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Starter Fixed Blade

prisoner6

prisoner6

Joined
Aug 7, 2003
Messages
470
I have always had folders, beginning as a pre-teen. However, I've never had a real fixed blade knife.

What is a good starting point? Just general use, maybe camping, carrying in yard type of knife. Think the fixed equivalent of a Delica or Griptilian.
 
Esee 3, Kellam Wolverine, Fallkniven F1, or just a good old mora.
Could you be a little more specific in what you want?
 
Start with a classic! Although I bought some cheap fixed blades as a teenager, it wasn't until more recently that I started focusing on something other than just "cool factor" regardless of budget. The Buck Nighthawk and Buck 119 are - in my opinion - great knives to start out with. The Gerber Prodigy is also nice if you want something a little more military-styled while still being fairly simple in design.
 
A Mora is a great place to start. It's very inexpensive and holds up very well to most uses. Buy one, use it for a time and then look at how it performs for you. If you notice any major deficiencies you'll probably have a much better idea of what would address those after using the Mora than just looking at specs on the internet.
 
Start with a mora, if its to big get an ESEE izula 2 or even a canduri, if its perfect size get an ESEE 3, if it's to small get an ESEE 4.
 
+1 on the Mora! For around $15 bucks, you can get a taste of the fix blade scene, and if you like them, great! If not, it wasn't a huge investment in the first place!
 
If you are not a fan of the Scandi grinds on Moras (I'm over them) a couple great budget choices are the AG Russell DeerHunter and Bird& Trout. Nice slicers available in a range of metals and prices....none of which will break the bank.
 
marcinek said:
If you are not a fan of the Scandi grinds on Moras (I'm over them) a couple great budget choices are the AG Russell DeerHunter and Bird& Trout. Nice slicers available in a range of metals and prices....none of which will break the bank.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. IMO, those are among the most underrated blades around. Spectacular slicers for not a lot of cash.
 
In my mind, the USMC Ka-Bar is a classic. If I had to have one, that would be It. Great blend of practicality and history
 
Check out the Becker necker, or even the eskabar (esee & ka-bar collab), both are awesome fixed blades, and cheap.
 
If you can get one, a Spyderco Mule Team in your favorite steel and some Halpern Titanium scales is almost unbeatable value wise, and an extremely good performer.
 
marcinek said:
If you are not a fan of the Scandi grinds on Moras (I'm over them) a couple great budget choices are the AG Russell DeerHunter and Bird& Trout. Nice slicers available in a range of metals and prices....none of which will break the bank.
Click to expand...

The Deer Hunter is a great budget blade.

OP, you may be looking for something like The Gerber Yari (It's S30V), or the Benchmade Nimvarus. Also, someone already mentioned Essee, but you might want to look at Ka-Bar and Becker (I would get a Ka-Bar for a starter fixed blade if I wanted in on the ground floor), Ontario, or even Tops (they don't get much mention on BF, but they are solid knives in my experience). Look at the Air Wolf if you're wanting a more general small knife, or the BOB if you're wanting a bushcraft knife. If you want to step it up a notch, Cold Steel SRK or Fallikniven A-1, F-1 or S-1.

This is what I would do though: buy custom. There are custom knives come up on the exchange that are competitive with decent production blades on price, made from better materials, with more appealing designs. They have the opportunity to go up in value, while mot production blades will usually go down in value as soon as you take them out of the box. Watch the exchange for a week or two, go back through the last 5-10 pages of knives, and if you see something that really fits your needs contact the maker and see what you can work out.
 
I don't understand all this hubbub! I had a great starter fixed blade:

8012083832e5-300x300.jpg


For the low price of only $19.99, you too can survive!
C
 
prisoner6 said:
I have always had folders, beginning as a pre-teen. However, I've never had a real fixed blade knife.

What is a good starting point? Just general use, maybe camping, carrying in yard type of knife. Think the fixed equivalent of a Delica or Griptilian.
Click to expand...

Kershaw Skyline Fixed Blade with a Kydex Sheath to replace the crappy leather one kershaw gives you. IMO that would be a great option for EDC, Yard work and a light camp knife. I have a few of them and I can tell you that it would fit your intended use perfectly. I would show you a pic of one of mine but I cant access them ATM.

It's true that a Mora is a good value and strong fixed blade option I don't think it's a good option for EDC. Now yard work, yea. Camp knife, perhaps but I prefer full tang for a camp knife rather then a rat tail. Personal preferences, but for $15 I would get one just to try it out. Although I would spring for the buchcraft BLK version if any.
 
The Condor Bushlore isn't a bad place to start...but Mora can't be beat for value. Try the Companion Heavy Duty in carbon steel.
 
+1 for mora on the low end. If you want to spend $50~$100 look at the Becker Knife and Tool line. Many different variations, all outstanding quality, and all easily mod-able down the road with plenty of people that make handles and sheaths. Plus a great support community. IMHO a great place to start with fixed blades...maybe the best
 
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