New to knives

[Baba Fats]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to collecting and using knives regularly. I started collecting pocket knives about a year and a half ago. And I am starting to look into getting my first fixed blade.

I have been wanting an Essee4 for a while, but don't think it will actually serve my needs as I used to think.

I don't do any backpacking, currently. but I do camp once in a while. Mostly what I do is backyard work. I have a fireplace that I need to make kindling for. I have people over for bon fires a few times a month. And I just like to have a quality piece of equipment on hand.

My current thoughts are to get an Essee 6HM, and Mora Companion. But I was toying with the idea of an RB3 and and SRK.

What do you think is more important, a higher end short blade for finer work, and a cheaper chopper? Or would it be better to get a higher quality chopper, and the Mora for light work?

 

[MolokaiRider]

Mora companion and a Esee 6 is a great combo.

 

[carnifex knifeworks]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to collecting and using knives regularly. I started collecting pocket knives about a year and a half ago. And I am starting to look into getting my first fixed blade.

I have been wanting an Essee4 for a while, but don't think it will actually serve my needs as I used to think.

I don't do any backpacking, currently. but I do camp once in a while. Mostly what I do is backyard work. I have a fireplace that I need to make kindling for. I have people over for bon fires a few times a month. And I just like to have a quality piece of equipment on hand.

My current thoughts are to get an Essee 6HM, and Mora Companion. But I was toying with the idea of an RB3 and and SRK.

What do you think is more important, a higher end short blade for finer work, and a cheaper chopper? Or would it be better to get a higher quality chopper, and the Mora for light work?

The answers you're going to get will primarily be people's opinions with some facts sprinkled in here and there.

Below are some questions that I think might help you determine what you really want and it'll help us with making recommendations to suit your needs rather than our personal preferences.

What are your top priorities for the knife (i.e., cost, blade's wear resistance, slicing/cutting ability, ease of sharpening, corrosion resistance, chopping ability, etc.)?

What's your budget?

Is the larger knife mainly going to be used for kindling or will you use it for yard work? Are you dealing with hardwoods or soft wood? How big are the pieces of wood you're processing?

How comfortable are you with Sharpening your own knives? Do you prefer full tang fixed blades or are you okay with hidden tang? Do you prefer removable scales or are you okay with pinned/glued scales?

Do you prefer stainless or carbon steels? Do you think you have enough experience with knives and various steels to notice the differences between less expensive steels vs "exotic"/"super" steels?

 

[scorpnsnake]

Welcome!

Generally, when I wrestle that hard between two knives. Both end up in my grubby paws. Which should I get first is a much more straightforward consideration.

Or, which shows up for a good price in the exchange first all but automates the decisions.

 

[SharpBits]

Hopefully you can avoid becoming a collector! I accidentally fell into it, and now I can’t get out!

If you are just splitting wood for bonfires, a chopper would probably suit your needs better. Lots to choose from, so set a target price range and let us know. You’ll soon be buried in suggestions.

 

[scorpnsnake]

Hopefully you can avoid becoming a collector! I accidentally fell into it, and now I can’t get out!

If you are just splitting wood for bonfires, a chopper would probably suit your needs better. Lots to choose from, so set a target price range and let us know. You’ll soon be buried in suggestions.

Guessing that ship sailed, right about this moment. I've certainly been wrong before though. lol

 

[Baba Fats]

The answers you're going to get will primarily be people's opinions with some facts sprinkled in here and there.

Below are some questions that I think might help you determine what you really want and it'll help us with making recommendations to suit your needs rather than our personal preferences.

What are your top priorities for the knife (i.e., cost, blade's wear resistance, slicing/cutting ability, ease of sharpening, corrosion resistance, chopping ability, etc.)?

What's your budget?

Is the larger knife mainly going to be used for kindling or will you use it for yard work? Are you dealing with hardwoods or soft wood? How big are the pieces of wood you're processing?

How comfortable are you with Sharpening your own knives? Do you prefer full tang fixed blades or are you okay with hidden tang? Do you prefer removable scales or are you okay with pinned/glued scales?

Do you prefer stainless or carbon steels? Do you think you have enough experience with knives and various steels to notice the differences between less expensive steels vs "exotic"/"super" steels?

Heard. Those are good questions.

Top priorities:
Carbon steel
Ease of sharpening
A good sheath fit
Not overly heavy (preferably under a pound)

Budget:
I’m looking to stay between $100-$200 for the pair.

Use:
Chopping wood
Kindling
Some other yard work
Mostly hard wood, but we have some soft wood that I’ll process for outdoor fires

I’m not an expert at sharpening. But I already sharpen my own kitchen knives. So I’m very comfortable with it.

I’d prefer carbon steel for these knives. I have a few super steel folders. But if I’m process a ton, I want a blade that’s less likely to chip, and more likely to roll. But no, I’m not experienced enough to immediately tell the difference

 

[Delgadonine]

Since you are new, go with budget and quality. A Mora and Opinel. As you more carefully define your use requirements and skill set, think about a higher budget and other knife attributes.

 

[carnifex knifeworks]

Heard. Those are good questions.

Top priorities:
Carbon steel
Ease of sharpening
A good sheath fit
Not overly heavy (preferably under a pound)

Budget:
I’m looking to stay between $100-$200 for the pair.

Use:
Chopping wood
Kindling
Some other yard work
Mostly hard wood, but we have some soft wood that I’ll process for outdoor fires

I’m not an expert at sharpening. But I already sharpen my own kitchen knives. So I’m very comfortable with it.

