That sounds pretty sweet, and it looks pretty much like a tanto version of the SCHF57. The Buck Selkirk has been growing in popularity ever since it was first introduced in 2014 for good reason. We try to only add knives that weve handled personally, though, so hopefully well get a chance to check it out soon. Id like to personally try them all but would also love to hear your thoughts as well. This knife was initially met with some reservations, because its made at Bucks factory in China, and it uses a softer steel than most bushcraft knives, but it is such a great design that it has been winning over doubters on a regular basis. We will check it out. I know there are a lot of shops that do custom-made kydex sheaths, but Im hesitant to recommend a site since Ive never ordered a custom sheath from someone online. Its hard to overstate the usefulness of a Tek Lok in converting a knife to scout carry or just trying to improve the way it carries. This is the kind of thing Condor excels at. Much appreciated. But when its done well, its hard to beat the comfort and adaptability of a tactical horizontal carry. In order to get really smooth with it, though, you basically just need to wear the same knife in the same set up for a long time until the angles for deploying and sheathing become part of your muscle memory. He holds to the philosophy that one should hold a knife with the thumb resting along the spine. All Rights Reserved. Im not sure what knives those were, Bill. They were made out of piece of steel about a quarter of inch thick, eight inches long, the blade was 4 1/2 inches long w/the center ridge down the center of the blade to where the point starts to form(about three inches from the hilt). Nine and a half inches long is more or less standard for survival fixed blades, but this is a wide knife. Its one of those conveniently versatile but surprisingly hardy knives. The Ghostrike is made to be abused, and you could do worse than to have this thing on your ankle or belt when you head into the woods. The only downside of 65Mn over 8Cr13MoV is that it is more prone to rust, so this knife will need to be oiled occasionally, and it should always be dried before it is put back in its sheath. Theyve also made an ankle wrap for it, so theres a huge range of carry options. This steel choice makes sense for a knife that is ideal for fishing. I prefer it to S30V for survival or hard use knives, because it is easier to sharpen and less likely to chip when doing actual work. After some digging, I discovered if you start looking for Esee knives with the letters MB thrown into the product name you can find their knives being sold with their Cordura MOLLE backs, which is supposed to be an addition to the Kydex sheath. The Ramadi is part of CRKTs Forged By War series of knives which were all designed by veterans with combat experience. However, the impressive retention of the sheath makes it an ideal option to be carried upside down on a backpack. I definitely like the look the of the sheath, though. The sheath on this is what really drew my eye to this knife, though. It is just a super handy knife to have for work or camping. Youve got to include the Half Face Blades! If nothing else, theyre fun to play with, but at their best they completely change the way you carry your favorite knife for the better. The big but with this knife is that all the great cutting and ergonomics of the knife itself only make it barely worth dealing with the stock clip that Boker sends with it. Overall we were extremely impressed with this knife from a design and value standpoint. On some level I understand. However the snaps are somewhat difficult to manage when worn in the scout carry position pictured above, so front carry may be the best option for most people when wearing the rat horizontally. We found the edge retention of this steel to be decent, but knot great. The Brook is a unique looking fixed blade. The kydex sheath of the Hoglet can be set up for BOTH left and right horizontal or vertical carry. We really loved that it can be set up for left or right hander in either the front or back. My newest fixed blade is the Shrade SCHF15, Horizontal sheath. It is incredibly secure, and with a little practice it is possible to flip the lock with your thumb and draw the knife quickly in one fluid motion. As it stands, the Principle is a bargain at its current price point. This Spyderco design is meant for camping or hunting (as the product descriptions often highly recommend). Click here to read our in depth review of the Ontario Knife Company Rat 3. I am trying to decide between large and small Tek-Lok, G-Clip, and soft loops. The thick D2 steel blade holds its edge extremely well which says good things about Off Grids heat treatment. Not sure about the belt, though. Soft loops seem to be another good option being used by default by Armatus. