What is the difference between a good fixed blade and a BAD fixed blade

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shot3gun

Joined
Jun 18, 2010
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if this question has been discussed already, please link me to it.

As the title says, what is the difference between a good fixed blade and a bad fixed blade? When I am at the knife store, what should I look for in fixed blades? Companies such as Ka-Bar, ESEE, cold steel, etc make some great fixed blades, but why should I choose a brand name fixed blade over something cheap, such as a mtech or a S&W?

I know that in the case of folders, cheap folders have tons of bladeplay, off blade centering, gritty pivots, soft hardware (pins, screws, etc), and most commonly, bad/below average blade steel. For folders, I tend to stick with the well known brands.

Back to my original question, what should I look for? Finish, handle material, tightness in the scales...? what?!?
I can't test edge retention at a store, and even if the blade is dull, making it sharp would not be a problem.

And finally, what types of blade steel should I be looking for? Stainless or carbon?

Thank you for answering my noob question :D
 
Well the obvious answers would be a good warrantee . Companies like Esee , Busse and Busee kin(Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard) have lifetime warrantees on the knife , that follow the knife no matter how many times it's sold or traded . Blade steel and proper heat treatment so that the blade will both retain it's sharp edge and also be tough and not brake when used hard . But these things are more learned over time and reading than anything you can just "see" when looking at knives .


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HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
Something HUGE that you want to look for in a fixed blade is the construction on the handle and how the tang is placed in it. The tang only goes an inch into the handle on some fixed blade, and typically are easy to break. However on the other end of that scale, you get fixed blades from Becker where the handle is pretty much the tang with two pieces of grivory bolted onto either side. Some knives have tang that's significantly more narrow than the blade that goes through the handle all the way through, but are definitely not as strong as a knife with a full all around and through tang.

That's my main concern with purchasing a fixed blade.
 
Full tang is always a good choice it will never break on you cant go wrong with esse's, i have seen to many poorly constructed fix blades its sad, there is always a better warranty on nicer brands as well as others have said!
 
If it's going to be a knife you use, then spend the money and get a GOOD quality knife. Steel, handle material, fit & finish are all things to look for. ESEE, Becker, Ka-bar, are some great examples of good quality fixed blades. There are many more out there. Make sure the knife suits your needs, and fits you. A knife is just like a shoe, if it doesn't fit you right it makes using it not very comfortable. A lot of the other stuff comes down to prefference, like coating and colors.
 
I tend to shy away from makers that don't identify the steel they use, from stuff made in China and from stuff with a really bad warranty. Most of my fixed blades are from ESEE, Becker and Bark River. I've got a couple Moras and a Gerber Big Rock, all of those have held up well. I just got a Kershaw fixed Skyline that Ive only taken out a few times, but so far I really like it.

In short, stick to companies that tell you what steel is used and that will back their work solidly if something should go wrong. Never bet your life on mystery steel.
 
A GOOD fixed blade spend his life fighting evil.

A BAD fixed blade is just plain evil.

And thats the truth!!
 
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