10 Features Your EDC Knife Needs
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
KillerFord1977
SAINT
$1200 on one site for sale
BuckMaster Buck 184 for Auction or buy now
https://www.ebay.com/itm/225242792476?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=nQc7uLMJR8a&sssrc=2051273&ssuid=nQc7uLMJR8a&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
www.unlimitedbladeworkz.com
Bassbob
Emissary
Talyn
SAINT
Great Minds think alike!
Keep an eye on the sheath screws since I mine had some of mine come loose right-out-of the box so I Loctited them.
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Bassbob
Emissary
I tightened them all when I heated it up to adjust the retention. I’ll watch and see if any work themselves loose.Great Minds think alike!
Keep an eye on the sheath screws since I mine had some of mine come loose right-out-of the box so I Loctited them.
CCJ
Alpha
While most of my back packing days are over (my old bones won't take it any longer) I still buy knives, and I really love the newer steels. My two favorite knives are from zero tolerance (img. K2). The 006 is made from CPM 3V and the pocket knife (Sinkevich) is S35VN. I have not used the 006 yet (just acquired it) but I can tell you the Sinkevich holds and edge like crazy. I use this knife all the time and I'm always thinking "this is going to need honed"... it doesn't.
I have three other fixed blade knives worth mentioning (img k3). A small Case Mini Finn Hunter (Tru-Sharp Stainless), an original Black Jack (D2) from the 90s, and a Fallkniven F1 (VG7). All of these knives are easy to sharpen and maintain. I can tell you the Case needs dressed with a steel often. The Black Jack is a fine knife and it resides in my bug-out bag. I bought the Fallkniven thinking it might be an upgrade, but after receiving it I found several anomalies. The cutting edge is sharp but poorly defined angle (sort of rolled), and the blade is a laminate which is uneven. While I believe the knife is good I suspect it will not take a lot of abuse (chopping, prying, digging, etc.). I decided this was not the knife to bank your life on and relagated this to my utilitaian stack of knives.
I have a host of autos. The one I carry on a daily basis is not in the picture (k4). It is a Kershaw Livewire (CPM MagnaCut). Nice knife, easy to sharpen, has a thin delicate blade so this one is strictly for cutting and self-defense. I have had several Kershaws and have never been disappointed in them. Kershaw and Zero Tolerance share the same parent company (Kai). The others are (starting at top) Piranha (154CM), Mirotech (M390), Guardian Tactical Recon-040 (ELMAX). All are really good knives if you are looking for an auto. One thing to note is that the Piranha is an out-the-side auto with a button release. I used to carry this daily, but on a couple of occasions the knife opened up in my pocket. After reaching into the pocket and slicing my finger a couple of times that was the end daily carry for that knife. Seems the button is too soft and just leaning against something was enough to trigger the knife to open.
I have a handful of other knives (img. k5a), include a few "neck knives" which are sort of knives of last resort, and the latest Swiss Army (Victorinox) Ranger knife which is a really nice innovative product as far as Swiss Army goes.
At the risk of being too long winded, I will leave you with a word about sharpness. I am very demanding when it comes to "sharp". Over the years I have had wet stones, diamond plates, natural stones, synthetic stones, Japanese water stones, ceramic steels, steel steels, diamond steels... well, you get the idea. In the shop where razor sharp is not a criteria I use a fine diamond steel followed by a corrugated steel (Cline). For getting a really fine razor edge I use Arkansas stones. Medium, fine, translucent from Dan's, and a black surgical from Best. I found that some knife steels don't do well with a translucent stones. It doen't cut and only rolls the edge over. Most react to the black sugical stone the best. To dress the edge between sharpenings I use a ceramic "Idahone" (not all ceramics are created equal and I found this one to be excellent). The last thing the edge sees in any case is the use of a corrugated steel. A nice one from Cline tools (believe it or not) is the one I use the most. It is designed to fit in your pock as the steel unscrews and slides into the handle... looks like an ink pen and works really well.
I have three other fixed blade knives worth mentioning (img k3). A small Case Mini Finn Hunter (Tru-Sharp Stainless), an original Black Jack (D2) from the 90s, and a Fallkniven F1 (VG7). All of these knives are easy to sharpen and maintain. I can tell you the Case needs dressed with a steel often. The Black Jack is a fine knife and it resides in my bug-out bag. I bought the Fallkniven thinking it might be an upgrade, but after receiving it I found several anomalies. The cutting edge is sharp but poorly defined angle (sort of rolled), and the blade is a laminate which is uneven. While I believe the knife is good I suspect it will not take a lot of abuse (chopping, prying, digging, etc.). I decided this was not the knife to bank your life on and relagated this to my utilitaian stack of knives.
I have a host of autos. The one I carry on a daily basis is not in the picture (k4). It is a Kershaw Livewire (CPM MagnaCut). Nice knife, easy to sharpen, has a thin delicate blade so this one is strictly for cutting and self-defense. I have had several Kershaws and have never been disappointed in them. Kershaw and Zero Tolerance share the same parent company (Kai). The others are (starting at top) Piranha (154CM), Mirotech (M390), Guardian Tactical Recon-040 (ELMAX). All are really good knives if you are looking for an auto. One thing to note is that the Piranha is an out-the-side auto with a button release. I used to carry this daily, but on a couple of occasions the knife opened up in my pocket. After reaching into the pocket and slicing my finger a couple of times that was the end daily carry for that knife. Seems the button is too soft and just leaning against something was enough to trigger the knife to open.
I have a handful of other knives (img. k5a), include a few "neck knives" which are sort of knives of last resort, and the latest Swiss Army (Victorinox) Ranger knife which is a really nice innovative product as far as Swiss Army goes.
At the risk of being too long winded, I will leave you with a word about sharpness. I am very demanding when it comes to "sharp". Over the years I have had wet stones, diamond plates, natural stones, synthetic stones, Japanese water stones, ceramic steels, steel steels, diamond steels... well, you get the idea. In the shop where razor sharp is not a criteria I use a fine diamond steel followed by a corrugated steel (Cline). For getting a really fine razor edge I use Arkansas stones. Medium, fine, translucent from Dan's, and a black surgical from Best. I found that some knife steels don't do well with a translucent stones. It doen't cut and only rolls the edge over. Most react to the black sugical stone the best. To dress the edge between sharpenings I use a ceramic "Idahone" (not all ceramics are created equal and I found this one to be excellent). The last thing the edge sees in any case is the use of a corrugated steel. A nice one from Cline tools (believe it or not) is the one I use the most. It is designed to fit in your pock as the steel unscrews and slides into the handle... looks like an ink pen and works really well.
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youngolddude
Professional
I carry the top knife and the other resides beside my recliner. I keep a carbide sharpener near the chair for periodic touch up.
Given my head I will carry several knives. Usually, I carry a Benchmade Model 62 Balisong, a Benchmade Auto-Triage, and a third knife, plus pen knives. If I was forced to carry only one knife it would be the Auto-Triage.
A good knife should be sharp, sharpenable, tough, reliable, and handy.
A good knife should be sharp, sharpenable, tough, reliable, and handy.