What edc fixed blade should I get?

I love the Street Beat and the Guardian too but even the lightweight Street B is not under 70$.

That said if you can find a Street B for under 70$ I would say pounce.

Honestly though if I was in OPs position I would just watch the used knives exchange for good opportunities. Also sometimes certain makers put up amazing fixed blades for such a low price on this forum. That's where I would look.
 
maximus83 said:
Ted, sorry I don't know the answer to that, I really have no idea. Here's a semi-educated guess, and some follow-up advice though. I'm going to guess that the main knives that are targets for piracy and selling counterfeit versions are the "popular" models. Street Beat as a small, kind of niche use case fixed blade, has never been super popular or widely known, thus I would suspect there are few if any counterfeit versions of it out there. Best advice I can give: buy from a reputable dealer like Knifecenter, and you won't go wrong. Even if you did by chance get something that seemed off in the box, a good dealer like KnifeCenter is straight up and they'd make it right for you.

I really, really like my Street Beat, it's an incredible quality little 3.5" fixed blade, and extremely comfortable grip with that little built in choil, but still the OAL is short enough that you could harness or neck carry it if you want. I also like the suggestion somebody gave above, the Spyderco Mule Team knives, get in a good steel that you like and buy some scales and a sheath. Pretty affordable solution and I'd be considering that too if I didn't already have the street beat.

Here's my street beat, this is the factory sheath in a Mercharness that you can loop over your arms and carry upside down under your shirt. I'm getting a better sheath made though, the factory sheath on mine is not great.

y4mCn7Ip-84fCc1W72XtfdZPJhd5n-YVxNpFT2H8keLUbZ4HgyQYDLn0QYtFu2McafJp02D5ia4t5uhG-KMiW0E123bUpjI6pfE1DlGic4sBebPF7HUvZ3D61nQVrosmr9q6wSn-EejyQ9C4tZGXLOGyBNpnIIPeS3HYVo6v2uhvHbPL2t-PVPys-0vmDvm4W6YwjXvvj_ICNPsE3EKQHESCQ
Click to expand...
Wow, that is a beautiful knife, I love the Micarta scales
 
If you are absolutely bound to the $70 thing, then check out this guy on the Spyderco Mule team site. You can get a Mule team knives in 20cv, which is a premium steel equivalent to M390, for $69.95. Ok, then you'd need to add for scales and a sheath, but sheesh, that's a premium steel in a good short fixed blade. Say you buy their handles, that's $45 more. I don't recommend their sheath, it's only $30 but crap. :-) I'd contact Bob at Survival Sheath Systems, he can build you a quality sheath for around $50, and Bob's sheaths always pay attention to the critical issue of retention and safety. So that if you EDC the dang thing, it won't be falling out on you. :) So if you get this knife, plus handles, plus a sheath from Bob, your total is around $165, still a very reasonable total for a complete EDC setup in a great quality steel.

https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/MT23/Mule-Team-23-CPM-20CV/1007
 
Lapedog said:
I love the Street Beat and the Guardian too but even the lightweight Street B is not under 70$.

That said if you can find a Street B for under 70$ I would say pounce.

Honestly though if I was in OPs position I would just watch the used knives exchange for good opportunities. Also sometimes certain makers put up amazing fixed blades for such a low price on this forum. That's where I would look.
Click to expand...
Ok, Thank You
 
<sigh>
You added your budget after we started...
You can get a Mule - cross everything else off the list I posted.
 
If you add some homemade handles to a Becker you can stay well within your budget. Doesn't get more made in the U.S then home made. After market ones are available.
Sb5IIov.jpg

 
Ted Helmus said:
I checked to see if the reviews on this knife are reliable, and fakespot told me 0 percent of the reviews are reliable
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I have no idea what fakespot is, but I have three bad blood knives and they are superb deals. My review is reliable and not fabricated LOL. Try your fakespot on the Bad Blood Dreadnaught.
 
When I was looking for an EDC fixed blade the majority of what I saw was raving reviews, from outside sources and from inside this forum, for the Bradford Guardian 3. For like $160(save for the exchange occasionally), you can get it in M390. I didn't want to spend that much on a knife I didn't handle so I went with the N690 steel and G10 handles for $100.

For the first week I loved it, second week I was starting to get a little unimpressed, a month or two later I realized how great of an EDC fixed blade it really was. Shape, size, even the handle(which I wasn't a fan of from the start) all seemed to make sense. It was designed to a capable and comfortable carry.

Haven't abused it or anything, but N690 is actually a pretty damn decent steel(I'm not a steel snob per say.. But I much prefer good quality steel). N690 takes a devious edge easily, holds up to a lot of a cardboard cutting, and should never, ever rust out on me. If you're willing to spend a little extra dough, the Guardian 3 in N690 is just about perfect for what you're looking for.
 
Ted Helmus said:
Wow, that's a good looking knife for a good price, is it made in the USA?
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No Ted, unfortunately these are China made but quality is high, fit and finish are spot on. The whole line of Bad Blood knives are steals for the price.
 
I would follow recommending the Bradford Guardian 3 for your criteria ... but then saw the cost ... so most the thoughts that came to mind are a bit smaller like the Esse Izula II or Becker BK11 ... or one of the LT Wright Patriot or Coyote or Frointier or Small Workhorse ...

But one suggestion ... check with John of JK Knives ... he is a custom maker here on our forums and has several smaller knife options that you may like ... and might be in your price range ... and his work is great ... you might be able to talk to him and get exactly what you want in your range.
 
I'll jump in and say "Save up for a few months and get a Bradford Guardian 3." I know it is well above your preferred price range, but I think it is well worth the money for what you get. I've had mine (M390 with the 3d scales) for a while now, and cannot be happier... except when I go places that don't allow fixed blades :(

Enjoy
 
My favorites are the ones from Childress knives, price is a bit higher, but you get a knife of great quality and very nice handles. My thoughts also jump to LT Wright and Battlehorse knives, l like the Frontier Valley or the Great plainsman (LTW). You can find some different steels too.
 
Ted btw, I noticed that Spyderco now has a FRN handles (versus micarta) version of the Street Beat. Way less expensive, under $100, but still uses the same steel, all other details same. That said if I were you, I'd save your pennies and spring for the Guardian 3 in 3D scales, as others are saying.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SPFB15PBBK
 
Izula - Get a quality kydex horizontal belt sheath and micarta scales when you can afford them.

I personally think the Izula is too big and prefer the candiru but your blade requirements don't allow for it.
 
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