[JShirley]

I'm interested in input for (fixed blade) knives that are extremely "value priced" but that have sterling reputations. The two that spring to mind are Becker and and Kabar. Other suggestions are welcome.

My intent is to be able to advise some test pieces for someone, without him going bankrupt to have solid test knives to contrast his product with.

John

[LAK]

Frosts Mora.

[bikerdoc]

Speaking only about "value priced" fixed blade knives I own;
Schrade USA or Irish apex( I really like it)
Spyderco vagabond (serviceable)
at the extreme low end Rough Rider Hunter(about 19 dollars, dont laugh, mine is 440, with a good heat treat)
I have others but they are pricey

[Mp7]

Glock M78 knife - the best value for money fighting/survival knife

Mora knives - fishing / hunting


have both.
Always have a silly smile trun up, when i handle the Glock knife....

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Buck 119

[JShirley]

He would especially be interested in hard/"extreme" use tests. He's done some already, but I told him it was important to use comparison pieces that have good reputations.

Ontario seems to be another likely very cost effective candidate. I guess some Buck fixed blades could qualify.

[Leadhead]

http://www.rangerknives.com/Knives/index.html
http://www.ratcutlery.com/field_photos.htm
The rats are a little pricy compared to the Ontario versions....

[the lone gunman]

Another vote for Buck 119. excellent knife for like $35.00 at wally world.

[sm]

Old Hickory kitchen, agricultural , and institutional knives.

Victorinox Cutlery

Ontario (whom as know is the parent company for Old Hickory)

Dexter

Spyderco Mule (if one can be obtained )

Case (Bird & Trout is the small one)

Buck

Shrade (old ones, both Old Timer and Uncle Henry if you can get lucky and find a Sharpfinger, or Golden Spike for a steal)

Rapela (I suggest the original fillet in both 4" and 6")

A.G Russel Woodswalker (get the leather pocket sheath and Kydex)

Krein Dogfish. (if can find the old Mid-Tech with S30V offering to compare with current offering)

-custom-

Dead serious.
I would contact DL Knives (Valkman) JTW Jrx., and Tom Krien , and ask if they have any 01 , bastardfile (W2) or 1095 and would fashion a simple "test" knife akin the Spyderco Mule, meaning no handle.
A handle can be fashioned, or maybe they have some scraps and the individual doing the experiment can mess with doing his/her own handle.

If they have the steel and the time to fashion one. Heat treat they can do themselves, thus saving time.

I'd almost suggest marking these with a test number, instead of usual trademark and logo...dunno.

My reason is simple.
I feel a fixed blade should be tool , carbon steel and not stainless for most folks. Therefore supporting the notion for the money, one can get a better knife to fit them, for near same monies as some production knives in "stainless" steels.

*smile*

[Loomis]

Value priced?

an old lawnmower blade cut down into a drop point with two ash stocks wittled down from an old piece of ash mop board or chair rail. You can save a few pennies by pinning the stocks on with aluminum round stock instead of brass if you really want. I wouldn't though.

[NCgunny]

you cant go wrong with a buck. CRKT is my personal favorite tho.

[JShirley]

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. The gentleman in question would like to be able to demonstrate the difference between his knives and knives that are a known quantity. I entirely agree that good knives don't have to be expensive, but home-made knives, for instance, don't qualify since they are only as good as the maker.

A medium to large size would be best for this, as well. A Buck 119 is an excellent suggestion.

[hankdatank1362]

Howzabout a $20 Gerber Wal-Mart special? I've had tow. Lost the first. Handles are crappy textured plastic, but the blade is thick, and holds a good edge. Full tang. Not sure on the steel, 440 maybe?

[conw]

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=22822

That's a screamin' deal ($30 under what I've seen other places) on the RAT RC-3. I was going to buy that but something else came up.

Ontario RAT-3 for cheap: http://www.buymilspec.com/8616.html

(I know you asked for suggestions, but he's gonna have to buy them somewhere...all that comparison shopping I did ought to pay off for someone :))

[bikerdoc]

benchmade rant or activator might fit the bill

[mdao]

Knifetests.com has a lot of hard/extreme/destruction testing on relatively inexpensive knives. Good bets on the inexpensive side (< $50) include Cold Steel's Bushman and GI Tanto, Ka-bar's Heavy Bowie, and Buck's Nighthawk.

[moxie]

The Mora line. Ragnar has them here:
http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

[ArfinGreebly]

Also on Ragnar's Forge, you can find an assortment of Leuku knives (like this one) . . .
http://www.ragweedforge.com/5229.jpg

. . . and Puukko knives (like this one) . . .
http://www.ragweedforge.com/5618.jpg

These are classics. Generations of tradition and evolved design in these knives.

The Leuku is the Finnish equivalent to the Bowie, a knife with substantial heft, suited to everything from making salad and kindling to skinning reindeer.

The Puukko is the Finnish general utility knife, available in a range of sizes, both in carbon and stainless steels.

The steels are good, the tempers are good, and their edges are top notch.

As a "standard" against which to test something new?

If I could make something that would outperform the Finnish blades, I'd be very pleased with myself indeed.