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. The end product is a small, tactical fixed blade that is a practical camping, fishing or bushcraft knife. One great feature of the Le Duck is the flip lock that holds it in place. The straps that allow this knife to be worn on a belt or a backpack can be easily removed with a phillips screwdriver if you decide you want to carry it as a neck knife or in a pocket with a lanyard attached. The G-Clip is very secure, slim, but has poor on/off function. I like G-clips well enough, but they come in so many different sizes its hard to do a blanket recommendation. Check out White River Knife and Tool, their Firecraft 3.5, Knucklehead II and M1. However, there is not a huge gap in quality or price between the two brands. The Waxahachie is lightweight, tough and easy to sharpen. I highly recommend configuring the sheath for your desired use prior to leaving the house. I would still recommend using a food grade blade oil, because all coatings wear off eventually when a knife is used a lot. The sturdy kydex sheath that ships with the Azo Baby feels well built, but it is the versatility that really set it apart. Kudos to Kizer and and the designer (Maverick Customs) for making a carry system that can be easily transitioned in the field. We will buy it and test it out as soon as we can get our hands on it. The kydex sheath holds the knife snugly with no rattle, and it is easy to draw and re insert the knife one handed with a little practice. It is the perfect size for cleaning trout and the versatile sheath allow it do be carried in whichever way is most comfortable for the type of fishing be done. This is an impressive sub $100 fixed blade knife. Check out our Civivi Kepler review to learn a bit more about this fixed blade. The handle scales are G10, and the blade is made of 65Mn carbon steel which has considerably better edge retention than the 8Cr13MoV steel Schrade uses in most of their knives. I love how you went into details for each horizontal carry knife. I did discover that if you have a smaller waist the the StrongArm tends to bump into things. Even I have to admit the Ghostrike is a pretty good knife, though, because this is exactly the kind of knife Gerber does really well. The SCHF31 is pretty good and it comes in a kydex sheath you can convert to horizontal with a Tek Lok. Thats the Buck Selkirk. The Sencut Waxahachie is one of the most practical and fun fixed blade horizontal carry knives we have tested. At an overall length of 8.5 inches the Ramadi hits the sweet spot from a size standpoint for a survival or camping horizontal carry knife. Had mine now for four years. They sound like they daggers, and Im pretty curious to find out who makes daggers in nylon horizontal carry sheaths. The CRKT Ramadi is a well designed knife with a surprisingly low price point. Most Esee listings you see out there will just come with the standard vertical-carry Kydex sheath. who does that anyway? Click here to read our in depth review of the Gerber Ghostrike. He has a background in landscaping, Filipino martial arts, and drinking whiskey. This is easily one of the most popular knives, not just for horizontal carry, but for survival and fixed-blade EDC in general. Thats easily one of our top 5 favorite knives. Sits tight in the sheath grip is really impressive, the blade finish is nice it doesnt show scratches it goes from my back to the down tube on my Harley in 5 seconds. It does not stick out too far and catch on stuff, and it sits low enough that it never digs into the wearers back. There is a lot to like about the Azo Baby. Theyve designed the kydex sheath so that the clips can be set in four different ways with screws, and the retention is so strong you could wear the knife upside down without it falling out. Its shorter in length than the Condor SBK. Its pretty different from most leather sheaths youll see, and Boker clearly put some thought and pains into making it work for the knife. The small Tek-Lok is less bulky, with easier on/off function but inherently less security because it lacks the locking redundancy of the large. They were dual edge with a hole about a half inch from the back of the handle and the blade looked kinda stubby. The handle is a great shape for larger hands. The relatively large thumb ramp makes it easy to draw the 3 Pointer from its sheath with one hand. Fashion statements aside, its a lot less awkward to take out a knife strapped to my left hip than it is to do the rocking butt dance to get at the folder in my right pocket. We would love to have a more expensive option with a better steel, but 9CrMov steel is tough and sharpens up well. The Izula II sheath is ambidextrous, and it can be worn vertically