Advice For New Guys

D

DBHorbert

Joined
Sep 23, 2013
Messages
20
So, as most all of you will immediately notice, I'm very new to this forum. As in, I joined yesterday.

I'd like to introduce myself first, I usually go by my last name, Horbert. I've been collecting, enjoying, and simply playing with knives since I was about 8 I'd say. All of my knowledge of knives, guns, bows, hunting, and fishing, was from my dad, who passed away about two years ago. Hindsight is 20-20 and the questions you should've asked become apparent. I carry one, or two, of three or four knives, Benchmade Rukus 610 (plain satin blade), Benchmade 690 (also a plain satin blade), a normal Buck 110, or a generic assisted opening knife given to me as a birthday present. Almost all of my knives were gifts, and I'm wondering what makes a quality knife.

I hear a lot about S30V steel, which the 610 has, and I read the thread posted just earlier about it. The 690 has 154CM and it has seemed to do a good job for me, but that may be naivety speaking. How do I know what is a good steel and what makes it good steel?

When you begin looking for a new knife where do you start, what makes some knives spectacular while others just seem to fall short? Some knives, like the 610 just seem to be work horses. It will do just about anything for me from cleaning deer and pig to slicing apples or opening a box. (note: I did clean the knife between using it to clean the pig and slicing the apple) Other knives seem to be like half the hummers you see on the road, where the only dirt those tires will see are dropping the kids off at soccer practice.

-Horbert

P.S. I figured being that this is generic advise it fit best in this section. If it should be in another forum page, my apologies.
 
The one thing I know for a fact applies to guns, knives, and fishing equipment: never count how many you have. As long as you don't count you can honestly say "I don't know sweetie" when asked how many you have. The fact that you know the model number of each knife you own, and immediately know when one is out of place, is completely beside the point.
 
S30V and 154cm are more than adequate for most users. Some have to have the latest and greatest super steel, which by all means go for it. However, I get by just fine these days with 154cm and S30V and I went through a huge super steel phase myself. Regarding the hummer analogy, some do use their knives hard, some of them don't. I've always used my knives (including sprints and customs), be it at work on the roof, or on campus sharpening a pencil or cutting my sandwich in half.

What I look for in a knife is excellent ergonomics, then grind, then blade steel. For me, Spyderco and Emerson and Strider cover those bases for me. I say buy the flagship knife from each reputable manufacturer and see what you like about it and what you don't. What I like in a knife is different from others. Be warned though, your wallet will be hurting soon.
 
DBHorbert said:
The one thing I know for a fact applies to guns, knives, and fishing equipment: never count how many you have. As long as you don't count you can honestly say "I don't know sweetie" when asked how many you have. The fact that you know the model number of each knife you own, and immediately know when one is out of place, is completely beside the point.
Click to expand...

HAHA! I got a 25% coupon from Buck and bought a Bucklite Max because I had a "strong want" which of course is a "need". My logic was "Well I don't want the coupon to go to waste"
 
ibute thanks for the advice. It does raise a new question for me though, what is it that you're talking about with the grind?

Bill, if I remember correctly my dad once got a ruger 77/22 because he saw it in the newspaper classifieds, when he woke up it was there so he had to buy it.
I think I have about ten knives that I got because they were less than five bucks and you know, why not?
 
I think you need to look at the various knife offerings that appeal to you and then look at the steel being used. I lean toward high carbon steels overall. But if I like something in a stainless steel, I'll get it. It is part of the learning process. I own knives in most of the commonly used steels today. You will find that a particular brand of knife will tend to mostly make knives in one or two steels.

I find opinions on BF and other forums on knives to be something to read, but always remember you will eventually hear what you want to hear (good, bad, indifferent). If possible, I like to look at knives in person periodically to sort of fine tune my preferences beyond what I may have already purchased and hopefully used. Hard to tell if you like the feel of a knife without picking it up at least.

Basically without any knowledge at all on preferences, it is very hard to ever decide other than by looking at the general shape and price if you don't handle the actual knife. Even then, that tells you nothing about the steel used. But that particular bit of info is one that the forms are very useful for. However, you will find that most folks like just about all the common steels. It's back to what you thnk. I'd rather have a less expensive knife that I am comfortable using then something I consider a museum piece.
 
DBHorbert said:
ibute thanks for the advice. It does raise a new question for me though, what is it that you're talking about with the grind?

Bill, if I remember correctly my dad once got a ruger 77/22 because he saw it in the newspaper classifieds, when he woke up it was there so he had to buy it.
I think I have about ten knives that I got because they were less than five bucks and you know, why not?
Click to expand...

