier than dagger-like blades . The blade is thin with a full distal taper, so any mule will cut like a laser. You get an extremely wide choice of steels. You can have someone do a custom handle to make it your own, or go with an inexpensive Halpern. Have a sheath maker give you the option of horizontal or vertical carry. The heat treat is excellent. The ergos are excellent. Hard to beat, really.
 
lapedog and hhmoore reco'd these...(post #5): Bark River Mini Fox River, bacustomknives, LT Wright Patriot, and Bradford Guardian 3.
I've had examples of all of these, and they are great knives. However, I'm presently stuck on Bradford Guardian3's, and have four at the moment. They are 6.5" total length, 3.25" sharp blade edge, and fit my large hand just fine, due to the finger choil.

IMO, your situation demands a horizontal cross-draw sheath, as shown in pics. I've had a lot of fixed and have carried them in various vertical sheaths, but didn't like any of them in the vertical carry.
If you can wear a t-shirt outside of your pants, as we do here in Florida, the knife is hidden and out-of-sight and out-of-mind UNTIL you need a knife. I wear mine all day every day and it's completely "transparent" for carry. I love this mode of carry, and the Bradford comes in M390 and CPM-3V, both of which are excellent steels. They do excel at different things.
My Bark River mini-Fox River is a great slim-profiled knife and you might like it. I gave mine to a gd-daughter and she loves it.



 
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Smaller Fiddleback Forge stuff like the Recluse have very low profiles but incredible ergonomics. I like carrying them horizontal on the front of my belt. You can almost forget they are there depending on the sheath you use.
 
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