I’d prefer carbon steel for these knives. I have a few super steel folders. But if I’m process a ton, I want a blade that’s less likely to chip, and more likely to roll. But no, I’m not experienced enough to immediately tell the difference

Based on those answers, I'd say Esee, Tops, and Becker will be good places to look for large knives. They'll all do what you're looking for.

Some will disagree with what I'm going to say next. I always encourage people to practice as much as possible with their large blades. Most jobs done with a small blade can be done with a large one, but I don't believe the opposite is true. Smaller blades can make some things easier, but if you develop the skill set, they're not a requirement.

I typically carry a large blade for wood processing (dirty jobs, etc.) and a smaller blade for clean jobs (cutting food, etc.). I haven't found any tasks that I NEED a small blade for though. I don't skin mice

I'm about to commit the cardinal sin here.... I'm going to discourage the purchase of a knife! I would recommend that you just buy the larger blade and forego the smaller one. This will force you to practice with it. If you decide it's too frustrating or the juice isn't worth the squeeze, then you can always buy the smaller blade later or use one of your folders.

The money you save could be used for other items, like mineral oil or wax to protect your blade, diamond stones so you can try some "super steel" fixed blades (I highly recommend 3v and Cruwear), fire steels, or even an upgraded sheath.

That's just my advice from my own experiences and preferences. YMMV.

 

[mitchnola]

Just start buying! You won’t know what you like till you have 30-40 fixed blades. The ones you love you will never actually use but rather just play rambo with in the living room and post pictures of em on the internet.

Then they’ll be the other 20 in the junk drawer that you don’t actually count as a part of your “collection” that you’ll actually use for yard work.

This is a dangerous place and not because of all of the pointy objects.

You’ve been warned!

 

[Robert Ptacek]

The only thing I'll add is welcome aboard!

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Stay away from Customs.....

 

[knoefz]

Esee 4 will satisfy most fixed blade needs .

But.. So will the 6, although it's big for finer tasks, yet small for chopping tasks.

Can't go wrong with any Mora.

Sounds like you can't make a wrong decision with the choices you shared

 

[scdub]

Do you have a folding knife that you like? If so I agree with carnifex knifeworks and suggest that you skip the small fixed blade for now. A pocket knife can do 99% of Mora work.

Check out the Silky Nata 150 and Becker BK7/9.

You can also find lightly used Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard knives within your budget. Check out this subforum:

Busse / Swamprat / Scrapyard Knives For Sale

This is for Busse, Swamprat & Related company knives only. New posting restricted to Gold memberships or higher

www.bladeforums.com

The larger Res-C handled versions are very lightweight for their size and are extremely comfortable for chopping.

Make sure to let us know what you get!

 

[Baba Fats]

Just start buying! You won’t know what you like till you have 30-40 fixed blades. The ones you love you will never actually use but rather just play rambo with in the living room and post pictures of em on the internet.

Then they’ll be the other 20 in the junk drawer that you don’t actually count as a part of your “collection” that you’ll actually use for yard work.

This is a dangerous place and not because of all of the pointy objects.

You’ve been warned!

Im trying to avoid ending up with 40 knives. lol. I already have about 20 folders.

 

[Baba Fats]

Esee 4 will satisfy most fixed blade needs .

But.. So will the 6, although it's big for finer tasks, yet small for chopping tasks.

Can't go wrong with any Mora.

Sounds like you can't make a wrong decision with the choices you shared

The 4 was actually the first fixed blade I had considered. But I wasn’t sure it had enough blade for splitting wood. Then considered the Tops BOB. then finally started thinking about the Essee 6.

 

[coolbreezy37]

Can’t go wrong with Tops, Becker/Kabar or Esee. If you want to keep the budget low and the weight under a pound and still have a tough knife with decent length for chopping (6-8”), your best bets are the Becker BK7, Esee 6, Rat 7, and probably my top pick would be the Skrama 200.

 

[MolokaiRider]

The 4 was actually the first fixed blade I had considered. But I wasn’t sure it had enough blade for splitting wood. Then considered the Tops BOB. then finally started thinking about the Essee 6.

Food for thought.

Depending on the type of wood and its season, a knife can get damaged from batoning.

A full flat grind is going to be more susceptible to edge deformation. I have a few that did this.

I am more cognizant now on the media I want to split. If it's hard, grainy, hard wood I use a saber ground or similar that is quite thick at the edge. These are not great at cutting though.

The Esee 6 will do great at splitting softer woods, and also cross pollinate into use in normal cutting tasks.

 

[knoefz]

The 4 was actually the first fixed blade I had considered. But I wasn’t sure it had enough blade for splitting wood. Then considered the Tops BOB. then finally started thinking about the Essee 6.

The 4 splits wood just fine, a great knife to start a journey into fixed blades.

 

[carnifex knifeworks]

Do you have a folding knife that you like? If so I agree with carnifex knifeworks and suggest that you skip the small fixed blade for now. A pocket knife can do 99% of Mora work.

Check out the Silky Nata 150 and Becker BK7/9.

You can also find lightly used Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard knives within your budget. Check out this subforum:

Busse / Swamprat / Scrapyard Knives For Sale

This is for Busse, Swamprat & Related company knives only. New posting restricted to Gold memberships or higher

www.bladeforums.com

The larger Res-C handled versions are very lightweight for their size and are extremely comfortable for chopping.

Make sure to let us know what you get!

I'm a fan of the spyderco PM2. I prefer a fairly slicey pocket knife because I don't generally use a folder for rough use anymore.