The SOG Fusion Fixation Bowie knife achieves quite a lot for its reasonable price and will connect with a lot of knife enthuisasts. SOG has wisely answered the trend of high value, high quality blades with their Chinese-produced “Fusion” line of blades. The Fixation Bowie is a favorite of mine in the series. Measuring out at the same as a KaBar Combat knife (7″ blade), the Fixation looks to be a good choice as a deployment, light survival, or all-around outdoor blade. The 8Cr13Mov steel, similar to AUS-8, should hold an edge adequately (like the Spyderco “Byrd” models do), be easy to sharpen, and offer some rust resistance. Other upsides include: a hammer-capable pommel (love those!), nice long handle, excellent jimping on the thumb ramp, good quality Cordura nylon sheath with a sharpener pocket, and excellent fit and finish throughout. All this weighs in at a very packable 12.8 ounces… great job SOG! Downsides might include a delicate tip, less-than-sharp factory edge, and a handle material that is reminiscent of vinyl (but has sharp checkering). Nevertheless, the SOG Fixations -ish pricetag makes it a steal and it will attract cash-strapped knife addicts like Rosie ODonnel to free donuts. ////////////////////Nutnfancy Likeability Scale: 9 out of 10 (price considered)

Sometimes a smaller survival/combat fixed blade is all that will fit into your kit. This CSK II knife weighs out at very light 12.6 oz total weight while still providing a 6″ 1095 steel blade that can perform survival tasks (with some limitations). This blackened 3/16″ thick blade should slice well and helps keep the blade light. But it probably won’t be the best heavy duty wood splitter… it lacks the width and blade length. The lighter weight blade is fast and light in hand and would be …

This blade totally chipped out during light duty use in the woods. The video is an excerpt from my “Wilderness Lean-To” series. As explained in that series some live saplings were needed in that remote area for construction. Limb stripping them prepared them for use in the shelter. Watch what happens with the CSK II…

The excellent SOG Gov-Tac steps into to fill the void left by the loss SOG Government Agent in the SOG lineup. Like the Agent, the Gov-Tac makes a smart deployment knife choice, that is a knife thats well suited to LBE use by soldiers. A medium sized blade tactical and survival blade, the Gov-Tac offers a several advantages. At 13.4 oz carry weight, it is around 2.0 ounces lighter than most KaBars while still serving up a 6 blade. Made of AUS8 steel, this 6 inch blade offers excellent …

The little Benchmade Nimravus Cub II (LIte) is impressive. The entire loadout weight on this diminutive blade is just 5.4 oz. The blade itself is only 3.5 ounces! Nevertheless the BM Nim Cub II gives us a perfectly sized 3.5 inch 154CM stainless blade that holds much utility and maybe a little tactical capability as well. The sharp jimping, deep fingerguard, and perfect balance help to solidly lock the Nim Cub in hand. The sheath is a homerun: super light, nylon so as not to absorb water …