Minimum viable fixed blade

What I consider a minimum viable fixed blade.
Moraknife Companion. Standard or heavy duty. Plain edge or fully serrated. A bunch of cool handle/sheath colors. Lightweight and strong. Also available in 12C27 stainless or 1095 Carbon steel.
Price range $15 to $24. Favorite knife of many professional bushcrafters, craftsmen, construction workers, and survivalists. I keep 3 in my bugout bag at all times. Before any other knives I own.
 
That's a beauty! 👍
I've been looking for one like that: but set up for a Southpaw S.O.B. carry.
 
Condor Mini Bushlore, Bark River PSK & ULB x 2, Fallkniven WM1, Marttiini Kätevä puukko.

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I also have a couple of small skeletonized ones somewhere.
 
It all depends on what I'm doing, where I'm going, and what I'm wearing. I don't like open carry in civilized areas. While the clip of a folder never seems to be an issue, some people get anxious when a belt knife is visible. I can only guess why and I don't like coddling those who feel a need for "safe spaces". However, nothing is gained by making soccer moms and soy boys uncomfortable at the grocery store.

Cover doesn't have to be perfect. Just don't make a fixed blade obvious. The truth is that most people aren't paying close attention and will only notice something if you make it obvious.

Since we're doing show and tell, here is another good EDC-sized fixed blade from David Mary David Mary . I can get four fingers on the handle in a hammer grip but really, it's a three-finger knife.

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I carry a small fixed blade cross-draw, thin stock, 3 1/2" blade if I have to take on something organic...
coyote or person. It ticks all of the right boxes for me.
White River Sendero Pack.. perfection
 
If I were going to carry one fixed blade literally every day, it would be a Ruike Hornet F815, under $50. The blade is 3.35 inches, but as a bare minimum I could go with 3 inches. The Hornet comes with a great kydex sheath that works as a neck knife or a belt knife in vertical, horizontal, or canted position, but the clip is not so good for concealed carry. The steel is one of my favorites, 14C28N, which has excellent toughness and corrosion resistance, and I have found the edge retention to be surprisingly good in the Hornet. The bare minimum I would consider in steel would be Buck 420HC, but there is no Buck knife that I like as much as the Hornet. The handle comes in black or orange and is lightly skeletonized but very comfortable. The weight is 3.7 ounces, which is way below what I would consider a bare maximum--maybe 6 or 8 ounces? Both of my two Hornets were very sharp out of the box and slice beautifully.

In fact, I carry a variety of fixed blades, including half a dozen neck knives from time to time, especially in cold weather. For an unobtrusive neck knife, the smallest I carry is an MKM Jesper Voxnaes Mikro, which has an M390 blade just under 2 inches with the best sheath I have ever found in a neck knife, leather with magnets, perfectly secure, yet it is very easy to draw and sheath the knife. I carry a neck knife when I am not planning on doing any heavy-duty cutting, so M390 steel is way better than necessary; I would be happy with 420HC, AUS-8, S30V, or various others. You can get the knife with or without scales. My wife prefers it without scales. I slightly prefer it with scales.

 
Another Shepherd said:
If I were going to carry one fixed blade literally every day, it would be a Ruike Hornet F815, under $50. The blade is 3.35 inches, but as a bare minimum I could go with 3 inches. The Hornet comes with a great kydex sheath that works as a neck knife or a belt knife in vertical, horizontal, or canted position, but the clip is not so good for concealed carry. The steel is one of my favorites, 14C28N, which has excellent toughness and corrosion resistance, and I have found the edge retention to be surprisingly good in the Hornet. The bare minimum I would consider in steel would be Buck 420HC, but there is no Buck knife that I like as much as the Hornet. The handle comes in black or orange and is lightly skeletonized but very comfortable. The weight is 3.7 ounces, which is way below what I would consider a bare maximum--maybe 6 or 8 ounces? Both of my two Hornets were very sharp out of the box and slice beautifully.

In fact, I carry a variety of fixed blades, including half a dozen neck knives from time to time, especially in cold weather. For an unobtrusive neck knife, the smallest I carry is an MKM Jesper Voxnaes Mikro, which has an M390 blade just under 2 inches with the best sheath I have ever found in a neck knife, leather with magnets, perfectly secure, yet it is very easy to draw and sheath the knife. I carry a neck knife when I am not planning on doing any heavy-duty cutting, so M390 steel is way better than necessary; I would be happy with 420HC, AUS-8, S30V, or various others. You can get the knife with or without scales. My wife prefers it without scales. I slightly prefer it with scales.

Click to expand...

