Inexpensive large survival-camp-shtf knife

Crowell-Barker Competition Knife or Svord von Tempsky for the big knives. (BK-9 and Esse Junglas are also good.) BK-10 or Ritter MK-2 for something a little smaller.
 
Meyerco Darrel Ralph 18xray is a pretty decent choice, esp for shtf mode... A bit heavy, but sturdy, well balanced, great handle design and molle compatible molded plastic sheath, thick and tough 154cm stainless blade and Aluminum handle, 5.75", mine has been nothing short of a great knife thus far...
I Just checked and Knifecenter still has 'em for $100
http://www.knifecenter.com/item/MEY...d-dlc-plain-blade-aluminum-handles-mfxrayfbdh
 
If you look hard enough in the 'knifemaker's market: for sale' section of the forum you can often find some good deals on 1095 or O1 bladed big knives in your price range, hand made by the local makers here. If you're looking for a production model, I'd say both the BK9 and the Junglas are fantastic choices.
 
If per chance you need a stainless blade,check out the Buck 124. Unlike the other Buck fixed, it doesn't have the rat tail tang but a full size tang. Buck might have the best 420 hc. Also check out the Hood series, the street prices should be in your range. The prices listed on Bucks website are anywhere from 25% to 50% higher.
 
SP-53 a real solid chopper also for straight edge an SP-51. you about could get one of each for that budget, bad part no hilt to thump and wump with.
 
People say buss-kin are impervious to damage?
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Hey I know that 1311! I'm the one who broke it! I had my warranty replacement in hand 7 or 8 days later [emoji106]

Nothing is impervious to breakage, not even Bussekin. Although in regards to my broken 1311: assuming it wasn't a heat treat issue that caused the break, I'm guessing that blade might have survived if it was INFI, rather than Sr101.

Its only fair that I say I think it was user error, fatigue, and general carelessness that was mostly responsible for this particular failure.

Great post ocnLogan! you make some excellent points...

OP- If you have any nice knife shops in your area, I second ocrLogan's advice and recommend you go see how the different options feel in hand.

Either way, enjoy the hunt!
 
Hey I know that 1311! I'm the one who broke it! I had my warranty replacement in hand 7 or 8 days later [emoji106]

Nothing is impervious to breakage, not even Bussekin. Although in regards to my broken 1311: assuming it wasn't a heat treat issue that caused the break, I'm guessing that blade might have survived if it was INFI, rather than Sr101.

Its only fair that I say I think it was user error, fatigue, and general carelessness that was mostly responsible for this particular failure.

Great post ocnLogan! you make some excellent points...

OP- If you have any nice knife shops in your area, I second ocrLogan's advice and recommend you go see how the different options feel in hand.

Either way, enjoy the hunt!

Turns out, lots of images of knives online are linked back here to bladeforums :). And yes, I should have mentioned it in my post, that busse-kin also have excellent warranties, and while I had no doubt that you got a replacement, ita good to hear how quick the turnaround was :).

And your straightforwarness about how it could have been user error is refreshing (not saying it was, just acknowledging that it could have been is nice to hear. Far too many seem to cover up user error by blaming the company, and you are doing exactly the opposite :thumbup: ). I honestly believe that basically any of the major companies would have your back if the product was defective, its just that some companies go above and beyond and cover intentinal/unintentional user error/abuse as well (bussekin, ESEE, etc).

And now kind of back on topic ...

OP, another thing to think about is if you want just one blade, or if you want a few more specialized ones. A largerish knife like a ESEE 6, bk9, etc can do many things pretty well, but will never chop as well as a machete or an axe, or be quite as nimble as a Mora.

I find a folding saw and a Mora take care of lots for me. And I throw in the bk9 at times to make a nice three item kit :).

And again, if I was taking a single knife to cover all my needs. It would be the BK12/Ritter MK2. Which, funnily enough, is manufactured by Rowen (the people that make ESEE), and has the same lifetime warranty as the ESEE knives. I have a personal preference towards knives without big finger choils, which is why I'd take the BK12 over the ESEE 6, as otherwise they are very similar in specs (both 3/16in thick, both 1095, both similar lengths, etc).
 
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If your looking for your "one knife" at that price range I'd take a serious look at the ESEE 6...Probably by far my favorite knife !

 
I'll throw in my vote for the Junglas as well. Besides the excellent heat treat, better fit/finish, micarta handles, and superior warranty the Junglas also bests the competition with a much better sheath. Best OEM sheath for a big knife i've seen. I don't know if you can find one new for $150 maybe try the exchange. Either way paying a little more is totally worth it IMO.