[JShirley]

I agree the Rat-3 is an excellent candidate. Most Finnish knives aren't acceptable for these type tests because of the lack of a guard. (I *do* agree they are excellent choices for many things.)

J

[Brian Dale]

You mentioned the Ka-Bar in your OP. If your friend wants a well known benchmark to which he can compare his knives, it would be hard to beat a standard military Ka-Bar for name recognition and for the number of 'good knife' owners who've used them. They're not $10, but everyone's heard of a Ka-Bar, and its reputation is very good.

[James T Thomas]

"JS:"

I believe you are much more knife knowledgeable than me, but part way through your gathering of test pieces, I think it will occur that most will have blades of high carbon, plain steel, and the few stainless samples will be like, well, the Bucks or German Puma.

My own Becker K & T is the "Campanion;" unfortunately no longer made, but it and the others made by them are "good."

[Dr. Snubnose]

I'd suggest: Ontario, the Rat is a good choice, Buck Nighthawk, Kabar, and check out the original Glock Knife, inexpensive and built to last.
Doc:D

[PRM]

I vote Buck - great metal - outstanding company!!!

I told this on another post - bought a Buck 110 off of Ebay. Buck Custom Shop Knife with Elk antler handles. Beautiful knife, but a previous owner had put the blade on a buffer and really took off some metal. The Custom Shop put a new blade in it, and shipped it back in under 2 weeks for $10. The Buck representative told me, "When you buy a Buck - you buy it for life." That's customer service - they got my business and word of mouth advertisement as long as they do that!!!

[JShirley]

Hard to beat service like that. :)

Thanks, guys.

[Leadhead]

My own Becker K & T is the "Campanion;" unfortunately no longer made, but it and the others made by them are "good."

Becker is back in action, thanks to Ka Bar!
The companion is one of the models available again.

[Al Thompson]

John, I'm happy with my RAT and a Cold Steel SRK (that I left at home - stupid regulations). Also like the Master Hunter when you get them as seconds - much cheaper!

[James T Thomas]

"LeadHead:"

I just found some of the current "Campanions" listed, and they may have risen above the category of "cost effective."

Mine cost me $50; an effective price. The current cost is now $68; therefore, many potential buyers may not consider them in the running.

Thanks for the update.

Speaking of K-Bar. They make a smaller blade model of their famous knife, and it is priced right.

[Leadhead]

$55.46 :)

Hopefully most can cope with the modest price increase....

http://www.tomarskabars.com/BK-2_INFO.html

http://www.tomarskabars.com/Becker_Knives.html

[James T Thomas]

I'll bet you wife taught you how to shop!

You have bracketed the "cost effective" range.

Now, I'm tempted to buy another!

[Aka Zero]

Mora, $10~ stainless or carbon, wicked sharp Scandinavian grind , only thing lacking is the plastic sheath. Probably the best knife per $ you can buy....

Unless you can find surplus industrial buttering knives. Bought a kai-cut paring/ utility knife. 4" blade, real thin, thin grind, easy to sharpen, hold an edge great. And made to fit the hand. no bells whistles, but a great knife. folded a piece of kydex over it and made some mods to the handle for better drawing, and now total cost was no more than $6, and some time.

[whited]

Kershaw 1080st "Vertigo" (I think that's the name anyhow).

Not made anymore, but I saw an identical "hunting" version with camo scales for
$19.99 at Dick's Sporting Goods. Very nice Onion design in AUS-8 steel.

I doubt you could find a better knife for that price. One of those green-
handled Schrade "trail boss" knives off ebay aren't too bad, also around $20.

[Sniper X]

Ill chime in here with all the Buck fixed baldes, especially the Ranger or the Special, 114 and 119 I think. Or Boeker, can't beat them for quality and pricing.

[Cusmar]

Cold Steel Bushman

[JShirley]

Not nearly as strong as one would think, and no guard means it's especially unsuited for the testing needed.

[franconialocal]

Spyderco, and only Spyderco......every knife, for every purpose, every price range, every time, no exceptions (ok, except for the Swiss Army knife I've had since I was a kid.) :D

[JShirley]

Too pricey on a suitable fixed blade. My friend would like to test several knives.

[JHansenAK47]

I like the new Benchmade CSK II. I paid 70 for mine and it is my favorite production knife that wasn't that expensive. The sheath is nice. It is molle compatible if you need that and it is well made out of leather.
http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=158

[goon]

The Mora's are spoken very highly of.
I'm planning to try a couple myself here before too long.
I also have a Becker BK7. It's a good knife for bigger tasks - chops pretty well and splits kindling for starting a fire without reservation but it is big. So I'm leaning on the Mora for a smaller blade.
I've also had really good experiences with Ontario knives. I've eyed up their TAK knives a couple times.
The Glock field knives are OK and very durable. I have one that's been thrown a lot and abused extensively and then left outside for six months. I cleaned the rust off the blade, resharpened it, and it still works fine. But it's more of a sharpened pry-bar than a knife. I'd think that your buddy will probably want to get a better knife soon after buying a Glock field knife so he might as well just buy a "good" knife in the first place.