Fixed blade knife - $35 (+/-)

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Joistman

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Been reading this forum today. I cannot believe how expensive some knives
are! I want to get the most (quality) knife I can for around $35. Looking for a 3 1/2" to 4 1/2" fixed blade for fishing and general utility. From what I have gleaned in my google searches, I am thinking a Buck (from Wally World) or a Cold Steel "Finn Wolf". Would appreciate any opinions or other suggestions
from you knife gurus.
 
Oh Boy. I get to say it again.

Get the Mora Craftsmen #780 for $15 and you will have just about the sharpest knife money can buy. The #860 is great too. My next one will be the #746. And at your price point, get two...I never buy one at a time.

You will be shocked how nice, sharp, and simple these things are. For these guys, it is all about the steel. Any knife on this page will, possibly, be the sharpest knife you've ever bought unless you buy custom knives and I don't think they are sharper. AND...you won't be afraid to loose 'em or wear on 'em.

Customer service from Ragnar is great.

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

PS: One thing of note...and it is important. These things come in very simple plastic sheaths...like tackle box knives...most not real handy. I have added a velco strap on one that works well enough and made leather sheaths myself. That should be considered. You can get sheaths for all these here. http://www.jreindustries.com/Mora.htm
 
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Oh Boy. I get to say it again.

Get the Mora Craftsmen #780 for $15 and you will have just about the sharpest knife money can buy... get two...I never buy one at a time.
Click to expand...

I'll second that one!

A Stainless Clipper model is my go-to fishing knife. You might want to order one of those as well. $13 at the site Q posted.

Chris
 
Yeah I have stainless, Triflex, carbon, and laminated...all very sharp. I just started down the clipper path and I like the rubberized handles.
 
Ragnar

Another vote for Ragnar's Ragweed Forge.

Oh, and if you do manage to drop $35-$40 on a knife you find there, you will be all kinds of happy with it.


I can confirm that you will also likely be happy with the Buck 119 "Special" that Walmart sells, as well as the Gerbers they carry.


But, if you're asking me what I, personally, would buy, then I can offer these suggestions from his Mora Knives (Swedish) page (note that I actually own at least two of each of these).

The #2000. I have multiples. I have given them as gifts. I like them a lot.
2000.jpg

(The #2010, just below it, is the same knife with a more "grippy" rubber handle.)

The #740 and #760 Craftsman. One is carbon steel, the other stainless. I have both. Excellent general purpose knife.
Shown here is the #760 in stainless:
760.jpg

I also have the #760 in army green, but his current stock has camo instead.

My next one will probably be the #780 (black) in Triflex steel. Costs a whopping $15.
780.jpg



He has some models with longer blades as well.



On his Helle (Norwegian) knives page, he has this little understated number for $45.
The Helle Folkekniven:
folke.jpg

I don't have one of those. It's on my list.


Now, even though these knives cost less than $20 for the most part, there's still a way you can be happy spending $35 or $40 there. You can buy three knives. Simple, yes? Or you can get one that has a leather sheath.

Me? I'd grab three knives. You can always do a sheath in leather later. :)

 
The sharpness of my Mora 840 is the standard by which I judge knives I sharpen myself.

The Beckers by Ka Bar are another favorite
 
I know this sounds like a broken record, but for an inexpensive knife packed with value...get a mora.
 
...and lest anyone think that I own or endorse only Moras...

I have an old Buck 110 folder I bought back in '78 or '79 that is like a razor. It was my EDC belt knife for many years prior to the advent of the clip style folder. Solid as a rock and the brass has a beautiful patina that actually looks deep.

I also find the Gerber Gator series to be very nice. Gerber has a bewildering variety of products. I find the Gator series to be consitantly sharp, well made, made of good steel (from what I can tell), ergonomic, affordable, and they are made in the USA. If you stay with the Gator you will get a good knife.

I also have the Gerber LMF which is an amazingly stout knife. It is extremely heavy and I am not sure I'd want to hump it in the field...must weigh as much as 4 or 5 Moras and is quit a bit heavier than my Leather-handled Camillus 7-inch field knife (very similar to the traditional K-Bar).
 
My vote is with everyone else on the Mora as a good choice. Also, I really like my Becker Necker. No plans to wear it around my neck, but it's a very handy size. I bought a buddy of mine a Buck Paklite from Knife Center, seen HERE, that I also think is a pretty good value. I like it well enough that I am going to buy one for myself!

My two favorite fixed blades were free in terms of price, but priceless in terms of meaning as both were special gifts from friends new and old. I won't say who, but both guys are on THR (though one of them is a college buddy of mine). Special gifts that I wouldn't sell for any amount of money!
 
I also cast a vote (having already done the Mora Mora Mora chant) for the Big Rock Camp Knife. I like the rubber scales...like sculpted tire. That's not gonna break.
 
Go with Ragnar, Joistman. You can't go wrong.

That's the wonderful thing about Ragnar, he'll set you up with a knife that is low in cost, but will cut as well, if not better than most of the high dollar wonders some of the so called trendy knife companies and knife makers will sell you for several times that cost.

In Sweden they don't have just a big knife show for a weekend, they have a knife week to celebrate the knife. These people take knives very seriously, and they know what cuts and makes a good knife.

Since I sold off my high dollar Randall's and other custom made knives, I've been using Frost's Mora's and Opinels pretty solidly. Over the last 15 years or so, I haven't run into anything they couldn't handle. Look over Ragnar's stock, and get a couple of Mora's to play with and get the feel of what a good knife SHOULD cut like. Toss an Opinel into the buy and enjoy real world cutting like few knives will give you.

You don't have to spend more than 12 to 15 dollars for a knife that, with care, will serve you the rest of your life. And if something happens, it gets lost or stolen, you can replace it with less money than you will spend having some beers with your friends at a bar. I found that to be a very liberating thought.

If you want to spend a bit more, in the 35 to 45 dollar range, the Jarvenpaa line of puukko's are a great knife. As is the Roselli puukko's. These knives will give cutting performance equal to knives costing many times more. A lot of the time in knives, price does not have anything to do with the quality of the knife. It reflects a lot of advertising hype and smoke and mirrors to skin the customer out of his dough. Especially in the 'tactical' knife market. If you never look at a copy of any of the knife magazines on the market, you'll be better off for it.
 
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