Cheap BOB Knife/ Under $30?

[gillman7]

I bought a couple of these in September, I liked the look of it, very simple, got good reviews, price was right, so I thought I would try them out. I thought it might be a little gimicky, but was pleased with what I got for the money.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GXKAX6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


I really like the simplicity and light weight knife. G10 handles are very secure, grip made to lash to a pole for spear/fishing. Has a notch for the firesteel that is included in the sheath. Emergency whistle as well. I have to agree the sheath is made pretty cheaply, but the materials are there, the stitching is just bad. I restitched mine and it seems to hold up well.

It comes with 5' of paracord made in it's lanyard, which is handy. The blade is pretty sharp, and comes back with a nice edge, not sure how good of steel this is, hopefully some of our knife experts on the board can give me some insight? All in all, for less than $30, to throw in a BOB, I am pretty happy. I won't worry too much if it breaks or gets lost or stolen, but I really kind of like this inexpensive little knife.

 

[OKWalker]

You don't care if your BOB knife breaks?

 

[ez bake]

According to Knife Center:

7Cr17MoWV stainless blade (57 HRC). That's pretty soft, which is what you would expect for a "Survival Knife" that you want to bend and not break (or in the case of the edge - roll, but not chip).

It's a Chinese steel. 8CR13MOV is what Spyderco uses on their Chinese-made value lines - it's not terrible (Stainless, reasonably easy to sharpen, holds a decent edge through medium-duty work), but I don't know how it compares to 7Cr17MoWV.

There are no "hard use" tests out there on it, which is the first thing I look for in something that I may have to depend on, but at the same time, there are a crapload of knives out there today and not every one of them has a review. I will say this though - when looking at cheaper knives, I generally go with a carbon-steel over a stainless (especially some of the newer stainless steels that I know very little about).

Here's what I look for in a fixed-blade that I would use for a bug-out or survival knife:

- Full-tang construction
- Good quality steel that is properly tempered/heat-treated
- Good quality handle material (in the case of full-tang construction, good quality scales - I prefer G10/Linen-Micarta/Carbon-Fiber)
- Ergonomics - this is actually quite a bit more complicated than "does it feel good in the hand" after 30 seconds of holding it. Are there any hot-spots (use it for a good solid 10 mins and see if you've got any sore spots or blisters)? Does it have good weight distribution (heavy where it needs to be and not where it doesn't - this will affect chopping, stabbing, drilling, and dexterity in smaller cuts)? Does the Handle-shape go with the blade-shape?
- Good blade-shape/size/cutting-geometry - Is it thick enough to handle the big tasks that you might need it to, yet still has a good enough slicing capability? Does it have a "pokey" tip?

I personally like a drop-point or leaf-shaped blade with a flat-ground big round belly on the cutting edge and a flat or barely curved spine (and a pokey tip). But this is all up to the person using it. Some prefer a Tanto point for strength, some prefer a Sabre-Grind for strength.

I generally stick to the brands I know, but there are lots of great-value deals out there in unknown knives (folks do torture tests and hard-use reviews on unknown knives all the time and are pleasantly surprised).

Be careful though as there is also a lot of junk out there as well.

 

[Ignored Member]

EZ... I need to have you with me the next time I decide to get another carry knife.

 

[gillman7]

You don't care if your BOB knife breaks?

Not saying it is the only knife in the bag, or on my person. I usually have my EDC knife, and then a Kabar in the Jeeps, and machete and hatchet in the BOB. Not depending on just this knife, but I kind of like it. For what it is, it works pretty good, and is pretty light, but that is what I was not sure of, the blade steel quality. I was hoping EZ would pitch in, I knew he and Bill Coye know a lot about knife steel. I know it is a Chinese steel, and I have read mixed reviews on some Chinese steels, just don't remember the details on which one is which. Hey for $20, I like it. I am from the school of thought that you get what you pay for, and do not expect to drop into the Alaskan wilderness with this knife and some pocket lint and survive the winter.....

 

[ripnbst]

How Are the KABAR knives for actual use. I get the feeling most buy them for show because of all the special editions they offer.

They aren't real expensive.

 

[ez bake]

EZ... I need to have you with me the next time I decide to get another carry knife.

Haha - I'm the Cliff Clavin of useless knife trivia

I like the KaBar USMC Fighting knives, but they're not choppers (or pry-bars, or drillers, or stabbers for anything but people really - they're designed to be a fighting knife - not a survival knife). They're over-sized slicers that give a look of something that you could abuse, but the hilt (tac-welded on) and skinny tang design is not made for doing much else besides slicing smaller stuff (never baton with one).

Honestly, if you're just looking for a small fixed-blade slicer on a budget (and if you want some super-steel), then rumor has it that Spyderco is going to release the Mule Team 13P on Monday the 27th of this month.

That's a hair under 3 1/2" blade full-flat-grind knife (full-tang construction but it doesn't come with scales) in ELMAX steel for $65. I've got a set of Halpern scales in digi-cam sitting here waiting for that one, but you can easily use para-cord and have one heck of a fixed-blade for that price.

If you want a larger more indestructible knife for doing whatever, check out the Becker Companion Fixed with a 5.25" 1095 blade. That is a tank for under $70.

Ontario makes several; including a Gen II SP46 Survival Knife with a 5.574" Flat Ground 5160 blade for around $50

If that's too much, the Cold Steel GI Tanto (in 1055) is under $30 with a sheath. It ain't comfortable, but it's pretty darn tough.


Those are all carbon-steel blades so you have to oil them (or seal them in grease if you're going to store in a BOB).


Buck makes several hunting knives with full-tang construction in various 440 variants that are actually pretty impressive.

 

[gillman7]

Hey EZ, what do you think of the Cold Steel Bushman? I got a couple of them, seem pretty functional, did some paracord on the handles. Seem pretty sturdy too.

 

[OKCShooter]

For an extra knife that sits in a bag for emergency use, it looks awesome to me!

 

[LaneOK]

How Are the KABAR knives for actual use. I get the feeling most buy them for show because of all the special editions they offer.

They aren't real expensive.

I'm interested in this also. I've had the same feeling about them (the part in red), mostly due to the price. I've been thinking about trying one or two.