Five easy pieces (Translation: what are your 5 fav blades?)

In no particular order

-Spyderco Native 5 - great mid sized EDC folder. Not scary looking and plenty capable
- GB wildlife hatchet - it's my best ax. Perfect size for my needs.
- benchmade Rift - very recent addition. It's the smoothest best designed Benchmade I've ever handled. The blade flys out and is rock solid.
- Esee 6 - it's my big knife. Used and abused. My go to woods and river knife.
- DpX HEST original. - Best urban fixed blade for me. The Izula pales in comparison to the HEST. The handle is proper sized unlike the Izula.


Other options would be the following.

-Spyderco PM2 - great EDC
-Benchmade Adamas - hard use folder. It's a beast and I never worry about it letting me down
- Mora Kansbol - favorite Mora.

 

Ha!!!! I'm not, because now I've got that Mora Bushcraft Black that you didn't like as much! (Thank you!)

And I like it better than my Mora Companion HD's (one of which will get paid forward soon, with some other stuff, including one other knife (a folder). The MBB is already in my top 5, and I've only had it for a little over 24 hours. Fine, fine bush blade, as I expected it would be.

 

Top 5 Ok. Im no particular order.

Esee 6, I have it configured exactly how I like it, with an amazing sheath set up. I trust this knife and I use it mainly for splitting wood and tasks where I dont want to damage my scandi. If I had to leave my house with one knife its the one I would grab.

Next would be my custom made hunting knife in Elmax. It is just superb for its intended purpose. a beautiful blade.

next is the izzy2. I have a sebenza and this little guy boots it out my pocket.

Next is the Esee LM , great machete.i use it more than I thought I would.

Lastly is the Skookum bushtool. I hadnt found a knife that I prefered more in terms of use than the humble mora companion and I spent a **** load of money trying. I always loved Mors book and a Skookum had been on the list for years yet the wait time and the price on the secondary market always put me off. Enter @Ghost777 and the stars aligned. I pair it with the LM or my 6. for my style its the ideal wood working knife.

 

Gossman Tusker in 3/16" A2- there's nothing I can think of that I'd need to do with a knife that I couldn't do with this knife.

Ritter/Becker Perseverance- this one is new to the family but has already climbed to the top of the heap. Rowan's 1095, Ethan Becker's handle. Lighter and an inch longer than my Tusker.

Becker bk16- this knife is on my belt in the woods more than any other. It's like your favorite pair of old boots.

ESEE JG3- this is my go to smaller fixed blade, especially since I made a kydex sheath for it.

Spyderco Manix2- this is my most frequently used folder at the moment, but I'm not in love with it. It's light, it carries well, it's easy to sharpen. One of these days I'm going to splurge on a pm2.

I have a decent selection of axes and choppers, all of which I like and none of which stand out as "the one".

 

I think I'm going to try that eventually, also, when cash allows me to try out a 6, which I do not currently own, but it's recently joined my want list. There is one other option for me, but it's not yet in production, so waiting to see ...

 

1. Benchmade 15030 bone collector. Hands down my favorite folder. No matter what I buy it always end up coming back to this

2. Becker bk10.
It was one of my first pixel blades I ever bought, and the one I have the most time with.

3. Esee 3.
My favorite small knife and probably the perfect all around knife IMO. If I could only have one knife it would probably be this.

4. Buck 110.
My favorite hard use folder. There's just something about it that I love.

5. Is a tie between an LT wright genesis and my H&b forge Shawnee hawk. My 2 favorite woods tools

 

1. Emerson CQC-7V Prestige: I can't kick this baby out of my pocket. More robust than any of other production Emerson I have owned. I'm a wave addict, and was a 40th birthday present from the wife.

2. Custom Vic OHT Trekker: Micarta scales and pocket clip. A bug out bag keeper!

3. Esee Laser Strike: My "one blade" knife. Love the blade shape and just amazing with TKC scales.

4. Vic Compact: IMO the most underrated SAK of all. My complimentary EDC.

5. BRK Zancudo: A little pocket laser! Great slicer and just fun to flick. Love gifting these as an introductory knife to friends and family.

 

My 5 favorite would be an ever changing list, today it would be;
CS Talwar XL
CS Gunsite
Spyderco PM2 Cruwear
Condor Tavian
Tramontia 28" machete

My most carried are;
SAK Trekker/Soldier
Spyderco Manix2 s110v
SAK Classic
Izula
CS Kudu

 

Spyderco Stretch- I thought for the longest time the Delica was the best EDC for me. The Stretch trumps it.

Mora Robust- I've tried breaking several of these under normal heavy use and you just can't do it. Best handle/grip for hours of use

Mora 546/511- I have one of these in every car/truck I own. Plus one in my hunting pack and in my hiking pack. I've skinned deer, prepared fire, and made lunch with it. Great blade.

Fiskars- x7- best hatchet for the price.

Spyderco Enuff sheepsfoot H1 SE- I carry this knife on my fire gear. Its saved life before cutting a seatbelt off a man.

