In the end, we had four winners that will surely guide your decision making towards the right knife for your upcoming safari. The winners are:

Best Economy Value Safari Knife – Buck Selkirk

The Buck Selkirk has many virtues but is balanced by a few vices as well. But with an MSRP of $87.00 and a street price that often is just slightly more than $50.00 it deserves consideration for anyone on a budget.

What we loved: The included ferocium fire starter is a great bonus as was the multi-position adjustable sheath that can accommodate many configurations. The blade was suitably sharp and reasonably thick to handle many of the duties for which it was conscripted. The steel pommel could serve useful for bashing and crushing tasks in a pinch and the micarta handles provided a steady grip while the steel guard would protect your fingers from serious injury if using it for a thrusting tool. Lets not forget that sterling reputation of Buck’s limited lifetime warranty that comes proudly on a piece of paper in every box.

What we didn’t like: Kydex, Nylon or as is the case with the economical Selkirk, plastic sheaths are notorious for being loud when used on stalks and may blow your cover while trying to move silently on your hunt. The plastic whistle in the ferocium rod handle was a bit of a gimmick for our tastes and the 420HC steel held its edge for a long time but does not touch up or resharpen very easily. Lastly, the made in China stamp on the blade reminds us that this is a economy knife and not a legendary American Buck but for little more than $50.00 it is asking a lot to be made in the USA. Lastly, the drop point and the flat grind are not the most durable geometries and while dressing a game animal we broke a small portion of the tip off to the chagrin of the PH.