horizontally or as a neck knife, but the clip itself also has an interesting double sided feature where one side is wide and fat to accommodate larger belts or straps, and the other side is tight so it holds snug to whatever its on. It can be used in left or right horizontal or vertical carry. If you want another scout carry in a similar price range theres the Camillus Les Stroud. Its pretty hard to go wrong with big fixed-blades from them. love it. Overall I have found the size and design of this knife to be extremely practical in a variety of situations which explains its popularity. It would be nice if Gerber had used a steel with better edge retention than their 420 HC, but I am sure that is part of the reason this USA-made knife is under $70. This knife is obviously a tactical first tool, but it is also a capable camping or backpacking knife too thanks to its grippy G-10 scales, versatile sheath and tough SK-5 steel blade. After several weeks of use the 3 Pointer has become one of our favorite small fixed blades for a variety of uses. The SiWi ships with a Tek-Lok attachment for its GFN sheath. Click here to read our in depth review of the CRKT Spew. This handle is easy to grip even when wet. If you use the Tek Lok mechanism for the Rat 3s kydex sheath you have near infinite carry options. It seems weird and concerning at first and then you realize theres some legitimate crossover from all the dancing they do. From what Ive seen they are significantly bulkier than all three other options, although they are secure and allow for a lot of carry options. I feel like there arent enough survival and tactical designs out there that use rubber or rubber-like materials. I enjoyed it. Its small enough to not get in the way, and light enough to be easily forgotten until you need it. It takes some fiddling with to figure out, but its turned out to be one of the better belt solutions weve seen on a horizontal carry. Im pretty sure were using all the stock sheath, belt clip, and ferrot rod it came with in that picture. I wont speak to the functionality of that view, but I will say that his knives are pretty sweet, and Spyderco takes them to a very functional level. Any talk of the best tactical knife is a good way to tell people you bought a katana from the mall when you were 15 and its still hanging up in your bedroom right above a pristine copy of The Art of War. Have you guys considered the Benchmade Bushcrafter? It can be carried in the scout or front horizontal positions regardless of whether you are left or right handed. The StrongArm sheath is ambidextrous and MOLLE compatible, so it is incredibly versatile. Both options allow you to carry the Rat 3 horizontally or vertically. We put the Hinderer on here a while back before wed gotten around to reviewing every knife on the list. Im not sure what you mean, especially with you linking your name to a Benchmade folder on your stores site. He escaped from a life of writing mundane product descriptions by running away to the woods and teaching himself how to bake and chop stuff up in the kitchen. If you wan to see more photos of this kknife in action or just sitting around looking cool, check out our Sencut Waxahachie Photo Tour & Review. The sheath is much more versatile than most of the more expensive knives in this article. The cheaper option is the basic nylon sheath pictured below. This is a sturdy little blade with a thick spine, and more than a few things that make it feel similar to the Guardian 3. Maybe looks? Thanks for the heads up on that knife, Tom. Great small defense blade! Just dont ask us how to pronounce Waxahachie. You can learn more about our editorial and affiliate policy here. Spyderco does exactly excel at sheaths for fixed blade knives, but they always work well enough. Click here to see read our in depthBuck Selkirk Review. Unfortunately the tek lok doesnt align with the kydex sheath either. This above average retention does mean the SiWi requires for than a little force to remove and re insert the knife, so it takes a little practice to get the hang of it. The easily concealable size of the 3 Pointer combined with its super grippy micarta handles and tough 1095 steel blade make it a good tactical option. I thought maybe it was just a good size for my hand, so I had several other people with various hand sizes try it out. Was disappointed, but still didnt return the knive. We dont actually make anything (yet); we just provide colorful commentary. A spear point and a flat grind make for some straightforward sharpening, and certainly make it a nice hunting knife. Its MOLLE compatible and can be easily switched between horizontal and vertical carry. While as a rule I consider most tactical knives to be stupid, I do like the big rubber handle and plain edge on this knife. This is