Noticed you said you were interested in the custom knife community ... you should take a look at the knifemaker 'fixed blade' section. I understand if you want to go the production route, especially with good dependable companies like Busse, Fehrman, Scrapyard (why hasn't anyone mentioned them? Maybe they're out of stock ...) but if you see something on there that you like, most makers' work is reviewed here somewhere on the forums.
Don't forget about the "Knife reviews and testing" section either, since you said you're fairly new to knives it may help you figure out what features you like or dislike on a knife.
Since we're pointing out makers you might be interested in, you might also want to take a look at:
Gossman Knives, known for being tough, affordable
Matt Lamey (RMLamey) on forums, makes a lot of choppers, studied under Jimmy Fikes so there's credentials right there ...
Reggie Barker, cutting competition champion -- haven't kept up and don't know if he's still making stuff, but worth taking a look.
I'm sure there are many others I've neglected to mention. Also, if you're needing a combat knife for an active duty military situation, most makers and some companies will give discounts to active duty personnel, so be sure to ask around.
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