# What are the best outdoors knives?



## Josephb

I need some help with picking my next knives from this list- https://wildlifeactionplans.org/tactical-knives/. I have a budget of around 200. Just wondering what you guys think.


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## Robie

What will it's primary use be for?

Your link doesn't work...account suspended.


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## Smitty901

Ok were is Tourist, forum expert on any thing knife?


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## The Tourist

Oh, I'm right here. But there are lots of "what ifs" on a project like this.

I mean, I know guys who camp with folders. Then again, I know "city boys" who won't carry anything but a fixed blade. How about the owner's competency? Is he a sharpener?

For example, if I'm headed towards the boonies (which isn't often) I'd carry a CRKT Ken Onion Homefront, the one with the aluminum handle. It clips to your pants, and comes apart with your bare hands for a thorough cleaning.

My guess is that the OP has a different point of view.

Edit: BTW, I clicked on the OP's link and it's been taken down.


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## Smitty901

Yes. Tourist that is a big question to answer. In my simple world the Buck 119 I have had a long time is perfection. SS nothing seems to bother it . Just about the right size of anything. It not sharp by your standards but cuts and holds an edge. You can dress a deer with it to can cut small wood for a fire. If I can't break the handle it aint breaking and I have not made a mark in it. It will stab into what needs stabbing.
But best and perfection are to be decided by a person own point of view.


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## Slippy

Josephb said:


> I need some help with picking my next knives from this list- https://wildlifeactionplans.org/tactical-knives/. I have a budget of around 200. Just wondering what you guys think.


C'mon Josephb

I assume your a grown man, so make a decision and go get you a knife or 3! $200 will buy you a couple or 3 pretty good ones. Don't overthink this my friend, its just a knife.

Slippy


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## bigwheel

Know the best outdoor knife I ever had back in Boy Scouts was a long machete. It could cut off a snakes head or chop down a tree right quick. We bought ours at the Army Navy surplus store for a buck or so..some still blood stained. Sure the prices have went up over the years. Check out some of these beauties. 
https://www.machetespecialists.com/buying-guide/best-machetes/


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## The Tourist

Slippy said:


> C'mon Josephb, its just a knife.


Well, Slip, you probably wouldn't say that if you were caught in a parking lot after dark with a flimsy Swiss Army Knife.

A knife is like any piece of survival equipment. If you want to survive, you buy items that are the best that you can find. And I do the same with firearms, I buy the best magazines and most lethal, reliable ammunition made.


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## Slippy

The Tourist said:


> Well, Slip, you probably wouldn't say that if you were caught in a parking lot after dark with a flimsy Swiss Army Knife.
> 
> A knife is like any piece of survival equipment. If you want to survive, you buy items that are the best that you can find. And I do the same with firearms, I buy the best magazines and most lethal, reliable ammunition made.


All my late night parking lot excursions are most certainly, filled with .45ACP Goodness!


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## bigwheel

As we learned in cop school 101 only a liberal brings a knife to a gun fight...and we got extra knives in inventory if they forget to bring their own.


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## stevekozak

bigwheel said:


> Know the best outdoor knife I ever had back in Boy Scouts was a long machete. It could cut off a snakes head or chop down a tree right quick. We bought ours at the Army Navy surplus store for a buck or so..some still blood stained. Sure the prices have went up over the years. Check out some of these beauties.
> https://www.machetespecialists.com/buying-guide/best-machetes/


I am periodically addicted to that site. I have many machetes that I don't use...&#8230;&#8230;..And I want more!!! :vs_shocked:


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## stevekozak

Slippy said:


> All my late night parking lot excursions are most certainly, filled with .45ACP Goodness!


Amen and pass the gravy, my brother from another 1911 mother!!! :vs_wave:


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## stevekozak

bigwheel said:


> As we learned in cop school 101 only a liberal brings a knife to a gun fight...and we got extra knives in inventory if they forget to bring their own.


I am not sure why, exactly, but this got me to giggling!! :vs_laugh:


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## bigwheel

I got to have a new one too. Let me know which one you think is best. Thanks. I did have a slight mishap with my boy scout machete one time. I was at home trying to cut a log of firewood when my best neighbor pal had snuck up behind unawares and leaning over my shouldder trying to learn new things to earn a merit badge..when I rared back with the knife and managed to hit him right between the eyes with the pointed end. It woulda killed a normal person most likely..but he didnt even murmur. His large bosomed older sister loved me a lot.


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## hawgrider

Bowie. 

That is all you're welcome.


