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TOUGHEST FIXED BLADE ON THE BLOCK

Cobalt

Cobalt

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 23, 1998
Messages
16,555
So what is the toughest fixed blade in your opinions. Is it Mad Dog, Busse, Greco, Cold Steel San Mai, Timberline Specwar, Mission, etc? I could arm the Arabian Knights with the number of fixed blades I have bought in searching for the toughest knife. I'll admit I don't have a MD.

From the stories I hear MD and Busse would appear to be at the top. But are there any other contenders.
 
Try a Randall Made Knife. Model 1, model 17-
the non catalog fighting knife. check their
site at: randall knives.com . Many to choose
from, waiting for mine. A Marine pilot showed me his Randall and liked everything about it. It was made in '81 and looks like it's been to hell and back but in better shape than any SOG or survival knife that
has been through the same.
PR
 
Gotta go for the Dog. All are tough to beat the band but standouts include the Pygmy ATAK and the 1/4" Mongoose/Wombat series. In Mad Dogs own words, the Pygmy ATAK was designed to be as indestructable as a knife could be.

Derek
 
For toughest, I would have to vote for the Mission MPK. The beta Ti blade deserves credit where credit is due, and toughness is its business. Edge holding? Well...that wasn't in the title of the thread. If we are talking toughest steel knife, then the Mad Dogs, and Busses are the top of the limited production knives. There are a lot of great knife makers out there who know how to make an indestructible blade though, and you could get one from any of a hundred great makers.

I would give the Mad Dogs the edge. The indestructible handle material and fully enclosed tang put the Mad Dogs over the top against the competition in my opinion, but it is not a huge differentiator for me. My guess is that the Busse blades are just as tough, but the Micarta slab handles are not quite as astronomically strong as the glass-epoxy composite on the Mad Dogs.

Ooops, Chris Reeve's one-piece knives deserve to be on the short list too. Way tough, maybe the toughest, since the handles are A-2 steel, just like the blades.

Harv

[This message has been edited by Steve Harvey (edited 22 January 1999).]
 
On this topic, wasn't Mike going to do a comparative review of the Busse Battle Mistress and some other fixed blade knive? I forget if the other knife was the CS Trailmaster, the MD ATAK or another... Anyone know what the status of this testing is?

Eagerly awaiting the results,

Waldo
 
In absolute peak raw tough the Battle Mistress in INFI *might* be on top. If "tough with lighter weight" is factored in Mad Dog probably takes it, either ATAK or TUSK. In the 7" class the ATAK is probably the absolute king. Randalls are also tough, as are the Chris Reeve FBs but those have edge Rockwells no higher than about 57-58...Busses are running around 62, Mad Dog 62-63.

Jim March
 
Well we will find out before too long. I will test several knives including the ones mentioned above and I will let you know who rules!

------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com





 
Well on my block it's one of my multi quench cryo treated O-1 blades.
Otherwise it would have to be a Cris Reeve p/1.

ED
 
I'd go with the Battle Mistress. I agree with Steve that the handle slabs could be better if made of a material like G10 or MD's composite grips.

-Greg
 
Undoubtedly the blades mentioned above are exceptional...Busse, MD, Mission, etc., but I definately feel that those Nepalese Samis perform magic with 5160 in making traditional brute khuhris. I have absolutely no reservation in using mine for anything imaginable...chopping, prying, digging... you name it, it delivers.

Bill Martino of HI talks about the ancient traditions, the Ghurka blood blessings, and visions of chopping through elevator doors
smile.gif
! Hundreds of years of design refinement and practical employment are hard to ignore.

What other fixed blade in existence held in the ready position can conjur up equivilent terror in the eyes of "targets'? Recall the most recently observed reactions during the fairly recent hostilities between the UK and Argentinians, when lone Ghurkas riding in helos displaying their khukris precipitated the surrender of ground troops who feared loosing their heads!

