Toughest fixed blade you know of

[USMCPOP]

That a Thai Enap knife used by the Hmong.

n2s

It was made in northern Thailand, though I don't know if was in a hilltribe village or a camp for Lao refugees. And I think it was made by a different group, not Hmong. I seem to recall Yao (Mien). (A missionary brought them to me.) I have quite a few Hmong knives that I acquired during my year or so working in a Hmong (Lao) refugee camp in northeast Thailand (Loei). This style is a bit different.

I used to help the smiths in the camp get supplies from town, mostly good quality files.

 

[Dr Heelhook]

Either my BK9:

or this monster:

 

[vjb.knife]

Sure but it was only a Volvo that probably did not have the engine in it, and the handle slabs broke off. Hey, when did Russel Crowe start working for Cold Steel?

Still pretty impressive.

Then there is batoning through 1/4" steel plate......It is a type of mild steel with .26 carbon.

n2s

Ok, but now shave with it; that would really impress me. This is still pretty impressive.

 

[Natlek]

Then there is batoning through 1/4" steel plate......It is a type of mild steel with .26 carbon.

n2s

With that thickness BTE glass would cut in mild steel not hardened steel,or that knife in previous post cutting nail .What is so special in cutting nail with that geometry ??............Lifting Volvo is top scams ......same thickness mild steel would do that ...

 

[Natlek]

You ask for this............
This is toughest knife in Andromeda Galaxy ..................must be , it cut 60 HRC steel without damage

 

[not2sharp]

Then we have two of truly though knives. The Collins 1005 Engineers Bolo and the Chatallion Corpsman knife. Many are still around in good condition after a century of hard use.

n2s

 

[not2sharp]

The same can be said of the US 1909 and 1904 bolo knives.

n2s

 

[not2sharp]

With honorable mention to the 1910 and 1917 bolo knives.

People have always appreciated hard use knives. These military knives have been used by soldiers from the trenches of first and second world wars, in Korea and Vietnam, they then where used at home in camps and gardens, and played with by countless grandchildren. Yet many still survive to this day.


n2s

 

[Korean Hog]

Busse, Winkler, and my Tendicks are all super tough.
Had an Ontario RD 9 made of 5160 that was surprisingly really tough, especially for the price.
Tweaked the RD9 pretty hard quite a few times batoning too large of a log the wrong way and the knife sprung back true.
Bent a few Busses prying things and pounded them back straight with no noticeable ill effects in looks or function.
I'm "shocked" at the beating my Cold Steel Kukri has taken pounding roots and knots in the dirt.

 

[not2sharp]

In Europe, the equivalent though knife was often the bill hook.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billhook

N2s

 

[DangerZone98]

Real happy with how this thread turned out. We have a small repository of tough choices for when newcomers or knife vets are looking for tanks with an edge. Folders are very much awesome, but nothing beats a solid slab of sharp steel.

Keep the suggestions and pics coming.

 

[hugofeynman]

Dan Keffeler monster in cpm-3v. The only knife that surpassed NOSS brutal tests.

 

[hugofeynman]

Adam Kornalski 10” blade chopper in 1/2” thick Bohler K600 steel.

Sometimes I like to test my big chopping tools to the extreme, to see if they are truly dependable in a life or death situation. Better fail in the comfort of my land than in the wild or in doomsday, when one really needs the tool. This big chunk of steel survived heavy battoning through a really knotty and twisted grainy wood called Azinho (Quercus ilex) with my 2lbs+ steel Bellota mallet (the hammer marks are visible in the spine of the beast), survived chopping steel reinforced concrete beams, mild steel, Granitic rock and others high silicon rocks without big complaints. A sharpening in my work sharp portable sharpener and the beast is ready for much more! This steel doesn’t have the best edge retention cutting soft materials, but I don’t care! It’s a chopper!

 

[hugofeynman]

 

[mqqn]

I would choose a JK knife - either my Kephart or the Viktim - which has proved itself in abuse testing.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/an-orgy-of-violence-my-time-with-the-jk-viktim.969534/

As some of the others have said - I would take care to treat my knife well as I do all of my gear, but if you had to abuse one - well - the link above will show you the proof (dig deeper for more Viktim abuse in the abuse pass-around from several years back)

best

mqqn

 

[Natlek]

n2s

I really like this one , timeless design

 

[not2sharp]

I really like this one , timeless design

Then you would probably like the 1898 Argentinian artillery machete.

https://images.app.goo.gl/irU9DZxfghZwFBCY6

n2s

 

[Knifelvr97]

The Cold Steel SRK in VG1 is my favorite knife for about anything. It is light, its edge retention is great, its very grippy, and the design is simply awesome for any task.

 

[not2sharp]

I very much enjoy the oversized chunky knives, but as much as they work, there is also a cautionary tale. No matter how large the knife, the basic chemistry of the steel remains the same as does the physics of rending materials. Knives need a finite edge to focus the energy of the cut, and as mass and length increases the steel at the edge becomes less able to withstand the impact.

One of the advantages held by massive knives is that they can do the same amount of work with a slower swing. They even can also help to pry material apart by using their cross section as a wedge. But, just swinging them recklessly will probably shorten the life of the edge.

 

[DocJD]

I very much enjoy the oversized chunky knives, but as much as they work, there is also a cautionary tale. No matter how large the knife, the basic chemistry of the steel remains the same as does the physics of rending materials. Knives need a finite edge to focus the energy of the cut, and as mass and length increases the steel at the edge becomes less able to withstand the impact.

One of the advantages held by massive knives is that they can do the same amount of work with a slower swing. They even can also help to pry material apart by using their cross section as a wedge. But, just swinging them recklessly will probably shorten the life of the edge.

Agreed !

Also , for any real world practical application , toughness must be balanced against utility , ease of carry , and maybe even use as weapon .