Some Fixed Blade Advice

Captain Spaulding

Captain Spaulding

Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,140
Hey all,

I am in the market for a solid all around knife in the 6-8" (blade) range. It will be used predominantly as a camping/survival tool. I have looked at Busse, Reeve, Kershaw, ZT, and a few others I can't remember.

What is the best all around steel (i.e. balance of noncorrosive, easy to sharpen in the field, not brittle) for that job? And who does it best? Also, who does it for the best value? It seems that Busse makes an amazing product according to the Knifetests website but at $500+ would I be better off just getting a RAT or an Ontario or whatever else that is a quarter of the price...where do the diminishing returns start?

Aaaaaaaand go!
 
Rat rc-6 / fallkniven s-1 / cold steel srk / glock knife / benchmade csk-II. Bang for the stops about the $150 mark.
 
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In my far from expert opinion, the RC-6 is the best all around big fixed blade you can get for $100. 1095 isnt too brittle, gets goofy-sharp and holds the edge very well. The trade off is a loss of toughness, naturally. It will chip if you try hard enough. Carbon steel is definitely corrossive, though. You'll get a little patina on the edge and on the laser etching. A brush across a strop will clean up the edge. I dont worry about the etching, it adds character. The black powder coat is pretty tough stuff, just wipe it down with a little oil when you're done using it. RAT is a great company with a great product.

The Fallkniven S-1 is highly regarded as well, but I haven't been able to handle/use one.

Edit: Don't forget to check out the custom makers' forums. There are guys on this board that do some amazing work. If they don't have what you want I'm sure you'll find someone that will more than happily make one to your specs.
 
I would say,give one of the makers on these forums a shot.From what I've seen in these threads,alot of these guys are Real Good.Also I've noticed most of these makers are very reasonable in price for what you get.I have'nt ordered from one yet,but I will sooner or later.My problem is, there are so many great makers here to choose from.
 
What I said above I feel is true.That said,if you are on a budget and want the most bang for the buck then get a Becker.If you can afford a wee bit more get yourself a RAT.Both make,in my opinion,the best knives in their price range...no BS.
 
As far as production knives are concerned, I'd look at the RAT RC-6, or the Becker BK7
 
I tend to grab a Kumar Karda from HI when I need a mid sized fixed blade. Pretty good bang for the buck. I think the "small" straight blades from HI are some of the best kept secrets around.

Frank
 
There is one thing that you might want to consider, weight.

Lets say you get a super mega ultra 8" long, 1/3" thick blade that weighs alot but has chops wood like it was a laser sword. Would you carry it around "forever and ever"?
You would most likely leave it in your camp, and when your "camping" turns into "survival" you dont have a knife.

Think instead that you carry a smaller knife, maybe even a cheap crappy Mora for eight bucks. It weighs barely nothing, it doesnt hold an edge for more than an hour and it can not chop at all but it is there, hanging on your belt when you get out of the creek soaking wet and the only things you have except the knife is the firesteel and whistle around your neck. Get a fire running and wait for the SAR.

It is a traditional thing with knife sizes. If you bring your "scandinavian" knife to the outbacks in US people will probably laugh at your puny 3,5" sami knife. The same goes the other way. Bring a traditional Bowie to a trip in for example Norway or Sweden people will look terrified seeing your rambo-murder-death-kill-knife. Mothers will shield their kids in fear, the animals will flee in panic etc.

However it is only the knife ignorant people who do that. The educated ones will whisper to each other "did you see that special limited edition knifemaker X knife?"
 
you ca'nt lose with rats how ever if you want to go as high as 240 or 260 check out ferhman. little stronger with much longer edge retention.
 
Hello, Captain.

For the activities you describe I have settled for the BRKT offerings due to the quality of the products at a price point I'm comfortable with. I have to say that aesthetics play an important role in my selection and is one of the reasons I picked BRKT over the other brands. I do like Mike Stewart's work. He uses A-2 in most of the knives in the size you want, which is a tough steel that takes abuse well.

Have fun in your search, but don't forget to let us know what you chose.
 
There are plenty of stainless steel types that can do the job, I'd go with Fallkniven if corrosion is a worry (or even the Buck 119 if you're really low on cash).
However, if you want something that is nearly guaranteed not to break, get a Busse.:thumbup: They just giggle and laugh when you beat on them.
If you want near Busse performance on a budget, keep an eye on the Scrapyard.
I'm also very pleased with my Becker 9. A Becker 7 should do the trick as well.
 
Winbag338, true, all of the knives mentioned, as well as those in the camp knife thread, will work fine. It's mostly a matter of personal preference and aesthetics. When you order one of the factory knives (ALL of those mentioned are quality knives in my opinion) you get what everyone else gets. When you order a custom you can ask the maker to change the knife to suit your tastes/needs. Different handle materials, different steel, blade a little longer/shorter/thicker/thinner, different grind (convex, flat, hollow) are all options that you have control over. With factory knives you don't often get those kinds of options.

If there isn't anything in the lineup of customs that you like at least maybe the competition will answer a question or two about a particular feature.

I know that the camp knife competition did give me a few different ideas about what may work better.

If everyone liked the same knife this would be a very boring forum.

SDS
 
In the secondary market, you could look at SwampRat or Scrap Yard knives. Also take a look at Fehrman knives, they are great blades. Customs are a great way to go as well, then you can get exactly what you are looking for. Rat Cutlery is about the most bang for your buck IMO. I have a Rat 4 and a Rat 6, and the fact that they are the only factory knives I have left should tell you something.
 
+1 scrapyard for bang for the buck and hard to break. Performance wise they just don't seem as good as the RAT knives which have a flatter grind and thinner at the edge though I know they are tougher, but toughness is just one aspect of what you're looking for. Design wise I like the RATs, toughness I like the Scrapyards.
 
For what the average camper/survivalist/outdoorsman will need to do, a 40-50 dollar Kabar will do it all fine in my opinion. If you feel the need to spens more, there arre better options that are endless.
 
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