I have recently been using some Russian knives from Kizlyar. They are really nice.
Fieldcraft What's a good knife
- Thread starter Big joe
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Spartan Blades out of Fayetteville NC. The fixed blade Spartan Harsey TT. Can’t go wrong with this one.
The Moras are a must have for camp work. Good knives, easy to sharpen, even for an amateur.
I use them and also have and like a Cold Steel SRK. Had mine for years, so it’s a Carbon V. Have not used the newer ones, and they use different steel, but still get good reviews. The previously mentioned outfit Bark River is good, too. I like their knives. And the Beckers are good, as well. My BK 9 is a beast and one tough blade.
Make sure your knives are carbon steel, not stainless. Stainless won’t spark a ferro rod or a flint. I like the flint method, no worries about keeping matches dry. Pisses Murphy off, but works for me. Got a ferro rod, too, for backup or less than ideal tinders.
Good post above. I have 4 moras stashed in bags. They are really cheap for the stainless ones and still a good deal for the carbon ones. I prefer the carbon as well. Have some Randall (RAT) folders and Columbia River folders. My EDC folder is a SOG Kiku. Heavy and heavy duty. For fixed blade, other than the Moras, I have a few Izulas around. One for my wife she likes to use at the ranch. But I am really big on my Fallknivens. I have 2 S1's an A1 and a Volcano. Best knives I have ever used.
They are over $200, but Dawson Knives are very durable!
Gerber LMF ii
Ka-bar BK 2
Ka-bar 1317
Are some good cheaper ones
Benchmade saddle mountain skinner
Benchmade hidden canyon are some better quality knifes
And if you have lots of money Spartan Harsey is bad to the bone
Ka-bar BK 2
Ka-bar 1317
Are some good cheaper ones
Benchmade saddle mountain skinner
Benchmade hidden canyon are some better quality knifes
And if you have lots of money Spartan Harsey is bad to the bone
Benchmade Bishcrafter
Benchmade Nimravus or a Spyderco Aqua salt (the fixed blade) they are great! Both around $100
I would say buy a few Moras and stash them around as needed and hang a small Tramontina machete off your pack for chopping.
Great knives, a step up from a Mora.
www.varusteleka.com
Terävä Jääkäripuukko 110, Carbon Steel
Medium size general purpose utility knife, a solid choice for most situations.
www.varusteleka.com Zero Tolerance if you want a folding knife. I've carried my ZT0350 every day for 6 years, use it like a prybar, can opener, box cutter, whatever. Never chipped the blade, haven't harmed the stone wash finish somehow. It isn't a super sharp blade, the S35VN seems to be pretty sharp when freshly sharpened but immediately dulls a bit down to a pretty-sharp level, but it stays there forever.
Recommend KA-BAR, either the classic USMC edition or the D2 tool steel version. Going on 15 years with mine. Great companions.
My favorite is the Tops Fieldcraft by BOB. It sharpens to a razor and keeps the edge, even after baton splitting oak firewood. It's chunky and fits my hand perfectly.
LT Wright makes some fantastic knives. Skinners, Nessmuk's, and the GNS, Gen 5 or Genesis are great bushcraft knives. Highly recommended. I saw several recommendations of Bark River knives, but they have had some quality control issues that were severely excacerbated by incredibly poor customer service when they happened. There are several threads over on a large knife forum I am on (if you want more info, you can pm me).
For a combat knife, someone mentioned earlier the Benchmade Nimravus, which I also recommend. I carried mine in Afghanistan and Iraq and have beat the heck out of it. Wore the black coating off of it. It is still razor sharp, zero issues with it. I would caution against getting the half serrated version of any knife, bushcraft or combat. If you need a saw, get a small saw, don't make the mistake I did when I was younger and try and get one that can do both, they can't.
For a combat knife, someone mentioned earlier the Benchmade Nimravus, which I also recommend. I carried mine in Afghanistan and Iraq and have beat the heck out of it. Wore the black coating off of it. It is still razor sharp, zero issues with it. I would caution against getting the half serrated version of any knife, bushcraft or combat. If you need a saw, get a small saw, don't make the mistake I did when I was younger and try and get one that can do both, they can't.
Best knives in the business for outdoor work is Adventure Sworn. Cody is a great guy and you can send them back to the mothership for free and they come back looking like new. These are serious abuse knives. Another great knife is by Andy Wood. 
I just had this one commissioned. It will be another hard use knife. Custom knives are so much better then off the shelf knives and they aren’t that much more expensive. But I am an avid backpacker and try to carry as little gear as possible so my knives are used for everything to making shelter, processing firewood, and fire starters.
I just had this one commissioned. It will be another hard use knife. Custom knives are so much better then off the shelf knives and they aren’t that much more expensive. But I am an avid backpacker and try to carry as little gear as possible so my knives are used for everything to making shelter, processing firewood, and fire starters.
