Recommendation? What are some good light weight fixed blades?

I strongly recommend the Mora Companion. I have been backpacking my whole life and I have carried my Companion through 1000's of miles of wilderness in every possible weather condition. It's a lightweight tank of a knife that I would bet my life on in all practical applications.

If you want something upscaled, I am currently 6 months in (roughly) in using a GEC H3 model. So far, I really like it! Although testing is not really the point of the following thread, you can get a general feel for how well it will hold up for you in this thread here:

Duane's Knife

My friend Duane, also known as Sitflyer, recently passed away. I met him through BladeForums when he reached out to me after seeing my traditional knife wishlist for 2023. As a backpacker, I'm always looking for gear that is lightweight and practical for my adventures, including knives. I had...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

(Maybe I should start adding more information about what I'm doing with the knife on each trip...)
 
What blade length are you looking for?
In the 3.5 to 5 inch range I would suggest:
Any of the Toferner forged knives (Viking and Celtic styles) other than the Seax. (nice, but a bit large unless you want a Viking short sword) off the big river and jungle site.
I have the "Celtic Pocket Knife" (doubles as a neck knife), 3.5 inch over-all length. Very slicy. I especally like the "As Forged" blade finish.

Mora Number 1 or 2? (red handle) or Companion or other model you prefer? Mora is a slicer.

Cold Steel Finn Bear?

Cold Steel Pendleton Lite?

Cold Steel Canadian Belt Knife?

Grohmann Canadian Belt Knife? (edge may need thinned and reprofiled. I think they may have a 60 to 80 degree exclusie edge angle. The 2 blade Grohmann jackknife I had did. The paper work said the hold the bade at 40 dgrees to the stone. (gives 80 degrees inclusive edge, which does not cut/slice well.)

Old Hickory/Russell Green River Sheath Knife (or other style)?

Your choice of brand 3.25 to 3.5 inch paring knife? (a aftermarket sheath for a 4" blade will fit. or a "traditional" paring knife sheath made from a cerial box and black electrical tape or duck tape is easy to make)
A fillet knife? (3.5 to 4 inch is a handy general purpose size. My family always liked the small Fiskers Fillet knife. A fillet knife has some flex. They are all a good currter/slicer.

If you would consider a folding knive, Opinel or MAM. The Opinel has a twist ring lock. The MAM is available with or without an old style tab liner lock. Either weigh near nothing. Opinel has a size 8 and 9 available with a plastic handle, which makes swelling (or treating the wood so it will not swell) a non-issue.
I have not had any problems with my #6 Olive wood handle Opinel swelling.
My two non-locking MAM did shrink, the application of a little (non-adheasive) Swell Lock fixed them.
I think the closest comparison to the cutting and slicing ability out of the box to an Opinel and MAM would be a scaple.

Thhe Cold Steel KUDU and KUDU Light are also excellent slicers. The KUDU has a pull ring blade lock. The KUDU Light is a slipjpoint.
 
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I agree with the Izula- great knife. David Mary makes fantastic lightweight/slicey fixed blades in varieties of steels and designs. Super guy to deal with I have 2 from him in AEB-L, and the Badger Scout is favorite for horizontal at 10 o’clock or neck carry.
IAdam Kornalski (AK knives) makes great edc fixed blades in different shapes/steels. I have one from him I just love- the shape, ergos, steel, fit and finish. I carried it today as a neck knife during a rough/muddy ATV ride in the rain to my remote cabin for some chores. Even standing in the rain while cutting some dense foam and paracord to set up a mosquito trap, I found myself admiring everything about it.
CPE makes great blades- I have a magnacut tanto that is light and fits like a glove. Has been a daily companion (yes I had it on while carrying the AK neck knife),
 
Mora #1, 3 7/8" blade, weighs 55g, 95g in the leather tube sheath
Mora #2, 4 3/8" blade, weighs 62g, 109g in the leather tube sheath
Blade thickness can vary by maker and how old the knife is, usually 2-3mm thick.
wDOZVPT.jpg
 
MTHall720 MTHall720 I puttered around my shop today not knowing what to do because I'm all caught up on orders at the moment, until my next batch of blades comes in. I could make you one of the following designs in .06" 15N20 carbon steel, which has an optimal balance between wear resistance and toughness at 61 RC, and have it ready to ship out Monday.

