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Fixed-Blade Knives

Top Picks

How we choose: The best fixed-blade knives highlighted here were selected based on 164 reviews of 90 products. Our top picks are those that are readily-available in the United States and have received the highest overall ratings from reviewers.

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Benchmade Bushcrafter Family

user rating: 5 of 5 (3 reviews)

Fantastic knife with excellent ergonomics and a simple, stout, and sharp blade.

Reasons to Buy

  • Quality design
  • High quality steel
  • Excellent balance and ergonomics
  • Lifetime FREE sharpening
  • Made in the USA

Reasons to Avoid

  • Sheath seems to be basic, and falls a little short of being up to par with the knife it is designed to house and protect

With all the buzz around the word “Bushcraft“ in the past 5-10 years, it has almost become like “tactical“ (aka “tacticool”) with regard to items being marketed towards the Urban Lumberjack crowd that spends more bank on products for their beards per month than most families spend on groceries. I’m not sure which direction things like that are heading. Quite frankly, I don’t care. I needed a knife that would be used in the woods, not one that would sit on a shelf to be admired.

Read more: Benchmade Bushcrafter Family reviews (3)

Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty

user rating: 5 of 5 (4 reviews)

Best camping knife I have ever owned.

Reasons to Buy

  • Lightweight
  • Sturdy construction
  • Holds an edge well
  • Easy-to-grip rubberized handle
  • Hard plastic sheath can be worn on belt

Reasons to Avoid

  • No finger-guard
  • Doesn't work well with firesteel

I was given this knife about two years ago as a groomsman's gift.  It quickly replaced my old Gerber fixed blade as my favorite hiking knife. CONSTRUCTION The construction of this knife is fantastic. It has taken a serious beating from me and still looks and feels good-as-new. The blade itself holds a razor edge easily while I'm out in the woods (I usually realign it once every few months with a carbide sharpener).   While the knife does not use a full tang, the tang is well attached to the handle.

Read more: Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty reviews (4)

Morakniv Companion

user rating: 4.5 of 5 (9 reviews)

Can’t beat the price for what you get! Very sharp right from the start, it’s a great multi-purpose carbon steel knife, very functional drop point blade. From prepping camp food to cutting rope, I’d recommend for anyone’s pack.

Reasons to Buy

  • Inexpensive
  • Sharp, very sharp!
  • Sheath secures knife tightly
  • Multi-functional
  • Handle grips well when wet

Reasons to Avoid

  • Carbon steel prone to rust/tarnish

I've had this knife for a little over three months and it has become my go-to knife both on and off the trail. From opening and breaking down cardboard boxes, to cutting lengths of rope, and even cutting some pepperoni while car camping it has performed awesome! Costing just a little over $13 from Amazon the following is what is included and its attributes: Carbon steel knife (see "Maintenance") - Made in Sweden Rubberized handle Plastic sheath 8.5 inches from handle end to blade tip Knife is 4 ounces (I do not have a digital scale, unconfirmed) You can see the comparison of its total 8.5" length and the blade height when next to a steak knife.

Read more: Morakniv Companion reviews (9)

Benchmade Dacian

user rating: 5 of 5 (1 review)

Newest fixed blade from Benchmade.

Reasons to Buy

  • Magnacut steel 60 - 62 HRC
  • Light
  • Fixed blade
  • Beautiful
  • Form, function, beauty

Reasons to Avoid

  • Always cost
  • Sheath needs refinement

  Today I get to give you my assessment of my newest acquisition. Always looking for the perfect knife, I've probably found it already in the past but I keep looking for the little extra.  This purchase was made for two reasons. The first, I wanted to try a fix blade for an EDC, and the second, I wanted to try the new magnacut steel. I did a lot of reading and there are a lot of choices out here to fit what I was looking for. In the end for me, Benchmade nailed the design and the look.

Read more: Benchmade Dacian review (1)

Panorama Knife Best of Switzerland Universal Knife

user rating: 5 of 5 (1 review)

A Swiss-made, stylish, and very sharp knife that's small and light enough for the pack but cuts bread, cheese, and sausage with ease.

Reasons to Buy

  • Mountains!
  • Very sharp surgical steel blade
  • Walnut handle
  • Top craftsmanship

Reasons to Avoid

  • Doesn't come with a sheath

During the 20+ years that I have spent living in Norway, with occasional forays to “The Continent” (mainly the Alps), it gradually dawned on me that the real heart of European food culture consists of three items: bread, cheese, and sausage (and, well, wine of course, but I’m a teetotaler). All three require a good knife for proper European consumption. This knife slices all three in style. Charcuterie in Haute-Savoie Recently, a Swiss trio, including Matthias, whom we met and spent a few days with during our hike on the Hornstrandir Peninsula, dropped in for a couple of nights on their way to and from a ski crossing of the nearby Dovrefjell Mountains.

