Greetings!
We live in the mountains of Western NC and I'm putting together "Bug in Buckets" for both my Jeep and my wife's car and I'd like to hear some recommendations for a fixed blade knife for each kit...I'm thinking 4" blade +/- and approx 50.00 or less. I spent last Saturday at the Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville ,Tn but nothing really caught my eye (except the SOG "Twitch" !) I like the Kabar "Warthog" but it's more of a skinning knife than an all purpose blade.Any opinions on this or the Becker "Crewman"...other suggestions?

Thanx !

Cold Steel Master Hunter is wide, somewhat thick, and very tough.

For general purpose you can't beat a Mora-style knife with plastic handles, e.g. from Frosts of Sweden. They're dirt cheap too, like 10-15 bucks. Less of a pry bar and more of a practical knife than the Master Hunter. Main annoyance is the plastic sheath that comes with it is rather crappy, but for your purpose that probably doesn't matter. ragweedforge.com is a good source.

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

Model 760 from the above page is probably the closest modern equivalent to the classic Mora #1.

The Air Force Survival knives aren't glamorous but they are inexpensive and very useful. I would rub a little cooking oil on the blade however due to it being carbon steel.

SOG SealPup

I'll second the recommendation for a Mora, though I'm partial to the #780 - differentially treated carbon blade, the primary benefit of which is that it's a bit thicker and sturdier.

I have my share of stainless Moras as well, and they are quite serviceable.

-=[ Grant ]=-

I'm a little confused. Bugging IN implies staying at home (or possibly work I guess), and if you are home you would have all of the knives, etc, that you always have. Bugging OUT, on the other hand, might require a fixed blade to be included with the other goodies. Mora's are fine, the Cold Steel Master Hunter mentioned is very nice, and much tougher than the Mora's.

By the way, welcome...

thats what I use, the older USAF survival knife. The tip isnt ideal, but, it does the job its intended for. although, after extensive use, I've noticed my leather handle is somehow getting smaller, as the crossguard is now loose, & the handle turns a little. I fear I may have been too aggressive batoning it!

for my money, it's hard to beat a standard USMC issue Kabar fighting knife. I have found them to be a strong all-around good sturdy blade.

I'm not a huge fan of the Air Force survival knife. I've had one for a few years now, but it hasn't really lived up to my expectations. #1 - I've heard 3 or 4 stories from seperate sources, including my old man, about them breaking or snapping with a level of use that might be expected during a survival episode. #2 - the strike plate for "hammering" on the bottom of the handle has come loose on mine. I only used it once, on some wooden tent pegs (though admittedly the ground was cold and somewhat hard). #3 - I think the "saw" is faulty advertising - it sucks on wood and I've since learned that it is for Plexiglass. Nonetheless, it tears up a baton in a heart beat. #4 - while a good idea, the sharpening stone is less than magnificent. I've had trouble putting/maintaining an edge on the knife with the included stone.

For the approx 30 or 35 bucks I paid for it, I think I could have gotten a lot more knife for my money if I went with another option.

Matt

Try to husk a coconut with one and you will snap about 3/4" of tip off too. After doing that, you then learn that coconut milk and rum really ruins good rum...

You are buying knives for two people. Depending on your wife's handsize two very different choices may be needed. Being carried in vehicle buckets I would suggest stainless steel. Ragnar's scandinavian blades are very affordable, and depending on what other tools you carry may be adequate. By posting this I assume you don't have (M)any knives at present. $100 is a lot of money for anybody, and if thats your budget we don't want to waste any. I have a Mora 2000, their idea of a survival knife. It needs a good initial sharpening to bring out it's full potential, but is S/S has a guardless but secure handle material and a functional sheath. All you want is to keep the blade safe in storage anyway and it makes for a secure carry on a belt. It makes excellent feather sticks, I've batoned with it and it even spreads peanut butter. Your looking @ $65 for two including shipping from Ragnar. That leaves you $35 for more peanut butter, edible unlike an expensive $100 mistake when your putting your first kit together.

