Thread: Ask Me About Knives

What's the most common use of knives outside of kitchen-related activities?

Reminds me... before even 9/11, I had a nail clipper in my purse and it was confiscated at the airport. Ah well... I guess that's one place where you can't take chances.

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

What's the most common use of knives outside of kitchen-related activities?

Reminds me... before even 9/11, I had a nail clipper in my purse and it was confiscated at the airport. Ah well... I guess that's one place where you can't take chances.

Yeah, they don't let you take those metal fingernail filers. My bro always has a pocket knife with him. I don't really have a question. My guess, opening things?

Hunting and woodworking, mostly, as well as bushcraft. Of course there are specially made carving knives for work such as Oneironaught does. But generally, knives are used for pretty much everything involving cutting.

I carry two pocket knives every day myself, a Swiss Army knife and a larger, locking folding knife. I use them for everything from whittling fuzz-sticks to opening boxes to cutting up fruit and vegetables to cutting stray threads. If I am without my knife, I feel naked. I know that sounds cliche, but it's true. I often carry a fixed-blade on my belt as well, especially if I'm at home.

Reminds me of Man Vs. Wild! Man, a knife can save your life.

You watch Man Vs. Wild? Awesome. I like you already...



Yup, a knife truly can save your life. Especially with the knowledge of how to most effectively utilize it.

Originally Posted by Man of Steel

You watch Man Vs. Wild? Awesome. I like you already...

Yeah, that's a cool show. Have you seen Survivor MAn? It's similar.

I actually like Survivor Man more, even. It's a bit less entertaining overall perhaps, but Les Stroud is a lot more careful, and practical than Bear is. I've probably learned more useful information from Les (Survivor Man) than from watching Bear Grylls do his thing, but Man Vs. Wild never fails to entertain. Bear tends to more show you what not to do.

Yeah survivor man.. well I've seen previews, I think. Something about it doesn't appeal to me. But I guess I haven't given it a proper chance.

I think a show like Man Vs. Wild is just a brilliant idea. I mean people probably won't retain all of that information, but everyone will remember at least one life saving tip. Like boiling your water, for instance.

It really is a great show, with a great premise. It helps a lot in furthering the comprehension that a knife is not by any means just a weapon. Also, survival shows are few and far between, especially good ones.


I'm a member of BladeForums, which is pretty self-explanatory, and they have a great Wilderness and Survival Skills board. Lots of great people over there, as well as tons of great info.

I love knives. The beauty of them is see what each knife designed to do. From precision cutting tools to knives designed for specific styles of combat, like those curved arabic blades, made to bleed your opponent to death.

Which is why I detest those fantasy type blades. They serve no other purpose that to look cool.

I didn't know there was such a thing as blade forums. I'll have to check that out. My dreams could use more knife fights.

Hey Man of Steel
I have a pretty good collection myself. I have a few that I just think are awesome.
Anyway. How can you tell what kind of steel you are getting. I have some knives that i just cannot put a "good" edge on. Others I have that I can put an edge on out it doesn't last. I realize very sharp doesn't last long.

I would like to know the best grade of steel for keeping a nice sharp edge.

Thanks in advance.


Howie

The Cusp, exactly so. Exactly so. Fantasy blades such as, say, Gil Hibben designs are nothing more than shelf pieces, which I hold absolutely no interest in. I'm a practical man, I like my utility designs. Have you seen the movie "The Hunted", with Tommy Lee Jones? Not the best movie stictly in a critical sense, but it has some great knife-related stuff in it, including some truly awesome knife fights. Also; BladeForums link.


Howie, glad to see another collector! Good question, too. High carbon steels like 1095 take an amazingly sharp edge, but don't hold it for very long. Other steels such as 420J2, a highly stainless steel, are too soft to take a good edge period, much less hold it, partially due a low carbon content.

