Thank you for very much for the advice. It will probably save me much money by avoiding some wasted purchases like I did with lights. Those do look like some fine knives. It seems the S30V blades I have seen so far and been much more expensive. Kind of gave up on it, but that Native really has grabbed my attention.
DasEtwas, you might try Illumination Supply on the marketplace http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?243501-IlluminationSupply-com-Authorized-Dealer-of-Malkoff-Devices-and-Valiant-Concepts!
I don’t know if he’s got them in stock or even if they’re still being made, seems they’re a pet project for an individual and made in his garage. Worth a shot though.
I am also looking for a particular knife but I’m too much of a noob to make an informed decision 
I’m looking for a wood-chopping batoning knife with a convex edge and a blade between 9” and 12”. I’ll be using it to reduce very large chunks of hickory, apple, ash, walnut and oak to smaller pieces suitable for a portable woodgas stove. That’s it!
So far I have seen pictures and read a few heated discussions concerning the following knives. Would anyone care to offer some advice? Since I’ll have just one tool in this size, price is no major concern, just reliability in the context of this particular task. Non-carbon is preferred even though carbon steel knives are much cheaper and do not chip like hard stainless blades when striking grit and hardwood knots (so I’ve read).
Bark River Bolo III
Busse Battle Mistress
Cold Steel Trail Master San Mai III
Dan Keffeler Sasquatch
ESEE Junglas Machete
Fällkniven A2
Fällkniven NL1
Ka-Bar BK9 Becker
Ontario SP10 Marine Raider
Scrapyard Dogfather
I also read somewhere that it’s possible to get inexpensive raw blades in custom grinds from Japan and have handles made for them locally.
Would a small hatchet be more useful in that role?
It seems to me that batoning isn’t the best use for a knife.
Doesn’t Gerber make a pretty awesome looking hatchet? Used to.
I just read FlashPilot's thread "My new collection of 50+ Chinese knives" and I shouldn't have. I'm now drooling over an Enlan EL-01 and EL-02 from Doing Outdoor! Argh! Must resist! Must resist!
-Garry
I am a bit of a knife addict myself. I have carried a knife in my pocket almost every day for the last 25 years. I have carried everything from semi-custom limited editions to the $25 gerber liner lock.
My all time favorite is the Benchmade 710HS made out of M2 high speed tool steel. I carry and use it every day and once a year I lightly dress it with a fine ceramic stone. It holds a razor (actually sharper than a razor - guy at the store pulls out his boxcutter to open a box…mine does it better). I use it to cut out coupons from flimsy paper while holding the page by the edge. I can shave with it quite easily. If I could only have one knife at TEOTWAWKI, this is it. It is long enough to serve for self defense and the thin, sharp, strong blade mean that it will cut through whatever you have the strength to pull it through. It does not look like much, but this thing is the 50 BMG of folding knives. Yes a Sebenza is indestructible and gorgeous, but the thinner blade on the 710 actually cuts much better and is plenty tough.
I can also abuse it and tear into hordes of cardboard boxes…or carve up a 2x4 for fun. Copper wire…not a problem. Cutting an old tire off of a wheel…easy. I have other knives with good steel. S30V is nice. D2 is good too. I like some of the boutique steels like they use on the Hinderer ZT (nice knife, I do want one but buy too many guns to have the spare cash). None of them come even close to the M2 steel. It will rust if you don’t take care of it, but it is so durable that the blade can be profiled better than any other steel I have tried. The blade is thinner as well but I don’t worry about breakage. I get so spoiled that when I carry another knife, even a nice S30V spear point axis lock folder, I notice a huge difference.
I do have another knife I like that is lower down in price. It is a NakLock folder from benchmade with a titanium handle and 8Cr13MoV blade. Yes it is inexpensive chinese steel, but it takes a decent edge and holds up pretty well for the price. Here is one that may work. I don’t have it, but the price and the steel look good. I will pick this one up and let you know what I think.
I have a few of these, and would definitely avoid batonning the San Mai and laminated Fallkniven blades.
Since this is the Budget Light Forum, the choice from that list would likely be the BK9. It is very durable, and much less expensive to replace if damaged beyond repair.
You need a Junglas now! Oops… there goes your wallet!
Yeah, maybe a hatchet is a much better idea! Thanks for the tip!!
For about $40 there’s always the Cold Steel Bushman range. They look pretty solid.
I think one of their bowie points mounted on a staff would be a lethal spear.
Found a video of a guy batoning with a hatchet.
Also found references to the following brands: Gransfors Bruks, Best Made, Estwing, Stihl, Huskvarna, Fiskars, John Neeman, Council Tools, and Wetterlings Swedish.
Any recommendations?
I stumbled on this Boker knife - RY-094. Any good? Anyone deal with this shop? Seems a good deal at $10.97.
EDIT - Now I found it for $8.03! EDIT #2 - Not Available from that link (which links to "Outdoor Pros.com")
-Garry
There is some talk about the efficacy of the partially serrated blade. Some thoughts here:
At the end of the day, you pays your money, and you takes your choice. They will take more time and knowledge to sharpen.
Yeah, I'm not sure if I want a partially serrated blade or not - leaning toward not.
-Garry
The value of Chinese knives has allowed us to have variation without guilt. 
Yeah, I think I will slowly gather a few different styles (lock type, blade type, etc. . .) and see what I like.
-Garry
Serrations come in handy for a lot of things. When you have something tough that the razor sharp blade wants to slide off of, the serrations cut it. When you want a slight bevel cut on an edge, the curve of the serration is happy to oblige. When you want to trim fingernails with precision, the serration is there for you. A rope? Not a problem.
When I got my first blade with that partial serration I didn’t think I’d like it. But with things like I listed above it became quite obvious that I miss that when carrying a straight bladed knife. They are indeed harder to sharpen, but on the bright side they don’t need sharpening as often and it reduces the length of regular blade that you have to sharpen as well, win win!
As an added plus, when done to a Benchmade AFCK or Mini AFCK it makes the open knife look rather like a shark! And as such, the AFCK at 3.9” of razor sharp steel in ATS34 configuration is quite a formidable tool!
Just got my order with my Enlan EM-01. Wow! Very nice! Much nicer than any knife I've every carried / used (I have very little knife experience so don't read too much into that statement). Makes my Swiss Army knife seem like a child's toy. Going to hold off awhile on ordering another (at least 5 minutes :) ).
-Garry
I’ve been collecting flashlights almost as long as knives, which all started in the boyscouts 
I recently purchased a Benchmade Volli as a EDC knife as well as a Gerber Yari II for camping. Both are partially serrated (which is a must for me) and are made with S30V stainless.