How about a big Fixed blade Byrd...

[ChapmanPreferred]

Interesting ideas in this thread.

[mark greenman]

I'd like a Byrd spot/swick style neck knife myself. A large FB would also be cool, but that's a very competitive field.

[Sequimite]

I'll take one of those fixed blade Chokwes that the folder was based on.

[monsterdog]

I wanted to send this design to Spyderco about a year ago, but I had a lot of things on my plate and didn't get around to making a prototype of some sort to test out the design.

Spyderco can have this for free as long as I get a makers mark on it and a few of the final production versions

[carrot]

Hey monsterdog, with a little jimping this could be a great knife! I like it!

[ghostrider]

I wanted to send this design to Spyderco about a year ago, but I had a lot of things on my plate and didn't get around to making a prototype of some sort to test out the design.

Spyderco can have this for free as long as I get a makers mark on it and a few of the final production versions
...

Not bad. Not bad at all. That design has potential.

[224477]

The Byrd Necker looks good to me. :)

But..

I think the idea of the 1st fixed Byrd knife should be more in terms of a general use knife:

- drop point or clip point blade in the 4.5 - 5 inch range.

- 4mm thickness of spine

- deep finger choil in style of Perrin designs to get a secure grip and control

- G10 slabs on a full tang with screws, not pins

- hollow or deep hollow grind-thats something the chinese are good in, offers skinning/hunting capabilities and its much cheaper to do as the Scandi /chisel/

- full tang with simple hole skeletonizing under G10 slab (you can put these off, exchange for wood, cordwrap,...)

- cordura sheath with plastic inserts? (lets asssume we want the costs be low and I think chinese cant do kydex sheats well)


Lets think of a good knife for general use, no specials, no weapons in mind..
A knife you can take for a hiking trip, you can use in your shop, hunting trip, or as a general use military knife (open MREs, cut packs).

[huugh]

What I would want to see is:
4-5" blade, wharncliff or drop point, full flat or full holow grind, wood or bone (or even stag :) ) handles, metal bolsters or guard, carbon steel @ 60 or more HRC, and LEATHER sheath.
Put simply, nice traditional knife for reasonable price.

There aren't many production knives in the market that would fulfill that and were under $200.
It's all "tactical", with wild shapes in stainless steel and with plastic sheaths...

[Sharpy_swe]

I think that a fixed blade Byrd would be a great idea. I would love a fixed blade in the size of the Cara Cara or a little bit larger, with a full tang made for outdoor use.

I would buy at least one!

[Woz]

I´d love to see a fixed blade Byrd. Maybe a Vagabond sized one with a kydex sheath?

[Ookami]

I just wrote my thoughts on the Byrd line on the MF.net and realized, there's something missing: a fixed blade! That's how I found this here thread.

I agree, that it should be a pretty generic utility design, as this is what the Byrd line is all about: generic users with Spyderco design at cheap prices.

So IMO:
- no scandi grind; sorry, but I don't see how Byrd can beat the price of the Moras
- less than 12cm blade to make it Germany legal :rolleyes:
- versatile kydex sheath, TecLoc and Molle compatible, with optional clip and IWB loop
- preferably a full flat grind
- hidden tang is plenty strong (look at the Temperance, Perrin, Moran); full tang only if it is cheaper to produce
- FRN is good enough for a Byrd
- the handle of the Temperance rocks, so anything similar would be awesome, the Jumpmaster handle is also good, if it is going to be a full tang

I have used MS Paint and IrfanView to make a version of what I'd consider an uber-awesome version of a Byrd fixed blade.


Ookami
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[CathastrophiX]

I have used MS Paint and IrfanView to make a version of what I'd consider an uber-awesome version of a Byrd fixed blade.
Ookami

Looks really good!!

[defenestrate]

I like both designs on this page but would be more inclined to buy something like ookami's drawing. something a little heavier than the kitchen/utility spydies at a byrd price point would be ideal for me, at least until I have the $$$ to look into a spydie fixed blade.

[Fred Sanford]

I think that there are plenty good fixed blades out there that use carbon steel and are not made in China. How about a RAT Cutlery model or something from TOPS or what not?

I do think Spyderco fixed blades are too highly priced but I don't think that a Byrd model would be a good "replacement".

[Ookami]

I don't think TOPS or Rat Cutlery are viable alternatives to the kind of knife I assume we are talking about. Most TOPS-knives fall into the "sharpened prybar" category and while Rat Cutlery knives seem pretty well designed, a Byrd fixed blade would be a bit less tactical. What's more, it would (should) cost less than half the price of a similar model by either TOPS or Rat Cutlery.

I think if around $40 MSRP is what we're shooting for, this could be a winner with many people.


Ookami
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Synthetic weed

[Sharpy_swe]

...
- FRN is good enough for a Byrd
...

I received a Byrd Meadowlark FRN today (thanks Fairlane!) and was actually amazed by the quality of the FRN handle. So a Byrd fixed blade with a skeletonized full tang with FRN scales would be great :D

[224477]

Guys,

FRN requires a form for molding, this costs a lot of money, IIRC Sal said once its around 30k+ in USD. /?/

G10 from China, is much cheaper and easier solution, as its only being cut and formed to fit the required shape for the scales.

Full tang with scales offers wide customisation possibilities, you put the G10 off, make wood scales, stag scales, or just a cord wrap on.

As for the MGF costs, I believe its cheaper to be done as making a 'hidden tang' or 'on thorn mount' which needs a proper tooling = additional costs.

[Sharpy_swe]

...
FRN requires a form for molding, this costs a lot of money, IIRC Sal said once its around 30k+ in USD. /?/

G10 from China, is much cheaper and easier solution, as its only being cut and formed to fit the required shape for the scales.
...

But the Byrd FRN's is less expensive than the G-10's.

[Ookami]

IMO, FRN is definitely cheaper in the long run. Byrds are supposed to be a high volume production item. Like Sharpy_swe said, FRN Byrds are cheaper - there's got to be a reason.

Second best alternative would be micarta, which is tried and true, and AFAIK still cheaper than G10.


Ookami

PS: That is also the reason why I suggested a generic design, because you couldn't sell an over-specialized knife design in high volumes.Having such a design would rule out FRN, but it would also not be suitable for the Byrd line.
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[psimonl]

Bump for editing in first post