Now, the idea that a very sharp edge won't last as long is not totally true. It is true that, technically speaking, the thinner the edge, the sharper it generally will be. And of course, the thinner the edge, the more susceptible it is to wear, or even breaking, dependant on the stress applied. However, it is possible to put a shaving-sharp edge (which is probably as sharp as most of us will need) on a knife without thinning the edge down too much. For example, I had a Ka-Bar that had probably the thickest edge of all my knives, but it would shave arm hair with the best of them. Generally, I find an edge with an angle of about 15-18 degrees per side (30-36 degrees included angle) just right for normal utility use. This will do fine for anything from cutting meat or vegetables, to cutting a tent stake. But I digress, you didn't ask about sharpening. Still, here's a great source of information on the subject: Sharpening FAQ by Joe Talmadge

On to the question at hand. It really depends on the knife, or rather what the intended purpose is. If you want a great all-around fixed-blade steel, suitable for a camping knife, hunting knife, etc., that will be seeing a lot of hard use, I would suggest either 5160 (a high carbon spring steel known for its toughness) or 52100 (similar to 5160, but with better edge-holding capability and not quite as tough). I use 5160 in my woods/camping/heavy use knives. Properly heat-treated, this stuff is awesome.

If you're looking more for a pocket knife steel, something that you'll be using every day, for daily chores; cutting the occasional vegetable, peeling fruit, opening packages, etc., there are a number of steels that I recommend, all stainless: 154-CM (or ATS-34) is great, as is VG-10 (gets incredibly sharp easily), CPM S30V (takes a little more work to sharpen, but holds it just as well, also in some cases prone to chipping, and likes to hold a wire edge sometimes. I haven't had any trouble from mine, however), and lastly, 12C27, which is popular in Finnish and Norwegian knives like the Moras. A link with some information on various steel types: The Knife Steel FAQ by Joe Talmadge


Hope that helps to answer your question, Howie. If you need more info, or have more questions, just ask!

Originally Posted by Man of Steel

Howie, glad to see another collector! Good question, too. High carbon steels like 1095 take an amazingly sharp edge, but don't hold it for very long. Other steels such as 420J2, a highly stainless steel, are too soft to take a good edge period, much less hold it, partially due a low carbon content.

Now, the idea that a very sharp edge won't last as long is not totally true. It is true that, technically speaking, the thinner the edge, the sharper it generally will be. And of course, the thinner the edge, the more susceptible it is to wear, or even breaking, dependant on the stress applied. However, it is possible to put a shaving-sharp edge (which is probably as sharp as most of us will need) on a knife without thinning the edge down too much. For example, I had a Ka-Bar that had probably the thickest edge of all my knives, but it would shave arm hair with the best of them. Generally, I find an edge with an angle of about 15-18 degrees per side (30-36 degrees included angle) just right for normal utility use. This will do fine for anything from cutting meat or vegetables, to cutting a tent stake. But I digress, you didn't ask about sharpening. Still, here's a great source of information on the subject: Sharpening FAQ by Joe Talmadge

On to the question at hand. It really depends on the knife, or rather what the intended purpose is. If you want a great all-around fixed-blade steel, suitable for a camping knife, hunting knife, etc., that will be seeing a lot of hard use, I would suggest either 5160 (a high carbon spring steel known for its toughness) or 52100 (similar to 5160, but with better edge-holding capability and not quite as tough). I use 5160 in my woods/camping/heavy use knives. Properly heat-treated, this stuff is awesome.

If you're looking more for a pocket knife steel, something that you'll be using every day, for daily chores; cutting the occasional vegetable, peeling fruit, opening packages, etc., there are a number of steels that I recommend, all stainless: 154-CM (or ATS-34) is great, as is VG-10 (gets incredibly sharp easily), CPM S30V (takes a little more work to sharpen, but holds it just as well, also in some cases prone to chipping, and likes to hold a wire edge sometimes. I haven't had any trouble from mine, however), and lastly, 12C27, which is popular in Finnish and Norwegian knives like the Moras. A link with some information on various steel types: The Knife Steel FAQ by Joe Talmadge


Hope that helps to answer your question, Howie. If you need more info, or have more questions, just ask!

