Before I get into the exact specs of the knife I am looking for I'll explain my situation. For a good while my go to large fixed blade was my Kabar Heavy Bowie. It's a great knife but after alot of abuse it needs some work before it's ready to use again. I've tried a couple of Condors but didn't find the 1075 steel particularly satisfying, it doesn't take as good of an edge as I would like, nor does it hold an edge once I've gone to the effort of sharpening them.
Now that I have a bit of extra cash I'm looking for something a bit more upmarket that will hopefully satisfy my need for a large fixed blade. Intended use is fire prep and shelter building on hiking and camping trips, therefore lots of chopping and splitting (batoning) and occasionally some detail work (carving) but the latter is less important. Now for the specs I am looking for
1. Steel: Looking to upgrade from my previous big knives, hoping to find something tougher than 1095 and with at least equivalent wear resistance. 5160 is my bare minimum but I would prefer something with a little more wear resistance. Corrosion resistance is a not important.
2. Blade Length: 9" - 12" (would be willing to go a little over 12" but not much)
3. Thickness: 3/16" - 1/4" (would prefer not to go outside this bracket)
4. Design: I'm open to most 'standard' big knife designs. From normal drop points to bolo-esque shapes to khukris, as long as you think they will perform well in the role I have specified.
5. Sheath: Kydex is preferred, high quality leather sheaths are acceptable. Not interested in knives that come with crappy sheaths.
6. Price: Would prefer not to go over $300, will consider going up to $350 for the right blade but absolutely no higher than $350.
I think that covers my requirements, I will edit this post if I realize that I have forgotten something. Any information you guys can give me will be much appreciated. If it's not too much trouble I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on any knives you recommend, pros and cons etc.
