Good Fixed Blade Knife

What are your recommendations?

The main application is general camping and survival, not fighting or self-defense. I've decided to upgrade. So far, these two knives look excellent:

Becker BK2
http://www.tomarskabars.com/BK-2_INFO.html

ESEE 5
http://www.eseeknives.com/rc-5.htm

The ESEE is twice as much but I'm not sure it's twice the knife.

Superior to the BK2, sure but their too similar to add that much value to the RC5.

I would certainly be happy myself with either of the knives you first mentioned. Below are a couple of alternatives. I don't have all of them (only the Mora and the SRK). But these are frequently mentioned, so they each must have some merit. If I had to pick one for myself, I would be mighty interested in that ESEE one. But I don't know how much it costs, nor do I really care for that skull and crossbones logo on it (I think that cheapens it - it looks like something you'd find in a Mall Ninja store).

http://newgraham.com/store/product/6020/Pilot-Survival-PE-Zytel-FNFK-F1EZ/

http://newgraham.com/store/product/2955/RAT-5--ONT-8627/

http://newgraham.com/store/product/3175/SOG-Seal-Pup-Elite,-PE-SOG-E37-N/

http://newgraham.com/store/product/2983/SRK,-Kraton-Handle-Black-CS38CK/

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html
(scroll down the page a little over halfway to find the Frosts Mora #840, the "Clipper")

How about Doug's fixed blade? It'd certainly flash your support of the forums to those in the know.

Consider the Buck vanguard, or the SOG field pup. Both lower cost and very functional.

The BK 2 - there are lots of complaints about the handle slabs loosening easily - seems to be a universal complaint.

I have begun looking at my gear as serviceable and replaceable items and not niche/boutique. Meaning, if I break it, lose it or need to replace it, can I get the same almost anywhere quickly. Cost is important because I am more likely to practice skills and actually implement an item rather than store it, wait for a time to use it and hope it works. I am not going for the lowest common denominator, but a balance of weight, efficiency, ability to find on short notice and finally cost.

I've been looking for a new fixed and swayed towards the Kabar, merely for cost and ease of replacement, the ability of the blade is legendary, but I saw the Gerber Bear Grylls fixed blade coming out this fall for about $60 and I want to hold one before making a decision. Gerber is found in almost every outdoor store, so ability to replace is good. Cost is good. I think Gerber products are sturdy enough for me (YMMV), but I don't like the handle on their current fixed blade the, Big Rock Camp Knife.

Thanks, I'll check out those knives.

About the BK2, Lock Tight should fix that problem rather easily. By the way, the ESEE-5 doesn't make me motivated to pay twice as much.



Link please, I'm not familiar.

RSK Mk3

I have the Mk1, folder and its a great blade. I carry it on me for urban/rural adventuring. But for my urban EDC I carry a leatherman. I'd like a fixed for real adventuring and while I would love to own a Mk3, and don't believe its overpriced, its out of my range right now.

I only have a few fixed blade knives. Nothing even remotely considered "high end", but all are serviceable:

Cold Steel SRK and Recon Tanto (the Tanto is too long, the SRK is quite nice IMHO)
Buck <something_or_other> (I forgot it's model number - about a 4" blade)
Becker Necker (not comfortable in the hand - too short, too thin - good for a backup or a minimalist lightweight knife though)
Frosts Mora Clipper (several of these - I prefer the carbon over the stainless)

Of my meager collection of fixed blades the one I use the most, by far, is the least inexpensive of the bunch - the Mora. That is the "go to" knife around our house for the whole family. I also carry another one while hiking, and so does my daughter. IMHO you really don't need more than the Mora, unless you want to play lumberjack and split 8" diameter logs by hammering your knife into them. If you want easy replacements, you just can't get any better than buying half a dozen Moras for the same price as one of the other knifes you are looking at, and having all those spare Moras sitting around the house.

I use a Helle Odel. It is very lightweight and very very sharp!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXVzMYHrPeA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUNkXXiMvc8

It's more of a traditional Nordic bushcrafters knife than the tactical recon runaway runaway live to fight another day Super Army Soldier type knifes, which seem to be pretty popular today.