Thanks all for the replies! Just a clarification..both my wife and I work away from home and in the event of a "situation" would like to have adequate supplies in our vehicles to "Bug In" or return home safely.During the hurricanes of 2 years ago our neighborhood was inaccessible due to flooding of the river and some who were away from home couldn't return for two days and ended up in shelters. Also,the roads around here can be tricky- last year at Christmas a tractor trailer from a major grocery chain drove off the road in this area and was not found for almost a week by CAP flights (driver deceased,unfortunately).Again ,appreciate the replies !

Chris:

The buckets already contain a Victorinox "Swisschamp" and a Leatherman Original multi-tool as well as a pair of S&W utility shears..I want the bucket contents to be near identical so there won't be confusion as to what's onboard. I own several other fixed blade knives :

Cold Steel "SRK"(under Jeep seat)
Buck "General"
Kabar USMC
Gerber and Benchmade river knives (attached to kayak PFD's)

Since the knives I'm seeking advice on will be stored away ,maybe for years ,the SS Moras are sounding good...

You can't go wrong with the Becker Crewman for at least one of your knives. It is carbon steel, but the coating will protect it from rust unless you submerge it or something. I am not altogether sure that a coated Becker will not withstand rust at least as good as an uncoated stainless blade anyway. I like mine because the tip is pretty stout compared to other designs. But they are becoming scarce due to the problems at Camillus. And if you do buy one, make sure you examine it beforehand; the last Becker I bought over the internet (a Necker) looked like it had been ground by a blind monkey. I assume it was produced while the strike was going on. A Crewman and a couple of Mora's would fit your bill nicely.

A knife is just at tool. As any other tool it does have its limitations. Id personally stack 2 moras in each bucket. Then you can get some real tools, axe, prybar, pliers, screwdrivers etc. If you dont intend to carry the bucket around that is. Real tools are always better than the compromise of a multitool. If you have the posibility. If not and a multitool is all you have that is better than the whole tool shed left at home.

I live in Sweden and the moras are dirt chap here a few $ a pice. So I can always get a bunch of knifes just in case.

I'm not a huge fan of "tactical" fixed blade knives. For general use it's hard to beat a plain old drop point hunting knife. I keep a Buck Vanguard in my earthquake kit. 4 1/8" 420HC drop point blade, textured rubber grip, heavy nylon sheath. Nothing fancy, but it works well.

Kevin B.

A little late, but you might also look at Cold Steel's Bushman knife. I am partial to the Mora's as well and the price's from Ragnar are great for a real ignore-it-in-a-bucket knife. Nonetheless I wanted to offer an inexpensive alternative that has held up well for me. They used to come in two sizes and you may be able to find a mini on e-Bay. You can pick them up through ColdSteel.Com for 29.99 or LTSPECPRO.com for 19.99 (LTSPECPRO is Lynn Thompson's Special Project website). Just a quality alternate for your consideration.

Oldsoldier:
" I've noticed my leather handle is somehow getting smaller, as the crossguard is now loose" Soak the handle in Neasfoot oil, the leather will swell back up.

You mentioned Smokey Mountain Knife Works, so I thought I would jump on their webpage and look since it had been awhile since I had been in the store. Here is my recommendations for you:

Frosts Swedish Army Knife "Mora" FS760MG $9.99
Tramontina 18in Machete TR2610 $5.99
18in Nylon Machete Sheath MA470S $3.99
Gerber Exchange-A-Blade Sport Saw G46034 $6.99
Marbles #6 Safety Axe MR006 $16.99
Gerber Quick Disk Sharpener (for machete and axe) G1356 $4.99
Gerber Knife Sharpener (pen type) G9841 $6.99

This "wood" cover chopping, slashing, sawing, and slicing.
The cost would be $55.93 before taxes.

Fallkniven F1.
I own many knives, but the F1 is the one I would grab first in a emergency. VG-10, easy to sharpen and use. Very tough construction. It's the knife that all Mora Clippers want to be when they grow up. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
More than $50 but worth every cent.