Grid squares are 1/2".

1. K-Slick
2. Canadian Belt Knife
3. Teeny-Chef, Wharncliffe variant

1685081416083.png

Unless someone else beats you to the punch, haha. I also have a handful of smaller knives finished and ready to go out the door as well.
 
Strong recommendation for all of these!😃
#1) Buck 102
#2) Buck 117
#3) LT Wright Knives, Next Gen
The Next Gen is made with .125" stock standard, but there is a flat ground .093" stock version available right now in AEB-L. They won't last long. PM me and I'll let you know where you can find it.
 
afishhunter said:
What blade length are you looking for?
In the 3.5 to 5 inch range I would suggest:
Any of the Toferner forged knives (Viking and Celtic styles) other than the Seax. (nice, but a bit large unless you want a Viking short sword) off the big river and jungle site.
I have the "Celtic Pocket Knife" (doubles as a neck knife), 3.5 inch over-all length. Very slicy. I especally like the "As Forged" blade finish.

Mora Number 1 or 2? (red handle) or Companion or other model you prefer? Mora is a slicer.

Cold Steel Finn Bear?

Cold Steel Pendleton Lite?

Cold Steel Canadian Belt Knife?

Grohmann Canadian Belt Knife? (edge may need thinned and reprofiled. I think they may have a 60 to 80 degree exclusie edge angle. The 2 blade Grohmann jackknife I had did. The paper work said the hold the bade at 40 dgrees to the stone. (gives 80 degrees inclusive edge, which does not cut/slice well.)

Old Hickory/Russell Green River Sheath Knife (or other style)?

Your choice of brand 3.25 to 3.5 inch paring knife? (a aftermarket sheath for a 4" blade will fit. or a "traditional" paring knife sheath made from a cerial box and black electrical tape or duck tape is easy to make)
A fillet knife? (3.5 to 4 inch is a handy general purpose size. My family always liked the small Fiskers Fillet knife. A fillet knife has some flex. They are all a good currter/slicer.

If you would consider a folding knive, Opinel or MAM. The Opinel has a twist ring lock. The MAM is available with or without an old style tab liner lock. Either weigh near nothing. Opinel has a size 8 and 9 available with a plastic handle, which makes swelling (or treating the wood so it will not swell) a non-issue.
I have not had any problems with my #6 Olive wood handle Opinel swelling.
My two non-locking MAM did shrink, the application of a little (non-adheasive) Swell Lock fixed them.
I think the closest comparison to the cutting and slicing ability out of the box to an Opinel and MAM would be a scaple.

Thhe Cold Steel KUDU and KUDU Light are also excellent slicers. The KUDU has a pull ring blade lock. The KUDU Light is a slipjpoint.
Click to expand...
Blade length 4-5 inches. Would go bigger but thinking of sheeple
 
I've bought a handful of production fixed blades to use as a daily tool and most didn't really work out. Then I found the knifemakers section here.

Being basically in the city, I like to keep the blade 4" or less.

Check out this section of the forums.

For Sale: Fixed Blades

www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

The knife makers exchange is one of my favorite forum areas. There are a number of awesome blade makers there that post new knives regularly. I would have one from everyone if I could. Keep checking back to see what is available. Surely something will fill your need. The Wharncliffe has been attached to me since the day it showed up.
20230509_173417~2.jpg20230519_151741~2.jpg


There were a few reccomendation for Russell Green River Works knives. Their steel is awesome. I have a few inluding the patch knife and a bigger utility knife (fish knife?) Both are lightweight and useful.

The patch knife is small but it's the most useful little bugger ever. Holds an edge like no other. I'm actually working on a friction flipper with that blade because I like it so much. Did a mediocre job hafting this one but here it is. I had never used Cutler rivets before. (Think I'll stick with pins)
20230319_181350~2.jpg

The larger fish/utility knife has been my camp cooking/cleaning knife for 20 years now. It's been rusty and beat up but still awesome. It's probably 5.5-6". Crappy reused pictures sorry.
20221221_232742~2.jpg

Have fun knife hunting.
 
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