USA made fixed blade

D

DeltaCypher0

Joined
Jun 5, 2012
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74
Hey everyone, I'm in the market for an American made fixed blade that I can use for bushcraft, food, prep, etc. I saw some good knives by Knives of Alaska, but Im not sure if they are manufactured in the states. Also, any opinions on Camillus? I prefer 1095 or other high quality carbon blades. I know the Kabar Becker series makes great knives, but Im not a fan of synthetic scales, and I prefer wooden or stag handles, for a natural and traditional style. Im looking for a quality knife, so Please give me any relevant advice. Thanks!
 
Queen Hunters Drop point is 3 1/2 in D2
It is basically a slab of Queen's heat treated D2 for less then $50 in wood
It looks very similar to a RAT
Mine is very sharp and is a solid worker
Mike on Collectors has them

I have one in oak
You can get them in Maple and some lovely Stag for more money

The sheath is good and deep with good retention
The belt loopis not the best, so I put on an 'O' ring at the top and attached it to my belt with a caribiner
And it works very well indeed
 
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Bark River'll have lots and lots of choices, sizes, handles, styles... Blackjack, too. Admired their stag pieces myself, like the 125 Heavy Hunter. There were some later US-made Marbles knives that were very similar, with convex grinds in 52100 steel. I have one in curly maple. I'll post some photos tomorrow.

And GEC has some nice smaller fixed blades in 1095 and 440C.
 
I would check out Bark River or get a Becker and buy some wooden replacement handle scales for it.
 
If you want the real American crafted experience you need look no further than the Knifemaker's Exchange section. I have gotten many a fine knife that fits your description, handmade direct from the maker, for the same or not much more than what a lot of production knives cost. Wood and carbon steel are inexpensive.
 
Something I've been REALLY impressed by are Hess Knifeworks in Michigan. I have one of their Capers in 0-1 and Burl Maple, very nice compact knife (they do other models too) Better than B.River and much much cheaper, mine was around 86USD shipped. Everybody should have a look at their range, I find them serious and excellent.

Thanks, Will
 
Sonnemann said:
If you want the real American crafted experience you need look no further than the Knifemaker's Exchange section. I have gotten many a fine knife that fits your description, handmade direct from the maker, for the same or not much more than what a lot of production knives cost. Wood and carbon steel are inexpensive.
Click to expand...

That's some good advice, right there. Amazing what you get for your money in a custom fixed blade. I don't have any yet, but I've been on the prowl, some really nice stuff!
 
How much do you want to spend? Bark River makes great knives, they can be a little pricey, but worth it. Many of their knives are in A2 carbon steel, but you can get other steels as well. ESEE (formerly RAT Cutlery) makes a nice line of useable fixed blade knives, mostly in 1095. They are worth a look too, and are less expensive than the Bark Rivers. I have examples of both brands and can personally attest to their quality, and no questions warranty, although I've never had to use it.
 
I don't want to hijack the OPs thread, but maybe this info could be of use to him too. Does anyone with any of the GEC fixed blades know how thick the blade stock is? I know some people like a nice thick blade for doing outdoors/bushcraft type stuff, but I was kinda hoping the GEC ones (and maybe Queen?) would be thinner, more like a Classic Mora.
 
I'm always so surprised with how quickly I receive answers on this forum. Thanks a lot, everybody, and I'm definitely going to check out your suggestions. I'll post again with any further remarks.
 
For fixed blades (American-made and carbon steel goes without saying) I'm really liking what Blind Horse Knives is putting out these days. They are great looking, but made for real work. Mostly traditional, or inspired by traditional, patterns. For your purposes, I'd look at their "Bushcrafter" models.
 
1095, non-synthetic scales? Sounds like an ESEE-4 is right up your alley.

Their 1095 is top notch, their micarta scales are pretty comfortable and grippy, and they come with ESEE's fantastic warranty.
 
Smithhammer said:
For fixed blades (American-made and carbon steel goes without saying) I'm really liking what Blind Horse Knives is putting out these days. They are great looking, but made for real work. Mostly traditional, or inspired by traditional, patterns. For your purposes, I'd look at their "Bushcrafter" models.
Click to expand...

+1 and their prices are great too :thumbup:
 
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Another vote for the Blackjack line. Either the 125 hunter (half guard) or the 1-5 (full guard) come with your choice of leather, micarta or stag handles and terrific, convex ground A2 carbon blades.

Here is my hunter with 5" blade for good utility.
IMG_9991.jpg


The cutout choil makes it easy to choke up for detail work.
chokeup.jpg
 
Good stuff by Bark River, but does anyone know a good dealer for them? Their site lists a bunch, but most of them do not carry a full line of their models and only carry versions with micarta scales rather than wood. By the way, I'm interested in full tang knives with wooden/stag handles. Keep it coming with the suggestions please.
 
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