 

this thread is worthles without pics

 

Its a hunting knife made by a local maker here in NZ. He specializes in stainless hunting and kitchen knives. I really like his stuff. Not the prettiest finish Ive seen yet very well made with, the edge geometry and design for purpose is second to none. I have another one In 3V aswell.

 

Been away for a few days -- spending less time keeping up here, more time in the woods out back (mostly ash and birch) establishing a couple of interesting experimental camps within 300 m of base camp (my apartment).

But I digress. Good to see the lists continuing. Always interesting reading/seeing people's choices and reasons.

I got my #5 (actually #1) last Saturday, Christmas eve. Already my fav bushcraft knife of all times,
and a strong contender (already) for my fav knife of all times.

Because I agree that this thread is worthless without pics, I'm planning to shoot my five in group photo. But I've lost my cam charger, and trying to get it charged via USB is taking days.

I'll be back ...

 

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Alrighty. There's a little break in the posts here in the middle of a holiday weekend (Happy New Year!) -- and there have been great posts here; very interesting choices; I've learned about some new blades to check out.

So, I'll put mine in now, now that I've had some time with the latest three blades to enter my kit, and all three have already migrated to my top five list. (Ask me again this time next year, or maybe just give it a few months; subject to evolution.)

But for now, here are my top five. Surprisingly, there's not an axe in the mix. In the past, my GB Wildlife Hatchet would be here, but right now, it's number 6, and even more suprisingly, it may be getting sidelined -- not sold (ever), but sidelined, replaced in the main walking kit by an ESEE 6, relegated to camp duty at #7.

So the top 5? In reverse order countdown.

#5: Smith Wesson HRT9B dagger -- I've always wanted a dagger, now I've got one. (Someday, perhaps, I'll add a FS combat dagger, or some version of it, but it's not in the budget now.) I have (major) issues with the sheath, and will have it replaced. Leather? Kydex? Belt mount? Neck knife (very light)? Don't know yet. Cannot carry concealed here; could be open carry in the woods. Just have to see.

#1 (yes, jumping to the top -- you'll see why later): ESEE RB3. I've owned it only 8 days (but have worked with it for many hours during those 8 days). It was a special deal, offered to me by a very kind person (never to be named by his choice) in a deal I could not refuse. (Thank you!). Already not only the best bushcraft knife I've ever handled, let alone owned, but in contention for the best knife I've ever owned -- especially given my focus on bushcraft and carving. Exceptional knife. Just exceptional. The design is brilliant. Congratulations to @bearthedog and everyone involved in its production. I'll be posting a thread all about it at a later time, once I get more experience with it. Give me some time ...

#2, 3 & 4 is a tie at this point.

* Mora Bushcraft Black, my #2 bushcraft knife (close behind the RB3; it rides as backup in my Halftrack). Kindly gifted to me by my buddy @anrkst6973 just before I learned I was getting the RB3. I wanted a great bushcraft knife, but could not afford an RB3. I found reviews on the Mora BB and was sold, but didn't even have the coins for it. It is widely acclaimed as one of the best bushcraft knives out there for its price point. Another exceptional knife, even if stopping well short of the RB3 for most tasks. (Though if you need some fine work with a light touch, I'd go for the MBB -- but for deep biting cuts, I'll take the RB3.)

* Kabar TDI -- Another new acquisition -- 9 days ago. Love it. It's a specialty knife with one use only: close in self-defense. I've already got a thread going about it here.

* ESEE Izula I. What can I say? In my top 5 for years. Always will be. It also rides back up in the pack, and often gets carried in my pocket for EDC. A gift from years ago by another buddy, @AddictedToSteel.

Here's the pic of them in a group photo. The background image is a map of an area a few hours north of where I live (but only because the roads are so twisted getting there; closer as the crow flies). The Izula, TDI and SW all point to the highest peak in Maine, the famous Mt. Katahdin. I haven't been there yet -- I've been car-challenged for six years -- but hope to change that next summer. There's a new 87,000-acre national monument on its east flank that I want to walk and camp in for extended periods.

 

So the RB3 has kicked the spyderco bushcraft haha

 

My top 5 blades fill all my needs for knives.
1 and 2 are my favorites. Not only for the great outdoors but #2 can fulfill my edc needs.

1. ESEE 6
2. SAK Trekker

3 and 4 are my edc work knives and 5 is my casual edc.

3. SAK Farmer Orange Alox
4. T.M.Hunt Foxkit
5. Chris Reeves Sebenza 25

 

For me, yes. For everyone? No.

I owned a Spyderco Bushcraft a few years ago. Did a sweet deal for it with @Bushman5. Fine, fine knife. Loved it.

But after months of use, I let it go. Why?

1) 4" blade was too long for me for carving. I like 3.5". But I have smaller hands.
2) G10 handle was nice, but a bit too slick for carving. Good geometry, but just too slick.
3) Not sharpener friendly for me. Stainless is not my metal of choice. Give me 1095 every time.

But that's my opinion. Others will prefer the Spyderco. And Earth continues to spin.