What is the best double edged dagger 7"+?

The General

The General

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Jun 6, 2000
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I am looking at getting a good quality NON CUSTOM double edged dagger some time in the future.

At present I am looking at the PeaceKeeper and Tai Pan from Coldsteel. The Rodgers F/Sykes commando knife in O1 steel (yes a stilleto rather than a proper dagger), a Randall model knife, the Applegate Gerber or Boker or the Falknivian mine probe knife (yeh a steel mine probe.... R I G H T:rolleyes: :) :D :p

Anyone else have suggestions or any comments about this style of blade? Sorry to ask a FNG style question but I am interested in the personal opinions more than any hype and tripe in ads.

Greatest respects and thanks,
 
I'll admit to being a bit biased - I'd take the Randall. The one catch is that it is expensive and may take you a while to get (current wai from the shop is 40 months and probably a year fro one of the reps). But it's a great knife. If you want strictly functional go with the Boker. The new Falknivian dagger does sound interesting though...
 
This is personal opinion based on a like of daggers, but never having handled the oens you listed.

The best real daggers listed are the Randall #2, the CS daggers and the Applegate/Fairbairns. A Randall woul dbe the nicest to get, by far. However, I think the best dagger there would be the Cold Steel Taipan. It loosk to be a nice wide dagger and has a great oval guard. I like wide daggers, and for some reason I think they probably work better. Wider wound channel makes sense, maybe that is why I like them. THe pointed pommel looks great too. You could always get the kraton replaced with some sort of scale material by a custom maker in the future, too.

I'm just looking at prices right now...

$75ish gets you a nice Peace Keeper from CS, $180 for a TaiPan, $86ish for an Applefate/Fairbairn and $255ish for a Randall.

You know, I'd be tempted to get the Applegate/Fairbairn first. I don't know what the sheath is like, but the design of the dagger sure looks great. 440-C is good steel too. It is a 6" dagger though, so if you want longer go with the CS Peace Keepers. But then you'd better like the kraton.

I hope this helps!
 
I've been checking out Strider's double-edged knives lately. I believe Bladeart.com has a decent selection right now, and you can see others at www.striderknives.com. Longest is 6 1/4" though. Priced comparably to Randalls, maybe a little lower.
 
Hey Guys..

I think you'd be Really missing out if you didn't have a look at SOG's Desert Dagger....

A Very well made blade,with Wicked grinds,impressed the heck out of me...

I know its not 7" but the SOG Pentago is a pretty wicked blade.....

Have a look I think you'll also be impressed with them...

ttyle

Eric...
 
I don't own any Cold Steel daggers. I do own a Rogers FS, a Wilkinson sword FS, a Coopers FS, A Nowill & Sons FS plus a few others in that pattern, a Boker Applegate, and a lot (30 or so) of other daggers not mentioned in wildly varying styles. As Normark mentioned, the SOG daggers are also good.

To be honest, no one can give you an answer. Personally, I love the slim FS shape, but it's totally impractical for any use other than killing people. The Boker's a nice knife, very solidly built, and is far more utilitarian than most styles, but at 6.5" the blade might be too small for your liking. It really depends on your intended use. the Camillus 77 looks fantastic for the price, but is too small for your specs. The Linder perlex also looks fantastic and is a nice knife, but again with only a 6" blade it's too small.

Have you considered a slightly less mainstream knife? A modern copy of an older style dagger, for example from JJJ Vaciacraft (unspecified sprung carbon steel blade, various handle materials, half a dozen diff. blade and handle styles, all of which have 7"+ blades). You didn't mention a price range or intended use.

One other thought, how about a diving knife? Thousands of them around, many of which are big enough and double edged. Most have a plain edge on one side and a serrated edge on the other.

Edited to add:

Noticed your location. Most knives I've mentioned are available in this country from a couple websites if you'd prefer not to pay international shipping.
 
Thanks for the great as ever answers!

To be more specific, 6.5" is the least I would consider and 8a steel is as low as I will tolerate. As to use, well, not a whole lot of use in a dagger is there?;) Lets just say its not for cutting carpets or camping.

I would like a F/Sykes but I need an actual edge for slash cuts and some utility. I am rather tempted to put a deposit down on the Randall Mk2 and wait four years. It will give me just enough time to save up for it!:)

I will look into the other options with care, thanks all and esp shortgoth.

All the very best,
 
I have a Randall 2 ( pure eye candy , I can think of no real use for it ). These were originally made to improve on the original FS design.I think it is a much sturdier tool than the FS.Framar has a nice older Randall 2 for sale , depend's how much you want one.
Al Mar used to do a nice knife similar to the FS,
I have seen them around but I forget how much they wre going for .
Paul.
 
Fairbairn Sykes hands down.
If you need some more cutting power you could consider the Tai Pan, but as a pure dagger the FS is unparalleled.
BTW, it's NOT a stiletto.
A stiletto is a rod of square, triangular or, less frequently, round cross section, with an extremely sharp point.
 
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