Which 5-6" fighter?

V

VegasNick

Joined
Jan 24, 2005
Messages
159
Hi Everyone,

This is my first post here. Been doing internet research for a couple of weeks looking for a good 5-6" fighter. Sure is nice to have this forum.

So far, based on blade profiles and grips, i have narrowed it down to...

SOG Recondo

Al Mar Sere

Benchmade Nimravus

Timberline Lightfoot

KaBar Impact

I have not handled any of these knives yet. The only knife that i did get ahold of was a Camillus CQB1. The handle was too flat & thin for my taste and maybe 1/4" too short. I saw the CQB1 on the Camillus website for $228 and on another site for around $168. They had it in a local gun store for $70! Is this the incredible bargain that it appears to be or is this type of pricing common with knives? The low price and the sheath nearly sold me, even though this knife is not really what i want.

A good sheath is almost as important to me as the knife. I prefer a sheath which can be mounted horizontally on my belt, if you know what i mean. There are lots of pics of knives on the net but it is difficult to find pics of sheaths.

Here are my questions to the experts...

1. Do you know which of the above knives have a sheath which can be mounted horizontally?

2. Which of the above are Made in U.S.A.?

Please give me any other thoughts that you have about the above knives.

Are there any conspicuous omissions? What else should i put on my short list?


Thanks
 
Kydex sheaths can be worn horizontally, either lashed to a belt or secured with a Tek-Lok.

Personally, I love the Nimravus in any configuration, and it it made in America. However, you ought to get a hold of one first to see if you like the handle.

Welcome to bladeforums, btw!
 
Dang...I was going to suggest the Camillus CUDA CQB-1...I have one, and it is an excellent knife.:).

The Benchmade 140 Nimravus is also an excellent knife, as is the Cold Steel 6" stainless Tanto.
 
Buy the knife you like best, whatever sheath it comes with. If the sheath is not to your liking you can get high-quality custom kydex fitted to it for less than $40.

Also, are you sure that bargain CQB-1 isn't actually one of the "Black Ops" versions in high-carbon instead of stainless? They run a whole lot less to start with, although they are still excellent blades.

--Bob Q
 
I know it's not on your list, but a Gerber Yari would be a good choice also, assuming you can still find one.
 
bquinlan said:
Also, are you sure that bargain CQB-1 isn't actually one of the "Black Ops" versions in high-carbon instead of stainless? They run a whole lot less to start with, although they are still excellent blades.

--Bob Q
Click to expand...

I am certain that it was a Camillus knife. I cannot remember what it actually said on the blade, i think it said CUDA but whatever it was, i knew for sure that it was Camillus. I wondered if they meant to put $170 on the tag and mistakenly put $70.
 
Sorry to add to the confusion. The "Black Ops" models are based on the same designs as the regular CQBs, but made from different materials They are still made and sold by Camillus.

The original CQB models come with satin-finished blades in 154CM stainless while the "Black Ops" versions have black-coated blades of 0170-6C high-carbon. The high-carbon versions seem to sell for a lot less than the stainless ones.

--Bob Q
 
The Army issued me a CQB1 in Iraq. It was in 154CM and the blade was 60/40. It was an awesome knife and received a lot of abuse form the soldiers but kept performing. I really liked the sheath from Blade-Tech, it was very solid and versitile. Great knife, great price, get one!
 
bquinlan said:
Sorry to add to the confusion. The "Black Ops" models are based on the same designs as the regular CQBs, but made from different materials They are still made and sold by Camillus.

The original CQB models come with satin-finished blades in 154CM stainless while the "Black Ops" versions have black-coated blades of 0170-6C high-carbon. The high-carbon versions seem to sell for a lot less than the stainless ones.

--Bob Q
Click to expand...

Well, i'm gonna go look (real close) at it again tomorrow or the next day. It had a satin finish blade though, i know that.
 
Will P. said:
Kydex sheaths can be worn horizontally, either lashed to a belt or secured with a Tek-Lok.

Personally, I love the Nimravus in any configuration, and it it made in America. However, you ought to get a hold of one first to see if you like the handle.

Welcome to bladeforums, btw!
Click to expand...

Will, thanks for the welcome...and the info on Tek-Lok. I handled a Nimravus today. It was a lot heavier than I expected. It was nice, and certainly still on my short list. I have to get ahold of all the knives before I make a decision though.
 
Danbo said:
I know it's not on your list, but a Gerber Yari would be a good choice also, assuming you can still find one.
Click to expand...

Thanks Danbo, i am open to all suggestions. The local knife shop actually had a Yari today. I like the size and feel a lot but i did not like the sheath. As bquinlan suggested, i could get a custom made sheath but if i can get a knife with a sheath that i like, why not. Still, the Yari was the best knife that i have held in my hand. I like the blade profile and the grip... and i liked the looks too. I can't remember how much they wanted for it. I think it was $140. Is that a good price?
 
Go ahead and get the Becker C/U 7 :) If I am right on my blade steels the Cuda black ops would use the same steel as a Becker, which would actually make it BETTER than 154CM at a lower price. High end stainless is the bomb for folders but in a fixed blade it is very hard to beat a good Carbon (non-stainless) Steel :D Have never seen a CQB but have some other Camillus fixed blades and if it is of the same quality it should be awesome. However (although I've never seen one in person) I think the Al Mar Sere Operator is the best lookin' hope there are some opinions on it :D
 
Hey I checked it out Cuda Black Ops is the cheapest of the bunch and has the same steel 0170-6C as the Beckers, get the black ops :D
 
VegasNick said:
Thanks Danbo, i am open to all suggestions. The local knife shop actually had a Yari today. I like the size and feel a lot but i did not like the sheath. As bquinlan suggested, i could get a custom made sheath but if i can get a knife with a sheath that i like, why not. Still, the Yari was the best knife that i have held in my hand. I like the blade profile and the grip... and i liked the looks too. I can't remember how much they wanted for it. I think it was $140. Is that a good price?
Click to expand...

That's about twice what I paid for mine a year or two ago, but you have to consider they don't make them anymore. Personally, I wouldn't pay that much. I am sure you can find one somewhere else a little cheaper.
 
Well, I went back to the gun store to check out the reality of a Cuda CQB for $70. It was authentic all right. I bought one of course.

If you live in Las Vegas, The Gun Store (on Tropicana) has four of them left.

HURRY!!!
 
marsupial said:
Look at Ryan Wilson's 6 ich model 2.
Click to expand...

Who is Ryan Wilson? Isn't he one of the Beach Boys? (Just kidding!)

Sorry...I'm a newbie...who is Ryan Wilson and where can I see the knife?
 
It seems you bought one already, but if you happen to keep on lookin', you maybe able to find a nice John Greco knife around. You may need a separate sheath made, though. Solid sheaths, but mostly leather ones, IIRC.

I did like my Gerber Yari, but never used it. I sold it just recently. However, you could see one floating on the forums sale section from time to time.
 
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