Welcome to Blade Forums!
All knives have their place. I bought a $1.00 knife at WalMart once because I needed a cheap disposable knife. Now that you've joined these forums though, you will probably buy less $5.00 knives. You have to think about what is better 10 $5.00 knives, or 1 $50.00 dollar knife? I'll take the $50.00 knife any day.

Here's a nice drawing to give you a general idea on grinds:
grinds2.jpg

(cross section of the blade)
 
Thanks for the welcome and the diagram! It seems that most of my blades have a scandi grind to them, but what benefit does each serve over another?

Sorry if I'm being a bothersome new guy, but I feel a wealth of knowledge merely inches, which in actuality is miles, away and always want to learn more.


Rimfire, I get what you are saying. I have a stronger background in archery and eventually, especially when looking at top brands, it came down to what feels good in your hands. You can have the state of the art, top performing product, but if you don't like how it feels, you don't use it.
 
I'm a big fan of 154CM and S30V, so no that is not naïveté on your part. Regarding advice, the first thing I would advise you to do is handle a knife before you buy it when you can, and develop your own preferences from experience, not solely based on group-think.
 
There's a search box at the top right of Blade Forums, there should be lots of threads on grinds. The basic principle is that the ticker the metal is behind the edge, the stronger the edge will be. Look at the diagram and imagine grabbing the edge and trying to bend it to a side, it should seem that the scandi would be easier to bend because it's thinner, as opposed to the convex which is thicker right behind the edge. Another thing to consider is the slicing ability of each grind. I do more slicing than chopping with my knives so I prefer a thin flat edge that will have less resistance when going through material (full flat grind). Try cutting potatoes with different grinds and you should notice the difference.
 
The grinds have always confused me as to my own preferences. I recall spending a lot of time sharpening a knife on stones and a friend said... maybe it was a convex grind and you just turned it into a flat grind. Maybe he was right.... I think the potato suggestion is a very good one and one I am probably going to do myself. I actually have a hard time sharpening convex and scandi grinds. Some more learning on the blade edge geometry is probably in order.
 
I'll be sure to search more on grinds. Looking at my knives again they appear actually be high flat rather than scandi.

One thing I enjoy doing is taking my knives apart and putting them back together. Is the bad for the knives? The generic assisted opening knife I mentioned has been taken apart probably twice a week or so. It's become my mindless task I do when I get stressed. I clean it, will drop screws and some hardware in Hoppe's Number 9, and will polish and re-lube the action. I've gotten rid of the cheap plastic washers it had and got brass washers that are about the same width. Put some spring oil on the spring and polish the inside of the frame around the hinge before putting it back together. It is far beyond smooth now, and doesn't have any of the blade play it had when I got it, but do I need to worry about it loosening up from constant taking apart and putting back together?
 
That's the other thing I'm rather ashamed to admit, I have no idea how to sharpen a blade. None whatsoever. What grind is easiest to learn with?
 
DBHorbert said:
The one thing I know for a fact applies to guns, knives, and fishing equipment: never count how many you have. As long as you don't count you can honestly say "I don't know sweetie" when asked how many you have. The fact that you know the model number of each knife you own, and immediately know when one is out of place, is completely beside the point.
Click to expand...

Lol yeah I sneak new gear in and just throw it in with the rest. sometimes she notices and asked when I got that "oh I ve had that for awhile" of course she has noticed my knife collection grow. It use to fit in a dresser draw but had to move them to a duffel bag because the draw wouldnt close anymore.
 
Welcome!

You should probably "slow your roll" a bit. You ask too many questions in one thread (especially enormous ones like "How do I sharpen?") and you will get answers to none of them.

All your questions will not be answered in one thread! :)

Use the search function, look at all the different subforums, and read, read, read.

It takes time.
 
I think it was in The Grasshopper Trap that Patrick McManus got the plan to buy a gun case that he could slowly build and expand on, making it slowly get larger and larger without his wife ever noticing.
 
I know, too many questions too fast. I honestly nearly giddy to find this community with its love for knives and many of the things I've enjoyed.
 
Go online and buy a quality knife sharpening kit Lansky, Smith, Gatco, are just a few of many out there. Some can be bought at local retail stores near you for well under 50.00. They will have instructions on how to use the various stones,sharpening material in the kit and which is to be used for certain types of blades. Watch Youtube videos THEY HELP ALOT

God bless and welcome to the forum!
 
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