View Poll Results: Which blade?

Voters
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  • Survive! Knives GSO 4.7 or 4.5

    0 0%
  • Bradford Guardian 5.5

    1 7.14%
  • Benchmade Leuku

    1 7.14%
  • Other (please list)

    8 57.14%
  • You’re crazy for spending that cash to make a campfire

    4 28.57%
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Thread: Help me spend money on a camp knife

  1. #1
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Eastern NC, 500 feet and below

    Help me spend money on a camp knife

    Gents, looking for a fixed blade for camp use. We mainly tent camp and the primary use would be for processing kindling for starting fires. Pretty much narrowed it down to the below three ~ 5 inch blades but wouldn’t rule out anything similar. Budget limit is pretty much $250. Looking for something in stock or lead time under six months.

    Survive! Knives GSO 4.7 or 4.5. Pros: Magnacut/3V and great warranty. Cons: lead times, shape is just a little wonky with the spear point
    https://surviveknives.com/gso-4-7/

    Bradford Guardian 5.5 Pros: 3V and great warranty. Cons: longevity of company (service in 15 years?)
    https://bradfordknives.com/guardian-...olate_richlite

    Benchmade Leuku. Pros: 3V, price (mil discount) Cons: puuko shape, yet another Benchmade
    https://www.benchmade.com/202-leuku.html

    Am I crazy for spending $250 to split some wood to start fires? I currently only have a tactical style 4.5 inch and three Moras. Should I just use the Moras as disposable and spend the cash on an AR?

    ETA: I’ve kinda discounted the Esee products as I’m not spending $150+ and ending up with 1095. Also, I’ll never sit around the fire and whittle a spoon, etc, so I’m looking a little larger than the traditional bush-crafters.
    Last edited by TOTS; 09-12-2022 at 08:37 PM.

  2. #2
    Site Supporter ST911's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    Dauntless Manufacturing, Harris. Right price point, not in stock, unknown production status. Exceptional knife.
    https://dauntlessmanufacturing.com/products/the-harris
    الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب

  3. #3
    Buy a few Mora's. Keep one in the truck, your pack, your wife's car, your cook kit, workshop, tool kit, garage, and one extra just because.

    There is a full tang model now that would be better suited to splitting, but otherwise a regular Mora is perfect for making small kindling

  4. #4
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Gotham Adjacent
    Moras work fine for these tasks and I don't see what a Bradford or Benchmade will give you over a Mora. It certainly won't five you $200 more kindling when camping.

    But for that matter, I strongly prefer a hatchet when camping. Because it's a hammer and a fire tending tool.

  5. #5
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Eastern NC, 500 feet and below
    Quote Originally Posted by littlejerry View Post
    Buy a few Mora's. Keep one in the truck, your pack, your wife's car, your cook kit, workshop, tool kit, garage, and one extra just because.

    There is a full tang model now that would be better suited to splitting, but otherwise a regular Mora is perfect for making small kindling
    Already have three Moras. And gave one to each of the kids for Christmas. I’m not impressed with how the blades have been holding up. They sharpen up nicely though!!

  6. #6
    Are you going to be doing that much camping? For me to spend that it would be because I'm spending months out in the wilderness. A weekend getaway once in a while a $30 knife will work, or axe

    Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    banana republican blues's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Blue Ridge Mtns
    If you can, consider something from Carothers Performance Knives. Perhaps on the exchange at bladeforums

    Super knives.


    Survive doesn't have a good reputation on the forums...though their knives seem to be decent...(when they actually fulfill an order).
    There's nothing civil about this war.

    Read: Harrison Bergeron

  8. #8
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Eastern NC, 500 feet and below
    Quote Originally Posted by RevolverRob View Post
    Moras work fine for these tasks and I don't see what a Bradford or Benchmade will give you over a Mora. It certainly won't five you $200 more kindling when camping.

    But for that matter, I strongly prefer a hatchet when camping. Because it's a hammer and a fire tending tool.
    I’ve been thinking about that. I’m very unfamiliar with hatchets and tend to shy away as I’ve never really used them. I don’t see how they would split small logs without batoning. And mentally, I have the idea that a solid knife can hatchet, but a hatchet can’t knife… Admittedly though, I’m pretty ignorant of them, skill-wise.

    See below re Moras.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Eastern NC, 500 feet and below
    Quote Originally Posted by 4RNR View Post
    Are you going to be doing that much camping? For me to spend that it would be because I'm spending months out in the wilderness. A weekend getaway once in a while a $30 knife will work, or axe

    Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
    We really only go camping a couple times a year but we have a fire pit and spend time by the fire most weekends during the Fall and Winter. The wife’s pretty into s’mores as a social function!

    Too, I recently broke the axe. I know it’s a 100% want but I’m just a knife guy. They call to me!
    Quote Originally Posted by blues View Post
    If you can, consider something from Carothers Performance Knives. Perhaps on the exchange at bladeforums

    Super knives.


    Survive doesn't have a good reputation on the forums...though their knives seem to be decent...(when they actually fulfill an order).
    You know, I just read the Carothers recommendation on the Benchmade Anonimous thread from a while back. They have absolutely nothing in stock and, as much as you point me to bladeforums, I have yet to register. I have read a lot of their reviews though. I definitely saw what you mean about the reputation. It seems to mainly be the difficulty in filling orders in a timely fashion. They recently became a manufacturer and, purportedly, are filling pre-orders in months. Seems like they are figuring it out.

  10. #10
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Gotham Adjacent
    Quote Originally Posted by TOTS View Post
    I’ve been thinking about that. I’m very unfamiliar with hatchets and tend to shy away as I’ve never really used them. I don’t see how they would split small logs without batoning. And mentally, I have the idea that a solid knife can hatchet, but a hatchet can’t knife… Admittedly though, I’m pretty ignorant of them, skill-wise.

    See below re Moras.
    That's fair - anything heavier to swing has a higher chance if being dangerous.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FaOnfy08VoE

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4sAN7W5Sk8k

    Admittedly, a hatchet won't make things like feather sticks or fine kindling as well as a knife does, but it is possible to do it. You will choke up on the handle and use it carefully. Your cave man instincts generally lead you the right'ish direction.

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