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Best fixed blade survival knife for the $

109K views 81 replies 54 participants last post by  East Coast Woods 
#1 ·
i need help choosing the best bang for my buck....whats the best fixed blade survival knife max 10" overall under $120 and not chinese....im going to use this for every day carry.
 
#12 ·
#26 ·
It's a nice blade if you want to pay a lot for useless features on an outdoors/survival knife. Tanto-type knives will work in the outdoors but they're basically used because they are easier to manufacture. The...errah...serrations or whatever the hell they are should be called The Ridiculatti. :D:

That knife is ludicrous, at best.
 
#16 ·
I make knives as a hobby and the one factory knife that stands out in my collection is the GI pilot survival knife. It packs a lot of muscle and versatility in a mid-size package. It's a survival knife first fighting knife second. But still has a wicked appearance.
http://www.afmo.com/Knife_GI_Pilots_Survival_p/214-00045.htm

The best thing about the GI survival knife is its ideal size. I can wear mine from morning till campfire and rarely notice it. My larger combat style knives are less convenient and tend to get left behind despite their other attributes.

The blade is robust, easy to sharpen and keeps a good edge. The sharpening stone that's stored in the sheath works well and is the only thing I've used to sharpen mine during the past 10 years. The blade is carbon steel so it dulls slightly quicker than stainless. But carbon steel sharpens much easier and faster which I think is more important/advantages in the field. Rust has never been an issue.

The sheath is leather and more comfortable than Kydex. kydex and metal sheaths are more durable but if they were to brake in the field it would be difficult to fix unlike leather.

The steel butt cap is the MOST heavy duty I've seen of any military knife. It gives me sense of utility I don't get from other knives designed more for fighting.

My GI survival knife is 10 years old and so battered looking people think its from the Vietnam War. But the sheath is intact, the sharpening stone still works and the leather grip feels better in my hands than when it was new.

Knives are like sun glasses; the more you use them the sooner you'll lose them. Don't get too attached and make sure you have a good back up.

http://www.afmo.com/Knife_GI_Pilots_Survival_p/214-00045.htm
 
#60 ·
Yes, this is one of the best all around knives period. Not just for the money, but all encompassing. It's the perfect size, can easily be concealed. You can get a usable edge on almost ANYTHING. I've even sharpened mine on the under side of a ceramic coffee cup and got it almost shaving the back of my arm.

This knife actually replaced my KABAR as my all time favorite...and that was tough to do!
 
#24 ·
I must be getting to be an old fart, because this is the way I roll. When it is hunting season you can tell who not to hunt with by the knife they carry. Young and inexperienced carry swords and the ones that know what is going on use folders. ( I have a knife fetish and have gone through my fair share and have a large wood ammo box full of swords and folder) When you give the adults a hard time about the swords they carry they always use the excuse that the use it to brake through the pelvic bone when field dressing.

For a survival knife I would use military knife like someone else mentioned, good steel, easy to sharpen, and have been field tested by the troops for years.

And in a survival situation I would hope you would have at minimum a sneak gun for defense. Using a knife as a defense, you will loss even if you win, because in a survival situation the smallest of injuries from a animal or a another human could be deadly, when trying to survive.
 
#21 ·
i need help choosing the best bang for my buck....whats the best fixed blade survival knife max 10" overall under $120 and not chinese....im going to use this for every day carry.
Mora Bushcraft Triflex. Made in Sweden. The incredible high carbon steel is hard at the edge for maximum sharpness while the spine is more tempered for toughness but will rust if neglected. Weighs under 5 oz. Cost about $20.00.

http://www.amazon.com/Mora-Bushcraft-Triflex-Knife-Carbon/dp/B003FZ0QAQ

Mora Bushcraft Force. Made in Sweden. Sandvik 12c27 Swedish Stainless Steel Hardened to 57HRC but surprizingly easy to sharpen. Also Weighs under 5 oz. Cost under $30.00



Or get them both and mix and much the sheaths as you want.

Also, even though you didn't ask, may I suggest a good and lightweight sharpener for EDC

 
#22 ·
Here's my recommendations; I like these because the steel is of such good quality; harder than most carbon steel, more durable and stays sharp an incredibly long time. Downside: must be sharpened with diamond or ceramic (an arkansas stone will do it but it might take about a year). They cost about twice as much as an ordinary knife, but will last, well, a good bit longer than you will.

Puma Catamount II

or

Puma Outdoor

I think these are a better value, but these are really good, too:

Fallkniven Forest (S1)
The S1 is also available with a black finish on the stainless steel and that model comes with a leather sheath.

I can get these (or any others) drop-shipped from the distributor if anyone's interested.
 
#25 ·
i need help choosing the best bang for my buck....whats the best fixed blade survival knife max 10" overall under $120 and not chinese....im going to use this for every day carry.
Definitely NOT Chinese.

Each Under $120.00.

Best Fixed Blade.

Lifetime Warranty/Guarantee.

Under overall length requirement of 10".

ESEE Knives, formerly RAT Cutlery, I own them both and they are both excellent and ESEE has a Lifetime Warranty, period. Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin stand behind their gear 100%.

ESEE IZULA

H.E.S.T.
 
#29 ·
I am not a hunter but I backpack and hike enough to know that less is more. Between my Mora knife, Glock 19 and a Fox Labs, I carry about 30 oz and that is more then I could handle in a survival situation if I had to walk many miles for who knows how many days.
 
#30 ·
Let me tell you the story of my knife, I bought a schrade golden knife 153 UH Several years ago, in 2007 hunting season I lost the knife, we looked all over the places I had hunted and the Cabin, all I had was the empty sheath, I felt bad because this knife is very sharp for the cost of $20 it was and excellent skinning knife or whatever other use you may need, when my Grandson died in 2008 I decided not to hunt anymore or even go to the woods and all my survival stuff went to hell, I was very depressed for about 2 years , still Am.
But my sons And I decided to go back to the farm and make preparations and repairs and plant crops again.
lo and behold as my oldest son was walking up the ladder to the cabin he saw something shiny under the steps and he grabbed it it was my knife, still shiny as ever, just a patina on the handle areas were it has copper, I tried the edge and it still shaved hairs off my arm.

So would I consider another brand of knife ? after almost 3 years buried in the ground , what other knife could stand that ?
 

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#34 ·
Now, granted I know nothing about the actual uses of your EDC knife, but I will pitch in my two cents anyhoo..

I carry a folder most places, not a tacticool fighting thingamajib but the same first folder I bought for myself, a Buck 110. Sturdy, good for hunting and whittling and whatnot.

For camp chores it depends on wether or not I bring an axe or a saw. If I have to baton allot of wood I want a thicker spine with a full grind than my simple Mora 2000 or one of the wood handled ones I have. (I live in Sweden, hence I buy a new Mora almost every time I go to the hardware store. Or the supermarket. Or the autoshop. Errr.)

The best over all knife I have tried for extended hunting trips is actually an old wood handled butchers knife, with a nice soft grind. Plenty easy to sharpen, excellent for everything from whittling, skinning, camp work and whatnot. Who would have believed the design actually evolved from the need to cut easily?

Something like the "Old Hickory" would come close but I just took an old knife and made a new handle.

Depends on what you will use it for I guess. I like the Buck in the pocket, the Mora on the belt and the butcher on my pack.
 
#35 ·
sfc1620, what are you going to chop with, or baton with, in a pinch?

I'm an Old Hickory fan from waaaay back ... got a chopping block full of them in the kitchen. But they are not very good at chopping or batoning.
 
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