Woods Knife Recomendation

I would say the Becker BK2, get you an BK14 ESKabar to go with it, an ESEE 5 Molle back and pouch. Good to go. I say this, it my current ride and I couldn't think of a better couple of knives to take to the woods. I likes 'em inexpensive and well made.

Moose
 
Fallkniven S1, Fallkniven F1. Many different customs. ESEE4 or 3. Any of these can be had for or around that price and all would serve very well as a general purpose woods knife.
 
I'm really happy with these 2 new aquisitions. Blindhorse knives bushcrafter ( flat grind) and the new Spyderco Bushcrafter with G-10 handles. The Spyderco is expensive , but it's quality level is astounding :thumbup:

SpydercoBHKbushcraft005.jpg
 
Check with Stomper or Mark Wohlwend here in the makers section & see if they got anything ready to sale, you never know until you ask ;) If your going for a productin knife I'de go with one of the KA-BAR / Becker's or Johnson Adventure Blade PotBelly :thumbup:
 
I'd prefer a swamp rat howling rat or ratmandu (I have the former), but it may take you a little over price once you buy the sheath (but you can get a nicer sheath than you would probably get otherwise). An ESEE 4 would be a cheaper choice and would do a great job for you, as would the small Fallkniven. The becker is a choice that would do a great job and not cost you nearly as much. I think it has a pretty beefy blade though, to the point that it may lack a little in versatility (I may be wrong, I have never had one).
 
Any knife will do as a woods knife. Just modify your technique to deal with the blade you have in hand. I think the BHK mentioned in the OP is a great choice and it can be had in scandi or full flat. Scandi is a good choice when paired with something else, full flat or convex is a good choice when the knife is the primary tool you have with you.

Don't let the 'over-built' survival guys convince you that you need such a thing for a woods knife. They have their purposes, but not many people only carry one tool with them for 'all possibilities'. In fact, most people don't take only one knife with them when they go out for overnighters and camping trips.
 
I went through a quest for the ultimate bushcraft knife. I have an eclectic collection, now, of highly rated 'bushcraft' knives. Below are some I actually think are the better choices - and that's after my decades long use of a KaBar and a now long gone Western 66 hunting knife - and a Buck 110. Somewhere along the line I discovered the Buck 192 Vanguard - my favorite when my 'education' took hold.

I liked the old Marbles knives - then, the Benchmade Activator Plus - but it was dull. Next - Bark Rivers - my favorites being the Fox River and Gamekeeper. Enlightened - but confused - I resorted to the Vanguard again - or a Buck 005GYS as a woods hiking knife. Others came along - my venerable pocket pal - a Buck 110 - was an easy dog to hunt with, but that massive now-ESEE RC-5 was cool - but huge. After a lot of consternation, I decided on the following as still my best choices:

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The top knife, a BM 610 Rukus in S30V, to me, is the ultimate folding, ie, pocketable, 'bushcraft' knife. Mine was new ~$150 on closeout locally. Secondary market or 'old stock' only, as it was dropped over a year ago. The next one is my Christmas present - and current favorite - a Chris Reeve Knife 'Nyala' - 3.75" edge by .180" spine blade of S35VN - and comes with a super leather sheath - MSRP $230. Third is unreal for a Gerber - USA made, too! S30V blade - real stag - leather sheath - MSRP $111! This Freeman is a user - decent heat treat, too. Finally, what I was using when this quest started - a Buck 192 Vanguard - in 420HC! Pronounced hollow grind, it's a great slicer. Oh, I have other Vanguards steels - the Alaskan Guide in S30V - a limited production in CPM 154. The 420HC is great - and easily re-edged. I don't have the cheapest one - the 692 - and it may be the best for woods use, as it comes with a rubber grip and nylon sheath. They run $55-$110. You don't have to break the bank for a decent one, either.

Stainz
 
Good post Stainz, lots of honest, experienced opinion there! Nice to see......
 
Thanks everyone for the advice and recomendations. the only blade I have ruled out so far is the becker. It has too thick of a blade for my likes. I wish they would bring the Crewman back!!

Stainz- great post! I also like the old Marbles knives and would love to get my hands on another Ideal or woodcraft but they are hard to find now. The Ideal to me is one perfect Knife!
 
Do you find the balde on the ESEE 5 to thick for handling smaller tasks? that model is .250 correct? Everytime I use a knife that thick I have problems using the knife for anything but chopping.
How has it been for you?
 
You guessed it!! With the wasp injection knife i will have the ability to explode wood rather then baton it. The time saved shoud be worth the cost!!
 
The RC-5's .250" thick CS blade is super - just not for everything. Some fine cutting - whittling - is just unsafe with so large and thick of a blade. A basic whittler - whether your favorite Case, a SAK, or a Buck 110 - is required along with such a hefty knife.

My favorite whittler is a Wharncliffe-style, a la the new Case Seahorses I discovered - after they were dropped last summer (My first Case, too!). I already had a fb Wharncliffe - the Bark River 'T.U.S.K.' - super - just a tad small for 'bushcraft'. Santa got me a bigger straight blade:

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That's a Benchmade 171 BladeSports 'Chopper'. Methinks I over did it! You can have 'too much knife'... and, it aint a good thing, either. 9.5" edge on a .30+" spine blade of CPM-M4 steel - all 1.7 pounds of it. The Kydex sheath makes the 15+" knife a bit hard to tote... now downsize that to the just under a pound RC-5... you can have too much knife!

The RC-5 with some similar size friends:

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Happy New Year!

Stainz
 
Either a Benmade Rant or ESEE 3-MIL (I have both, think they're great). I think you can even get an ESEE 4 or 5 in your price range (I have a 5, it rocks). Any of these would serve you well.

SP
 
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