I also have a Hornet living in my backpack. :)
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Another Shepherd said:
If I were going to carry one fixed blade literally every day, it would be a Ruike Hornet F815, under $50. The blade is 3.35 inches, but as a bare minimum I could go with 3 inches. The Hornet comes with a great kydex sheath that works as a neck knife or a belt knife in vertical, horizontal, or canted position, but the clip is not so good for concealed carry. The steel is one of my favorites, 14C28N, which has excellent toughness and corrosion resistance, and I have found the edge retention to be surprisingly good in the Hornet. The bare minimum I would consider in steel would be Buck 420HC, but there is no Buck knife that I like as much as the Hornet. The handle comes in black or orange and is lightly skeletonized but very comfortable. The weight is 3.7 ounces, which is way below what I would consider a bare maximum--maybe 6 or 8 ounces? Both of my two Hornets were very sharp out of the box and slice beautifully.

In fact, I carry a variety of fixed blades, including half a dozen neck knives from time to time, especially in cold weather. For an unobtrusive neck knife, the smallest I carry is an MKM Jesper Voxnaes Mikro, which has an M390 blade just under 2 inches with the best sheath I have ever found in a neck knife, leather with magnets, perfectly secure, yet it is very easy to draw and sheath the knife. I carry a neck knife when I am not planning on doing any heavy-duty cutting, so M390 steel is way better than necessary; I would be happy with 420HC, AUS-8, S30V, or various others. You can get the knife with or without scales. My wife prefers it without scales. I slightly prefer it with scales.

Click to expand...

The Hornet is interesting. The only reason I haven't pulled the trigger on one is because of the ramp on the spine. I've had a lot of knives where a feature like that doesn't quite line up for my thumb. (I actually just ground down something like that on another knife.)

I'm a big fan of Sanrenmu's rotatable clip attachment on the sheath. My Ruike Jager and Real Steel Pointman use the same clip. Being able to quickly change orientation with what is essentially the push of a button came in handier than I was expecting. It also puts the sheath just a tiny bit further out from the belt. I wasn't sure if I would like that, given that flatness to the body is usually good for concealed carry. However, it is just enough to make it carry more comfortably when canted or vertical.

The Real Steel Receptor is a good little belt knife but has sadly been discontinued. It remains one of my favorite designs from Ostap Hel. It has more handle than blade but it has enough blade for most tasks. Where the Receptor really shines is in its balance of capability, comfort in use, and easy of carry. If you see one on the secondary market, check it out.
 
A few forumites already mentioned puukkos.
They come in a wide range of length, outlook (from rustic to very refined, traditional to modern) and are a proven design.

Another option to consider is a knife from Bob Dozier.
 
I'm in the 5.25" to 6.5 inch oal camp. I can't begin to tell ya how long I've been carrying such a knife but at least 30 years. Nor can I tell ya when I ever said I wish I had a bigger knife. I have found very few cutting tasks that needed a larger knife. At least in my day to day. I have also been carrying in a horizontal crossdraw manner for most of that time:

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Carried this way the knife simply "goes away" for me until it's needed. Also, I've found that its very easy to get to with either hand. This is particularly important to me, as a knife for us Is a safety device. Working around horses and cows and ropes bad things can go "western" quickly. I can't tell ya how many times I've sold a knife to a cowboy the day after a "wreck." The story always going, "I had my folder in my pocket but couldn't get to it, I need one of your little fixed blades."

Behind the hip crossdraw is also a very viable method of carry for us and I see that a lot. Ya can still get to it with either hand.

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Some folks will carry true SOB but my thought is in a bind ya can't get to it with either hand. Works very well for larger knives though. Just can only get to it with one hand. When folks ask me I recommend either horizontal crossdraw or behind the hip. Working the squeeze chute:

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Yet still out of the way when working the ground:

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Out of the way roping. Here's why its important to have said knife around, horses ropes and cattle:

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Anyhoo ya get the idea. Here's some of the knives:

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Pushing 7" oal is to us a larger knife.
 
Excellent topic with much great info! Doing research as I am looking to acquire my first fixed blade legal for CA carry.

Horsewright Horsewright - Beautiful work!
 
Chronovore said:
...
I'm a big fan of Sanrenmu's rotatable clip attachment on the sheath. My Ruike Jager and Real Steel Pointman use the same clip. Being able to quickly change orientation with what is essentially the push of a button came in handier than I was expecting. It also puts the sheath just a tiny bit further out from the belt. I wasn't sure if I would like that, given that flatness to the body is usually good for concealed carry. However, it is just enough to make it carry more comfortably when canted or vertical.

The Real Steel Receptor is a good little belt knife but has sadly been discontinued. It remains one of my favorite designs from Ostap Hel. It has more handle than blade but it has enough blade for most tasks. Where the Receptor really shines is in its balance of capability, comfort in use, and easy of carry. If you see one on the secondary market, check it out.
Click to expand...

The Ruike Jager is tempting. I wish it came in some brighter colors so as to be easier to find when I drop it somewhere out in the middle of a sheep pasture. Or if it came with a combo blade, I would buy it even in boring black.

I'll keep an eye out for the Real Steels.
 
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