The Most General Purpose (fixed blade) Knife

If we’re talking easy to sharpen + affordable + compact (won’t hoard your backpack/belt space + comfortable handle = I’ll take the Cold Steel SRK. I just like it as an all around knife. That’s my pick for a “boring knife.”

Wouldn’t be my first choice for food prep though, as I prefer uncoated blades for that job.
 
There are many many knives out there that I could make do with for this. I have a number of very capable [yes] Moras that would be fine; Companion, Companion HD and Bushcraft. I also have a CS SRK and a Becker Model 10 Crewman - although like DangerZone98 I am not keen on using coated blades for food prep and would carry a plain steel kitchen paring knife as well.

Edit: My Mora Bushcraft has a coated blade as well so would require a plain steel kitchen parer along as well.
 
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Really hard to beat an Old Hickory Butcher Knife with a 7" blade. Thin, easy to sharpen, tough, big enough to do some larger jobs, light enough to choke up on for finer work.

Less than $30 for a new one, and most likely less for a really nice older one from a junk shop with plenty of life left in it.
 
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The shorter variety (5-6") of French style butcher knife. Neutral handle shape, pretty neutral blade shape. Thin stock, but not too thin. Decent, but not obnoxious hand protection.
 
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Brisa Trooper 80crv2 ( it’s technically a Scandi grind / low saber to zero and it cuts everything well )

JJ Smith Camp Knife 5160

Thanks - field knife 8670

All of these have been heavily used for awhile. Good edge geometry and primary grinds all around. Kitchen, dog walking, yard work, box slaying, tape cutting, wood carving and anything I forgot to mention.. possible with all 3

Crag the Brewer Crag the Brewer might have some general purpose stuff in the works
 
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When I was a little bit younger and doing a lot of backpack and canoe camping, I always favored a very sturdy bushcraft-style knife as a do-all fixed blade. My favorite is a Brian Andrews custom:
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I also sometimes carried a BladeForums Dan Koster bushcraft, a conventional grind Busse Bony Active Duty, or a custom from Joel Bolden.
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I think there are a very large number of knives that will fit the bill, depending on your preferences!
 
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luethge said:
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Brisa Trooper 80crv2 ( it’s technically a Scandi grind / low saber to zero and it cuts everything well )

JJ Smith Camp Knife 5160

Thanks - field knife 8670

All of these have been heavily used for awhile. Good edge geometry and primary grinds all around. Kitchen, dog walking, yard work, box slaying, tape cutting, wood carving and anything I forgot to mention.. possible with all 3

Crag the Brewer Crag the Brewer might have some general purpose stuff in the works
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That knife at the bottom has better manners than some people I know.

All three picks are nice.
 
Off the top of my head. I would say the Demko freereign.

Just because it has that slicey blade but the thicker stock. So I can sort of move around tasks like food prep or chopping wood pretty easily.

Does stainless count as more general purpose if I can use it in wetter environments?

I was using my ultimate hunter the other day and was thinking the skinning style tip would kind of do ok in a first aid as well. As it is sort of designed not to go through the layer I am cutting. (The free reign has the same sort of shape)

But say if I had to open up a pants leg or something.

 
Shorttime said:
Besides the Smatchet.

From food prep to field prep, is there a fixed blade you could rely on for all of your fixed blade needs? Sure, it would be boring, but let's say you're packing light?

Are there other answers besides Mora and Carothers?
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Strictly speaking, no - due to size. E.g., hard to cut a loaf of bread with a < 5“ blade and cumbersome to carry an 8“ blade around or peel a potato with.

If I had to pick one fixed blade only, it would probably be a ~5“ Kephart.

If I was short of funds, I’d pick the Becker (BK62), for instance.
 
This one. Made by Daado Daado .
He made this workhorse. At my request.
 

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