which type of knife please ?

S

simonfellows

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May 29, 2004
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Am a Brit who's just finished doing humanitarian work in Africa for just shy of 3 years. Afore that i worked with the homeless in America and Britain.
I'm new to this forum, posting, although i did look at it a few times about 4 years ago when in America.
I'm basically wanting advice on the best alround hard wearing,almost unbreakable knife available but not a custom; i'm basically down to a few hundred dollars equiv when i arrive back in the UK. Am in France at present (don't get me started on what i think of the French ) as came through Moroco and Spain and need to get back to the Uk to get some funds together. I kinda beleive that humanitarian work should be done for very little aside from food and shelter. Doesn't make you that different from the people you work with and thus seems one can be more effective in imparting whatever message/project versus one swanning around in huge landcruiser pontificating to the impoverished.There's huge amounts of this in Africa.

Anyways i was, from what i can see inclining towards a Natural Outlaw, then i saw the flying Mojo and then the Swamprat knife that looks life a steel heart and now am thoroughly confused ! So if any of you lads out there could give me a bit of your expertise i'd be very appreciative.

It'd be used for cutting, opening can and bottle, slashing a fair bit, cutting rope and chord, unblocking things etc etc . Also don't want anything with a Battle Mistress type length blade

Sincerely,
Simon Fellows..email is supachramp@yahoo.com and you're more than welcome to send a mail;thanks muchly

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Hi Simon

Swamp Rat is a sister company to Busse, so you can't go wrong there. The Camp Tramp is about the size of the older Steel Hearts or the new Natural Outlaw ~7". The older NO-E's were 6". If you have the $$$ and the time (8 to 12 weeks) go for the new NO. If not, get a Camp Tramp. If you are not super (really) extreme, the SR-101 of the Rats is more than you need. If you need to dissect a tank, go for the INFI. If you're just cutting your way out of a truck, SR-101 will suffice (see Rat Chat).

Check out both the Busse and Swamp Rat sub forums on this site and ask around. I think you'll find just what you need.

Rob
 
pretty sure if you look you can still find new E handle busse's for sale such as the natural outlaw
 
You should check out Chris Reeve's fixed blades too, maybe something there might interest you. Also, be sure to add a SAK to your equipment. Many models to choose from. There will be at least one that fills your needs.

Paul
 
I would look at some of Ken Warner's Blackjacks, the new Quick is a excellent field knife as well as the Grunt and several others, all sell for under a $100 and are not only worth it but should be worth 3X that. IMO
 
Simon, welcome to Bladeforums!

Two suggestions. First, take that information in your lcoation and maybe shift it to your signature block, because it's making your text scroll off to the right. Second, check out that material at the bottom of your text -- some of it can go in a signature and some is misplaced, copied from a drop-down menu.

Oh, the knives ... Busse and Swamp Rat are reliable. You might look at Strider, but they may scare some of your clients :eek: Himalayan Imports has khukuris that are unbelievably tough, too, including some smaller models -- see the "Pen knife".

I also think you should have a multitool or Swiss Army Knife around for quick work on all the small jobs that pop up.
 
HI, Simon, welcome to BF. :) I will third the opinion to get a Swiss Army Knife or a multi-tool. Personally, I prefer a Leatherman multi-tool to a SAK. As for the fixed-blade choice, there are several. Swamp Rat and Busse are both excellent. You may also want to take a look at Fehrman knives; they've been getting some good reviews around here, lately. The address for them is:
http://www.fehrmanknives.com

Have a good hunt and keep on askin' questions as they arise.
 
Wow, I'm digging the cold fury-tac series... not sure how I feel about the tanto blade though :)
 
Simon,

All things considered, I'd buy the best Swiss Army knife (SAK) you can afford, then pick up a machete or its equivalent in each country where you work.

Reasons:

A SAK is legal in most countries, but carrying a Swamp Rat/Busse/SOG/Cold Steel large fixed blade (FB) might well be frowned on.

Air or cross-border travel with a large FB might well pose problems.

Why spend hundreds of quid on a FB when the money could be used to buy yourself a water filter or other kit to sustain you in the field?

Machetes, parangs, bolos etc. can be picked up easily in most primitive areas. They will be cheap and optimised for the local conditions.

A typical belt-carry FB will be too short to chop and too long to pop a splinter out of your finger.

A machete can be left with a local on your departure, to carry on serving.

Shiny kit like an expensive foreign FB will be a thief magnet.

In short, buy an SAK.

If you feel you can't live without a FB, buy a Cold Steel SRK second from their web site. It's brute strong, yet won't cause emotional collapse when it's stolen, lost or confiscated.

maximus otter
 
Gents thanks so very much for all your advice. I do have a SwissTool and have been using an SRK for 6 years but just need something slightly bigger..as the actress said to the bishop;but funds are very limited andhence only wannabe buying one bulletproof knife.

Thanks your generosity of advice.

Any other ideas suggestions feel free to use supachramp@yahoo.com

Simon
 
The NO MOJO and Camp Tramp are sharpened prybars - largely unbreakable because of that fact.
Take "collector's" advice and get a Becker.
 
I just received a BK7 Becker Combat/Utility Knife and am way pleased with it. The Swamp Rat Camp Tramp was on my list but I wasn't looking for a rubber like handle. The BK7 has a good feel and IMO is a really good blade for the money.

The next knife that should arrive is a Ritter Survival Knife (RSK) which is a Griptillian with S30V blade steel and a slightly better blade shape. It will fit in the pouch of the BK7 sheath. Then both knives will be stored in the back of my truck. Unless I'm traveling by air, my truck is always nearby.

For the money you're looking at, you can buy both the BK7 and the RSK.
 
I second the vote on a Becker (7 or9) as a good all round fixed blade that wont dent your bank account. The RAT7 is also a good blade (my current bush blade) and doesn't look too shiny or expensive.

I've got a good mate in Somalia at the moment. He's one of those blokes driving around in a huge landcruiser. He would probably agree with you as he's becoming very jaded and cynical of the international humanitarian business.
 
..yeah thanks that. Probs with NGO's seems to be they don't go small scale. Small scale is easier to start and doesn't have the grandiose fu fu that 'change the world' attitudes have. Add to the mix the locals don't really want to live like us Westerners in the sense of sitting behind desks all day looking at screens and hence the jaded-ness.
 
and whatever you get, you should (don't take "should" too literally ;)) get a Becker Necker neck knife to compliment it.. it's the same steel as the other Beckers mentioned in this thread, is worn blade up or blade down around the neck, and has a wire/fence breaker and a bottle opener on the butt of the knife.. for heavy use you'll wanna wrap the handle up with some type of paracord or whatever cushion/grip of your choice and you're good to go.. not to mention it's under $40.
 
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