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## Chipper

Love these Kershaws. Holds an edge, great size and easily to flip open. Nice and thin which disappears in your pocket. Caught them on sale for $19.95 at Cabela's, suppose to be a $70 knife. Better to have multiples instead of one, IMHO.


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## rice paddy daddy

The link worked for me OK.
Listed are all "tactical" folders, including some good ones, such as Gerber.

A good "outdoors" knife, as the OP termed it, should be capable of a wide range of chores. From preparing kindling for the fire, to hammering tent pegs, to opening 105 MM howitzer ammo crates. (well, OK, maybe that last task was just a carry over from Long Ago and Far Away:tango_face_smile.

I still have occasion to use a good all-around knife on our small homestead. I prefer to keep a small jack knife in my pocket, plus a 4" or 5" fixed blade on my belt. Anything bigger gets in the way. A fixed blade is simply stouter than a folder.

Smitty mentioned the Buck 119. I have had one for years, can't imagine life without one.

I also have and use an Ontario 499. These are great knives, made in the US and made of carbon steel, not stainless.
https://www.smkw.com/ontario-survival-u-s-military-issue

Case makes a number of great fixed blades, such as https://www.smkw.com/case-leather-handle-clip-point-hunter


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## The Tourist

rice paddy daddy said:


> I prefer to keep a small jack knife in my pocket, plus a 4" or 5" fixed blade on my belt.


I'm sort of in the same boat, but I do carry two folders. One is about a 4-inch, and made for heavier cutting. The other is a 2.5 inch Gerber that I mirror polished for delicate slicing.

Of course, I always make sure I carry a switchblade in my crappy pair of jeans for the mall. Then again, my wife and I went to the bookstore right off the main food court, and we both decided we have to find a new place to haunt. Shopping malls are starting to get overrun with the oddest people...


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## bigwheel

Chipper said:


> Love these Kershaws. Holds an edge, great size and easily to flip open. Nice and thin which disappears in your pocket. Caught them on sale for $19.95 at Cabela's, suppose to be a $70 knife. Better to have multiples instead of one, IMHO.


Been luggin my Kershaw around for several years now. No complaints..but I aint rough on knives. I reserve it for cutting things.


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## The Tourist

bigwheel said:


> I aint rough on knives. I reserve it for cutting things.


*@bigwheel*, I'm glad you brought that up. I think knives suffer more abuse from twisting and prying than they do from slicing for several years. If you need to pry open a paint can, get the right tool--and a screwdriver is not the right tool, either.

You'd be amazed at what I see. I get a client that "_needs his knife sharpened_." Yea, right. The first thing you might have to do is fix it, usually be forming a new bevel. With all of the amazing sharpening tools on the market (like Ben Dale's "Edge Pro") there no reason to not get a clean edge. And it saves metal over time, as well.


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## bigwheel

Thanks for the tips. I have become disillusioned with the five buck sharpener I bought off amazon here while back. The edge pro does look cool but complicated. 
https://www.edgeproinc.com/Apex-Model-Edge-Pro-System-c3/


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## Schattentarn

What is wrong with the old KA-Bar?


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## The Tourist

Schattentarn said:


> What is wrong with the old KA-Bar?


Nothing at all. It makes a good camping knife, especially if you are the "wilderness type." I no longer camp, so a good sturdy folder is all I need.


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## Boss Dog

I saw the Gerber Prodigy fixed blade at our local Wally's marked down to $35 two days ago. 
That would be an excellent candidate for woods carry without being all 'Rambo'. 
I was tempted but, I really don't need another knife and I'm trying to save pennies for something else.


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## The Tourist

Boss Dog said:


> I was tempted but, I really don't need another knife and I'm trying to save pennies for something else.


I'm always tempted--and I usually collapse and the buy the darn thing.

But the worst thing I ever did was buy an Edge Pro fixture and just about every waterstone Ken Schwartz sells! Put the two together and you can make scalpels out of anything made of metal!


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## rice paddy daddy

Schattentarn said:


> What is wrong with the old KA-Bar?


Every serious knife aficionado should have a Ka-Bar USMC Fighting Knife.
I carried one in the Nam, although it was a military contract made by Camillus. I left it behind with a buddy when I came home.

Today, I have a modern one, plus a WWII issue one.
Legally, I can wear something that size here, like going to town for example. But it always gets in the way when I get behind the wheel of my pickup.


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## phrogman

I'm a big fan of my Benchmade Barrage with the Axis assist. A small flick with the thumb and it snaps right out. I also carry an ESEE Izula as a boot knife when I ride the bike. I have a few KA Bars but I only carry one of them in the truck, it has the Tanto Blade.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Tango2X

I opened the link, works fine.

