Fixed Blade EDC Recommendation Needed

archieblue said:
There are plenty of good knives but not so many good sheaths. Like clips in folders, sheaths are often an afterthought. Fortunately it is a lot easier to learn to live with a not so great sheath than a not so good knife. It is arguably less important though. The knife for you depends on what is most important to you. Toughness/Durability, all out wear resistance, corrosion resistance. I, quite honestly, struggle with the one aspect that I would like to overshadow the others. You can think of these three aspects on a pie chart... to increase one aspect, you will diminish one or Both of the others. I tend to want either toughness or corrosion resistance to be on the top of my desires within reason. I should also mention that if I am going for a fixed blade I would lean toward toughness because it would be a chief reason I would choose a fixed blade over a folder. The Survive Knives in 3V have been at the top for me. The smaller ones are hard to come by. I have a Carothers EDC that has been excellent so far as well. If I were in the market for something more
readily available I would try a Lionsteel M4. I have an M1 in M390 and it is really nice. Honestly I couldn’t ask for more in a knife except durability. I hope I never need the durability of 3V but it does give peace of mind.
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Ditto on the Lionsteel M4 and M1 in M390. I currently use the M4 for all hunting tasks in the field. I owned the M1 in the past and it is a phenomenal small edc fixed blade. Also, anything Bradford Larkin does at Bradford Knives, especially in M390, will be top notch.
Both the Lionsteel and the Bradford Guardian series in M390 are a whole lot of knife for the money. More expensive doesn't necessarily equate to better in terms of quality, ergos, and fit and finish.
 
Shameless plug for a business partner (he makes the knives I design, along with many more of his own), JK knives makes a few great knives that fit into the EDC role well if you're willing to wait a little for the order time. He has a few listed now for sale as well. His O1 steel HT is quite tough as well. His element series, bluegill, hurley creek, and compact tool could make great EDC knives. If you like bigger knives, the rule 9 is great, but certainly more full-size than I like to EDC. I generally limit my EDC length to 3", but occasionally rotate in a 3.5" if carrying it on/in a vest. Usually the handles get a bit too big for concealed belt carry for me.

I'll also have a couple coming out this month if you're interested in something small and a little different and you like blades with belly (the ones in my sig are the prototypes)

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/knife-sale-january-1st.1702655/

Here's an EDC package he has listed for a fair price (details in link above).
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For other stuff I've tried and had decent experiences with, I think the Bradford guardians are nice. I really like the mini Kephart from Bark River right now, it's a good size and the steel is thin and slicey and should be tough enough for most tasks in 3V. I really liked the CRKT hunt n' Fisch knife, but the mediocre steel and CRKT's hit or miss HT is never confidence inspiring, but I liked it. The Bark River essential is a cool knife as well, but over-priced IMO. I think LT Wright's small knives are fantastic as well, like the small workhorse, patriot, frontier valley, and several others. LT is one of my faves for a non-custom knife that has a classic styling, great quality, at an above average price range for most options (over $100-$120).

GEC has a few fixed blades now that might fit the EDC bill really well too, but I've not personally used them.
 
Just saw Duramax's post, there is currently a Son of Swat in the Busse exchange, but otherwise they can be a little tough to get ahold of the Busse stuff. I think Carother's falls in there too since you either have to wait a while on an order or go 2nd hand, but they can certainly be worth it if it's what you're after. I think there are better makers for small blades than Busse and Kin, but their 5" and up stuff has been very nice. If you need a sturdy short blade (I rarely do) they are good. I think there are just better options in the small fixed blade category.

I think the bush hermit from fiddleback could be a really nice, bigger EDC option that fits into your size limit as well, because it has a taller and flatter handle so it sits closer to the body. I really like mine but use it in the woods or wood shop mostly.
 
I was also wondering if it was 4 inches overall or 4 inch cutting edge?
 
shane said:
Looking at Bradford 4.5 in 3v and LT Wright Rogue River in A2
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Of those two, I would go for the rogue river. Very nice knife, handle could be a little small if you have XL or larger hands as it was good for my large hands, but certainly not roomy. I liked the slight negative blade angle and convex grind a lot. I would probably still have one if I didn't have the fiddleback bush hermit, who's handle I like more.
 
Well, you can get basically anything for under $400 because that's a lot of money.

4" cutting edge isn't big or small, I find it to be sweet spot too.

Now, any blade that you sharpen properly will be sharp.
And thin and tough don't work well together unfortunatley...
 
shane said:
In search of a new fixed blade for EDC tasks and just an all around good knife. Looking for thin, tough and SHARP. Would like to keep cost under $400 and somewhat easy to find. Any suggestions? Thanks.

shane
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I would keep an eye out right here on BF Knifemakers For Sale forum. I would look for something in A2, as long as you trust the knifemaker, you can find a lot of value for the money.
 
Custom made knives are just the way you want them, so yeah.

O1, A2, 5160, 52100, D2... those steels seem to have good price/performance ratio. They keep a good edge while being very tough. Those are mainly tool steels (though 52100 is ball bearing steel) and lots of knife makers are experienced with those steels.
 
Like others have said, can't go wrong with a Bradford G3. I'd buy one of those and spend the extra money on other knives. hehe
 
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White River Knives, Caper or Hunter. 1/8" S35VN, thin and sharp. Easy to keep that way. How tough it is depends on you. My EDC is their Sendero Classic, but our knife laws are somewhat less restrictive in Oklahoma, the 4-1/2" blade hardly rates a second glance. Unless you're going to cut Kevlar shipping bands(yeah, I'm a dumb-ass sometimes), you'll likely never have a problem.
 
KumaPicard said:
Bradford in 3V with their spectacular heat treat, IMHO
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Absolutely love my G3 / V4E / Sheepsfoot... thing is an incredible slicer in a very compact package. Pair that with an armatus sheath, and you have an incredibly compact package that will do some work :thumbsup:

Had the standard G3 in 3v and it was great too. Had a 3.5 in M390, but found that the handle just didn't work for me. Prefer the contouring of the G3. Probably going to be posting the G3 and G 3.5 with extra kydex sheaths in the F/S section soon, if you are still looking to try one at that point.
 
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