WOW Thanks a lot. My friends and I are often buying ,trading giving knives. Just the other day my friend found a really cool knife on sale so he bought five of them. I got one.
So for example it says; Carbon Design M18-02. What exactly does this mean? This would make much more sence to me.

My two needs Man of Steel
1. The knife I carry every day. I landscape. It takes a beating. I could be cutting binder twine one minute, heavy rope the next to cable. I would prefer a happy medium here. This M-18-02 seems to fit that. ( Sorry for my lack of proper terminology here!)
It has the open assist mechanism and the push over tab to close it. What I REALLY like is it also has a lock. (When you r really laying into something.
I need a knife that I can Filia fish and cut perfect strips of tenderloin. Sharp.

Thanks for all the info.

Also... Are there any knives that are overrated in your opinion? I know some can get pretty pricey.

Originally Posted by Howie

WOW Thanks a lot. My friends and I are often buying ,trading giving knives. Just the other day my friend found a really cool knife on sale so he bought five of them. I got one.
So for example it says; Carbon Design M18-02. What exactly does this mean? This would make much more sence to me.

My two needs Man of Steel
1. The knife I carry every day. I landscape. It takes a beating. I could be cutting binder twine one minute, heavy rope the next to cable. I would prefer a happy medium here. This M-18-02 seems to fit that. ( Sorry for my lack of proper terminology here!)
It has the open assist mechanism and the push over tab to close it. What I REALLY like is it also has a lock. (When you r really laying into something.
I need a knife that I can Filia fish and cut perfect strips of tenderloin. Sharp.

Thanks for all the info.

Sure thing, glad I could help.

Alright, a little bit of research later, the answer is what I'd thought. Looks like you've got a Columbia River Knife & Tool M18-02, designed by Kit Carson. The M18-02 is simply the model number, and that's actually Carson Design. Just to be sure, though, here's a pic to verify: Pic of CRKT M18-02

That knife has a blade of AUS-8, and CRKT knows how to heat treat that steel to get the best out of it. I own a couple of knives with this steel, and it is actually a very good steel for a beater knife. Which is how you describe you'll be using it. Softer than the steels I mentioned in my above post, so it won't hold an edge as long, but it will stand up to abuse well, and is easy to touch up quickly. The knife I carried today is made of AUS-8A, in fact, which is just a different manufacturer's version of the same steel, for all intents and purposes. Anyhow, that knife will most likely serve you very well for what you'll be needing.

That type of lock is called a liner-lock. It's a good, sturdy lock, though I have found that the liner in question is a bit thin for my tastes in some of CRKT's models. Liner-locks can be susceptible to torque in some cases (say, stabbing the tip into something, then twisting the handle), but if I'm not mistaken, that knife has the added feature of a safety to prevent this, found on the back of the handle, a button which rotates a metal shim into place on one side of the the liner to fix the blade in the open position. This knife should fit your needs quite sufficiently.

Originally Posted by Howie

Also... Are there any knives that are overrated in your opinion? I know some can get pretty pricey.

Overrated? Oh, bunches and bookoodles of knives are overrated. But then, a lot of those same knives are also superb blades, just over-priced. It's all in point of view, really. Take Busse Combat Knives, for instance. There is no way that I would ever pay upwards of $600.00 for a knife, personally. But those who have paid that say they are perhaps the best knife they've ever own. To me, they are overrated. I don't think that's really what you meant, though. I would say Swamp Rat Knifeworks (a branch of Busse, only much more affordable (comparatively)) is overrated, but that's just my opinion.

Cold Steel's pricier knives are highly overrated, but their cheaper lines are great knives for the money most of the time. Just don't fall for Cold Steel's marketing, and you'll be fine. Chris Reeve makes some amazing high quality knives, but at their price mark, they are a bit overrated. In my opinion, Benchmade is a bit overrated, but then I don't care for some of their business practices, so I'm likely just biased.



