What is the best $100 large camp knife.

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kgriggs8

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$100 or less, I know Busse are supposed to be good but I am not going to take a $400 into the woods and in my kayak just so I can cry if I lose it. It has to be good but doesn't have to be the best knife ever.

Here is what I mean, something like an Ontario RTAK or RTAK II. I like a big blade but it doesn't have to be really thick. I will use it as a machete and hachet more than anything else. I don't plan on pounding with it or digging with it but it may have to do this if I have nothing else. It has to work as a knife/machete first and a prybar/shovel/hammer last.

I just placed an order for one of the 12" Ontario machetes. It will my knife until something better comes along. I like the fact that it is small enough to fit in a pack and it doesn't weight much. The RTAK II looks good but I don't want to spend the money without some info on how it preforms first.

Main thing, it has to chop anything up to the size of a small tree down. It should be able to take down 3" sappling with a few whacks. My 18" Ontario machete will do it and I won't even get tired. I have had some blades like the Ranger RD-9 that just didn't work that well for what I had in mind. The RD-9 was tougher than I needed and it packed more weight as well.
 
For under $100, you can get a Becker BK-1 (Brute) or BK-9 (Combat Bowie) (if you're lucky... Camillus production has slowed to a crawl).

The BK-9 is one of my favorite big knives.
 
Guyon said:
For under $100, you can get a Becker BK-1 (Brute) or BK-9 (Combat Bowie) (if you're lucky... Camillus production has slowed to a crawl).

The BK-9 is one of my favorite big knives.
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The BK1 is a fine knife (even if they call it "Brute":D ).:thumbup:
 
ralph.merlino said:
Look at the Ranger RD knives.
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Uhm, he wrote...

"I have had some blades like the Ranger RD-9 that just didn't work that well for what I had in mind. The RD-9 was tougher than I needed and it packed more weight as well."
 
Ontario Rat-7 w/D2 steel blade. The handle is simply amazing! My all time favorite knife for very cheap.

Get used all the time for chopping little branches but can be used for MUCH more.

And IS aw you watn to use as machete mostly the nI'd go with the RTAK ... great knife. I have the Rat-7 and RTAK .
 
the Rtak Kicks Ass.

That Knife Was Actually My inspiration For Buying A Fbm!
 
RD9, BK9, Ontario's RAT serie or a something from Himalayan Imports would be in that range.
 
How about a Kershaw Outcast? I wouldn't be chopping down trees unless it was a survival situation but.... The Outcast looks like a good compromise between chopping ability, weight, and price. Now I want one, darn it.

Heck, you could get a Cold Steel kukri machete for under $20 and just buy a new one every-other trip-- firewood chopper, two-legged snake chaser, and latrine tool all in one :)
 
Keep an eye on EBay for older carbon steel Western Bowies. IMO, one of the best knives ever made.
Scott
 
Here is what I had in mind, 9-12" blade, 1/4" stock or thinner, full flat ground if possible. Think RTAK or RTAK II and that is pretty close to what I want. I pretty much want to know if there are any $100 blades that are similar to the RTAK.

I strongly perfer inline blades. I have owned many of the HI Kukris in different sizes and shapes and none has preformed as well as inline blade for me. I think the Kukri is way over hyped. It is good for some tasks but I think normal inline blades can preform more tasks. Most Kukris are too thick to make decent brush knives. They make fine heavy choppers but they don't do as well on the light stuff. Even if they cut it well, there is too much effort required and they are too hard to control. A lighter blade tends to work better as an all around outdoors blade from what I have seen. 1/2" blades make fine axes but tend to do little else well.

So, what is similar to the RTAK for about the same price?
 
If the RTAK II is so close to what you want, that's the route you should go. Jeff Randall and company stand behind the RAT line, so you're pretty safe in that regard.

I've been eyeing it too, so I'd be interested in your impressions if you decide to buy one.

ON-RTAKII.JPG
 
please consider getting a southeastasian parang / golok or filipino barong / bolo. have you seen a broken blade? and the indigeneous peoples use their blades far more than most of us.

depending on the type of vegetation, I find that 5/32" is the thickest I would go on a blade for efficient cutting. now I don't pry and I don't do Cliff Stamp tests so I can't say anything about whether they're bombproof.

but they're reasonably priced, forged and usually thinner stock (the way I like). you do need to get someone to give it a good professional convex sharpening the first time, as not all of them are sharpened properly out of the shop. most natives / villagers will be able to sharpen them to razor sharp by just using a $3 stone - it's born out of necessity.
 
ToddW said:
Ontario Rat-7 w/D2 steel blade. The handle is simply amazing! My all time favorite knife for very cheap.

Get used all the time for chopping little branches but can be used for MUCH more.

And IS aw you watn to use as machete mostly the nI'd go with the RTAK ... great knife. I have the Rat-7 and RTAK .
Click to expand...

Don';t they also make it in 1095? that would be my choice
 
Razorback - Knives said:
Keep an eye on EBay for older carbon steel Western Bowies. IMO, one of the best knives ever made.
Scott
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And there are ways to mdify it tomake it even better....i would say an old Blackjack Bill Moran Rio Grande camp knife, but those have taken on some collector value nowadays so they cost more like $200+ when you can find them....great knife, though.
 
Guyon said:
For under $100, you can get a Becker BK-1 (Brute) or BK-9 (Combat Bowie) (if you're lucky... Camillus production has slowed to a crawl).

The BK-9 is one of my favorite big knives.
Click to expand...

there you go...
 
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