Help Choosing a Knife?

[Max Dilthey]

I'm aichmophobic (fear of sharp objects) and flip-open knives make me a bit edgy. I'm looking for a knife for cutting twigs and general use in the wild, not sawing and not fighting bears.

My ideal knife:

Titanium, one solid piece of metal (handle and blade)

Short blade, 1-1.5 inches

Long handle, full-size

Anyone know of a knife like this or can recommend a similar knife that really emphasizes control and stability?

Thanks!

[Brendan Swihart]

Not sure you can get much closer to your description than this… http://www.rutalocura.com/Ti_Knives.html

[Max Dilthey]

How stable is the thin handle? Am I meant to hook a pinky into the opening on the end?

I found this, and it's my front-runner until someone shows me better. It's not Titanium, but it's mostly empty space, so low weight:

[Art …]

" It's a hot night. The mind races. You think about your knife, the only friend who hasn't betrayed you …. "

Eddie

[Jake D]

shorter version of the tried and true Mora 1 and 2
http://www.moraofsweden.se/construction/classic-20

[Brendan Swihart]

Yeah I'd probably just get a Mora. Cheap, works, and has a real handle. Plenty light. Tons of options http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

edit: you can get just the blades from the same site and fashion your own handle if you want even lighter
http://www.ragweedforge.com/BladeCatalog.html

[Jake D]

oh and they cost 10-15 bucks instead of 100+

I like my Opinel 6 folder since it takes up less room in the pack but would have gone with a mora if i thought i'd be doing woodwork with it.

[Ian]

I have this one and it's ok:
http://www.amazon.com/Ka-Bar-BK14-Becker-Knife-Eskabar/dp/B004CIQY6K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360867153&sr=8-2&keywords=becker+knife

Can't remember the weight off the top of my head.
Pros light knife and it feels good in the hand.
Cons sheath is kydex and there is a known problem of the sheath dulling the knife:

http://bladesandbushcraft.com/index.php?topic=41.0

I'm going to myog a leather sheath for it and call it a day.

My next knife:

http://www.amazon.com/Esee-ESEE-Izula-OD-Green/dp/B00AOLP460/ref=sr_1_69?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1360867339&sr=1-69&keywords=izula

The one after that:

http://www.amazon.com/Mora-Companion-Heavy-Duty-Knife/dp/B009NZVZ3E/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1360867590&sr=1-2&keywords=mora+robust

…with this sheath:

http://www.grizzly-outdoors.com/shop/extreme-neck-sheath-for-mora-robust

and the knife after that:

http://www.helle.no/products/knives/odel/

etc etc etc

[Nick Larsen]

I'll throw in another suggestion for the Mora and ragweedforge.com

Don't much care for titanium as a knife. Steel is and always will be the best material for knives, IMO.

The Moras are pretty dang light! and like was suggested, you can get just the blade if you want to make a handle out of carbon fiber or something, but the wood handled ones are pretty light as is.

They are cheap, but perform as well as knives 6 times as much. Easy to sharpen too.

[spelt with a t]

You don't want a titanium blade unless it is one of the few (like the Rota Locura linked above) designed to be self-sharpening. CRKT has a number of knives matching your other criteria for blade langth and handle, like this one and the others linked on that page.

[Mark Andrews]

+Whatever on the Mora. I use the Companion, but in the stainless version…nice balance of weight/size/usefulness.

-Mark in St. Louis

[James holden]

any good solid decently built knife will work …

even those made in china specials …

get something that feels good, is cheap and light enough for you … and dont worry about it

worry about knowing how to use the knife ;)

[Adam Rothermich]

+ another vote for a Mora, I've got a Stainless Companion. Its 118 grams with the sheath. I bought it when I was building wood stoves and thought I'd need it for procuring fuel. Its a nice knife but more than I need most of the time. I definitely feel more outdoorsy and self-sufficient when I have it though, like I want to fight a bear or something :D

I've also got the Opinel No 6 that was mentioned early, its what I carry in my pocket everyday. Its super light at 28 grams and is great for most small tasks (opening packaging, cutting up apples, cutting cord, etc). The blade is pretty thin though so its not suited for batoning wood or anything nuts. I think if you go up a couple sizes the blades get a little more substantial. I like the look of the wood handle better than most most "modern" knives too.

The best part is that the 2 knives together cost under $30 shipped.

