Need a quality tough-as-nails fixed blade

RYE_TYLER said:
Take a look at Bark River's Bravo-1 or Gameskeeper. I think they'd fit the bill and more.... Rye
Click to expand...


These are the first two I thought of also. Made in the USA, many choices in handle material, rock solid guarantee and customer service.
 
Your added requirement that it be partially serrated eliminates almost all of the recommendations you've gotten thus far. KaBar makes some big fixed blades that are partially serrated---I wonder if Ranger would serrate one for you?
 
Just say NO! to serrations. With a properly sharpened blade, you do not need serrations. All they do is make the blade more difficult to sharpen.
 
I totally agree with Mongo.
If serrations was the ultimate thing, then knives would have serrations everywhere.
Serrations might be useful on special purpose knives. But then you have the Benchmade 7-Hook that outperforms any serrated knife.

You can sharpen a regular knife on about anything. A small sharpener weighs nothing, and a piece of 600 paper stuck in your map case weighs nothing at all, compared to the fancy special files needed to sharpen the serrations.

So in short. Fallkniven F1 or S1. A 4"-5" blade Bark River or the RAT-3 or 4. Without serrations.

It would be interesting to see someone make a list of thing you can do with a serrated knife that you can not do with a regular one.
I guess that serrations might be good if you dont care for your knife. An almost dull bread knife cuts just because it has a somewhat serrated blade. However a really sharp regular knife cuts as well. Super ultra laser sharpened knives are only useful until they need to be sharpened the first time, then they are scrap, unless you have fancy laser equipment lying around.

So stay off the serrations and learn how to sharpen a knife properly.
A Rat-3 with serrations are totally pointless since you have the huge ricasso. If you are in a hurry to cut something you will get it stuck there anyway.
 
If tough is the requirement then Scrap Yard knives without question.......



Dog Father

SR-77

DogFatherTothefloor3.jpg



DogFatherTothefloor.jpg





Scrapper 6 test....
http://www.knifetests.com/scrapyardscrapper6test.html
 
Where can one buy a Scrap Yard knife from?

The Scrapper 6 looks like a real winner. Also wouldn't mind a Dumpster Mutt DC :D
 
RAT RC-4, and I agree with Mongo...serrations aren't necessary in a well built knife. But to each their own, and the RC-4 comes with or without.
 
If serrated is a must have, that really eliminates a lot of great knives. I would really think twice about this as I dont find that they really have any real advantages over a plain edge. If it has to be serrated, then my only suggestion would be Rat Cutlery, probably an RC4. If you are willing to go with plain edge, that opens up a lot more amazing knives, that also happen to be tough as hell. Ranger Knives RD4 or RD6, Swamp Rat, Scrap Yard, and Bark River, and plain edged knives from Rat Cutlery as well. You can find some of the best quality knives from these companies, all in your price range. The only problem with Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard is they can be tough to come by. Unless they are in the process of a new release, you have to buy them off they exchange, which make them harder to get, and you usually have to pay a considerable amount more than you would if you were able to get them straight from the source. The companies I mentioned above are known for having some of the best quality, and best bang for your buck knives in the industry. I think there is a reason that most of them dont offer serrated knives.
 
I wonder how the Rat & Ranger's would hold up on campfire duties(splitting wood etc) over the years, compared to the Scrap Yard.

How does the steel compare between the three?

I really like the look & price of the Rat & Ranger, both look superb.


338
 
All will handle those duties very well. All of these steels have different components, but all are also known for being very tough, very good steels. The most important thing, however, in dealing with these steels, is how they are heat treated. They all seem to have mastered this. You will not go wrong with any of these, and I dont thing most knive users will really notice much of a difference in the steel performance from these companies. Just my opinion. The steel used in Rangers, Swamp Rats, and Scrappers are all known to be very tough. 1095 used by Rat Cutlery is also known to be very tough, but they seem to have an amazing heat treat on 1095 that is working really great. I put all of these knives in the same league. Same goes for Bark River, which I just realized that I left out of this post.

Kabars are good knives, but I dont consider them to be in the same league as the ones mentioned above.
 
338 Stalker said:
I bone-out my deer on the ground as they are bloody heavy critters(up to 750lbs). This is why I use blades ranging between 3-4", it just works better for me.338
Click to expand...

