Does anyone have any good suggestions? I am looking for something that can take a beating, full tang, splits wood, removable handles, micarta is a plus but I am open to any suggestions. Thanks!
I've got a BHK Woodsman for $100 and I might be willing to work a deal on the Bushcrafter. edcforums.com/threads/kriptos-garage-sale.97924/
Either of which would be a fine knife for OP, speaking as one who owns the Woodsman. Blind Horse makes a good knife.
Skip all of those and get a sub 10" from Scrapyard Knives. The 511 is probably the best choice for you (cheaper SRKW RMD). They'll be cheaper (even if you have to buy the sheath, Mashed Cat is a good way to go). It might not have a full tang or removable handles, however, it will take more of beating than any other production knife out there, period. This isn't from blatant conjecture, either. Go look up some of Noss' test on the Scrapper 6. I've also done some pretty heavy abuse to some of mine and they're all perfectly fine. Plus, their warranty is better than the great majority of other production companies. I'd get more, however, I'm already spoiled with my Grail user from them: a DMCG. (Yea, I know, not much of Grail, though, it's still a helluva sweet blade)
Ontario HEST, or the ESEE version if you can find one on the secondary market used. I LOVE my HEST (have the original ESEE version).
I found their website: http://www.scrapyardknives.com/knives.htm Impressive. What are your thoughts on the Scrapivore?
I don't own a Scrapivore. I do own a SRKW Swamp Warden which is very similar. It's a pretty thin and rather robust tool. I was quite surprised (even though I shouldn't have been) at how resilient the blade is for the thickness stock. Did some heavy batoning (through a couple of knots) and tip-prying (very thin tip) with no ill effects. It also has pretty decent lateral strength. The Scrapivore should hold up pretty similarly. As far as edge retention goes, it's definitely better than you're normal 1095 stuff (they purposely HTed the blade a little bit harder). However, it isn't a super steel (though it's a good compromise since the thing is so darn tough) so don't expect super crazy edge retention. I really should get one of these, though. I like the design much better than the SWarden. The Scrapivore will be better than both of those (especially compared to the paklite, only downside is that the Scrapivore isn't stainless). Give me a week and I will get some outdoor/use pics. I will note that the lack of scales can be a problem and puts a lot of shock through your hand/arm when batoning. It's also a literal pain when doing heavy cutting. P-cord wrapping does little to alleviate these problems. Custom scales make for a pretty weekend project.
if you can afford it i highly recommend scrapyard knives. they currently have the 311, 711, and 911 available right now and they are all well under $200 and will last you a life time. i can also highly recommend ESEE.
Becker BK2 will work, you can add micarta and the price will come to around $100 with micarta. I would save a bit more and get a ESEE 5 or ESEE 6
Both the the 311 and 511 are under 100 bucks. The Scrapivore + the Mashed Cat sheath ($10 bucks!! They make some of the best Kydex sheaths!) is a steal.
Anza has some really nice options and they hold their edge for a while too all i have ever done to mine was run it on a ceramic rod a few times to bring it back to hair whittling sharp.
+ Whatever on the ScrapYard knives. I have two, no longer in production, that are absolute beasts. Another suggestion is Ranger Knives which used to be manufactured by Ranger Knives but not seem to be a line of Ontario Knife. I have a 4" Night Stalker which is also a beast of a knife.