Read more: Panorama Knife Best of Switzerland Universal Knife review (1)

SOG Seal Pup

user rating: 5 of 5 (3 reviews)

When I think of this knife, my knife I think of the following: reliable, quality construction, consistent performance, superior value. This is the single kinfe i've recommended most and i equally recommend it to you. Best uses for me have been camping and hiking, meal preparation and fishing, and miscellaneous uses.

Reasons to Buy

  • Value
  • Special Aus-8
  • Design
  • Handle

Reasons to Avoid

  • Could be a tiny wee bit bigger
  • Doesnt have tang to stick out on bottom

In my lifetime i've owned may knives from folders to fixed. I can honestly say, without a shadow of a doubt, this has got to be the best knife i've ever had and i'll tell you why. HANDLE/GRIP- this thing won't slide out of your hand even if you have fluids all over it and you can't beat the functionality of glass reinforced nylon. AESTHETICS- this things looks racy without being aggressive and superior styling makes it look elegant even dignified. BANG FOR THE BUCK- i got mine for 60 on ebay.

Read more: SOG Seal Pup reviews (3)

SOG Super SOG Bowie

user rating: 5 of 5 (1 review)

Hello, I bought my awesome Brand New SOG Super Bowie knife (paid a hefty price for it, too) about 2 weeks ago. I bought it off of Ebay and bought it brand new.  When it arrived and I unboxed it, it was boxed and packaged very professionally and as if extreme care was used by SOG.  The knife is massive and definitely a must-have.  The blade came incredibly sharp and with an awesome, very shiny wear-resistant coating! Just from handling the SOG Super Bowie, and looking at it, you can tell that is is built extremely sturdy and rugged.

Read more: SOG Super SOG Bowie review (1)

SOG Field Pup

user rating: 4 of 5 (2 reviews)

Very handy and ergonomically sound camp knife. Great for performing tasks from featherstick making to cooking.

Reasons to Buy

  • Ergonomically excellent
  • Maintains an edge well
  • Great sheath
  • Good grip

Reasons to Avoid

  • Too short for wood processing tasks/chopping
  • Will rust if sheathed wet

This knife is a great general purpose camp knife for backpackers and campers of all types. at under 4 inches, you wont be doing much in the sense of fire making (with the exception of feathersticks and splitting small kindling), but it is an excellent companion for all other tasks. If you are looking for a tactical looking blade to show off to your friends, look elsewhere. the field pup is about pure functionality and has none of the common hallmarks of fighting/outdoor hybrid knives we see so often.

Read more: SOG Field Pup reviews (2)

Helle GT

user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1 review)

An excellent hunting/canoe camp knife. Very high quality and partially hand made in Norway.

Reasons to Buy

  • Laminated stainless steel blade
  • Birchwood burl handle
  • Good size for butchering game
  • Top quality full grain leather sheath
  • Knife and sheath are beautifully made

Reasons to Avoid

  • Could use a pommel on the end of the handle

My wife bought me the HELLE GT sheath knife for my birthday at the Fjallraven Store in Boulder, Colorado, this spring. The stainless steel laminated blade is its most outstanding feature as this creates a hard steel core for long lasting sharpness surrounded by resilient steel to give the core strength. While "heavy" at 7.3 oz. for a backpacking knife for the purposes I've listed above it is very well suited. My backpacking knife is a tiny Gerber folding lock blade, so tiny I had to add a braided reflective lanyard to it to prevent accidental loss.

Read more: Helle GT review (1)

KA-BAR Becker Companion BK2

user rating: 3.5 of 5 (6 reviews)

This thing is a BEAST!!!! Glad to be the first to review one of the best items of gear that I own. I would advise anyone spending time in the outdoors to at least give it a shot. You can also find it online for around $60, and it more than pays for itself. You can check out my mod's photos for the BK2 on my profile.

Reasons to Buy

  • Multiple use, and multiple carry options
  • Durability
  • Strength
  • Edge retention
  • Low cost
  • Ability to be modified to your own standards
  • Works as well if not better than most high end knives
  • The knife in the display photo is the older model, the photos I have are the new version

Reasons to Avoid

  • Some people may not like the weight or size
  • The handle grips should have been micarta instead of grivory

BK2 specs: 5 1/4 inch Bade-  10 1/2 inch Overall-  Full Tang 1095 CroVan Steel-  Flat Ground Drop Point @ 20 Degrees Blade is 1/4 inch thick-  Hammer Pummel as Butt Cap-  Overall Weight is 1lb-  Made in USA   Ok... first off, if you happen to be one of those super ultralight hikers that swears by his or her Swiss Army blade; go ahead and skip this review. But, if you love the outdoors and realize that the most important piece of gear you carry along with you happens to be the piece of steel attached to your belt; then by all means...

Read more: KA-BAR Becker Companion BK2 reviews (6)

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