Suggestions for a value fixed blade

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Noah

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Hey! I have been into knives for only a few years, I've only ever been interested in folding knives due to the fact that EDCing a fixed blade isn't really an option in my state. But I realized today- I don't have a single fixed blade utility knife. I have folders I use occasionally for outdoor and camping stuff, but as I am going on a few extended camping trips later this summer, I think it might be time to get a functional fixed blade, for basic outdoors tasks, camping and hiking. Why risk breaking a folder?

I don't need a shaving sharp knife, I have folders for fine work. I need something highly inexpensive, but that will last and not break. Full tang and easily resharpened. Lightweight but not at a loss to strength. It'd be great if it comes with a good enough belt sheath. Small (3.5-5" blade? Maybe more?) is fine, whatever has a long enough handle to be comfortable. Something more traditional looking would be cool.

As you guys know what you are talking about, you tell me what I want to buy. Sturdy, simple, rust resistant, lasting, useful, and number one, very inexpensive. I make minimum wage and have gas, ammo, and school to pay for. I'm not really looking for "just save up and buy *insert high end or custom knife*" I want your guys' opinion on what is cheap, but works, and won't break, and will shave wood, light batoning, cut sticks, prep food, random stuff. By inexpensive, I mean $10 to 20 if possible. Less is more.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Noah, you are right up my alley. I'm a huge cheapskate and I just had the same epiphany, I needed a fixed blade camp knife. Luckily for me I had a road trip through the great state of Tennessee and I was able to stop into the Smoky Mountain Knife Works and browse around and talk to everyone and hold the blades in my hand.
I walked out with a Rough Rider Fixed Blade Hunter, SMKW makes the brand in-house.
$10.43 I believe, and it has a lifetime warranty. Full tang, 440 steel, attractive wood handle, crappy sheath but what the heck.
I wanted those features and I wanted cheap, and I'm happy as can be.
Look them up on SMKW.com.
I see the price is now $12.99 but it's still a great deal. I literally spent 2 hours in that store and I must have held 40 different knives. I spend 2 hours on a $10 knife but I'll drop $700 on a present for my wife in an instant. I just realized something's wrong with me.....

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerc...ixed+Blade+Hunter+with+Wood+Handle/RR176.html
 
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Noah said:
I want your guys' opinion on what is cheap, but works, and won't break, and will shave wood, light batoning, cut sticks, prep food, random stuff. By inexpensive, I mean $10 to 20 if possible. Less is more.
Click to expand...


For your hard earned dollar there are several bang for buck fixed blade cutting tools that stand far above the rest.

1.Mora Utility Knife.

Ugly.Cheap. SHARP.

$9
31sXlnONzQL._SX385_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Mora-Made-in-...2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372301756&sr=8-2&keywords=mora


2. Mora "Military". Nicer in every way.

$15
51wdi6VI9PL._SX385_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/New-Swedish-M...1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372302088&sr=8-1&keywords=mora


Noah said:
light batoning
Click to expand...

Use an axe.
 
I suggest you take a look at Mora knives. Great, cheap all around utility knives. I got the Mora Clipper for $8 and the more traditional Mora #2 for $12. The Clipper doesn't have a full tang and while the tang on the #2 goes all the way through, it is thin. Those particular models are carbon steel and will rust and stain easily; but Mora makes some good Sandivik stainless blades as well.

I beat on those two knives all the time because I don't really care if I break an $8 knife. I batonned the clipper (partial tang and all) about 4" into a piece of seasoned hickory and got it stuck. After hammering it out, it was still in good shape.

Obviously there are better knives out there but at your budget I don't think you can beat a Mora for value.
 
You guys are good. :) Wondered how many posts it would be before someone suggested a Mora- definitely something I'm looking at. I'm afraid if I got one I'd want more. Is that normal?

The SMKW stuff looks good too. So does the Schrade...
 
Go to Ragnars Forge, look at all the knives, pick out a Mora.
Problem solved


blindhari
 
For my $0.02, I don't like the feel of a Mora. I wanted something that felt like I could chop a little or abuse a little and pry with, while camping. The Moras all felt like a paring knife vs. a Chef's knife. The smaller blades felt like they were delicate to me.
Just my opinion. I also like brunettes over redheads so what do I know?
 