Some of the top brands are Spyderco, Benchmade (all biased opinions aside, they make good knives), CRKT, Case (traditional-style folders mostly), Queen Cutlery (similar to Case), Byrd Knives (a subsidiary of Spyderco, at a lower price set), Buck's fixed blades and traditional folders (their tactical type folders are somewhat lacking, I find), SOG, Ontario Knife Company -- especially their RAT line, Ka-Bar, Cold Steel's low-end knives, Camillus (who have gone out of business, but you can still find Camillus products), Kershaw, Emerson, and Frosts of Sweden (NOT Frost Cutlery, which are crap).

Some good semi-custom/high-quality fixed blade makers are Bark River Knife & Tool, Ranger Knives (the maker, Justin Gingrich, is a truly great guy, I own a custom by him, and had the chance to meet him in person at this years Blade Show), Chris Reeve Knives, TOPS Knives, Himalayan Imports, and more that I can't think of right now.

Anyway, hope that helps you! If you have any questions about anything I said, just ask, and of course if you have any more questions, I'm happy to answer them. Oh, and y'all can just call me Josh.

HEY --That's my knife.

Alrighty then!
Well that is above and beyond the call of duty.
I feel like you should get some credit hours or something.

Thanks again.

I neighbor has a very impressive collection of switch blades. I will probably need your advice on some prices. I could get the entire collection if I wish. But some are $200.00 - $300.00. I bit out of my range.
We'll see. :p

Haha, again, just glad to help. I really enjoy this, actually.



Just let me know; I'm not much of a switch-blade afficionado, but I: A) Know reliable people who are; and B) Can certainly find out. So if you need advice, just ask. I'll be here.

Originally Posted by Man of Steel

I actually like Survivor Man more, even. It's a bit less entertaining overall perhaps, but Les Stroud is a lot more careful, and practical than Bear is. I've probably learned more useful information from Les (Survivor Man) than from watching Bear Grylls do his thing, but Man Vs. Wild never fails to entertain. Bear tends to more show you what not to do.

Survivor Man is a good show. That guy is pretty good at survival skills

What do you think of knives as a phallic symbols and the implications of an infatuation with them?

Yep, Mike, he is.


Xaqaria, try as I might to take your question seriously (though I really doubt it was meant to be) I just can't. Sorry...

Originally Posted by Man of Steel

Yep, Mike, he is.


Xaqaria, try as I might to take your question seriously (though I really doubt it was meant to be) I just can't. Sorry...

wasn't meant to be, don't worry about it.

I don't know anything about Survivor Man, but here in the UK we have a guy called Ray Mears. He is amazing at bushcraft, I've seen an episode or two of Bear Grylls and Ray Mears beats him every time. Grylls seems to display a very rudimentary knowledge of bushcraft and just runs places like a headless chicken. Mears on the other hand always explains what he is doing and encourages protection of the environment. Frequently he travels around the world meeting indigenous people and learning their skills. Watch Ray Mears.

Have you ever had to cut someone?

Are butterfly knives illegal in the U.S.?

I know they are shady for being used in stabbings b/c they are able to be used in only one hand. I want to get one because I like the art of opening it and doing all those cool tricks.

Man of Steel, nothing wrong with like knives...

My one and only non-kitchen knife is a cheapy 3 inch Browning 604. It's part of my general gear when I muck around in the woods - just in case I get caught on brush, get a rock stuck in my boot, minor stuff like that. It's fine for my purposes. But I hate how you have push in on a piece of metal to unlock it before you can close it. It's a pain and takes both hands. Are most modern folding outdoor knives like this now?

I remember my father nearly always carrying a pocket or swiss knife (I grew up in the Southwest US). Nowadays you have to be so careful. It's a different world.