fortunate, because this knife is a great trout fishing buddy. Take a look at the Tops Street Scalpel 2 for scout carry. The really small ones are irritating because theres usually at least one bolt tucked away under the belt loop. This is a design by Michael Janich who has spent much of his career studying knife combat and experimenting with carious combat-oriented knives. So cool that it is out of stock everywhere. They all wanted to steal it. It makes a great fishing knife, and thanks to the size and weight you can carry it pretty much anywhere, including your pocket. It has a thicker blade stock, a recurve edge, and a stout tip, so it comes off as a tougher alternative to the Guardian 3. I wish Gerber would use similar setups on more of their fixed blade knives. For the sake anyone else in desperate need of a more comfortable fixed-blade option, weve put together this selection of knives, all of which we own and have personally tested by way of camping, hiking, climbing trees, tripping over rocks, sitting on couches, eating BBQ, shopping for groceries, tying our shoes, and generally existing in a way that doesnt involve getting the handle of our belt carry jabbing us in the ribs every other step. Theyve outfitted it with paracord and a MOLLE compatible sheath, plus the blade has a rust resistant coating that should make it a handy blade to keep on your fishing vest. It might take some fiddling, but the StrongArm is pretty solid as a horizontal knife. The sheath that ships with the Ramadi is extremely versatile. Civivi also sends this knife out with their own proprietary version of a Tek Lok, which is a Bob Terzuoa design called teh T-Clip. Thanks for the tip, David. With an overall length of 7.88 it is a great size for scout carry even for folks with smaller waists. Youre not actually supposed to pull the knife out of the sheath; since the sheath is contoured so closely to the knifes recurve shape, you have to unbutton the sheath, which opens up the whole back of it and lets you take the knife out that way. And while N695 steel can be easier to sharpen than other premium steels, it is still a hard steel with rigid edge retention that will probably take a bit to tighten up. This can be fixed fairly easy, be reheating the kydex, but it would be nice to not have to do that on a regular basis. Its also very thin, so it makes for a great concealed carry, assuming you want that for some reason. Speaking as people with wide legs, weve messed around with a lot of different sheath systems trying to find something that suits our weirdly proportioned bodies and have worked out which ones seems to work the best, either because the sheath system is well thought out, or the knife itself carries well, or some combination of both. BTW, your article is hilarious! Still looking at the right one for me and my oversized keg. There is a little bit of a learning curve to figuring out how to reconfigure the sheath, but the overall versatility and ease of use make the initial slow-ish set up well worth it. It has excellent fit and finish, high end steel and a comfy handle. We wish it was capable of ambidextrous carry in in both front and back, but the fact that it can be carried as a neck knife helps make it one of the most versatile knives in this article. That knife would be a really cool horizontal carry. Enough that they followed it up with a larger version called the Terracraft, which has a blade thats about an inch longer in S30V steel. The overall aesthetic of the SiWi is undeniable tactical, but this knife surprised us in the field where we found it excelled as a camp knife or a backup bushcraft knife. It can be can be configured for left or right front vertical carry, left or right scout carry or left or right vertical carry. They werent fancy and I paid around $10-$15 dollars for them in a pawn shop in Colorado Springs when I was stationed at Fort Carson in the early eighties. If you want to learn more about this knife or if you just want to see more photos of it check out our review of the Boker Arbolito El Heroe. If you want to know more about this knife check out our in depth review of the Gerber Principle. If anyone knows where I can get a couple of replacement knives, please drop me a line. It could almost be put under the tactical category since the sheath makes it a versatile carry, its small enough to conceal, and the handle is fairly grippy. Its a little different with every sheath, but when Im having trouble (which is most of the time) I place either the spine or the side of the blade against the outside of the mouth of the sheath, then pull the knife along it and find the right spot by feel. It seems to be a little different in terms of dimensions and screw choices, but works basically the same way. Even without those upgrades I consider the Kizer