Adam

[Max Dilthey]

I can take a hint. Picking up a Mora Companion Heavy Duty MG Knife. Big, rubbery handle and longer tang for confidence and security, but still a small and light knife. I'll also grab a piece of firesteel at the same time. Why not?

[Charles P]

another vote for the Mora companion. Great knife, light, but inexpensive. Cuts cheese really well! :)

[Dena Kelley]

If you haven't already purchased, check out http://www.ragweedforge.com – Ragnar has some of the best prices on Moras. His shipping pricing is excellent, I think. His service is top notch.

[Justin Baker]

Can I give you a word of advice about the mora knives? They come super sharp with a very flat machined grind. Think of a thin perfect V shape. The grind is so perfectly straight that the edge can sometimes be fragile if you use it hard.

I would highly recommend putting a small secondary bevel or a slight convexity to the edge. It will be much tougher than a true scandi edge.

[Konrad .]

Hey Max, have you heard about Mora knives??? Just kidding :0

But seriously, moras are great budget knives…buy one to see if you like carrying a fixed blade knife (as opposed to a folder). If you like them, and if you got some dough to spend, look into bark river (the f-ing best in my book) and ESEE. Don't get a titanium knife…my understanding is that their carbide laced micro serration edge is good at slicing, but not at push cutting (which is what you want in a knife that will be working with a lot of wood). Bark Rivers have convex edges…extremely sharp, easily sharpened, holds an edge longer, and great at splitting wood. Looks into the following knives (from cheapest to most expensive)
1) any mora
2) Kershaw skinning knife
3) ESEE Izula
4) Bark River Bravo Necker 1

oh and…

5) Stay away from Boker junk.
6) read this tread: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=33035

[David Ure]

Everything Konrad said is true. Except that Fallknivens are the best.

Carry on.

[Konrad .]

ha! There's actually merit to Dave's statement and I will admit that I've always always wanted to try out a Fallkniven WM1. Everything I've read about them has been positive and they are up there as one of the best major produced knives. If you can appreciate super steels (e.g., vg10) and prefer a more tactical appearing knife, then yeah give those a ogling too.

[Ian]

Scandinavia has earned and deserves a lot of love for the quality of steel they produce. My wish list from that part of the world is pretty long.

If you are interested in giving an American company your business who is as good if not better than what you can find in Europe, give Benchmade's website a peruse. I have a few of their knives and I personally consider them to be the gold standard. No matter what I buy, my reaction is always "not bad but not as good as my Benchmade."

Not sure what you concern is with folders but for weight purposes it's nice not having to deal with a sheath. I like them as I can keep them in my pocket and reduce the chances of becoming separated from it. I can't stand having a knife hanging around my neck. I have a cheapie 3" Schrade folding knife (U.S. based/made in Ireland) which holds an edge wonderfully and only weighs 1.1 oz.

[Justin Baker]

I am a big fan of the sog seal pup. It's 5.5 oz, but you get a lot of blade for the weight.

[David Thomas]

The OP said he's looking for 1-1.5 inch blade. And not for fighting bears.

Swiss Army Classic.

Okay, he also said Titanium and long handle, but I'd argue with only a 1.4 inch blade, you don't need any more handle. I never have. And what is the magic of titanium? Stainless steel is also rustproof.

21 grams is less than 100-120 grams for a long fixed blade (and sometimes those weights don't include the needed sheath).

And a Classic has a nail file, tweezers, and scissors (really handy for repairing gear, trimming moleskin, finger- and toe-nails, nose hairs after a month out, etc).

I can make a fuzz stick with it, get into a vac-pack bag, cut cordage, and make minor kindling.

If you have a wood-buring stove, ignore this idea – you need something bigger.

If you don't and can't find one for $6, PM me, I buy lots of 6 at a time from TSA seizures.

[David Ure]

You so kindly indicate that the responses have been for knives which do not fit into what the OP has asked for and then proceed to provide a solution that doesn't fit into what the OP wanted either (no folding blade). I guess he can add another response to that list.

[David Thomas]

Yeah, I know it's outside his parameters. Having gone from a medium blade to small myself (in part due to posts on BPL about Classics on down to single-bladed razor blades), I thought I'd throw it out there for his consideration.

I do some trips on which I bring more knife than that, but when cooking with butane, filleting no fish, and butchering no critters, those 21 grams are about right for me.

But this discussion does have me thinking about some little saws (14 grams) I was making for people burning wood – maybe I could sharpen the spine and make it a medium knife AND a saw.

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