Fallkniven (F1, A1, S1 etc) have some nice knifes as well being very functional and reliable survival knifes.

http://www.fallkniven.com/en/shop/category/24/fixed-blades/survival-knives

Again these knifes are of a laminate construction.

+1 on the Helle and Mora recommendations. I am currently on the Mora route (model 511), and I am quite happy. That cheap knife is also my testing / playing field for developing, using and maintaining a convex edge. Just a newly developed hobby of mine, getting things sharp with a mouse mat...


I have only heard good things about Fällkniven. Actually, I have only heard FANTASTIC things about Fällkniven. Based on reviews, I think the F1 would be perfect for me, but it is too costly (right now, anyway) and I haven't had the chance to hold it, not to mention test it.



I don't think that is true for all Fällkniven models, but your research may be more thorough than mine.


From the above you can see that I am a big fan of the around 4"-ish blade size for general bushcraft. This works for me, my conditions and what I need a knife to do.

good thread, thanks for the suggestions

=====

I'm sure Fallkniven makes great knives. However, when I see a hunting knife discounted to $1,350, it lets me know that the philosophy of the company is much different than mine will ever be.

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=SWEDFNNL5CX

If you want a very good knife cheap, try Wal-mart. I got a good buck knife there, think it was the vanguard model (?), for about $45. TW

(Edit -- It was the Buck Special Knife, six inch blade, now for $60. Heavy bladed knife, may or may not be to your taste.)

if you don't need a sharpened pry bar you might look at a flat grind Grohman #4 it has a very utilitarian shape...its easy to cut the sheath at the snap though..regards

A Busse Badger Tac

Just my opinion, but the ESEE knife you listed has a 1/4" thick blade, which is a monster - just too thick and too heavy to be a useful camp knife.

My own preference is a 4-5" thinner blade. I use an axe for chopping and a shovel for digging. The knife is used for cutting & slicing.

Some folks really get into carbon blades, but I find a good stainless steel blade to do just fine and much less prone to corrosion (rust).

I tell you, you really REALLY can't do much better than Doug Ritter's Mk3. I have one and really REALLY like it.

You can buy lower costs knives, but the Mk3 is very worthwhile.

I'm still hoping Doug comes out with the orange handle slabs for the Mk3.

If you're crafty, want to go cheap, and want a thick blade, you might consider the EOD breacher bar. I admit this isn't a survival knife when you open up the package, but with a bit of effort it definitely can become one!

Forgot the link: http://www.countycomm.com/eodrtool.htm

Thank you for you input, but how does an axe and shovel workout for you if you go hiking and then camping? That seems like an inefficient use of weight. I suppose the axe works well if you drive your comfy vehicle right up to the campsite. I see the Becker BK2 (or ESEE 5) as a jack of all trades and a master of none. That's actually what I want here.

I don't carry an axe or shovel when hiking or backpacking. Usually I won't even carry a saw, since its easy enough to break the kind of small dry branches I burn by hand.

Actually, when hiking/backpacking I don't carry my fixed blade Mk3 - its just too heavy, and my Mk1 does everything I need to do. The Mk1 AND Mk3 AND my Snow & Nealley Penobscot Bay axe AND my Trailblazer buck saw go with me whenever I am car camping. If its a longer term camp I'll likely take my big S&N "Our Best" axe too - I really like that axe.

So far the Mk3 is mostly used for cooking since it is a bit bigger than the Mk1 and cleans up so well. I don't carry it on my belt - it slides nicely into the padded area of my L.L. Bean daypack that was designed to carry a water bladder.

I can't think of a time I've needed a shovel while camping - other than a small one for moving coals when cooking with a dutch oven.

BTW, I EDC a mini-Mk1 at work. That's the nice I use 99.999999999% of the time. LOVE that knife!

