Tough knives at affordable price

L

LostCause

Joined
Apr 1, 2022
Messages
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I'm kinda making a list for all of the people who prioritize toughness while not wanting to spend a fortune on their knife.

Rusty knife can be cleaned, dull knife can be sharpened, but broken or badly deformed knife is pretty much useless. All being said it still has to hold an edge decently, otherwise it serves no purpose as a knife.

As tough as 3V is, I'd hate to use it for some really diry jobs. That's where beaters come in.


These are some of well known affordable knives known for their extreme toughness:
Mora Robust
Mora Companion Heavy Duty
Hultafors Heavy Duty
Glock 78 and 81

What are some other knives that are cheap but really tough?
 
dogstar said:
Pre GSM Cold steel makes a lot of affordable fixed blades that are plenty tough.

Peace maker II and III
Finn Hawk
True Flight Thrower
GI Tanto
Recon Tanto in SK5
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I guess the rest might be decent, but I wouldn't trust their SK5 since the guy who sells that told me they recently had 2 snapped Recon Tantos, few SRK-s with broken tips and load of chipped/snapped/tipless Bushman knives come back. Only SRK-C seems to be holding up well...
 
LostCause said:
I guess the rest might be decent, but I wouldn't trust their SK5 since the guy who sells that told me they recently had 2 snapped Recon Tantos, few SRK-s with broken tips and load of chipped/snapped/tipless Bushman knives come back. Only SRK-C seems to be holding up well...
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I think the SRK has too fine a tip... The compact should have the same issue.

The Tanto tip has much more meat on it, so the stories you've heard are not what I would expect.

It could be that the SK-5 heat treat is just way off with CS now.
 
dogstar said:
I think the SRK has too fine a tip... The compact should have the same issue.

The Tanto tip has much more meat on it, so the stories you've heard are not what I would expect.

It could be that the SK-5 heat treat is just way off with CS now.
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Or they don't buy compact as much? Or it's not hollow grind?
 
From what I have heard, Ontario knives are plenty tough, but they lack refinement and sometimes come with funky grinds. For the price and made in USA, it's not bad for a beater.

Their choppers are excellent deals. Here is my SP5. The knife is well made, not a fan of the sheath.
IMG-2022-03-11-12-02-04-321-2.jpg
 
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Ontario, a few years back now, went from 1095 carbon to 1075 carbon steel with most of their blades. It seems it will likely hold an edge slightly less than their 1095, but their 1075 should be pretty tough. That's why companies like Condor choose 1075 over 1095, the 1075, with proper heat treatment, is simply a tougher material.
 
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I may be the only guy who likes the post-GSM SRK. My $35 wonder has treated me quite well...and been quite durable.

In keeping with the Becker theme, I'd have to say that I've treated my 2, 7, and 9 like no knife should ever be treated. As far as I'm concerned, they're about as close to unbreakable as anyone could get.
 
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