Sandvik 14C28N fixed blade on the cheaper side?

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Sid Post

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Oct 14, 1998
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I am looking for a "Morakniv" type of fixed blade knife with with Sandvik 14C28N blade steel in the 3.5"~5" blade length with a drop or spear point that is relatively thin but, sturdy enough for light camp chores and kitchen duty. Maybe even an overgrown kitchen paring knife would be an acceptable option.

What is out there that won't break the bank? The Garberg is too much knife FWIW! The Garberg is good though! ;)

TIA,
Sid
 
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All the Sandvik steels are excellent IMHO; there's not a whole lot of difference between 12C27 and its cousin 14C28.
 
Check out the Ruike F118 on Amazon. Very nice fixed blade knife with 14C28N. Hard to beat this knife for the price. 14C28N is an excellent blade steel. Very tough and corrosion resistant with decent edge retention.
 
dryflytrout said:
Condor Lipotes seems like it checks all your boxes. It even has a Mora type of sheath.
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In my experience Condor's HT sucks. They go waaaay soft. And their scandi grind is very low which is ok for woodcrafting, but he's looking for a multirole knife that could be used for "Kitchen duty." Slicing veggies with a low scandi is a wonderful way to raise blood pressure and find out how much you can take before saying "F**k it, I'll jut use my pocket knife."

They do have good sheaths though, to give credit where it's due.


Sid Post said:
I am looking for a "Morakniv" type of fixed blade knife with Sandvik 14C18N blade steel in the 3.5"~5" blade length with a drop or spear point that is relatively thin but, sturdy enough for light camp chores and kitchen duty. Maybe even an overgrown kitchen paring knife would be an acceptable option.

What is out there that won't break the bank? The Garberg is too much knife FWIW! The Garberg is good though! ;)

TIA,
Sid
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Is there a reason it has to be 14c28n or are you open to other similar and tough stainless steels, like AEB-L or similar.

Also what's the budget? You said "On the cheaper side," but everyone's perspective of what is inexpensive is subjective.
 
Victorinox venture seems to fit. Inexpensive and heat treat is not questionable. You say “mora like” do you want a scandi grind?
 
Oh and for what it's worth S Sid Post , you'd do yourself a disservice to overlook Joker knives. They use a lot of 14c28n and n695 of their knives, and both are great tough stainless steels, and they have a good selection in the $90-100 range that fit the parameters you're looking for in blade length and ability to be used for both camp and kitchen. Even many of the ones that aren't thin have nice FFG so they slice well in kitchen duties and their sheaths are great too. Awesome value in these.

LINK to Joker on Knifecenter

And if it matters to you, it's a value knife without having to buy from PRC. They're Spanish.
 
Regarding price, I was hoping to stay in the $40 range. It looks like there is a Joker ~4" Olive wood option for ~$45 that is tempting.
 
I am looking for high rust resistance in a handy fixed-blade format that isn't overly large. This Sandvik option is one I have wanted to try for some time.
 
19-3ben said:
In my experience Condor's HT sucks. They go waaaay soft. And their scandi grind is very low which is ok for woodcrafting
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I tried Condor's XERO knife in 14C28N and it was a train wreck. The grind was sloppy and uneven. Fit and finish was terrible. I didn't even get to the cutting before I started the return process.

adluginb said:
Check out the Ruike F118 on Amazon. Very nice fixed blade knife with 14C28N. Hard to beat this knife for the price. 14C28N is an excellent blade steel. Very tough and corrosion resistant with decent edge retention.
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The Ruike Jager is an awesome knife for the money. While a little more expensive than the OP wants, it could be worth it. The only consideration is that it isn't really the size or profile that the OP wants. Here is a picture of mine.

(Picture deleted in great purge of 2024.)
 
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Chronovore said:
I tried Condor's XERO knife in 14C28N and it was a train wreck. The grind was sloppy and uneven. Fit and finish was terrible. I didn't even get to the cutting before I started the return process.



The Ruike Jager is an awesome knife for the money. While a little more expensive than the OP wants, it could be worth it. The only consideration is that it isn't really the size or profile that the OP wants. Here is a picture of mine.

View attachment 2506696
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Second this. Very handy knife. Slicey out of the box.

Some gripes though. I wish the handle were a tad bigger and the sheath needs a bit more retention.
 
DangerZone98 said:
Second this. Very handy knife. Slicey out of the box.

Some gripes though. I wish the handle were a tad bigger and the sheath needs a bit more retention.
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The handle works well in my hand but without much room to spare. My hands are fairly large but they are longer than they are thick.

You're right about the sheath. Mine has a retention screw that could be tightened. Unfortunately, the retention point puts a small amount of plastic (not kydex) against the metal guard. That plastic wears away, leading to a need for increased tightening, until there eventually isn't enough left. With the retention points ground away, the sheath still holds (and better than some loose leather sheaths I've had over the years) but it's annoying. I'm actually planning to send mine out for Kydex because I love the knife.

The quick-adjust belt attachment is worth talking about. For those who don't know, it uses a locking tab to fix the orientation. You can press the tab, rotate the sheath it on your belt, and then lock it into eight or so slots for different cants. (I mostly change from vertical to horizontal depending on if I'm driving or doing other things.) I have a few other fixed blades that use the same attachment and I've really fallen in love with it. (The other knives use better sheaths in better material.) Whenever I get around to upgrading my Jager sheath, I'll be sure to have it set up to reuse the belt attachment.
 
Schnitzel knives has a smaller fixed scandi in 14c28n, the "DU" model (it's marketed for kids!!, but...), for around ~50 bucks. New German brand, not sure if you can find them easily in the US.
The DBK boys have made a video on this model.
 
Sid Post said:
Regarding price, I was hoping to stay in the $40 range. It looks like there is a Joker ~4" Olive wood option for ~$45 that is tempting.
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It’s hard to go wrong with Joker. Fit and finish seems to be consistently better than you’d expect for the price. They are a gem of the knife world.
 
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