Stout small fixed blades.

J

JamesA

Joined
Jun 2, 2001
Messages
696
Hey, guys.

I'm looking for a stout small fixed blade to replace (or complement) a folder for EDC pocket carry.

I want something with a fairly conventional blade shape-- no hawkbills, no recurves, no chisel ground knives. Wharncliffe or sheepsfoot is conventional enough. Something good for all kinds of utility use, not specialized at all.

I'd like the blade to be around 2.5 inches, and the handle to be at least 3.5.

I'd like the blade to be made out of a good blade material, and I'm not too worried about the handle -- skeletonized is fine, whatever.

Here's the tough part: I want it to be made from at least 3/16 stock, preferably 1/4.

Now, the closest thing I can find is the Busse Assault Shaker, which looks perfect except that I'd want another half inch of handle, to make it a four finger handle instead of a three finger one.

Before I go with the AS anyway -- which I probably will, since that extra half inch isn't THAT MUCH of an issue, and the Busse warranty can make u pfor a lot -- I want to make sure there aren't any other decent options that I'm missing.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
JamesA
 
I just got a Strider SA about a month ago. 1/4 inch thick, 3.5" blade length, 8.5 inches overall, cord wrapped handle, multi position kydex sheath. Very stout, unconditional lifetime warranty. It is my EDC. I highly recommend it!

The Busse looks very nice too, but I have only seen them in magazines and not in person.

check out www.striderknives.com or www.badassknives.com
 
My recommendation would be to call up Bob Dozier Knives and tell Linda what you want. I'm sure they can come up with a design that will make you happy. (And it probably won't cost too much more than a Busse Assault Shaker.)

If you aren't familiar with Bob Dozier's work do a little searching on the forums. His work is very well respected.

--Bob Q
 
bquinlan's got it right. I recently picked up the Dozier Agent and I'm extremely pleased with it. :)
 
Oni, actually the SA has a 3.25 inch blade, and it's 7.25 inches overall:)

Jeff
 
Another vote for Bob Dozier. Not only is he one of the nicest fella's
I ever met he built a knife for me just as I discribed it to him .......
over the phone!

Bob built exactly the knife "I" wanted down to color of the handle micarta
and at a price that was sceaming bargain for a custom knife. Does it perfom
as I wanted, it cuts like no other knife I own, is easy to maintain and is special
to me because it's..........mine.

Such a Deal!!
 
Quick note: Blade HAS to be under three inches. Non negotiable. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

I'll look at the rest of the suggestions after I finish posting this.

Thanks for your help, guys -- anyone else have any ideas, please let me know.

James
 
Okay... looked at those blades. Unless I'm missing something, the neck ninja is too big.

As for Dozier... sure looks like he does some darn fine work. Thing is, he also seems to be a champion of the "a knife is not a prybar" mentality. Seeing as I'm looking for a knife that CAN act as a prybar, not a highly efficient slicing knife (I've got more than enough of those), looks like he's not the sort of maker I'm looking for.

Anyone else? I've been looking around -- Sean Perkins looks like he made some stuff that'd work, but I don't think I'll be able to find any.
 
You might want to try TOPS KNIVES and see what they may have or if they can recomend somthing.I own a street scapel,quarter inch thick blade.heavy duty knife.Its alittle to heavy for a neck knife.
 
Actually I did look at TOPS knives... only one that looked suitable was, like you say, the Street Scalpel. I was scared off because it lists the blade steel as "surgical stainless steel."
 
take a look at mission MPU-A2, its size fits your specs, blade is a little bit thinner, though (0.165" instead of 0.185").
 
Sorry, but I've got to ask, what is your intended application? Usually it also helps when a pry bar is a little long. What are you going to do with one so short? Just curious...

Bob Dozier is a true custom maker when called upon to be so. If he chooses to take on a 3/16 or 1/4 stock request, I'm sure what he produces will be first rate... Probably not cheap either since it would be a one-off piece.
 
Originally posted by matthew rapaport
Sorry, but I've got to ask, what is your intended application? Usually it also helps when a pry bar is a little long. What are you going to do with one so short? Just curious...

Bob Dozier is a true custom maker when called upon to be so. If he chooses to take on a 3/16 or 1/4 stock request, I'm sure what he produces will be first rate... Probably not cheap either since it would be a one-off piece.
Click to expand...

Matthew,

Regarding what I'm going to do with one so short: carry it legally. With a blade longer than three inches, I couldn't. Now, I'm also a big believer in the "knives cut, not pry" mentality -- but if I need to do something extreme/abusive with it, I'd like to know, KNOW, that whatever I'm prying or otherwise using to abuse my knife -- I want to know that it'll break before the blade will. I'll likely never have to, but I just want to know that I COULD. Same reason I carry locking folders instead of slipjoints, same reason I carry a Buck/Strider instead of a Delica or a Dragonfly.

And yeah -- the expense on a TRULY custom piece is my concern. Not worth that much overhead, especially when the only improvement over the AS (which is still what I'm leaning toward, although I haven't looked through Livesay's stuff yet) is an extra inch of handle. Not worth that much overhead. If I could find something for $20 or even $50 more, that'd probably be worth it, assuming everything else was equal... but I have a feeling a true custom, at least from Dozier, would be far more than that.

James
 
You might check out a Blackjack Small. I'm not positive, but I think it fits your size requirement, and it is a stout looking little piece.

The web address is knifeware.com.
 
Originally posted by JamesA
As for Dozier... sure looks like he does some darn fine work. Thing is, he also seems to be a champion of the "a knife is not a prybar" mentality.
Click to expand...

I think we tend to talk about the "prybar" thing in somewhat misleading terms. If you really want a sharpened prybar you should literally buy a sharpened prybar. Look for a knife without any bevel except for the edge itself. Such things do exist, they just aren't the best cutting tools.

If what you want is a knife designed for extremely hard use I am sure you would be happy with Bob Dozier's work. Most of his fixed blades are made of 3/16" stock. All are made of tough D-2 tool steel expertly heat-treated to 60-61 RC. They are cutting machines designed to survive under serious real-world use.

Of his standard models, check out the K-9 Personal Utility. It seems to meet all of your requirements, including a blade length of 2-7/8" matched to a full-hand grip. Start from there and ask for adjustments to make it exactly what you want.

--Bob Q
 
Originally posted by JamesA
Actually I did look at TOPS knives... only one that looked suitable was, like you say, the Street Scalpel. I was scared off because it lists the blade steel as "surgical stainless steel."
Click to expand...

James,

Check out their new UTE its made of 154cm.
40_Dsc00124.jpg
 
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