------------------
-=[Bob]=-

Keep yer powder dry and cutters hair poppin' sharp!

[This message has been edited by bald1 (edited 23 January 1999).]
 
Bald1
What do you feel about the Cold Steel Khukris, especially with the 5/16 blade thickness. This has got to be at the TOP of the toughest blade comparison, not to mention scariest. A magazine recently stated that it is the best of all the Khukris. I wonder how this one stands up to MD and Busse. Cold steel has a habit of making sharpenned prybars. My SRK is one of my favorites. It is the only big knife that I have actually abused severely. I don't normally use knives as prybars but I have used that one as a prybar. I wonder if that 5/16 Kukri is as tough.
 
I`m not Bob but I`ll take a stab at this one anyway. The 5/16 CS Kukri simply isn`t in the same class as the HIs. The bigger HIs are twice as thick and made of zone hardened 5160,an already very tough steel. Further the CS is flat ground taking off a lot of steel where the most heavy duty of the HIs are saber ground for more strength and weight. I read the Chuck Karwan article on the CS and I suspect he hadn`t had the chance to try an HI yet. Not that there`s anything wrong with the CS it`s just tough to beat the real deal. My vote goes to the HI 20"AK. If one of these were hardchromed and fitted with a traditionally styled grip made of MD`s magic grip stuff it would really rule! Marcus
 
I think everyone is talking about the 1/8 inch thick CS kukri. I actually mean the 5/16 inch thick CS kukri. This is by far the thickest blade steel out there. Nobody to my knowledge makes blades thicker than 5/16 inch. Maybe thats why the CS was rated so high in the magazine. I'm sure the 1/8 inch thick one would not have fared so well.
 
Cobalt; your question is a difficult one to answer; exactly what do you mean when you say 'tough?'

If you mean able to tolerate severe use, where edge holding, and blade geometry as well as over all ergonomics and strength of all the components are considered, then I am not sure that a clearly superior product exists. The tests proposed by Mike Turber will shed light on this matter.

If you mean using the knife as a prybar, then my vote would be for the pATAK, as the 1/4" stock, combined with the relatively short blade, make a strong prybar. One so strong that I would be unable to break it.

I always carry a pATAK on my belt for just that purpose, although I also carry a steel and a Ti prybar in the car, as their greater length gives more leverage.

You would probably be well served by any of the models mentioned. However, testing should be informative. Walt
 
Cold Steel heavy weight kurkri. Super strong, great cutting power. The CS Trailmaster Carbon V is pretty powerfull, too. Busse has great stuff, but the price is up the ying-yang.
 
HI makes a khukri up to 48" long, with proportionaly thick spines. Nothing CS makes can compare with the equivalent HI, period. Unless you wish to consider cosmetics based on popular culture.

I read reviews with a grain of salt, the manufacturer generally spends big advert $$, so I'd hardly consider a mag review unbiased.
 
Is there a place were I can go see those other Kukris mentioned on the web?

Walt, you are so lucky to be able to carry a fixed blade. In my state of Commufornia, folders are it. But I like fixed blades and get them anyway.
 
Cobalt,

DC and Marcus have it right. I also answered youe query on the other thread you started. To see these Sami made knives, go to Himalalyan Imports home page at http://www.members.aol.com/himimp/index.html



------------------
-=[Bob]=-

Keep yer powder dry and cutters hair poppin' sharp!


 
I have to agree with everything Marcus saids. If blade thickness was the major deciding factor in determining lateral strenth the H.I.'s have it over the CS (any model).

I have both the 5/16 CS Gurkha kukri (really is 5/16) and their ATC 1/8 (really is 1/8). I put in really because the H.I. models are handmade and vary from the published nominal measurements. I also have a H.I. 15" Ang Khola, and WWII model. Where the blade is thickest the thickness is about 3/8". Thicker blade plus sabre grind results in more steel available to provide lateral strength.



Will
 
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