Dude-- just get a couple different ones -- you are gonna end up with a box full anyway


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## MisterMills357

I have a Smith & Wesson folder, and that is about it.


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## MisterMills357

Schattentarn said:


> What is wrong with the old KA-Bar?





rice paddy daddy said:


> Every serious knife aficionado should have a Ka-Bar USMC Fighting Knife.
> I carried one in the Nam, although it was a military contract made by Camillus. I left it behind with a buddy when I came home.
> 
> Today, I have a modern one, plus a WWII issue one.
> Legally, I can wear something that size here, like going to town for example. But it always gets in the way when I get behind the wheel of my pickup.


I had a couple of Cammilus Marine Knives, and the steel was great. They were made to GI standards, and they were hard to hurt.


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## Swimmer1

Haven't heard from you since you opened the ball OP. 
JMHO. Match the blades to your skillset and the environment that you expect to use it in. 

Examples: 

Carbon steel will strike a fire when paired with the proper stone (flint etc).
Above timberline or in a saltwater environment Carbon steel has a very limited use/lifetime.
Probably the best bang for the Buck (pardon the pun) is a pathfinder coupled with a skinner for general outdoor use. 
KOA offers selections for folks with deep pockets that aspire to be professionals in unlimited climates, but would be overkill for the once a year woodsman. JMHO. 
Folding knives are only as good as thier locking mechanism, they are a must for EDC. Yet thier use afield is subpar to any fixed blade full tang knife. Once Again, JMHO. 
You didn't mention what your purpose was? (every task has a proper tool) 
Match the tool to the task and practice your craft until your skill set allows you to be a Master of that task. (that means you can perform the required task blindfolded or in pitch black darkness 100% of the time in fair weather of foul, above timberline or below, on dry land or submerged.) JMHO. 

Awaiting your directive.


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## bigwheel

Swimmer1 said:


> Haven't heard from you since you opened the ball OP.
> JMHO. Match the blades to your skillset and the environment that you expect to use it in.
> 
> Examples:
> 
> Carbon steel will strike a fire when paired with the proper stone (flint etc).
> Above timberline or in a saltwater environment Carbon steel has a very limited use/lifetime.
> Probably the best bang for the Buck (pardon the pun) is a pathfinder coupled with a skinner for general outdoor use.
> KOA offers selections for folks with deep pockets that aspire to be professionals in unlimited climates, but would be overkill for the once a year woodsman. JMHO.
> Folding knives are only as good as thier locking mechanism, they are a must for EDC. Yet thier use afield is subpar to any fixed blade full tang knife. Once Again, JMHO.
> You didn't mention what your purpose was? (every task has a proper tool)
> Match the tool to the task and practice your craft until your skill set allows you to be a Master of that task. (that means you can perform the required task blindfolded or in pitch black darkness 100% of the time in fair weather of foul, above timberline or below, on dry land or submerged.) JMHO.
> 
> Awaiting your directive.


Glad you showed up to talk shop with our resident knife guru named the Tourist.


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## Swimmer1

bigwheel said:


> Glad you showed up to talk shop with our resident knife guru named the Tourist.


Just remember that I don't build them, I 'm only an operator! But yet the best Bladesmiths take my opinion into consideration prior to building thier next blades.


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## The Tourist

bigwheel said:


> Glad you showed up to talk shop with our resident knife guru named the Tourist.


I've come to the point where I don't think there are "experts" in the cutlery industry. If you go to any blade show you'll find new inventions and varying blade shapes that didn't exist a few months ago.

To that, add personal opinions. For example, I do not find the Buck 110 that useful, despite its use by generations. I think the Buck 112 is a better alternative since your hand will not slip onto the blade.

As for carbon steel knives, I see a very valuable use despite the added chores of oiling and wiping. Carbon steel sparks easily, and in a survival situation a fire is needed for warmth and signaling.

I must have over two dozen knives. Each time I leave the house I locate a "big one and little one" for the chores needed that day. A knife is mankind's first tool, and that hasn't changed in millennia.

Edit: Here's an example. At one time the Rc for most folders was 57 to 59. Then the first Boa folder came out--it's initial Rc rating was 69 until people found it was too brittle. Knife magazines now dazzle me like reading a science book.


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## jimb1972

I would probably buy the gerber contrast, but only because I am too cheap to buy the benchmade and I have never been a fan of the tanto style blade.


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## The Tourist

jimb1972 said:


> I have never been a fan of the tanto style blade.


I hear this quite often, and I have an opposing viewpoint.

If your doctor found an infected wart on your back, you'd give him permission to remove it. That is until you watched him reach for a chain-saw. You would probably question him, and his reply might be, "_This is my favorite tool_."

