"The One" Fixed Blade

M

M.Link

Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
91
I'm having a hard time deciding on a fixed blade. Currently I have a few different fixed blades, all decent quality, but I want to sell them all and buy one, do it all, bigger knife. I spend a lot of time in the woods, camping, hunting,hiking, etc. I've pretty much narrowed it down to an Esee 4, 5 or 6, a CRK Pacific, or a Randall #14. I won't be abusing it, but I will use it hard, a little chopping, cutting rope, camp use, survival if needed, bushcraft kinda stuff, as well as a backup to my pistol for protection. The very top of my budget is $500, but I'd like to stay well under that. I hear Esee has a great warranty, I love the look and feel of the Pacific, and Randall's, are well, just cool!

Out of what I've listed, what do you say?

I'll look at other ideas, but I've already looked at a lot of knives and I like these the best.

I am NOT open to one off/custom knives, I want one from a well known company.
 
Out of what you've listed I'd get the esee 6 but with your budget id get a bark river. Probably a 1.25 LT or 1.5 depending on what you'd be using it for more. 3v is a big upgrade from 1095 and they're still well under $500

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 
I don't own any of the five knives from your specified list, but all three of those companies have solid reputations for dependable hard use products.

The knife I recommend you check out based on your intended use is the Fiddleback Forge mid-tech production Duke. For $275 you get a hand sharpened S35VN blade with black or natural canvas micarta contoured handle and a nice leather sheath. This knife is well balanced and comfortable to use for a variety of tasks.

Here is a good review and photos of the mid-tech Production Duke by mistwalker.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1363778-Fiddleback-Forge-Mid-Tech-Duke


I have the “Custom Shop” Production Duke in desert ironwood w/black liners & lime pinstripe which added $50 to the standard cost. This is my "one knife" for the tasks you mentioned.












Good luck with your decision. Keep us posted what you decide on.

Phil
 
Unfortunately, there isn't a "do it all" fixed blade, IMO.
About the closest I've found is the Carothers Field Knife...but it falls short (again, IMO) when it comes to chopping.
Going up a bit in blade length from the knives you listed will bring improved chopping; but at some sacrifice in other areas.
Of the group you mentioned, I'd probably choose the Esee 6 (with aftermarket scales!); but I'd prefer to opt for 2 knives. A Carothers Field Knife, and a BK9 (or similar).

*If you want a dedicated chopper, just for the sake of having such a thing, consider the BRKT Senegal - it certainly impressed me. I noticed it was on closeout a while back, but I think there are still some available. Its length and weight, along with A2's corrosion resistance, are detractors for some but it's a great chopper.
 
Last edited:
If you could get a Carothers field knife and a Carothers light chopper. Those two are a great combo for anything you would ever need! I also have an awesome 3V slimline machete that I like to trade off and on with the chopper, depending on the situation. Robert Martin at tearsofthesword will make the exact knife you want. I have another slimline machete on order from him, and he is throwing in an extra small fixed blade he was able to make with the extra metal from the machete. Very cool guy! Worth talking to.
 
Fallkniven F1 might not be sexy, but it's damn near perfect and way under budget. It's "the one" for me.
 
For 1/3 of your budget cap, you can get an Ontario SK-5 Blackbird.

Good steel (154CM). Full flat ground blade with excellent edge geometry. The sharp spine is great for throwing sparks off a ferro rod. Incredibly comfortable grip without any hot-spots. Light to carry and nicely balanced. Good quality sheath.

It's not the greatest chopper in the world; it's balanced closer to the hand than the tip. But it does everything else really well. You also have a couple of choices: coated vs. uncoated blade; micarta vs. G10 scales. Prices range from about $110 to $175 depending on options.

IMG_4651.JPG


It's probably even less sexy than the Fallkniven, but you can't do much better for all-around woods/camp knife. You can even get a fancy-pants belt sheath (that costs more than the knife itself!) from Hedgehog Leatherworks:

https://www.hedgehogleatherworks.com/Leather-Sheath-for-the-Ontario-Blackbird-SK5-Knife-p/h-at.htm
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4651.jpg
    IMG_4651.jpg
    84.9 KB · Views: 26
Last edited:
I had the ESEE 5 and it is a good knife from a great company. The 6 or 4 are of the same quality just different sizes so the choice would be in your preferred size.
I am not familiar with the CRK, I have seen pictures of it but that is all. I know that CRK has a good reputation so the knife itself should be good. The same goes for Randall's.