Harpoon to be one of the best knives of 2021. Its also surprisingly comfortable for being so small. At 6.75 inches the Esee Izula II is the perfect size for scout carry. Wanted to update you that I recently bought the Ka-Bar TDI Law Enforcement and theyve got a drastically different kydex sheath now that doesnt appear to modulate into a scout carry. If you want to read a bit more about this knife or check out some action shots, jump over to our in-depth review of the CRKT Ramadi. It really shines with its leather sheath, though. And the combination of the interchangeable G-clip makes it easy to adapt to your carry style. There are two sheath options for the Rat 3. A portion of the proceeds from this series of knives are donated to the veterans charity of the designers choice. Check out our in depth review of the Spyderco Bill Moran Bowie if you want to learn more about this knife. Its really comfortable to cut aggressively with this thing because the edge curves so far forward that it almost gives you a little knuckle clearance if you were to cut something on a table. Its definitely worth the trouble, though. Knives like the Kizer Little River Bowie really benefit from this kind of accessory because the manufacturer just didnt quite put in the thought to perfect the sheath and belt clip. You wouldnt believe how many times I have reached back to grab one of them only to end up digging my pocket knife out to cut, pull or pry and otherwise abuse. A 32-inch waist and seems to be less of an issue. The main downside to me is that they dont really hold a knife tight to you. The two big leather straps snap on behind the belt, which is trick to pull off if you want to carry this scout style. They can be adjusted to belt size with the spacers inside the clip. Looks like a cool knife. That big chunk of reasonably tough steel has a really nice edge on it, and the handle manages to feel oddly good in the hand despite the thinness. The cleaver style blade of the Hoglet is made from Off-Grids very capable Cryo D2 steel. I cant think of anything closer to what you described, though. Other than that one drawback the Brook is a great all around outdoor tool that I expect to recommend to a lot of campers and fishing enthusiasts this year. We spent a few weeks testing this knife in a variety of outdoor situations and generally abusing the hell out of it. About 15 yrs ago I screwed up and lent a matched pair of knives to a friends kid who was going on a backpacking trip in PatagoniaI am still waiting for their return. Its not so similar that it doesnt make a good case for itself, though. The Tek-Lok can be attached to either side of the sheath which means the sheath can be worn right or left facing in the front or the back of the waist. Wed assumed it had the same sheath set up as the regular TDI. It is just big enough to be useful for a variety of tasks, but not quite big enough to feel cumbersome or catch on branches along the trail. All in all a pretty unique approach with an attractive design. As great as the knife itself is, I think thats probably one of my favorite features about the Rat 3. Hopefully if this knife is popular enough, Kizer will offer an upgraded version of the sheath with tension screws, because the current kydex sheath does tend to lose its retention after a few months of use. Youll just have to fiddle with it some first, although, probably a lot less than youll need to with the Esee Izula farther down. The small Bowie style blade of the Waxahachie works well for a variety of tasks and it looks great. dang the knife must not have protected him . Thanks a lot, Casey. It comes in a drop point and a trailing point design that both come in at the same size and price, and the handle is a good simple shape that just fits the hand with a lot of grippy material. (Reading this article post purchase, was surprised to see this knife on the list as reason for comment). Click here to read our Tracker X review. . Glad you enjoyed it, Ed. The Kepler (designed by Maciej Torb) is a little too long to be a perfect horizontal carry for smaller people, but its a fantastically interesting knife with a wealth of functionality. Another question for the horizontal carry brain trust. This is technically a drop point blade, but the slight angle on the back and the severe curve near the top on the edge make it border on a tanto, which is to say this knife is stabbier than most survival tools. I think the StrongArm is definitely one of the best knives on the market for attaching to a backpack, so if you are looking for a MOLLE compatible pack knife this one is tough to beat. This will be a tricky knife to carry scout style for right handed people, as the thing is pretty much fixed to make the handle ride to the left. The knife can just be flipped around in its sheath