Buck Knives used to be located very close to us...really nice people. Every year they would have an open house sale where you could pick up knives for a very good price. The senior Mr. Buck would engrave them for us right there and then. They'd sharpen your old knives. If you wanted you could leave your old knife with them and they would restore them for an inexpensive price.
Anyway, had a Frontiersman 124 for the longest time, great knife...very similar to a Bowie type knife.
A dear friend fell in love with it on a camping trip and so i gifted it to him. I miss both of them.
I still have a folder i purchased from them...love that one too.
Anyway, had a Frontiersman 124 for the longest time, great knife...very similar to a Bowie type knife.
A dear friend fell in love with it on a camping trip and so i gifted it to him. I miss both of them.
I still have a folder i purchased from them...love that one too.
great story. I met a member of buck family (the CEO) at blade show and they seem to be very nice people. Easy to talk to and are very approachable. I had a buck scout lite when I was in scouting. Great knife and lots of great memories with that one.
The Buck family members that i met were all very nice and i believe extremely genuine. They made a real effort to meet, interact and contribute to the community.....Their works were located in an area that sure benefited in so many ways.
Ultimately the business climate here became terribly unfavorable and unwelcoming for an institution of their craft and they were forced to move.
I recall reading that the family made great efforts to try and bring their staff along as best possible. It's really a shame for us. I hope they're doing great in their new home. I have a soft place in my heart for them.
California once had a very significant presence in the art and craft of firearms, related training and competition. Several of my teachers related growing up here and hunting in what is now a very urban part of the city. So much has changed.
Ultimately the business climate here became terribly unfavorable and unwelcoming for an institution of their craft and they were forced to move.
I recall reading that the family made great efforts to try and bring their staff along as best possible. It's really a shame for us. I hope they're doing great in their new home. I have a soft place in my heart for them.
California once had a very significant presence in the art and craft of firearms, related training and competition. Several of my teachers related growing up here and hunting in what is now a very urban part of the city. So much has changed.
I have one of these and it is great. I realize that most people have a limit for what they buy, but when it comes to something to protect their lives or family, to me, expense is not a limit, if possible. I want something that is dependable, reliable and will work each and everytime I want to use it! This Nimravus comes in at your under $200 limit, so that's a plus. Benchmade offers a Lifetime guarantee and will sharpen it for free if you send it in. The Army issues Benchmades and my son recommended one to me, so I bought one for my other son, which he loves.
For my EDC, I carry a Benchmade Barrage, a folder with an Axis assist opening system. Very reliable as well.
Good luck on your choice.
IMHO
1) Tops or benchmade
2) Bradford
3) Medford
3) Half face blades
my edc is a benchmade hidden canyon/Half face Karambito.
There are many high quality makers.
1) Tops or benchmade
2) Bradford
3) Medford
3) Half face blades
my edc is a benchmade hidden canyon/Half face Karambito.
There are many high quality makers.
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My brother makes forged custom knives. He does good work that is very reasonable. Message me if you want his contact info.
Thanks
Thanks
One thing I neglected to mention in my post is to please please please make sure you stay away from rat tail or tapered tangs. I've broken two Ka-Bar knives, both in the handle, due to their rat tail tang (one was their USMC knife and the other was their Kukri knife). When selected a good bushcraft or combat knife, you'll be wanting a full tang knife, if possible, as you will most likely be beating the crap out of it. Last thing you need is a knife breaking on you.
You will also want to consider the steel the knife is made out of. There's a ton of good steels these days, from D2 and A2 tool steel, to CPM3v, Elmax and AEB-L stainless. It would behoove you to look at what you are wanting the knife to do and then look at what kind of steel would be best for this purpose. You will also want to look at edge retention qualities. Are you a nerd like me with several sharpening stones and strops because you like sharpening knives, or are you someone that sends their knives out to be sharpened? If you're the former, a long lasting edge, may not need to be super high up on your priority list as you can sharpen your knives as you need to. If you're the latter, maybe edge retention is a quality you need to avoid spending lots of money having your knives sharpened frequently. Also, if you're the former, just using your kitchen steel and a leather strop will greatly increase the time between sharpenings needed.
You will also want to consider the steel the knife is made out of. There's a ton of good steels these days, from D2 and A2 tool steel, to CPM3v, Elmax and AEB-L stainless. It would behoove you to look at what you are wanting the knife to do and then look at what kind of steel would be best for this purpose. You will also want to look at edge retention qualities. Are you a nerd like me with several sharpening stones and strops because you like sharpening knives, or are you someone that sends their knives out to be sharpened? If you're the former, a long lasting edge, may not need to be super high up on your priority list as you can sharpen your knives as you need to. If you're the latter, maybe edge retention is a quality you need to avoid spending lots of money having your knives sharpened frequently. Also, if you're the former, just using your kitchen steel and a leather strop will greatly increase the time between sharpenings needed.
Daniel Winkler, the one stop shop for sharp tools.
Shaving sharp out of the box (not little arm hairs, talking about beard hairs).
Shaving sharp out of the box (not little arm hairs, talking about beard hairs).