And the accusation above that the Junglas gets inconsistent ratings around here is laughable especially when recommending anything cold steel over a Junglas. Simply not true at all :thumbup:
 
Im getting one of Ontario Ranger knife series.Do not know which one yet.I like Chimera model in plain edge,but am also considering few other knives.Also if I can find one of Scrapyard knives...Esee 6 is really nice knife too.
 
Don't get a vapor lock on the knife. A knife is a knife. You can use something Like a Mora Heavy Duty AND get a decent axe or hatchet for your $150.00
 
^true, SOG base camp axe is a pretty good small axe for right about $50, I've been very pleased with mine so far, good sheath, and since its all one piece design, no worries about the handle shattering...

Still leaves you $100 for a knife, plenty of options available.
 
....And the accusation above that the Junglas gets inconsistent ratings around here is laughable especially when recommending anything cold steel over a Junglas. Simply not true at all :thumbup:

Wow. When you aim it right at me I better respond....

First, pull up a Junglas search here. Over time it's the most inconsistently rated single big knife I've ever seen here. People are all over the place on it over the years. Frankly the ones I've used have felt cheap and they'll numb your hand with about ten minutes of really hard bush work. That's my own experience with them.

What IS laughable though is your "anything CS over a Junglas" comment. I guarantee you my CS Trailmaster san mai will put a Junglas broken and in the dirt for all-round performer in survival/camp/shtf....which the OP originally asked about. No comparison.

Next time write a little more accurately and stay in your budget. You seem to "read" more than you "use."

You guys can love your Junglai but let's try to keep it real.
 
Wow. When you aim it right at me I better respond....

First, pull up a Junglas search here. Over time it's the most inconsistently rated single big knife I've ever seen here
. People are all over the place on it over the years. Frankly the ones I've used have felt cheap and they'll numb your hand with about ten minutes of really hard bush work. That's my own experience with them.

What IS laughable though is your "anything CS over a Junglas" comment. I guarantee you my CS Trailmaster san mai will put a Junglas broken and in the dirt for all-round performer in survival/camp/shtf....which the OP originally asked about. No comparison.

Next time write a little more accurately and stay in your budget. You seem to "read" more than you "use."

You guys can love your Junglai but let's try to keep it real.

Really? Well, there are plenty of REAL users that will disagree with you and why don't you pull up those inconsistent results. Well as someone who has used both BK and Junglas, there is no doubt which feels better to me and it is not the Becker.

But since we are talking threads lets go here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1174136-Broke-my-BK2

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...finding-someone-to-fix-a-broken-tip-on-a-BK16

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1141546-Ka-Bar-BK-16-Quality-Control-UPDATE
 
To the OP, if you could find a place nearby that stocks some of these, you could get a feel for what fits your hand better, which could help out a lot in this process.

What do you feel is "large"? I've found that people see things very differently, and frequently comment about how my BK2 is a lot bigger than the classic kabar USMC, even though its blade and overall length is shorter.

And the question about what exactly you'll be using it for, and how you'll be getting around are good ones. If you're plan is to sit in one spot, then large blades make more sense. If you're wanting to go a large distance, then lighter blades might make more sense.



Agreed that no one looking for something large will find a huge difference in how they carry. They're fairly similar in overall size. I still feel that the BK9 is more "knifeish" while the junglas is more "chopperish", but that's just a preference thing.

Yeah, every time someone mentions a broken Becker, its these few photos (aside from the top one, which isn't a Becker) that are usually mentioned. You can see in the photos that those are all roll stamped models, so at least 2-3 years old at least now. And I don't know offhand if anyone has ever been able to tell if these are Kabar, or Camillus BK9's (the stamps on the other side). Anyway, from what I have heard/seen around the Becker subforum, the Camillus BK9's were much more prone to breakage. Also, the roll stamping was done away with to reduce stress risers from the stamping process (not that that would have helped in these particular cases, since it is the edge we're seeing). I've not yet seen a broken BK9 of recent vintage, if that's worth anything.

For what its worth, in all of the broken Becker knife threads I've been able to find online, they have all been replaced under warranty. Same thing with the Kabar (heavy bowie mostly) threads that I could find. The main difference in my mind is that ESEE is committed to replacing your knife if you're an idiot and do it on purpose. Kabar/Becker seems to avoid replacing those knives with the way their warranty is worded.

And surprisingly, one of the things you apparently had issues with were the handles, which funnily enough is one of the things I like best about Becker knives. The shape is great, and the grivory to me is the perfect amount of slip + grip. Mostly what that means to me is no blisters, even with extended use (2hr +). But yeah, maybe someday try another one with the factory Micarta. If the scales were the only thing that put you off of it, I guess that's been "fixed" for a while now.

