Survival/Bushcraft/Work Fixed Blade

Z

zazoola

Joined
Sep 2, 2014
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Hello everyone, I'm trying to make a knife decision here. Yep. We all know how easy that is.
Moving right along, I will list things I will be using it for. I'll be doing quite a bit of bushcraft type stuff, trap making, carving, chopping, shelter building, batoning and other such stuff. I'll probably use it on the farm also, so it will be cutting twine, doing mild prying and probably cutting some flesh also. My budget is 180$. Here's the list with my thoughts.

Bark River Bravo 1: I like the shape, look, and the sheath. But I've heard that the edge is too thin, ramp sucks, and that HT is messed up. I like the warranty also.

Fallkniven F1: I like the performance and functionality of the design, and rave reviews by everyone. Don't like the sheath, looks or warranty. Also is a bit small for my tastes. Prefer a blade around 4-5 inches.

Fallkniven S1: Same likes as F1, and its the right size, but I don't like the blade shape or the sheath, and the VG-10 chipping issue bothers me.

Tops BOB: I like the price, and the scandi like grind. Don't like the sheath or the firesteel.
The warranty also doesn't seem as good.

Tops Dragonfly: Like the blade, grind and thickness, but I hate the sheath.

ESEE 4, 5, 6: Don't really know much about these, but I like the shapes, looks, sheath and warranty. I don't like the handles though.

Ontario: Don't know much about these other than being similar to ESEE.

Swamp Rat: I like the knives, but them not coming with a sheath and the waiting time is what turns me off a little.

I think that's about it, please feel free to recommend knives that aren't on this list also.
 
EESE 4 is a great all around knife. Handle is comfortable during use. God steel that is easy to maintain and keep sharp.

TOPS BOB. Same as above.

I would not hesitate to buy either of these. I do not own either, but have used both a bit and know they are good knives.
 
Which one do you like the most?
Go with that one.

You have a pros and cons list for each so start striking your least fav off and work your way to the top choice.
I'm sure you will hear from people who like all those knives and people who dislike all those knives. You already did the homework, now make the decision.
You can check out a swamp rat on the secondary market with a sheath and see if you can find something if that is the only thing holding you back.
Good luck!
Just make the call and try it out. It's okay to change your mind and find out what works and what doesn't for you.

And for what it's worth I would go with Fallkniven out of the ones you listed-because I want to try one
 
Which one do you like the most?
Go with that one.

You have a pros and cons list for each so start striking your least fav off and work your way to the top choice.
I'm sure you will hear from people who like all those knives and people who dislike all those knives. You already did the homework, now make the decision.
You can check out a swamp rat on the secondary market with a sheath and see if you can find something if that is the only thing holding you back.
Good luck!
Just make the call and try it out. It's okay to change your mind and find out what works and what doesn't for you.

And for what it's worth I would go with Fallkniven out of the ones you listed-because I want to try one
 
On the low end of your price range you could check out the Coldsteel Master Hunter. Its a lot of knife for the money.

If you save a little more cash you are in Survive GSO 4 or 5 territory.

The Dragonfly continues to impress me. You could get one and pick up a leather pouch sheath for well under your budget and be done with it.
 
I have an ESEE 4 and an F1. They both have pros and cons as you noted. Out of those two I use the ESEE a lot more. The handles are a bit blockish, but still comfortable enough for me. Really like the kydex sheath it comes with and the warranty is about as good as it gets.

A couple that I don't have but you may want to look at are the Becker BK-16 and the Spyderco Bushcraft. The Beckers are a good value, but you might find you want to upgrade the handles and sheath. I have a BK-15 that sits in my knife block in the kitchen, lol. The Spyderco is right at the top end of you budget but I've seen a number of very positive reviews about them. Everyone raves about the comfort of the handles.
 
I have a Fallkniven F1, A1 & A2. I don't really use them because I don't like the small handles and the fact the don't have much of a guard. Always makes me feel like the knife is going to slip out of my hand.

For the money you just cannot beat ESEE. They know exactly how to do their heat treat and they make a rock solid knife. An ESEE 5 or 6 would be an excellent choice.

I have a several Swamprat knives and the are just phenomenal. I got an R7 for my wife's emergency kit, and its a great knife.
A Ratmandu or an R5 would be great choices, the R6 would stretch the budget for the sheath.
Yes you have to wait, and they're a bit more expensive, but it's usually not that long and it's well worth it.
Sheaths are no problem in both Kydex or leather. Lots of sheath makers in the SRKW sub forum.

Just my opinions.
Good luck with your search!
 
Thanks everyone! I've narrowed it down to the ESEE's, Swamp Rat, and the Bark River. I definitely would like to hear more opinions on them though, I can't choose between them because I can't figure out which one is my favorite.
 
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The bark river gives you a lot of options on handle material and or colors.
 
Yeah, I'm not the kind of guy that cares what color his knife is, or what the handle is made out of. In fact, I like the default handle better than all the rest of the handle materials they have.
 
The Ratmandu can be had now for around the top of your price range. I think it's the best of the bunch you listed. I buy leather sheaths from knife suppliers for under $20, water form them and Obenauf's the hell out of them. They have been of great quality, and I like leather. Some don't.
 
I'd highly recommend snagging a Ratmandu off the exchange, or everybody's buy and yell website... No wait, plus it would do everything you want. I've had most of the knives on your list and that's what I'd go with. It just about perfect IMO.
 
I have the Bravo-1, ESEE 4, F1, Gunny, and Ratmandu. All are fantastic knives, but I gravitate towards the Bravo-1 the most, and am considering getting the thinner LT version in 3V for a better slicer. The F1 is a great knife too, but much smaller than the others. A better comparison to the F1 would be the Bark River Gunny, and ESEE 3.
 
Pilot1 said:
I have the Bravo-1, ESEE 4, F1, Gunny, and Ratmandu. All are fantastic knives, but I gravitate towards the Bravo-1 the most, and am considering getting the thinner LT version in 3V for a better slicer. The F1 is a great knife too, but much smaller than the others. A better comparison to the F1 would be the Bark River Gunny, and ESEE 3.
Click to expand...
So how does the ratmandu compare to the bravo 1?
 
Pilot1 said:
I have the Bravo-1, ESEE 4, F1, Gunny, and Ratmandu. All are fantastic knives, but I gravitate towards the Bravo-1 the most, and am considering getting the thinner LT version in 3V for a better slicer. The F1 is a great knife too, but much smaller than the others. A better comparison to the F1 would be the Bark River Gunny, and ESEE 3.
Click to expand...
So how does the ratmandu compare to the bravo 1?
 
You can get larger handles for the ESEEs at the knife connection...

If I was starting again I would probably get the Survive GSO 4.1 and call it a day.
 
You can get larger handles for the ESEEs at the knife connection...

If I was starting again I would probably get the Survive GSO 4.1 and call it a day.
Click to expand...

I've owned or own most of the knives on your list and used them for everything you mentioned. Esee 4 with the larger handles is very comfortable and has a "forever" warranty. The bst by far for me has been the 4.1. I carry it and use it in the woods more than any other blade. I have one in M390 so maintenance is very easy.

Only issue I see with the smaller versions is batoning wood. They will all take the batoning, you just won't be able to baton logs that are very large.

If I had to pick only one to do everything on your list it would be the Survive Knivs GSO 5.1. Great balance in size for small tasks like cutting twine and larger tasks like batoning. You can't beat the CPM-3V and Peters heat treat for toughness on those GSO blades in CPM-3V. IMO.

You can do small things with a large knife. Tough to do some large things with a small knife.
 
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