Recommendation? looking for a small high quality fixed blade edc type knife

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aribus

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Jun 17, 2015
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I have posted this elsewhere but haven’t received a whole lot of recommendations. I’m hoping you fine folks can lend your expertise.

My birthday is coming up soon and my wife is letting me pick out my present this year. I’ve been thinking about a really nice small edc fixed blade with the intent to pass it down as an heirloom. Of course I’ll pass down everything I have, but I’m hoping this one is special.

- I’m looking for blade around 3 inches, give or take.

- I prefer steel with at least some stain resistance since I live in a humid environment.

- I’m fond of exotic scales with fancy flourishes like polished bolsters and mosaic pins, but I’d consider almost any design as long as it’s sturdy, and looks and feels good.

- I’d like to keep the price under $500, under $400 preferred, under $300 would be ideal, and anything less better be damn good since...

The Bradford Guardian 3 is what immediately stood out. It’s small, the steel is the high end M390, the shape is excellent (I love a good choil), and the sheath is pretty much what I’m looking for (simple leather). In a vacuum, this knife is perfect.

Then I started browsing around for other knifes that fit this basic format. I’ve had a Bark River Bravo for some time and the fit and finish are a league above most of my knifes. I looked around and narrowed their line down to the Essential.

The Bark River Essential comes in M4 and CPM154 as well as a Zoe Crist Damascus. It seems the cool handle/bolster combos are the CPM154 models and the plainer ones are in M4. The Damascus models are even more limited, but sufficiently fancy with a few good options. However, I can’t find a whole lot of information regarding how it performs and any general opinions of Bark River knives using this steel.

So, I have the Bradford and the Bark River on my short list and I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. Both are the right size but the Bark River looks the part, but mainly in CPM154 and Damascus. The Bradford arguably has much better steel.

Any other contenders out there? Comparing the steels in the size and form factor, is there an argument for either? I’m open to suggestions.

As I understand it, CPM 154 is a pretty high end stainless, but not the newest or the most cutting edge. M390 is supposed to be better than CPM 154 in edge retention, but much more difficult to sharpen. M4 is apparently similar in edge retention to M390, but both M390 and CPM 154 has it beat on corrosion resistance. Finally, I have no idea what to expect from this Zoe Crist Damascus. Can I sharpen it easily? How’s the corrosion. What about edge retention? Is it completely idiotic to choose Damascus for an edc knife? I have no clue.

In all honestly, this will likely just be a fancy pants box cutter and light use utility knife. I’m not going to be doing anything extreme with it like building a bug out shelter during the apocalypse, but I do plan to use it often. Ultimately, what I want is a really nice small edc fixed blade in a good steel that I can pass on to my kids. I’d like to sharpen it as needed to keep a good edge on it. Another factor is that I live in a very humid environment, so corrosion resistance is a valid concern.
 
You will get a lot of good advice, and most will be very helpful once they know some more of your likes and intended purposes, and maybe narrow it down a little. From what I hear you are looking for a good steel with corrosion resistance, light duty, but something you would like to carry as a good tool. My first advice is check out The exchange for a great variety and styles, a lot of great makers.

The first two that come to mind are JK knives and Fiddleback Forge. John at JK can offer some stainless, but his 01 is heat treated just right and has a lot of small patterns that can be tweaked to meet the size parameters you want. Fiddlebacks come in a great variety and sizes, mostly carbpn steels, and awesome handle materials, the handles are very comfortable. And there are several of his Apprentices that have their own line now, several with stainless options.
 
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IMG_0285.JPG

These are my two smaller JKs, not the folder. One is a Bird and trout and the other a stretched Worker, both with a blade about 3 inches in 01, one with desert ironwood and the bottom one in natural or tan micarta. John will also work with your designs too. He has some stainless.
Lastly, I would seriously look at Horsewright knives, Dave Ferry has some great knives and leather work to hold them, active cowboy stuff....and right pretty ones too.
 
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This requires pictures - I'll add them when I get home.

Just a thought for clarification - while I'm a fan of the Bradford Guardian 3, it's not what I think of as "heirloom quality"... though it's certainly worthy of passing on to the next generation. How important is the fancy factor?