And finally. I'm not saying that Becker (or anyone else for that matter) is immune to failures, or bad blades. Just saying that with any mass produced knife, its possible to have a few that don't meet QC specs that end up making their way out the door. That's where warranties come in, ESEE of course has that covered, and so far I've not yet seen a warranty request denied from Kabar/Becker.

Final side note that "proves" this point, is that when you search for images of "broken ESEE" and "Broken Becker", all sorts of other knives show up. And again, this isn't bashing any of these companies. Just saying that any knife can break, either due to user error, or missed HT, and as long as its not a systemic problem and the warranty covers it, I've got no problem.

People say buss-kin are impervious to damage?
17vi.jpg


Here is a rowen produced ESEE
PYfiqpdl.jpg


Cold Steel
IMG_4250.jpg

There is no doubt that you can break any blade(and I stated that in my post, you must have missed it), which is why I only posted pics of divots taken out of edges. Not straight out blade fractures like you just did(a little disingenuous on your part maybe?) . You posted a pic of a scrapyard 13 inch blade broken in half. The only one I know of and it is made of SR101. Fair enough, but that is not a divot out of the edge is it. I could have posted these as well:


becker_combat_bowie_damaged.jpg

IMG00019-20110315-0037-small.jpg

3baa1a16-55a5-42ad-a146-865afb54b3f5_zps399287fb.jpg

Photo-0036.jpg

patrol_machete_broken.jpg

BECKER_zps80116728.jpg


I wasn't posting broken blade pics because that was not the point. But the above pics show a pattern in some of them. Each of these has a story some of them were not abuse. There are maybe junglas damage pics and one scrapyard knife pic. Look at the overwhelming broken Beckers.


I stand by my opinion that ESEE is a better knife. Has a thin edge which cuts easily as well if not better. Better handle, and better sheath. I surely didn't think this was an arguable point. It's also more expensive.

And as for Scrapyard, if you can find one, it is tougher than anything posted in here in spite of the one broken blade you have found. I would certainly try to stay away from comparing becker to scrapyard. They are not in the same league at all, toughness wise. I just sent a Scrapyard 911 knife to another member who is going to test it against his cpm3V blade and post results. Anyone want to send that member a Becker? See how long it lasts? I did put my money where my mouth is, if my knife fails all will know. The point of the comparison is to see how it does against 3V.
 

There is no doubt that you can break any blade(and I stated that in my post, you must have missed it), which is why I only posted pics of divots taken out of edges. Not straight out blade fractures like you just did(a little disingenuous on your part maybe?) . You posted a pic of a scrapyard 13 inch blade broken in half. The only one I know of and it is made of SR101. Fair enough, but that is not a divot out of the edge is it. I could have posted these as well:


becker_combat_bowie_damaged.jpg

IMG00019-20110315-0037-small.jpg

3baa1a16-55a5-42ad-a146-865afb54b3f5_zps399287fb.jpg

Photo-0036.jpg

patrol_machete_broken.jpg

BECKER_zps80116728.jpg


I wasn't posting broken blade pics because that was not the point. But the above pics show a pattern in some of them. Each of these has a story some of them were not abuse. There are maybe junglas damage pics and one scrapyard knife pic. Look at the overwhelming broken Beckers.


I stand by my opinion that ESEE is a better knife. Has a thin edge which cuts easily as well if not better. Better handle, and better sheath. I surely didn't think this was an arguable point. It's also more expensive.

And as for Scrapyard, if you can find one, it is tougher than anything posted in here in spite of the one broken blade you have found. I would certainly try to stay away from comparing becker to scrapyard. They are not in the same league at all, toughness wise. I just sent a Scrapyard 911 knife to another member who is going to test it against his cpm3V blade and post results. Anyone want to send that member a Becker? See how long it lasts? I did put my money where my mouth is, if my knife fails all will know. The point of the comparison is to see how it does against 3V.

Whoa, you apparently thought I was attacking you, or ESEE, or scrapyard, or something like that, which (if you missed it in my post :p) I explicitly said I was not trying to do. So if I have somehow offended you, I apologize, that wasn't my intent (I actually thought we were getting along just fine).

I agreed with you saying that any blades can make it out of the factory with a missed quality check on the HT (which is what I believe those "divots" to be indicating). So the rest of my post was trying to indicate that things "could" happen to any companies knife, and as long as the company stood behind it, and it wasn't a rampant problem (you've now posted what... 8 photos? out of how many thousands/hundreds of thousands?), I was fine with that.

