Which one for occasional camping?

W

WilliBee

Joined
May 1, 2007
Messages
4
Hello everyone!

I’m just about to buy a knife for myself and would appreciate your advice on which one from below mentioned to choose. I would need it for a mountain trips, fishing and camping... After two weeks of studying various materials I've finally chosen following three that match most with my criteria (price/quality/purpose): Fallkniven FK-F1ES Military Survival Knife, Ka-bar 1258 and SOG Seal Pup Elite E37. Fallkniven is made from VG-10 steel, Ka-bar from 1095 carbon and finally SOG is from AUS 8 steel. All of them having plain blade. Which one would you choose and why?

Thank you in advance!
 
Well, the Fallkniven is going to out-cut the other two by an extremely large margin, not because of steel type (or product loyalty on my part ;) ) but due to its superior blade geometry. It is a full-height grind and so while being of a robust spine thickness it still becomes much thinner at the edge shoulder. The other two are both saber grinds, the kabar a flat-saber and the SOG a hollow-saber. Half the width of the blades are full thickness and then plunge at rather extreme angles down to the edge. This kind of design sacrifices cutting ability for strength, so while both can get very sharp, their ability to pass through cutting mediums will be low when compared to the full-height grind. And also in this case, due to its own thick spine/short blade/most robust tang design of the three, the Fallkniven should actually be stronger than either of the others. The Kabar design is classic and the SOG has racey lines but both are designed as "combat" knives, which is one of those hard to define terms when you really look at it, but essentially they're part weapon, part general cutting tool, part tent stake--essentially designed to do a variety of tasks reasonably well, but not really specialized for anything. The Fallkniven is much closer to a pure cutting tool; its cutting ability would be increased even more with a thinner spine but having a military pedigree itself they were going for a somewhat tank-like quality.

Last but not least, the steel in the Fallkniven will likely be superior for your needs. AUS-8 is a fairly tough stainless and 1095 is a good all-arounder but the VG-10 from Fallkniven will hold an edge longer than either in just about all types of cutting, especially the AUS-8. 1095 is actually capable of very extreme edge holding when its hardness is taken into the low 60s, but Kabar uses the same hardness in the short models as it does in the standard combat knife--around 58 HRC if I remember right--which again is a concession in favor of overall toughness and ease of sharpening instead of pure/prolonged cutting ability. It's not that this philosophy has no merit, but given the size and weight of these blades and the types of jobs they're really suited for, you'll appreciate the edge holding in prolonged cutting more than the ability to strike wood or bone without chipping.

If you combine the Fallkniven with a good machete (easily within the $25.00 range) and possibly a fillet knife, I really can't think of much you'd ever have to do in recreational outdoors use that wouldn't be covered. Honestly, that would cover just about all uses, recreational or not. Of course, as a certified knife knut who owns many many MANY times more knives than he needs, I have to smile at my above statement, but hey--it's my hobby. My brother in law collects toy trains, and I can guarantee he has more than he NEEDS, but... ;)

I'm sure others will weigh in here. Let us know what you decide and welcome to Bladeforums.
 
What are you going to cut?
If its Fish and Steaks I used to use my old Mundial fillet knife.
If you need to chop kindling a small axe will help.
I think these things come down to personal preference any sharp knife will do the job it is up to the style and design that suits you.

p.s. Welcome to the Forum Mate
 
Have you thought about a Greco Companion? John is selling them for half price and they are stout. I have one and it takes and keeps a razor sharp edge and the 8670 steel is tough. Take a look you might be impressed.
 
If you do not need and expensive knife I bought 1 of these for US $20.00 its AUS8 has a great sheath.
K1029.jpg

Kershaw Bear Hunter II
The Antelope Hunter II is similar only slightly smaller.
K1029.jpg

Just a thought.
 
I'd go with the Fällkniven F1 any day. It's an extremely high-quality knife, and the sheaths ain't half bad, either. VG-10 is extremely stain resistant, holds an edge very well and above all can take abuse like no other stainless steel (in my experience). I actually like Ka-Bars quite a lot, but it's a bit unfair comparing them against the much more expensive Fällkniven stuff.
 
T1mpani - thank you for your in-depth answer! I fully agree with you...Fallkniven F1 is all-around reliable and outstanding knife having best attributes among those three. But check my summary (knife/price/shipping cost) below and then advise me on what would you choose?

Fanklyit - I have checked the Greco website. The 'Companion' looks really great. I can see the price of 85$ - is this the half price?

Danno4017 - I don't like that Kershaw very much. I know it's definitely a good knife but my preferences are somewhere else...thx anyway.

Elen - I've decided not to spend more than 100 USD incl. shipment (I'm from Slovakia) on new knife [ok, let's say +/- 10USD :)] I read number of articles on the internet and made a selection of knives that fit most to me. I was comparing their reputation, quality, the material that they are made from, size and last but not least the price.