For now, I'll mention the Dozier modified personal.
 
The quest has been to find the finest 7" OAL knife (3" blade) for cross-draw carry. Although I always carry a folding blade clipped in my pocket, I also carry a small fixed blade 24/7 in a leather cross-draw sheath.
The cross-draw knife is used in daily casual work about 95% of the time, while the folder gets bored in my pocket.
Both of the knives below are well suited for casual carry, which is all that I need. I am well past retirement age, and I don't go to the woods any more. But for cutting needs around the house, cutting plastic ties, slicing veggies in the kitchen and opening packages, either of these two would be ideal.
The Bradford 3G fixed blade is an excellent knife, and I have owned at least 8 or 10 in the past two yrs...checking out the various steels offered by Bradford. It is ONE of my favorite knives, and is economical.

Copy the link below and paste it into a new tab and check these knives out.
W.A. Surls, along with Jarrett Fleming, each have their own forum here, which is an indication of their talented blade-smithing. I wish you well in your hunt. BUSSE knives also have a forum here, and they are made as heavy-duty knives that you can beat on and not hurt. But, they have made several smaller knives with thinner blades...which also could make you a fine knife...but at a much higher cost....in the region of $400 or so. BUSSE is almost a religion among its owners...
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/160-for-either-one-big-drop-wonderful-fixed-blades.1683181/
 
cbach8tw said:
You will get a lot of good advice, and most will be very helpful once they know some more of your likes and intended purposes, and maybe narrow it down a little. From what I hear you are looking for a good steel with corrosion resistance, light duty, but something you would like to carry as a good tool. My first advice is check out The exchange for a great variety and styles, a lot of great makers.

The first two that come to mind are JK knives and Fiddleback Forge. John at JK can offer some stainless, but his 01 is heat treated just right and has a lot of small patterns that can be tweaked to meet the size parameters you want. Fiddlebacks come in a great variety and sizes, mostly carbpn steels, and awesome handle materials, the handles are very comfortable. And there are several of his Apprentices that have their own line now, several with stainless options.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. You are correct in that what I am looking for is a small fixed blade in a good corrosion resistant steel to be used lightly for utility purposes. I'll take your advice and check out the exchange and see what's available. I'll also make a trip to the Fiddleback forge to see if anything catches my eye. Thanks again, I appreciate it.
 
hhmoore said:
This requires pictures - I'll add them when I get home.

Just a thought for clarification - while I'm a fan of the Bradford Guardian 3, it's not what I think of as "heirloom quality"... though it's certainly worthy of passing on to the next generation. How important is the fancy factor?

For now, I'll mention the Dozier modified personal.
Click to expand...

The Bradford triggered my search for a knife in that size. Naturally, I added all the options I could and started to wonder if any other manufacturers offered something similar to it but fancier. In my limited experience, I almost immediately went to Bark River as the Bravo I own is one of the nicest knives in my collection. As I kept looking around, I couldn't help but to come back to the Bradford because of the steel. I realize for my purposes the benefits of such a high end steel might be lost on me, but considering the humidity of my current location and the amount of time I plan to spend with this knife, knowing a high end steel is used is very appealing.

I just looked at the Dozier modified. Wow, this knife has personality and the scales are my taste. Awesome recommendation. Thank you. This is the kind of knife I'm looking for.
 
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cbach8tw said:
View attachment 1192933

These are my two smaller JKs, not the folder. One is a Bird and trout and the other a stretched Worker, both with a blade about 3 inches in 01, one with desert ironwood and the bottom one in natural or tan micarta. John will also work with your designs too. He has some stainless.
Lastly, I would seriously look at Horsewright knives, Dave Ferry has some great knives and leather work to hold them, active cowboy stuff....and right pretty ones too.
Click to expand...

The Horsewright Bandito has my interest. The mosaic pins and walnut handles really appeal to me. This kind of attention to detail pleases me. Thank you very much.
 
I have several small knives in that category, none of them too expensive. For example: Link removed, read the site rules please.
 
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Whiteriver backpacker / caper.

The tiny sheath and great design are perfect.
 
