Suggestions for bushcraft knife under $100

J

Jararaca

Joined
Jun 22, 2020
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Hello everyone. I'm looking to get a bushcraft knife and I haven't been able to find a production knife under $100 that fits all my criteria. This is what I'm looking for: 4-5 inch blade, micarta handles, blade thick enough for light batoning, and a saber or flat grind. Any suggestions?
 
Jararaca said:
Hello everyone. I'm looking to get a bushcraft knife and I haven't been able to find a production knife under $100 that fits all my criteria. This is what I'm looking for: 4-5 inch blade, micarta handles, blade thick enough for light batoning, and a saber or flat grind. Any suggestions?
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Welcome to Bladeforums! The company 'Real Steel' makes a bushcraft model fixed blade that you can find for that price.

Condor Knife and Tool also have several options for that price range.

My choice would be a Becker BK-16 for that price point.
 
Boy, I would think he posted here for a reason...

If you don't get any responses, I would check out the Makers For Sale forum to see what each maker does/price points.
I think you are going to have to step up some for a 4-5" blade; that size of handmade usually is around $125+ though you may get lucky.
You should see a lot of blades in the 3-3.5" range for what you want to spend.
A couple of makers on this forum do work in your price range, you should PM them if interested in their work.
I'm sure they would be happy to work with you.
 
might have better luck in a diff section of the forum. This is custom and handmade. Nothing sells for $100 if its custom and or hand made.
 
There are some good knives with micarta handles under $100, some of the Ontario RAT series might fit your requirements. Cold Steel SRK - doesnt have a micarta handle, but tough and very reasonably priced.
 
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Jararaca said:
I haven't been able to find a production knife under $100 that fits all my criteria.
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Welcome to Bladeforums, you're in the right place. Don't be discouraged, it's a good question.

Below a hundred dollars is difficult to find in the handmade market. At the $150 mark, you'll have more options.

jideta jideta is spot on with his advice. Keep an eye on the exchange forum and you'll find some Makers very close to your price range.

Welcome again and good luck on your search.
 
Keep an eye open or search the web for something from Landi Knives.

John is a custom maker that offers knives at prices lower than most custom makers. He doesn't have a website and I don't believe he takes orders but his stuff comes around on the web or here in the marketplace and it's usually surprisingly inexpensive. I've heard wait times can be long if you do ask him for a custom.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...rials-and-fitted-kydex.1628384/#post-18604626

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/landi-puukko-and-puukko-jr.1643625/#post-18817665

There is stuff on the web for a little more than your top end but no more than you'd spend on a half tank of gas.
 
maybe it's just me, but to my way of thinking, the op has said nothing about custom knives so I'm puzzled as to why this thread is still in this forum?
 
Lorien said:
maybe it's just me, but to my way of thinking, the op has said nothing about custom knives so I'm puzzled as to why this thread is still in this forum?
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According to the quote below, it looks to me like he's unable to find what he wants in production knives so he's turned towards Customs. Why on Earth wouldn't a post like that be welcomed here?

Jararaca said:
I haven't been able to find a production knife under $100 that fits all my criteria.
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KingMC said:
That was my reasoning behind leaving it here, he seemed to be looking for a non-production option.
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I took it to mean they hadn't found a production knife that meets the criteria and that they needed help finding one, a production knife that met the criteria that is. I'd be shocked if someone would be willing to make a knife like that for $100, but I suppose it's possible
 
There's actually a nice looking handmade knife in the exchange right now for under 100 dollars, though it doesn't fit the op's criteria.
 
Lorien said:
I took it to mean they hadn't found a production knife that meets the criteria and that they needed help finding one, a production knife that met the criteria that is. I'd be shocked if someone would be willing to make a knife like that for $100, but I suppose it's possible
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It’s a buyer’s market. You’d probably be shocked if you take a look at some of the prices on the exchange anymore.
 
Just don't buy some random thing off of eBay though. There's tons of "hand made" and "custom" knives there that are anything but, being mass produced in China and Pakistan. Always ask (us, not them) if you don't know.
 
There are a few people here that take Old Hickory butcher knives and modify them with a shorter kephart grind and attach Micarta scales.

I’ve been throwing around the idea of getting one myself.
 
I'm not sure you will find something undee $100 but there have been a fair amount between $100 and $150 lately. Most are going tobe made from simpler carbon steel like 1095, 1084, 5160, etc. but for bushcraft and a desire to field sharpen they are great choices.

I would shop around the maker's market and check every few days for a little bit and see what shows up. There are a lot of really nice fixed blades that come through at higher price points with nicer materials and finish but I think you often get what you pay for in the maker's marker here and in the past 2-3 years much of my fixed blade collection has turned into custom knives.
 
Ka bar bk2 bk16 ....alot of people have there dislikes about tbe finish or grind or scales ect but I like them and they are a tank... I have had mods done to mine tho so its semi custom lol
 
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