Fixed blade question

Looking for a stock blade. Stock meaning I don't want to go and get after market sheats or mods. Plain simple out of the box use is what I'm after.

Requirments:
Blade: No longer than 4 inches
Sheath: Kydex, with belt CLIP (not loop), garments can't be removed to put the sheath on or using it on the boot
Total length of a knife with sheath: 12 inches
Handle: integrated with blade (no paracord) anything really as long as it doesn't absorb and is easy to clean
Steel: S30V
Edge: Prefer straight but will settle for combo with right knife
Price: under $150


Why?
Proposal for a knife for SAR team. Knife doesnt have to be medicaly geared. Just a simple blade.

Dougs fixed blade is very close to that. A little longer; a little more expensive. But sounds excellent if you are a bit flexible.
The Sock

The only knife I remember with those specs was posted on the American Bushman blog a while back.

Although, I think the Dozier brand will probably be above that price range you noted. You may try posting your question on blade forums as well. In addition, contacting a few knife dealers to see if they can order a knife with your specs is another option. Most have a good knowledge of what is available and to get your patronage will usually work to find a knife that fits you.

Good luck!
Cheers,
Nemo.

Hi Polak187,

This might interest you, but its slightly larger than you specified;

http://www.bestknives.com/almarseop.html

Why S30V steel? I just got a Fallkniven F1 (swedish survival knife) that I'm very impressed with, but it uses VG-10 stainless steel. It's sheath also does not have a belt clip.

S30V narrows your options quite a bit. The clip requirement narrows it quite a bit further.

I've been looking and I've yet to find a knife that comes in a Kydex sheath with a clip in any style let alone one that is suitable for SAR use.

Based on my limited SAR experience, if I were to distribute a knife to the entire team to keep everybody on the same page knife wise, I'd likely give everybody a large size SAK folder with a locking blade, saw, and scissors. I can't recall which model(s) fit that description.

Or if your SAR group is more urban you could go with the Victorinox rescue knife. I got my hands on one last week and it's pretty slick. I would have loved to try out the windshield glass saw. They even come bright yellow.

I'll keep looking. Closest I've found to your criteria so far is the Cold Steel SRK...and it's not even close to what you describe.

For SAR I'd check out the CRKT McGowan rescue. McGowan is a Toronto firefighter and the design is top notch.

SAK rescue tool is a worthless piece of garbage. Great looking tool but useless in real world. Don't get me wrong knife functions as it should and all the functions are there as described but knife is dangerous to use both for you and your patients. I guess whoever designed this knife never worked the streets. First you be lucky if u don't stab your patient trying to cut his seat belts off or waste time trying to remove your gloves hoping that you can manage to open a right blade but than maybe now you bleeding severly because the saw folded on you while you were trying to cut out the windshield. That tool is a joke for professional rescuer and in my toolbox it can be a backup to a backup. Still it is one good looking tool.

Everyone in my team has their own personal knife which range thru Spydercos, SOGs and few Striders. So issuing small blades like SAKs is not really that important for us.

We would have gone with old Timberline Aviators. Which are almost everything we want but are made out of weak steel. Personally I'm trying to convince guys to go with few striders but that's a lot of money but we applied for few grands but as of now $150 is the limit.

Bro thanks for than link. This is somethign to ponder. Thanks again.

Good points. I always think of these things in relation to the people in my own SAR organization. Not all of them are outdoorsmen or very handy with a fixed blade knife. I'll have to ask my SAR buddy who just bought the SAK rescue knife about those things and see what he says hehehe.

The Gerber Freeman Hunter fits all your requirements except the sheath. The blade length is perfect, it's under $100 USD, and it's S30V but the sheath is leather and has no clip. I carry one plus Gerber Diesel multipliers and a Benchmade ERT-1 for safety cutting, window breaking and as a backup light.

I gave my son-in-law a Kabar Warthog for his birthday a few years ago, and really liked the blade. Short, sharp, thick, probably a pretty good prybar in addition to cutting ability. Comes with a kydex sheath, with belt loop, but something like a Blade-Tech Klip (or the more secure Blade-Tech Tech Lok) could be added to the back side of the sheath...

There are a number of good Kydex sheath makers out there who are not expensive...

Another thing to think about, the custom kydex sheaths are wide and flat because they are 2 sheets riveted together. That means you're going to wear it behind the point of the hip. Combine that with the their high riding style and it would be difficult to get to that knife while wearing a parka. The F1 sheath is injection molded so it is slim and it has a nylon loop that keeps the entire knife below the belt.

Not quite right, but something like the ag russell deer hunter would be very affordable.

2 other thoughts -
If you are buying enough of them, you can drive the price down a bit
Something like a Teklok might upgrade the seath a bit?

Not always: custom Kydex sheaths are...er... Custom. They can be different widths, thicknesses, and different attachments. I strongly recommend the Tek-Lok from BladeTech. Many custom sheath makers will use them if you ask. Ask that they be drilled to use the Tek-Lok in all three orientations.

On my heaviest coat I have a strong flap (2" x 3") to which I can clip my sheath/Tek-Lok and the knife can ride just under my left armhole. But I rarely find that necessary.

Firefighters be warned, however: Kydex sheath will soften quickly at 250-300 degrees, and I don't know what the ambient temps. near a fire would be. Leather may be a better choice after all.

To each their own I suppose. I prefer compact and sheet kydex sheaths are at least 1/2 in wider than injection molded. I guess this is only an issue if you (like me) like to wear the knife right behind the front pocket. Of course, LEOs and SARs may have other equipment already taking up that spot. As for horizontal carry, I'm kinda round. The only 10" flat spot on my belt is on my back and wouldn't be to comfortable in the truck. Back to the original question, the F1 runs around $100, get a custom sheath for around $50 and you're in business.

Polak187,

If you are O.K. with 4 1/2 inch blade of VG-1 San Mai III®
check out Cold Steel's Master Hunter. The sheath has a velcro and button snap closure around the belt.

http://www.ltspecpro.com/fixed-blades-master-hunter.html

or look at this
http://www.knifeoutlet.com/shop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=AL345

The second option will require a after market sheath.
Here are two liks for those:
I think this is the less expensive of the two
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel/products.htm

this one is probably more expensive
http://bladerigger.com/blades/

But am not sure about what either company charges.

Also as someone else mentioned the techlock could make this 2" knife fit the bill if you can find it for a better price.
http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=210TK

Best of luck with your search.

Joe

Polak187,

One other thing, most Manufactures ofknives will give a discounted price for persons in the Law Enforcement/ Medical First Responder. Although you porabably already know this.

Joe

Hey Polak,

The Buck Sirus may be smaller (2'' blade) than what you are looking for but it meets all of your criteria I believe. It does not have a clip but one could be easily added with a trip the hardware store and a screwdriver.

At the very least it could be a boot knife for secondary carry in an emergency.

Good luck!
~Nemo

You could check out On Scene Tactical, Top notch kydex sheaths. Ask for normark (I think his real name is Eric) He is always willing to help out the customer and has a really good rep on the Canadian forums. He'll make a sheath for any knife you'd like including customs if you send it to him.