Knives can be a very personal item. What suits one person may be totally wrong for another.
They can be designed for a specific purpose or a general compromise 'all-rounder'.
My suggestion is to first learn a bit about knives so that you can make an infomed selection when looking at them.
Then I'd suggest having a think about what you intend using it for.
When looking at a knife I firmly believe that quality is your absolute #1 priority. I doubt anyone would argue that one.
So just what is quality? Well, try breaking the knife down into it's various components when thinking about it.
F'risnatnce;
Blade.
There are several different blade shapes. Which one suits you is a personal issue. However, no matter which one you choose there's a few things to keep in mind. 1st of all the steel it's made from. Too hard & you'll find it prone to chipping & hard to sharpen in the field. It could even break on you, & remembering that we're talking about what may possibly be the most important tool you'll ever carry, you really do not want that happening. If, on the other hand, it's too soft it may not hold an edge well, could be prone to bending, etc & may dent easilly.
I'm certainly no expert so I'll be quite happy for someone with better knowledge to correct me here but generally a hardness of between Rockwell 58 & R60 is usually ok. Lower than 58 can be too soft & higher than 60 can bo too brittle. These are only rough figures. Some guys have speicific preferences for hardness such as R58.9, etc. What level of hardness is best will also depend on what base metal the blade is made from.
Carbon steel blades tend to take an edge better than stainless but also take more looking after as they can rust. Which one you go for could be dictated by several factors. If it's for woods work then carbon steel with it's better edge charateristics may be better than stainless, but if it's for use around salt/brackish water than stainless may be better. I'd also recommend using stainless if the knife is going to be carried as a 'necker' due to the salt in your sweat which can rust/dull a carbon steel blade. Full tang blades are generally considered preferable to a hidden tang but a well made hidden tang knife (such as the swedish Mora's) may be far better than a poorly made full tang blade. I've seen a poorly made, supposed 'full tang' blade where the tang was actually welded to the blde (& pretty poorly at that). First time it faces some stiff work the blade just fell off.
One thing I would recommend - stay away from 'do all' Rabo type blades. A good blade is designed to cut - that's all. if you want a saw - buy a saw. Done go for sawback blades, etc as rarely do they work well IMO. Others may differ on that view but that's my view for what it's worth.
Handle/grip.
Many people like modern materials such as micarta, etc. Others prefer the traditional look & feel of wood, etc.
Whatever material is used you don't want it shrinking too fast. Most knife scales will shrink to some extent over a period of time but if they shrink to fast then gaps open up where bacteria can hide, just waiting for their chance to stick it up ya. They can also come loose, chip/dent, etc.
The grip also has to be comfortable in your hand.
Sheath.
This item can be almost as important as the knife itself. Last thing you want when you really have to rely on yer knife is to find the bloody thing has fallen out & is lost whgen you need it most. You also dont want that fine, sharp edge dulling because it comes into contact with poorly placed rivets each time it's drawn out or replaced. You also dont want that edge cutting through the stitching, etc.
Some prefer traditional; leather but there's also oithger excellent materials such as nylon & kydex out there that definitely have their uses. Even the humble plastic sheath (as seen with the Moar knives) has it's place - as long as it's well made (which the Moar's are).
So, learning the individual components of a knife can help you make an assessment of the quality of the Knife your looking at.
It's not just about having a knife that will last, it's about having a knife you can trust to use without injuring yourself. An injury in the wilds could turn septic very fast & that could potentially be life threatening. You really dojnt need to have to cope wiyth yer own knife trying to do you in.
Generally most guys (& girls) tend to have at least 2 types of knives with them most of the time.
A main knife being a fixed blade, and a folding backup such as one of the swiss army knives (SAKs).
Some may carry multi-tools in place of the SAK these days - again, personal choice.
With regards fixed blade knifes I believe the best blade shape is a mid sized drop point blade, ideally with a good scandi grind.
That doesn't mean other blade types/grinds aren't any good. Quite to the contrary. There are some excellent clip points, etc available.
There's many different fixed blade knives available & one of the most popular is the Ka-Bar BK-2. These are an excellent bushcraft knife but are also not cheap. As a budget starter it's really pretty hard to go past the swedish Mora's. How the hell those canny swedes can make such good quality knives for the palrty sum they cost is beyond me. I have 3; a Companion MG840 (carbon steel blade), Companion MG860 (stainless blkade), & companion F (stainless blade with Blaze Orange handle/sheath colouring. All excellent starter knives & dirt cheap to boot.
One of these would be perfect as a starter for you IMO.
I also have both multi-tools & SAKs which I carry as backups/utility knives.
Apart from that, some of the other blades I often carry (not all at the same time mind you, or under the same circumstances) are a Bahco Laplander hand saw, a Gransfors Brux Small Forrest Axe, several machettes, and a customised Cold Steel Trail Hawk (Tomahawk). Then there's also the saw blades I occasionally carry to use with a 'made on location' bucksaw. What I carry & when depends on where I'm going, how long I'm going for, whom is going with me (& sharing the load), etc.
So, now I've confused the bejesus out of you (aplogies for that) my first recomendation would be to get yerself a Mora as a good quality, cheap starter fixed blade. I'd then suggest backing up with one of the SAKs or a Multi-tool such as a leatherman.
The Bahco Laplanbder saws are reletively cheap also & are a valuable addition to anyone's pack. They take up bugger all space in your pack & you can do so much with em.
Lastly I'd suggest a good axe., It's hard to go past the Gransfors Brux products there even though they are premium priced.
They are definitely worth it & that quality will be appreciated when you really need it.
So, Mora, SAK/Multi, Bahco Laplander, & GB axe - the complete blade kit that'll do just about anything you'll ever need to do with a blade.
In time you may wish to have a think about a nice 'premium' production fixed blade such as the BK-2, or you may even elect to go for a 'custom' jobbie. Some never have need for anything more than a Mora - eniterly up to you. You may also wish to go for a nice 'Hawk' down the track (they're lightewr to carry than an axe when hiking.
So many options - but the Mora is where I'd recommend starting.
Bill.