The "divots" you said were (in my mind at least) indicative of a bad heat treat, so I posted photos of what I can only imagine were other blades that had missed HT. I purposely did NOT post photos of ESEE or other brands that had been broken by blatant abuse (like the ESEE 6's/Izulas that have the tips missing from prying, knives that have been shot at, the one Busse I've seen that broke in half at the choil, but was apparently because it was custom redone, and the guy overheated the blade while grinding, etc). So no, I was not trying to subvertly be disingenuous. I tried to find examples of clear HT failures to prove a point, which apparently I may have done a touch too well.

Just to note, the BK9's broken at the stamp, those are the Camillus ones I was referring to in my last post. That is the classic place for them to break at the roll stamp. I think you may have now found most of the photos that I've seen of that type of break. And if you find one with the laser engraving (recent production) that is broken, I'd genuinely be interested. I haven't seen one come up since they made that change, and I'd like to keep informed (I try not to parrot stuff).

You posted a custom warncliff knife (the one that looks like the BK2)... that's not a broken one... that's the shape of the blade. You also posted the only photos I've seen (before) of a broken BK2. Luckily, we have the background on that one too. It was thrown "hundreds of times" (which I'm sure most here would say was abuse for a non-throwing knife). And finally we have a straight HT failure for a patrol machete, and a broken tip on a BK16 (can happen, just like the ESEE 6/izula ones, or any blade with a fine tip and someone prying).

Also, all of those blades were replaced under warranty (I'm pretty active in the Becker subforum, and most of these have come through at one point or the other, and have been discussed), as of course was the Scrapyard or ESEE knives, and presumably the Cold Steel as well.

I never stated that I thought that the Becker was better/tougher than Scrapyard, or ESEE. I merely said that I find them to be quality blades, with a company that stands behind their product.

In fact, the only thing I think I said that was concretely about the two, was that I find the BK9 to be more "knifey" while the larger junglas is more "chopper-y". Depending on what you're looking for, either of those will be advantages/disadvantages. I will agree with you on the sheath, the BK9's sheath isn't great, and I will agree that most seem to prefer micarta to grivory, that doesn't bother me at all (the only "arguable" point is the ergos/shape, which is person/hand size dependent, so our differences do not bother me in the least there either. Its A-ok in my book :)).

I think its great that you're going to compare the SR101 to 3v, I was actually lurking in that thread last week, and am eagerly awaiting the results, as hard numbers for differences between steels can be hard to come by. I think its a great service that you're doing. And no, I don't think plain old 1095 cv would fair well against those competitors. I've seen the steel charts :p.

Anyway, end result, I was trying to agree with you, but apparently it didn't come across that way, my bad. And in closing, I will still stand by the fact that "I" believe that Beckers are a great performers that have great ergonomics and value. And that Kabar will treat you well if something does happen (six sigma can miss things sadly :/). This does in no way somehow reduce what I think of the other brands that also do that.
 
Yesh. I think things are getting a bit off topic. And aggressive.
To the OP, I love the BK9. It is one of my favorite big knives.
This right here is also a fun option






 
Yeah, sorry for derailing the thread guys, my bad :/.

To the OP, any feedback on what length you were really wanting when you said "large"? Without that we're kind of just guessing what you might want, and could be totally off.

What is that knife above? I've seen the profile, but can't place the model name off the top of my head.
 
Yeah, sorry for derailing the thread guys, my bad :/.

To the OP, any feedback on what length you were really wanting when you said "large"? Without that we're kind of just guessing what you might want, and could be totally off.

What is that knife above? I've seen the profile, but can't place the model name off the top of my head.

It is the Buck 108 Froe. It is part of the new 2015 Compadre series.
 
Wow. When you aim it right at me I better respond....

First, pull up a Junglas search here. Over time it's the most inconsistently rated single big knife I've ever seen here. People are all over the place on it over the years. Frankly the ones I've used have felt cheap and they'll numb your hand with about ten minutes of really hard bush work. That's my own experience with them.

What IS laughable though is your "anything CS over a Junglas" comment. I guarantee you my CS Trailmaster san mai will put a Junglas broken and in the dirt for all-round performer in survival/camp/shtf....which the OP originally asked about. No comparison.

Next time write a little more accurately and stay in your budget. You seem to "read" more than you "use."

You guys can love your Junglai but let's try to keep it real.

The old "you don't use your knives" argument. Seems to be a lot of that going on around here lately. And when someone throws out that troll argument it pretty much makes whatever else you have to say meaningless. So I wish you good luck sir.
 
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