The Moras will come shaving sharp though - no screwing around with safety shaving sharp. Fair warning. They are easy to sharpen. You can get stainless. Within your budget. Super lightweight. Only two weak areas are the sheath and the full tang requirement. The only Moras that are full tang are the wooden handled ones in carbon steel (and just a thin tang at that). Also some of the sheaths rely a lot on gravity for their retention.

Again though, I beat that Clipper like a rented mule and it has both a thin tang and a very short one compared to the sturdier Moras. No problems yet. I use it to pry, cut, etc. And it does feel like a cheap steak knife in your hand; but it is tough.
 
I just took a wood chisel to a #2 Mora.

This is what she looks like under the skirt.

attachment.php


Moras are knives for cutting things not hacking through the undergrowth.
 

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I bought 2 Moras a while back at Amazon and I have to say they suprised me. As a former knifemaker I felt you had to spend some money to get quality but somehow you get a lot of quality for only a little bit of money.

I now recommend them all the time!
 
See what a real knife user uses:
I like small knifes for skinning and gutting, Old Timers are very good.
Click to expand...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=8990573&postcount=112

There is certainly something to be said for relatively inexpensive knifes you can touch up on a flat rock if that's all you have.

That's why slaughter houses and meat cutters use relatively inexpensive, easy to sharpen, easily sanitized knifes.

rc
 
We had a couple of threads in the past 2 years that specifically discussed the "best" knives in particular price bracket so you won't have any problem finding the answer to the question.

The moras were the most often cited as the best bang for the buck at the inexpensive end of the spectrum.

RC, Chip's knives are probably older American Schrades instead of the current company sporting their name. Good luck finding any original Schrade Sharpfingers at anything close to double the OP's price range.
 
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I've had a Mora fishing knife for over 30 years, picked it up in Sweden for about 5 bucks at the time. The leather sheath has rotted away, but the knife, used in a salt water environment, has stayed solid and rust free. Stainless, but really holds an edge.

Unfortunately, I see it's now $51 on Ragnars. Photo here http://www.ragweedforge.com/54.jpg
 
I'll also advise a Mora. The only problem with it is the sheath is plastic, and a little cheesy.

In addition, depending on your price limit I love my Gerber Profile. Becker makes a fantastic blade for about 60ish bucks, choosing between a BK 15, 16, or 17.
 
I'm a fan of the SOG Field Pup. It's slightly higher in price than your specified range, but is a much heavier blade than the quoted Mora knives. I've beaten on a couple of them over the years, and have lost them long before they've broken or worn out. If someone can show me how to make a sheath last longer than six months, I'm all ears.
 
Just a thought, but with the upper limit of your budget being $20, you're only $12 away from a Becker BK11 ($32 at Amazon with free Prime shipping), which is in a totally different league. That's a knife that can take the beating you're talking about.
 
If you want corrosion resistance with little to no care you have to go to stainless steel. Within or anywhere close to your budget if you go to stainless steel you're going to have to pick between a softer heat treat for toughness, or a harder heat treat for edge retention. Your best bet is go to carbon steel like Becker mentioned above, or a Cold Steel Bushman for $23-$25 if you want a tough knife that will hold an edge. Thankfully both the Becker and the CS already have coated blades, so all you need to do is keep a very light coat of food grade mineral oil or food grade parafin wax on the exposed edge.

If you must go stainless I also like the Moras. The other knives that I actually like better than those are the Buck Bucklite Max large and small fixed blades, and the Buck Paklite Skinner / Paklite Skinner Large. Along with the cold rolled Sandvik 12C27 used by Morakniv, Buck's Paul Bos heat treated 420HC is the best edge holding stainless steels in your budget that still have decent toughness. They're not carbon steel tough, but they're the best options I've seen without getting into very expensive super steels. The Buck knives mentioned above will get you into somewhat thicker blades than the Moras.
 
Mora. The plural is Mora Mora because you will want more. Let me see if I can find that radiograph showing the tangs of the various models.
 
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