Any good alternatives to the Down Under Knives 'The Outback'?

H

HobsteN

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May 18, 2014
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I'm considering buying 'The Outback' knife from lamnia.fi and have it shipped to Norway. Originally I was a big fan of the 'Timber Rattler Western Outlaw' bowie knife, but hence the quality decided to go for a more expensive knife. Now I wonder if there is a bowie knife similar to 'The Outback' or the 'Timber Rattler' bowies that maybe is a better deal or a better knife in general to 'The Outback' Down Under Knife? 'The Outback' knife seems to be a solid and good knife and I will probably buy it unless someone suggests otherwise.

Thanks
 
The Svord "Von Tempsky" Bowie comes to mind. Huge 11" blade out out L6 carbon steel. Very rustic, authentic "old" looking. Quite expensive, but great quality. Look up "Black Forest Ghosts" review on Youtube, this thing is a beast.

Or, what I'm thinking about, buy an Ontario SP-10, strip the coating and put a wood handle on. The blade shape is pretty close to the classic "Western movie bowie" IMHO.

I know nothing about the company that makes the Outback bowie, so I'd be hesitant. I know its made in China or somewhere else, usually thats not a problem when a reputable company like Spyderco stands behind it, but in this case I don't know. 440C is also not a steel I would choose for a knife like that.
 
I had one, briefly. Based on it and a few others I've seen, keep in mind that the one (or more) they show pictures of on the site are the cream of the crop in terms of fit/finish. Also, the dynamics/balance of the knife is pretty much dead---no natural "sweet spot" I could identify, just a hugely heavy club; you wouldn't swing it for more than 5 minutes without having to take a break, it's too slow to fight with, so basically it can't be recommended as either a camp blade or fighting Bowie. Just an absurdly large chunk of stainless steel which may or may not be what they claim it is, may or may not be heat treated well, and DEFINITELY is a poor choice of alloy for the application in any case. Way better options available.
 
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One more thing, comparing prices on Amazon (there are better vendors, many participate on these boards), Cold Steel offers a range of Bowles--both modern and traditional--for less money than the outback, and in addition to their knives being better built, both SK-5 and O1 are superior choices to 440C for a really large knife for any application other than display.
 
I have an Outback and like the looks; now the dreaded "however", the pommel is screwed on and the rod inside is unsupported. Unless you remove the pommel and fill the hole with epoxy or ? you risk breakage at that point; then you have a big problem. I have used a cold steel trailmaster (carbon V) for many years and trust it completely. My .02
 
t1mpani said:
One more thing, comparing prices on Amazon (there are better vendors, many participate on these boards), Cold Steel offers a range of Bowles--both modern and traditional--for less money than the outback, and in addition to their knives being better built, both SK-5 and O1 are superior choices to 440C for a really large knife for any application other than display.
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The Cold Steel 'Marauder' looks very nice, but is also a portion cheaper. Idk about the quality, but if definitely looks very nice.
 
HobsteN said:
The Cold Steel 'Marauder' looks very nice, but is also a portion cheaper. Idk about the quality, but if definitely looks very nice.
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More of a fighter, weight-wise, and I don't know that I'd call AUS-8 all that different from 440C in terms of attributes for this size of knife, but I'd trust the heat treat and especially the customer service from Cold Steel over the Down Under people (I'm referring to the specific company, not Aussies as a whole) should you have any problems. AUS-8 is generally easier to sharpen than 440C, due to a finer carbide structure. As such, it SHOULD be tougher in terms of chipping/fracture but geometry and heat treatment play a big part in splitting hairs like that.
 
C_Becker said:
The Svord "Von Tempsky" Bowie comes to mind. Huge 11" blade out out L6 carbon steel. Very rustic, authentic "old" looking. Quite expensive, but great quality. Look up "Black Forest Ghosts" review on Youtube, this thing is a beast.
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I'm really considering this knife aswell. 'The Outback' looks better, but this seems to be better in use than 'The Outback'.
 
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