Now let me summarize the prices that are available to me:

- Fallkniven F1: 94$ + 15,50$ (shipment) = 109$
- Ka-bar: 42$ + 27$ = 69$
- SOG: 63$ + 20$ = 83$
-----------------------------------------------
and finally the Greco Companion as per Fanklyit's hint 85$ + 25$ = 110$.

There's also a chance to have a new Ka-Bar for approx. 50 USD (incl. shipment) from Australia! I would definitely take this one but first I have to win the auction :)
 
Are the additional $27.00 and $20.00 listed for the Kabar and SOG the shipping costs? If so that is absolutely outrageous, unless you're having them overnighted to you. Even the $15.50 seems a little high. Of course, I suppose that depends on where you are.

Despite what many would say, absolutely none of them are a bad choice. I always like to bring up to people who say that you "need" this or that knife to survive in the outdoors that people were surviving with stone, flint, bronze and iron knives for thousands of years before any of the the steels, designs or makers we have today were around; and that was back in a time where there was genuinely wilderness, and no cell phones to call in help. Any one of the knives you have listed (as well as those proposed by the others here) would beat the hell out having nothing, it's just a matter of looking at their relative strengths compared to your intended uses and comfort with price point. I think the Fallkniven will be by far the best performer for your uses of those you mentioned, but if it's not a price point you're comfortable with then it's not a good choice.

The Greco knives have been very good in my experience, and I like the companion a lot. I will tell you though that John definitely favors a thicker edge and pretty much all my Grecos had some major reprofiling to go through before I was happy. The factory/shop edge on the Companion will easily be as thick as the Kabar's edge and probably thicker. If you're willing to do some stock removal, you'll end up with a very good tool, but that can be a slow process if you don't have the proper tools. $85.00 should be the full price for the Companion--I seem to remember them being introduced at $50.00 or so. That was understood to be a discount at the time but I can't imagine them being more that $85.00, just because of the prices John typically charges for his knives. His full-size bowies with guards and fancier handle materials are just slightly over $200.00.

Let me throw one more idea into the mix here, if you like---have you considered the Cold Steel Master Hunter? My personal preference is for the Carbon V version, but I've had the AUS-8 also and it was a great knife. Either way, you have one of the best cutting-oriented factory blade geometries out there. It's still pretty thick at the spine, but the blade is so wide that it tapers to an extremely thin edge, at least as far as factory knives go. AUS-8 is not the best edge holder in the world, but it's at least decent and when combined with that geometry it tends to stay sharp for a very long time simply because you are having to put so little pressure on it to make it cut that (at least in my use) it never really seemed to get damaged or blunted very much. This is even more true with similar geometries on higher-end steels, but I know of few that come at anywhere near the same price point.

Also take a look at Bark River knives, if you haven't. They have a fairly extensive lineup, are fond of A2 steel (superb) and have several models within the price point you're looking at.

I don't want to mention particular dealers or vendors here, but once you make your mind up, feel free to email me if you like (address in my profile) and we'll see what kind of deals can be found. Enough years of accumulation have given me a list of favorite places to shop for particular brands. Like I said, unless they're overnighting those knives to you I KNOW we can beat the shipping costs you've listed.
 
Fallkniven F1 hands down above the others. I have many Fallkniven knives and everyone of them is done to perfection, especially the TK1.

Do Fallkniven

Ciao
Ron
:cool: :D
 
T1mpani, I'm from Slovakia - that's why the shipping cost is so high (overseas shipping via airpost). I know the Master Hunter, I could have it for 80USD incl. shipping cost. I will also take this one into account...

Summarizing the replies posted above it seems that Fallkniven is, as I thought, the best choice. Now you guys have to give me some 1-2 days to make my mind clear and I'll get back to you with my decision... :)

Many thanks to all of you!
 
Please forgive me for failing to welcome you to BF!! I hope you enjoy it here!!
 
Ahah--yep, that accounts for the shipping cost alright! :D Well, we'll be interested to hear what you decide on.
 
I used to own a Greco Companion. Mine was exceptionally heavy compared to other knives with about the same blade length. For me it was too heavy, but I know that others like it for that very reason.

I sold my Companion, but I have held on to my Fallkniven military survival knife.
 
F1. Have one. Love it. And it can be had for pretty cheap...
I got mine from knifeworks.com - there are a lot of places that have em. I do wish I had gotten the kydex rather than the leather.
 
Have you thought about looking at a Bark River knife?

Such a big selection but Gameskeeper might fit the bill:thumbup:
 
Let's see, I'm camping this weekend. I'm not taking by Grohman #4, or my Buck Big Sky or my Ontario AFSK or my Camilus kbar - I am taking my Mora Clipper from Sportsman's Guide $9.99 and a Vic. GSAK.
 
So finally I've bought Ka-Bar 1250. That's the 3/4 version of classic USMC. What sharpening tool would you guys recommend? It's made of 1095 carbon steel (I'm sure you know) :) Thanks!
 
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