My first question is, where the heck do you hunt where the Whitetails go 750 lbs?!? I have wrestled with a 250 lb+ deer, and recall an incident once where an 18 wheel semi hit a 400 lb deer a few miles from here, but can't easily picture the fun of getting one twice that size out of the woods. [FTR, above 220 is hard to get into the wheelbarrow by oneself, much less control the wheelbarrow on hills, so I can see where de-boning onsite would be an advantage.]

I agree with Mongo and the others. Serrations are a mostly useless pain in the rear on a woods knife. Sooner or later you will decide keeping the useless things sharp is not worth the trouble and either leave them dull and lose half your cutting edge, or grind them to a flat edge.

If toughness is your primary requirement, I would indeed look at the Busse family knives. Active Duty if you like them small, the Scrapyard 4" if you really only want a 4" blade, or the aforementioned Scrapyard 6". You will probably want to do some playing with the bevel to get them really sharp, and I am personally not thrilled with the grip shapes or feel on mine (and doing my hunting not too far from home, so I can just walk home or to the barn for a replacement knife if needed) I usually don't bring mine with me when hunting, but they are truly rugged.

I would personally avoid the Gerber if my life would depend on it not failing. I would also avoid just about all of the big knives for woods use. If you must chop wood, use an ax, a hatchet, or a cable saw. If you have a nearby truck, bring a chain saw and some fuel. Conserving energy and not over heating or needlessly exerting ones self is a big part of successful woods craft. I (again the advantage of being close enough to home when hunting (harvesting?) to bring my wheelbarrow full of implements to the scene) use a DeWalt Skilsaw on deer bones/horns. The wood blade works well. Saves lots of calories on my end and eliminates a lot of knife work.

On the cheap end of the spectrum, think about simply getting two (2) Cold Steel GI Tantos, and keep one in your pack, and one on your belt. The Cold steel SRK actually makes a fairly decent (but large) deer knife, BUT the rubber handle gets incredibly slippery when coated with wet blood. This will probably be an issue when reaching blindly up into the chest cavity of a 700+lb deer to cut loose a trachea. Small, and controllable blades without slippery grips are better for unseen but wet tasks. From experience the Busse AD and (no longer made) a Gerber Fatty folding knife both work well without sliding out of my fingers when up to your elbows in bloody and unseen depths.

You're possibly just hung up on the large sheath knife image, but I would seriously consider having a Super Leatherman and a 6 inch or less belt knife and a cable saw (and matches) as my do all combo.
 
Fallkniven or Bark River, about 4" blade without serrations. There you have your perfect outdoor/bushcraft/hunting/survival knife.

I still dont get it why people need bigger knives than a 4" blade. Well. It might look cool with a knife as big as the one Rambo is using, but you have to drag it along. A really cool stealth-Rambo-CIA-titanium-ceramics-SEAL-survival system with extra gizmoes and a 8" blade left in the camp is totally useless if you are not in the camp. You will ultimately have to survive with what is in your pockets.
How come many survival instructors use small knives. In northern Europe they use cheap Mora knives. They are durable and sharp and cheap. The Fallkniven F1 is in shape and size a modification of the clasic swedish Mora knife, that everyone knows how to use.
You can fell a big tree with just a small 4" fixed. I have not tried it but it works.
Also with a smaller knife you will not be tempted to chop things in pieces. It is much safer to baton things.

I guess a big knife is a tradition thing. In Europe where the forests are wast a big knife is useless, instead people used axes and smaller knives. I guess it is the same in Canada.
In Lapland, Samis used a big knife because of the thinner and fewer trees.

Further south, when you stumble on to the prarie the big trees are replaced by brush and such. Then a big knife might do things that are harder to do with an axe.

I still think a 3"-4" knife is the thing to wear all the time. Nothing fancy that scares people, but a REALLY good knife. I would recommend the Fallkniven F1 for everything. It is quite small, really sturdy and can take some hard beating if necessary. You wear it in your belt or even around your neck and that way it is always with you if needed.

By the way. Over here we have moose that weigh alot. Not 750lb (375 kilo) but close. It is not fun getting one in your windshield though. That is why Volvo used to be so hard and big and ugly cars.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top