However, I do believe you are severely limiting yourself when you say that you won't consider custom blades. If you take a look at the forums of our custom makers then you will see that there are some great knives being made. A custom knife provides exquisite craftsmanship that is lost in a mass produced knife.
Food for sale thought.
 
I have a Becker BK 2. Its very similar to the ESEE 5.... 1/4" thick blade, same blade length and shape. My Nephew has an ESEE 5. The handle on the Becker is much more comfortable to both him and me.
Its a brute of a knife. Perhaps the blade length is a bit short for it to be a do everything kinda knife but what it does do it does extremely well. I didn't like the sheath that came with it so I picked the one pictured off eBay.


DSC02521_zpsyqyq25fq.jpg
 
Goose 7279 said:
Survive knives gso 5.1 or a carothers field knife
Click to expand...

I have to second this.
Survive & Carothers are my favourite makers.
Though both arent particularly easier to get a hold of...but for good reason.

Of the ones you have listed, i would go with an esee 6. Through all my readings/watching reviews etc, the esee 6 seems to be the most reliable, recommended and favourite of the knives you have listed above.
 
I will be camping with these two blades this year.
IMG_4771_zpskk2xhlkj.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

If I only take one, it will be the 6.
IMG_4774_zps66wnubfe.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
There is really no "one" fixed blade knife for camping.

Most of what happens with a knife camping falls into two basic categories: food prep and wood prep. Sure, there's lots of other stuff that you use a knife for while camping - not to mention hunting, but to your point of camping, generally either food or wood needs to be knifed somehow.

Food favors a full flat grind, or at the very least a high grind ... and a thin blade. Light weight is a plus for longer sessions but enough knife for bisecting lettuce heads, carving a roast and the like is handy.

Wood favors heavier and fatter knives. Chopping and batoning favors more weight forward (towards the tip) - certainly more weight than would be preferred for food prep where weight aft (closer to the handle) makes sense.

Sure, one knife could do both, but it would be a compromise in all quarters. Though i am an admitted Beckerhead, I will use Becker models for the purposes of reference - you are certainly free to select the brand and material that makes you smile.

Food prep: The BK-5 is hard to beat - nice size, nice weight, great for food prep though any of the "Tweeners" BK-15, 16 or 17 is handy in the camp kitchen with my clear preference being for the discontinued and harder to find anymore BK-15. Moras are always nice to have around - particularly when camping. Other companies make high grind knifes that handle food well but remember, Ethan Becker is a chef!

Wood: The BK-9 is very popular for good reason. The mighty little (comparatively speaking) BK-2 is very tough and surprisingly more versatile then you would think at first glance. All of the full-sized Becker handles are superb for comfort and grip while remaining comfortable for extended session because the grip is provided by shape, not texture.

There are other brands that have similar designs and shapes - the preference is yours but the point of my post is that "one" knife for camping is tough. To me, three is just right: 1. heavy chopper, 2. full sized food prep knife and 3. handly bushcraft knife.
 
Since you said chopping I would suggest the ESEE 6.
My choice for a do-it-all knife would be a BRK Bravo 1.25, but I wouldn't be doing any chopping.
 
Of the ones you mentioned I would say the ESEE 6 . a Survive Knives GSO 5.1 or GSO 6 would also be very good . If you need to do a fair amount of chopping , this would be better . It's a Swamp Rat Ratweiler , with a 7 1/2" by 3/16" thick blade .

P1080520_zpstdk4hwu2.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
I've been looking for "the one" as well... This is what I ended up with:

 
I'll agree with everyone else. No true "do everything" knife is ever really good at everything.

I'd go with a 4-6in blade with a 1/8-3/16in thick blade stock. A knife like that can carve, baton, and do most other things. It wont chop very well at all, with with a baton, you can cross grain baton just about as effectively.

Then, with this "one knife", I'd carry a folding saw. Choppers are fun, but not near as effective/efficient as a saw. Car camping I bring a chopper, but for general outdoors stuff like backpacking, I carry a midsize fixed blade, and a folding saw.

For your price range, you can get whatever you want. If i had that kind of money, id be buying a custom 3v very much like a Becker BK16. For production stuff, I'd be looking at things between the BK16/ESEE 4 HM size, up to about the Becker BK12/ ESEE 6 hm size range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top