Specific Knife Recommendation?

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rodogg

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Nov 25, 2011
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It seems like I'm always asking for knife recommendations, but you guys know more than me so sorry about that! Anyway trying to find a knife for a while, with these specifics or as close as possible:

It will be used in a bushcraft/survival/outdoor role
Overall length: between 9 and 11 inches, preferably around 10.
Blade thickness on spine: around 3mm or in inches, 0.118, less is okay, more not preferable. I find a lot of knives are too thick.
More blade than handle also would be nice but not necessary.
Full tang, or almost full tang.
No finger-choil.
Blade steel and handle material not so important.
Can't thick of much else...

Price range: No more than 150 dollars

Thanks anyway!
 
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There are so many... for something inexpensive, the Condor Bushlore is a pretty good blade for the $ especially since they are using a thinner bar steel of it as compared to when it was introduced. I have the original and I find the steel too thick for more delicate tasks.

A couple I am partial to are: Fallkniven F1 (at about 9" overall length) and the Blackjack 125. The blackjack has a thicker steel, but the grind makes it very usable along the cutting edge. The Blackjack 1-7 is larger but has essentially the same grind. Lots of great knives made by Bark River in A2.

The F1 is hard to beat, but the knife I would grab now is the 125. My problem is that I have too many choices.
 
Oh some things I forget ( sorry wasnt thinking straight), full tang and price range of no more than 150 dollars!
 
Ontario 12" machete. Or a Mora #C-223 (8.75" blade, .07" thick, and 1.5" wide, with a permanently molded plastic handle), #749 8" blade Stainless.
 
Fallkniven F1 or S1, ESEE 4, Becker BK-15/16/17 - any of these will serve you well.
 
Fallkniven S1 is close to perfect apart from being too thick, the esee 4 has a choil and the beckers are also slightly too thick.
 
rodogg said:
Fallkniven S1 is close to perfect apart from being too thick, the esee 4 has a choil and the beckers are also slightly too thick.
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S1 = 5mm
Beckers = 3.5mm - I actually feel they are bordering on being too thin.

Bottom line is, if you want a strong blade in that length it's going to need to be reasonably thick, so you may struggle to find something that fits all your criteria. If you want thin, then you might be looking more at the Moras, but then you sacrifice your full tang requirement.

With the ESEE-4, I used to be as anti-choil as you (and still am mostly) but I actually like it on this particular knife.
 
I have an ESEE 4 and it's a tough all around knife. The steel is probably a little thick for you. However, it is a nice blade at around the $100 price point. The sheath attachment could be better for regular people (on your belt) versus using it as part of a molle type attachement.

The SOG Seal Pup Elite is another that is a good all around field knife, but I feel the steel is a little thick for slicing at a campsite. But it is manageable and they are tough knives. They come hair popping sharp new. A thinner SOG would be the Field Pup. The sheath is kinda cheap, but it works. I have bought them for as little as $25.
 
I just think a lot of knives are unnecessarily thick. The beckers are probably pretty close to what I want actually. I know what you mean though, some knives feel better with certain characteristics than others, but as a rule I'm not a choil fan. We can all change though :D I think I'm between the S1 and Beckers now, neither are exactly what I want but maybe that doesn't exist :P
 
Another thought: head over to the knife-makers forum and take a look at some of the offerings over there. If you can't find exactly what you are after, one of the makers will almost certainly tailor something to your exact requirements. I got a really nice utility knife from Joe Hargis Knives in 1095 steel with stabilised maple burl handles for not much more than $100 and there are plenty of others out there.
 
Yeah I'm always watching in the knife makers forum too, and if I can't find a production model that suits me I may just contact a maker :)
 
rodogg said:
It seems like I'm always asking for knife recommendations, but you guys know more than me so sorry about that! Anyway trying to find a knife for a while, with these specifics or as close as possible:

It will be used in a bushcraft/survival/outdoor role
Overall length: between 9 and 11 inches, preferably around 10.
Blade thickness on spine: around 3mm or in inches, 0.118, less is okay, more not preferable. I find a lot of knives are too thick.
More blade than handle also would be nice but not necessary.
Full tang, or almost full tang.
No finger-choil.
Blade steel and handle material not so important.
Can't thick of much else...

Price range: No more than 150 dollars

Thanks anyway!
Click to expand...
Wow, TWO knives immediately come to mind and fit all of these parameters perfectly: Ontario 7" Butcher Knife ~$10; and Russell Green River Hunting Knife ~$20

But I seriously question the disregard for blade & handle material, esp. on a $150 budget.
 
Well of course handle and blade material would usually be a big consideration, but because of the other specifications by themselves being hard to come by I didn't want to confuse the situation any more :) And thanks for the two recommendations :)
 
Check out Anza. Some of their knives meet both your length and blade thickness specifications. They are made from old files, but I've heard nothing but good things about their durability and edge geometry. Since they are handmade, each blade varies in thickness and handle type, but they remain surprisingly affordable.
 
rodogg said:
Well of course handle and blade material would usually be a big consideration, but because of the other specifications by themselves being hard to come by I didn't want to confuse the situation any more :) And thanks for the two recommendations :)
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My pleasure, and I am not so sure that the specifications are that tricky to find, esp. given the custom makers out there. Neither of the knives I listed come with a stock sheath, although a number of knife-purveyors will be able to offer one made to fit them, but I should also mention that neither knife is really designed for long-term outdoor use, the handles are relatively uncomfortable and the steel not specifically hardened for edge-retention and carving wood. These are simple "trade knives". Mora's like the Mora2000 might also fit your desires, but these are budget knives. With $150 you could easily get a custom maker to ply a superior tool, perhaps O1-steel and textured micarta scales?...
 
chiral.grolim said:
My pleasure, and I am not so sure that the specifications are that tricky to find, esp. given the custom makers out there. Neither of the knives I listed come with a stock sheath, although a number of knife-purveyors will be able to offer one made to fit them, but I should also mention that neither knife is really designed for long-term outdoor use, the handles are relatively uncomfortable and the steel not specifically hardened for edge-retention and carving wood. These are simple "trade knives". Mora's like the Mora2000 might also fit your desires, but these are budget knives. With $150 you could easily get a custom maker to ply a superior tool, perhaps O1-steel and textured micarta scales?...
Click to expand...

The reason I never really considered custom knives was because I'm so indecisive that it would take me forever to decide what I want :P And I love Moras, fantastic knives for the price but I want full tang. In saying that there probably are full-tang Moras. The Mora2000 isn't though. The two knives you recommended are really low budget. But anyway, it's seeming like custom may be the way to go! Any recommendations for a good maker?
 
Sounds like you might definetely like a scandi blade. Look at kellam, particuraly the wolverine/puukko. Also Take a look at the fallkniven F1? Im not sure if were allowed to post websites on here....... But I know one........sounds like a weed Lol
 
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