and you are good to go. Andrew Arrabito seems like a good designer, and that scene from The Terminal List with the Karambito was pretty cool, but holy damn Half Face Blades is expensive. That being said, it would be great to see Buck move the manufacturing of this knife to their U.S. factory, and offer a higher carbon steel option even though that would result in a price increase. The Guardian 3 sheath pictured above is really easy to change between side horizontal carry or scout carry. This article is updated regularly as we discover and test more fixed blade knives that can be worn in the horizontal and scout carry positions. There is definitely no difference in the quality of design. We are currently writing an in depth review of this knife, and we will post a link in this article when we are finished. Were always switching knives around on belts, so those are usually my favorite to deal with. All are fantastic knives, albeit a bit expensive and they come with kydex sheaths that can be mounted horizontal, vertical, angled, etc. The security, tightness, and design of the sheath are very important boy just the knife, Picked up a KA-BAR Hinderance and it definitely isnt a horizontal carry out the box. It is important to remember to dry the knife when it gets wet and occasionally wipe it down with a food grade knife oil to ensure it doesnt develop rust spots. Do you guys make a horizontal sheath for an elk ridge Fixed Blade Knife 9.5 Overall 440 Stainless Steel Blade With Double Blood Groove. Fortunately this is a small knife and should ride pretty comfortable on the side or front. Theres a tradeoff for using each of those, but I was wondering if you guys had any comments beyond the blanket recommendation to buy a large Tek-Lok. The balance of the knife should also sit right in the center near where the index finger sits so the knife not only handles well, but it will ride easy on the belt. Although I think the sliding mechanism for adjusting to belt size is actually a little better. Schrade definitely has something figured when it comes to these small, cost efficient fixed blades. Considering the SCHF57s cheap price, Schrade used surprisingly high quality materials to manufacture it. There are a lot of details about the Condor SBK that make it a fantastic bushcraft and survival knife. Im mostly including it here out of obligation. The sturdy sheath is extremely versatile and can be set up for left or right handed horizontal or vertical carry. Gerber has done their best to make it adaptable. So far my fat fingers havent had too much trouble keeping a grip on the thing. Be warned this isnt the standard option. There are a lot of knives made for horizontal carry under the tactical category, but most of the time it feels more like a gimmick than an actually functional design (either that or a copy). It is definitely in the running for the best fixed blade on the market under $20. The person pictured above has a 29-inch waist, and scout carry was a little problematic. The leather looks nice, of course, but best of all is it holds, and the belt loop is good and snug. So a couple things about Tek Loks: Frankly, its worth getting a few Tek Loks just in case you want to play around with a new knife. I have Gerber, Boker, I have a flick Buck 110 I sent out but I dont use it. While every knife Ive put on this list should come out of the box with the ability to be carried horizontally, they are not all equal in that capacity. Most people equate the horizontal carry style to some kind of tactical life decision when really its just a comfy life decision. Not sure what the negative is here. You cant wear the sheath in the vertical carry position since the belt loop is a stitched-in leather strap, but Bradford makes some great Kydex sheaths for this knife that are little more versatile. They have been discontinued for some time, I think. Click here to read our in depth Outdoor Edge Le Duck review or to just see more pictures of this cool little knife. I dont climb trees, rocks, and cliff sides like I used to, but I know that a knife in the pocket or hanging from your belt onto your leg is annoying as hell, and sometimes dangerous when youre doing that. From a bushcraft standpoint the Principle checks a lot of boxes. I doesnt perform as well as the Guardian 3, mostly because it doesnt seem to ship with a good of a factory edge. Ive heard a lot of good things about the Bushcrafter, and Ive definitely had my eye on it with the Armatus sheath for a bit. First off the G-10 handle is incredibly comfortable. We have it on our short list of knives that deserve a dedicated in depth review at some point in the near future. If you know of any great knives that you think should be included, please leave a comment below.
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