Texas Star will be along on a minute..
Thanks. I'll probably be of only modest help.
The best bargain in a good knife of this sort may be Buck's Models 119 and 120. The clip point isn't honed, so unless the blade is just too long in your jurisdiction, it should be legal. (Either model. The 120 is just a longer form of the 119. Blades are about 6 and 7.25 inches.) I have and love both.
The Cold Steel Trailmaster mentioned may be under your price point, or close.
How long a Bowie? The Fallkniven A-1 is basically an Improved Bowie shape, the blade a bit over six inches. If you get the pure A-1, it'll have a Kraton or Thermorun handle. For more money, you can find the same basic blade in their Northern Lights (NL) series. The A-1 probably averages between $150-200 from US dealers. Prices on the site are in Swedish kroner/crowns. The NL version may reach (guess) $250. But shop several US dealers, or query the site for names of US dealers. I think they'll sell directly, but probably prefer to steer you to importers or dealers. That will also avoid currency issues. Work all the buttons on their site. You'll be impressed!
www.fallkniven.com Especially check the survival/miitary and sheath knife buttons. Model S-1 is a top outdoors knife, a smaller version of the A-1 I've posted here frequently about these knives and am short of time now. Read their site. If you want a longer, heavier knife, see models NL-1 and NL-2. Unless you really feel the need for a long blade, stop at the NL-2. The blade is about 20CM, almost 8 inches. It's well balanced, so feels lighter than it is. It's a good chopper if you need to make a shelter in the woods. Handle is leather with
colored fiber trim, with stainless guard and alloy butt cap. Yes, the handle may remind you of Randall.
Why do you want the knife? If your goal is wearing it to Old West events, you'll prefer the classic look. I haven't seen the Chinese-made Han-Wei knives other than in photos, but member Theur has a few and likes the brand. He's trying to encourage the maker to provide some gambler's dirks and push daggers, too, having met them recently at the IWA show in Nuremburg. (Theur is Dutch.) Ask him for more on Han-Wei. If he likes them, they probably are worthwhile.
But his interest seems to be mainly in wearing them to Old West meets. I don't know if he hunts, hikes, or camps. Does anyone here really use Han-Wei knives?
