Another knife that Doug recommends for a low-cost alternative, is the Gerber Big Rock.

As I recall, he also pointed out that the owner would get very familiar with sharpening the blade since he'd have to do it a lot ... in comparison to the S30V steel on his blades.

I wish the blades on the Rant and Fixed Griptilian (not Doug's Mk3) didn't have the spine angled near the tip. I know its for better insertion (stab, stab), but I'd rather have it flat for batoning (not that I baton - I use an axe for that).

The Rant blade seems a bit thick (0.175) for my taste. The Fixed Grip is a bit thin (0.119"). I like Doug's MK3 thickness of 0.14. I suspect I'd prefer the Fixed Grip's thinner blade versus the Rant's thicker blade.

Big difference in weight too - Rant=11.8 oz, Fixed Grip=4.6 oz. Doug's Mk3=5.7 oz.

The Big Rock knife is 6.3 oz. and has a 0.16" thick blade.

In general I don't buy the whole "survival knife" thing. When things go wrong and I find myself at nature's mercy, the knife I'm carrying will be my "survival knife". 99.9% of the time I carry Doug's Mk1 mini. It will do whatever I need it to do - so long as I don't try to pry open steel doors or shatter concrete with it.

Ken