I have lots of tools I don't like to sharpen blades for clients who should have bought something better. I'm not here to pick a winner, I'm here to make sure the client gets good service out of the tools he buys.

Here's my point. I have folders, a few fixed blades (I think) several automatics and three Buck 112s--which is a superior product compared to their Buck 110s.

There is a place for tanto profiles. For example, let's say you downed a buck and realized your knife was left in the truck. You ask your no-brother-good-inlaw for his tool, and he hands you a soup spoon. He shrugs and says, "_I don't like tools with that icky sharp edge on it..._"

I have most of the blade profiles. And while I might have my own favorites, there's a place for everything. For example, I'm not a big fan of fixed blade knives. Manufacturers have found folding mechanisms that lock the blade in place with no wobble, at all. The times have sure caught up with this design.

If I needed/wanted a tanto design for a specific chore, I would use it because it was the right tool.


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## jimb1972

The Tourist said:


> I hear this quite often, and I have an opposing viewpoint.
> 
> If your doctor found an infected wart on your back, you'd give him permission to remove it. That is until you watched him reach for a chain-saw. You would probably question him, and his reply might be, "_This is my favorite tool_."
> 
> I have lots of tools I don't like to sharpen blades for clients who should have bought something better. I'm not here to pick a winner, I'm here to make sure the client gets good service out of the tools he buys.
> 
> Here's my point. I have folders, a few fixed blades (I think) several automatics and three Buck 112s--which is a superior product compared to their Buck 110s.
> 
> There is a place for tanto profiles. For example, let's say you downed a buck and realized your knife was left in the truck. You ask your no-brother-good-inlaw for his tool, and he hands you a soup spoon. He shrugs and says, "_I don't like tools with that icky sharp edge on it..._"
> 
> I have most of the blade profiles. And while I might have my own favorites, there's a place for everything. For example, I'm not a big fan of fixed blade knives. Manufacturers have found folding mechanisms that lock the blade in place with no wobble, at all. The times have sure caught up with this design.
> 
> If I needed/wanted a tanto design for a specific chore, I would use it because it was the right tool.


What is the chore the tanto profile is best for (besides battling other 17th century Japanese warriors) I could never figure out anything besides looking cool that couldn't be done as well or better by a drop point, skinner, or other more conventional blade.


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## The Tourist

I tanto edge is good at cutting rope or string cleanly at the end.


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## HerladWilly

I don't know if you heard about a kukri knife or not, It is something Asian style but I find it very useful for me and have used it in my outdoor expeditions. It helps me cut anything and I also use the thicker back to hammer the nails of the tent.


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## The Tourist

We only have a few Kurka warriors in my neighborhood, and even those hotheads make me split the tip of my index finger when I do one of their knives. The benefit of the kukri is that it is "tip heavy" and maximizes the final blow to an object--like an opponent's shoulder if you were ever under siege at the Khyber Pass.

Mine was made by a very unhappy Nepalese craftsman who made the mistake of running afoul of my wife. Yes, she speaks a terrific Chinese abstract dialect, but the craftsman was still a bit "upset."

After my wife stood up--a full two heads above him--they decided on a compromise...


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## Swimmer1

jimb1972 said:


> What is the chore the tanto profile is best for (besides battling other 17th century Japanese warriors) I could never figure out anything besides looking cool that couldn't be done as well or better by a drop point, skinner, or other more conventional blade.


The Tanto profile is purpose designed to defeat leather scale armour without catastrophic disaster. It is an extreme close quarter tool that mimics the business end of Japan's finest Samurai Swords, to be used within distances that would render a sword unmanageable. JMHO.

If your literally nose to nose with an opponent, how much more effective is a thumb to the groin than an overhand right?


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## KUSA

Swimmer1 said:


> If your literally nose to nose with an opponent, how much more effective is a thumb to the groin than an overhand right?


I don't know. Which would you prefer on your groin, a thumb, or a right hand?


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## The Tourist

Well, if your opponent brings a knife, you bring a gun. A fight is not an episode of "Dancing With The Stars."

Heck, if I thought blood was going to be spilled I would draw both my CCW handgun *and* a knife. I'd find someplace on the cuss that bleeds a lot of blood.

Yes, I'm a cheater.


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## Swimmer1

KUSA said:


> I don't know. Which would you prefer on your groin, a thumb, or a right hand?


Literally stand nose to nose and the thumb on your right hand shall be far more effective, try it once. Bet you add it to the toolbox. JMHO.

Inside of 21 feet, it's pretty difficult to draw & fire with any effect. JMHO.


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