Recommend a goo knife?

I have used moras for *decades* and you really have to be doing something outrageous to break one. The wooden handled models would be easier to damage, but not if doing basic cutting/trimming/food prep chores. The plastic ones are tough enough for anything I have dished out. They are not pry bars or tree-felling tools. If you want to prepare food, cut line, whittle sticks, etc, they will perform for a lifetime.

The Swiss Army knives with saws are perfectly usable, but they are limited to 2" or so diameters for straight-through cuts. You can cut larger stuff with multiple cuts or breaking off remainders. They aren't something you would want to do a lot of sawing with in one session. That is where the Gerber saw is a better tool— faster, less energy expended, and bigger cuts. It will cut much better and safer than trying to cut the same diameter wood with a fixed blade knife— something the knife really isn't designed for. I don't like the idea of people using saws on a regular basis in terms of Leave No Trace principles. If you are going to cut an occasional tarp pole, fine, but the Swiss Army saws would take care of that.

As far as folders go, the Benchmade Griptilian models are fine tools. Spyderco makes some light folders and their Byrd line is excellent for the money, albeit on the heavy side.

A good folder will have a positive locking system, a comfortable handle, and metal liners in the handle for strength. Good blade steels are 154CM, S30V, and AUS8. The 420HC stainless used by Buck knives is acceptable.

Gerber was bought by Fiskars some years ago, which rubbed the conservative American hunting market the wrong way– they were all made in Portland, Oregon before the merger. Fiskars has more of a mass-market approach to manufacturing and sales. Some models are fine, but the steel and general design of their knives tends to be lackluster. The Gerber LST line is popular with hikers. They are usable cutting tools and are very light weight and inexpensive, but they do lack liners and should be used for lighter cutting chores and food prep only.

I would second that. I have the F1 and WM1, The F1 is swedish air force issue and the WM1 is smaller/lighter with almost as much strength and size. Not cheap, but the steel is really hard and keeps an edge. Sharpening is easy, a piece of wet/dry sandpaper on something a little soft, your sleeping pad might work well if it’s smooth.
Fallkniven F1, 6oz

Fallkniven WM1, 2.5oz

Swedish company, blades made in japan, if that matters to you. Bark Rivers are also very nice and are US. BTW, it’s not evident to me that there is any major difference between designs for survival vs bushcraft vs hunting/field use. Survival knives tend to be thicker and heavier to put up with abuse such as batonning thru sheet metal, but for shaving/splitting wood for fires and skinning/gutting animals and fish, any of these designs will be fine..

I real enjoy using Bark River knives. One of the nice things about a good convex edge is that it will cut well much longer than a V-edged knife. Both Bark River and Falkniven use convex edges.

For Falkniven, my vote goes with the F1 – very nice knife. For Bark River, I think the Canadian Special is the best all around outdoors knife going (and I'm waiting for the 3V model as well!). But their lightest outdoor knife is the Northstar with a bamboo handle.

Maintain a convex edge is truly very, very simple. First, it will continue to work much longer than you think. Second, any time you take it out to use, swipe it a couple of times on your pant leg – unless you're through-hiking one of the long trails, that is all you'll have to do to keep it sharp. If it gets dinged or nicked by you trying to cut salami on a piece of granite, pick up a smooth river rock and hone it back in shape. Then when you get home, send it back to Bark River and they will make it like new (you pay only postage).

love my Benchmade mini Griptilian – folding, lock/easy one handed open & close, yellow handle makes losing/forgetting it harder.
about 2.5/3oz.

+1 on the Izula! I love mine and it only weighs 3oz(with a para cord handle).
Dustin

for backpacking I’ve never found a need for anything larger than the WM1, @ 2.5 oz it’s probably as light as your going to get in a quality fixed blade, the steel is also very rust resistant. convex blades as mentioned above require less sharpening, all my knives that didn’t come w/ a convex edge have been reprofiled to convex

if you can get by w/ a folder, in addition to the Swiss Army Farmer, there is a German Army folder that weighs 3.1 oz and has a very usable saw (along w/ an awl and a few other useful bits)

if you need more saw the Gerber/Fiskars mentioned above works pretty well, 3.1 oz as well

German Army folding knife

I think Gerber is a company totally driven by marketing, not by making good products.
What other reputable knife manufacturers won't reveal what steel is used?

Check out Ontario's Old Hickory line. They look like butcher knives. Around $10.
Kabar's Dozier folders are very cheap, very light, and have good steel. Around $15.

…you can't do much better than a Leatherman Squirt PS4. I have one, and the blade is remarkably capable for its 1.5" length. Great pliers, and precise scissors. Under 2 ounces, with the ability to add a saw as seen here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=33095&skip_to_post=281578#281578

I haven't completed the mod myself, but it's on my project list…

I really like the Spyderco UK Penknife — comes in a lot of different blade configurations and the one I have weighs 1.9 oz.

That 1.9oz gets you a 3" blade in pretty much any shape you want. Non-locking 3" blade means that it is legal pretty much anywhere in the world, so it can be your everyday knife as well as your backcountry knife. I've got one with a combo blade, so I've got the serrated if I need it for sawing and the plain edge for other use.

My favorite knife I've tried, and I've tried a bunch of them.

The other route I'd consider is one of the Swiss Army Knives that has a saw blade, regular blade and other tools. Some are light and the saws are pretty incredible for such small knives. The Huntsman model I have is a little heavy at 3.4oz, but the functionality is sometimes worth it… Usually, though, it lives in the car. You never know when you'll need a can-opener, bottle-opener or scissors in daily life.

I think if you want a saw, knife and scissors, then a SAK sounds like the solution. I switched to the mini champ -I think it's called- several years ago, from a climber or something like that, for the size and weight savings, but I've always missed having the full size blade, for cutting the cheese and what not. I got a full sized Champ for a Xmas present last year and even though I've always felt like it was too big and heavy for carrying or packing, I have to say that I'm warming up to the idea of the saw and pliers and even the little hack saw. Pulling Cholla Cactus spines out of my shoe with the pliers would be much easier, than with two rocks. I think somethings are worth a few more ounces. I don't know if I'm ready to lug the Champ just yet, but I'm warming to the idea, specially after seeing the movie "127 hours." Not that that would have done anything other than make it a little less painful, in the end, but still……

Take it from a Tree Climber.

Get a Silky Saw from here. Cuts firewood like butter.

http://www.sherrilltree.com/Professional-Gear/Hand-Saws_2/Super-Accel-210mm-Saw-1375

Different size blades – folding and fixed.

I used a Zubat for years and would grab that instead of my chain saw for a lot of large branches.
I still take one on short trips to make fire wood fast.

http://www.sherrilltree.com/Professional-Gear/Hand-Saws_2/Zubat-330mm-Handsaw-1608

Also – I got the KaBar-ESEE-Becker-BK14 with the scales on the handle because it has a longer blade and is less $$$ and I love it. Better I think for any batoning you might want to do.
http://www.bladehq.com/item–KaBar-ESEE-Becker-BK14–7078

I also love my Izula.