I'm a huge fan of Doug's knives - no apologies for that. So far I have the mini-Mk1, the regular Mk1, the M2 steel Mk1, the M4 steel Mk1, the Mk3, and my wife has given me the Mk4 gentleman's knife and the orange-handled Mk1. I'm lucky enough to have a wife who puts up with me. I searched for a good knife and simply don't like much of what most manufacturers put out. There always seems to be some oddity about the designs - either the blade, the blade material, or the handle - that I just don't like. Doug's knives have hit my needs/wants dead on target.

The only other knives I use much are the ragweedforge.com Mora #746, #748, and #749 knives I keep in my RV. I actually carry a couple of #746's as "steak knives". The #479 is very useful for watermelon. They make fine kitchen knives.

Ken

BTW, another lower cost knife to take a very serious look at is the Mora survival knife #2010 for only $35.

This knife is a real favorite - an underdog, so to speak - of the survival/camping crowd.

Traditionally it has only come in a kind of goofy green color (#2000), but recently Ragweedforge.com also has one in black (#2010). I like it!

If you want to read reviews, search using mora 2000 survival knife review.

There's a nice video of the green (argh!) version at http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/kit/reviews/mora-2000-outdoors-knife.html

Added Note: Huh, I just noticed that he's added a few new Bushcraft line of knives at the top of his Mora page. Nice, but I still like the #2010.

Look at the Bark River line. I carry the Fox River for general camping and survival. Not the cheapest though. $100 range.

I've never understood why you'd want a survival knife in camo/green color. Flourescent orange color sounds like a better way to keep from losing the thing.

Agreed! That's why I'm still hoping Doug comes out with the orange handle slabs that were once talked about. Slick!

One of Mora's new Bushcraft knives comes with the black handle as the #2010, but the sheath at least is bright yellow. I myself would like orange better.

Heres an older post about my Becker BK-2........

"I field tested a Becker BK-2 last winter back in the woods. It is a foot long knife with a very heavy 1/4" thick blade. Don't get me wrong, it's a great knife, and it worked well for lopping off small frozen branches and light chopping. You would be able to chop through ice and pry up rocks from the frozen ground with it. I thought the blade thickness made batoning through 4 inch branches to split them for kindling more difficult. I had to hit the knife so hard with a log to move it, that eventually my arms got tired and I bashed my thumb. I think a thinner blade would have cut through more easily"

It is a well made knife in a form-fitting Kydex type sheath (unlike the larger Beckers which have woven nylon). There is a lot of 'handle' on this foot long knife, and this makes the blade feel too short for it's weight and thickness. The handle scales do work loose, but I solved this by paracord-wrapping the sheath and sliding an allen wrench into the wrap. I could just apply epoxy, but I want the option of removing the scales to mount the blade on a pole to use as a spear.

Because of the fact that the handle is big and the blade is somewhat short, the balance is near the center. It is not particularly well suited for heavy chopping. The blade is 1/4 inch thick and it is difficult to wield for fine knife work. It's more of a breaching, light chopping, digging, and prying tool than an EDC knife for me, so I just keep it in my truck.

I would recommend either a longer blade and/or a thinner one than the Becker BK-2 has. If you are on a budget and want a big knife, look at the Buck 110 folders or the Buck Special fixed blade knife. If you buy it at Kmart, it is $10 more expensive than Walmart, but you will get a nice leather sheath instead of a nylon one.

I have gone through many knives, most recently the Seal PUP, which is a great one. I always find myself going back to the USAF survival knife-its robust, simple, and, to be honest, I like the weathered look of the leather handle after a few years of use .
The one thing I have noticed with it, and this is from recent observation, is that if I use it to baton, the baton itself ends up getting pretty chewed up due to the agressive ridges on the spine. But, honestly, thats a relatively minor inconvenience for me. I dont use the leather sheath it originally came with; I actually use the kydex one that the seal pup was shipped in. I like it for its versatility, and simplicity. I dont see a need of field sharpening, and, if that was required, I usually carry a diamond honing stone in a pack.
The upside is that, you can find these knives literally anywhere, and they are usually pretty cheap.