Love my magni by Joe Watson...entirely different handle but i can't recommend it enough.
 
Have a look at what Arno Bernard offers. You could get a nice warthog ivory or other natural handle material at a fair price.

Check their Bush baby line.

,,,Mike in Canada.
 
My favorite small fixed blade actually suited for edc. Stainless micarta easy to carry. Is a Randall model 10-3. It’s their smallest “salt water fishing knife”. But it should be described as perfect small edc belt or neck knife.

It is at the low end of your price range. Some dealers charge Randall catalog price NO MARK UP. Pm me if you want help

It reminds me of a mini Kephart.


view


Even though it has a very small handle it is contoured just right to feel right.
 
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aribus said:
I have posted this elsewhere but haven’t received a whole lot of recommendations. I’m hoping you fine folks can lend your expertise.

My birthday is coming up soon and my wife is letting me pick out my present this year. I’ve been thinking about a really nice small edc fixed blade with the intent to pass it down as an heirloom. Of course I’ll pass down everything I have, but I’m hoping this one is special.

- I’m looking for blade around 3 inches, give or take.

- I prefer steel with at least some stain resistance since I live in a humid environment.

- I’m fond of exotic scales with fancy flourishes like polished bolsters and mosaic pins, but I’d consider almost any design as long as it’s sturdy, and looks and feels good.

- I’d like to keep the price under $500, under $400 preferred, under $300 would be ideal, and anything less better be damn good since...

The Bradford Guardian 3 is what immediately stood out. It’s small, the steel is the high end M390, the shape is excellent (I love a good choil), and the sheath is pretty much what I’m looking for (simple leather). In a vacuum, this knife is perfect.

Then I started browsing around for other knifes that fit this basic format. I’ve had a Bark River Bravo for some time and the fit and finish are a league above most of my knifes. I looked around and narrowed their line down to the Essential.

The Bark River Essential comes in M4 and CPM154 as well as a Zoe Crist Damascus. It seems the cool handle/bolster combos are the CPM154 models and the plainer ones are in M4. The Damascus models are even more limited, but sufficiently fancy with a few good options. However, I can’t find a whole lot of information regarding how it performs and any general opinions of Bark River knives using this steel.

So, I have the Bradford and the Bark River on my short list and I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. Both are the right size but the Bark River looks the part, but mainly in CPM154 and Damascus. The Bradford arguably has much better steel.

Any other contenders out there? Comparing the steels in the size and form factor, is there an argument for either? I’m open to suggestions.

As I understand it, CPM 154 is a pretty high end stainless, but not the newest or the most cutting edge. M390 is supposed to be better than CPM 154 in edge retention, but much more difficult to sharpen. M4 is apparently similar in edge retention to M390, but both M390 and CPM 154 has it beat on corrosion resistance. Finally, I have no idea what to expect from this Zoe Crist Damascus. Can I sharpen it easily? How’s the corrosion. What about edge retention? Is it completely idiotic to choose Damascus for an edc knife? I have no clue.

In all honestly, this will likely just be a fancy pants box cutter and light use utility knife. I’m not going to be doing anything extreme with it like building a bug out shelter during the apocalypse, but I do plan to use it often. Ultimately, what I want is a really nice small edc fixed blade in a good steel that I can pass on to my kids. I’d like to sharpen it as needed to keep a good edge on it. Another factor is that I live in a very humid environment, so corrosion resistance is a valid concern.
Click to expand...
With that budget, look at Carothers EDC (1/2/3) with Delta 3V steel. https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/carothers-performance-knives.929/ A little hard to come by, but they have a for sale forum within the link and the come up on the Exchange every now and then.

Also look at Fiddleback Forge: https://www.dlttrading.com/fiddleback-forge-knives
 
Or for a little more money you can step up to a Forged Randall with stag like a GTR or Denmark special. Or a model 21 Little Game. Definitely heirloom quality.
515971D8-C1E7-427B-B120-5D099E5A78AA.jpeg
 
Recently Buck brought back a small fixed blade. Model 212. It’s offered in stainless with various handles. Easy to carry big enough to use.

view
 
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