Advice Please - Alpha D vs. Native for Farm Use

T

twhman

Joined
Dec 7, 2006
Messages
26
I need a good quality folder for EDC around the farm for basic chores; general cutting chores. I was leaning toward a 3" plain edge blade or less since I general just shove stuff in my pants pocket. I was thinking of something in D-2 steel based on my research it has great knife properties. I also don't want to spend more than about $60.

I saw two knifes that I thought would fit the bill (neither are D-2 steel):

Buck Alpha Dorado: I never thought much about Buck Knives since I thought most were 420HC and they were a little pricey for what you actually got. I was at the local Farmers Coop yesterday they only carry Buck Knives (they are very popular in rural VA) and noted that they had a Buck Alpha Dorado in CM154. Wow - that is one heck of a nice looking knife. :thumbup: I did some research on CM154 and it looks to have very good knife properties. I liked the blade size and shape and the heavy duty build. Made is USA:cool: . I know Buck has a good warrenty (but I don't know how good their customer service is if you ever do have a problem). Very pretty knife with the wood scales - very classy. I think the only downside it is a heavy sucker - those sides are very thick steel.

Spyderco Native: I then stopped at Wally World and happened to look at the Spyderco Native. Dang that is a nice knife for around 40 bucks. :thumbup: I believe that is VG10 steel - as good as if not better than CM154. Made ins USA. I believe Spyderco has a good written warrenty too. I think the only downside on this knife is - well it doesn't look near as nice as the Alpha Dorado.

So now I have to make a choice. I love the look of the Alpha that is one great looking knife, however, the logical part of me thinks the Native would be a slightly wiser choice. :confused: The only good thing is I may not go to far wrong with either.

There is a gun and knife show next weekend there is always 5 or 6 knife dealers with huge selections of knives that you can examine. I planned to go and purchase a knife there, however, I always like to know about how much I would pay outside to avoide getting ripped off. I would appreciate your thoughts on these two knifes (and the companies behind them) for MY uses. Is there any other knives I should check out at the show before I make a purchase. This is my first quality knife and I want to make a wise decision so I greatly appreciate your input.
 
I agree with you on both the weight and the purtyness factors. I've got a folding alpha that doesn't see much use because of the weight. The scales also scratch pretty badly when you get grit between the sheath(leather) and the knife. I need to do some buffing.

I've also got one of the Wally-world S30V natives that is my go-to knife for semi-abusive tasks. I don't do anything really ugly, but digging and root cutting happen a lot. It does chip a bit, but then I haven't found a knife yet that cuts gravel all that well. I generally don't like clips, but when I'm working outside they're ok, and if it breaks I only lose $40.

Good luck, Gordon
 
I Own The Native1 And The Native3 Both Are Very Good Knives For The Money.i Kinda Like The Native1 Better [s-30v]. But The Native3 Has A Much Better Feeling Handle.i'd Go Spyderco All The Way!
 
I posted this on another thread but I think that this is useful in here too.

I also own a Gen III native in VG 10. The thing about natives is that they are built for people with middle or smaller hands. For some, the native is really conformable. For others, it's no good at all. I would handle one before buying it. One issue with native III is that I and many others have complained that the pivot pin is too tight and the knife is hard to open. I think this happens when I warm up the knife in my hand and either then handle or the blade expanded. When this happens, the knife is impossible to open with one hand.

154 cm holds the edge a little longer than vg 10. But VG 10 is easier to sharpen. It's really not that big of difference unless you are cutting stuff up all the time. I would go with the knife that's smoother and easier to use and carry. I personally look at ease of use and carry as the most important things. The last thing I like is a knife sticks out like a sore thumb in the pants and hard as heck to open.
 
I'll be the pooper here and recommend that you get a fixed blade rather than a folder for farm use. Farm work is very hard and often extremely dirty (as you know). A fixed blade will be stronger, more dirt resistant and you can wear one comfortably on a farm without calling any attention to yourself.

If you are dead set on one of those two, I think the Native would be my choice.
 
Get the native. Wal-Mart natives are s30v stainless. I own 2. I also agree with getting the fixed blade knife over a folder.
 
I've got fairly large hands and find the Natives are as comfortable and secure to grip as any of the hundreds of knives I've owned. Whether you get one in VG-10 or S30V it's a good blade.

Both Spyderco and certainly Buck will stand behind their knives with good customer service.

Some people just like folders. I've gotten into a few nice fixed blades, some expensive, some not, but the folders seem to jump into my pocket on the way out the door. :)

If you would consider an inexpensive small, tough fixed blade, go for a Mora. You can get the standard models with red wooden handles or the newer Clipper models with plastic handle and sheaths. You can get them in high carbon or stainless steel.

I recommend a stainless Clipper for your work from Ragnar at www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html Run down the whole page to get an idea of what's available. At these prices, you might consider picking up a few for the kitchen & fishing & an emergency kit, too.
 
I have a native 3 that I use all the time-all around good knife.I had a native1 and lost it(that was a superior knife IMO)so what I'm trying to say is go with the native,you won't be sorry:thumbup:
 
Both a good knives, but the Native is just "it", hard to explain, but carry one and use it for awhile and you'll see what I mean.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Both Spyderco and certainly Buck will stand behind their knives with good customer service.

If you would consider an inexpensive small, tough fixed blade, go for a Mora. You can get the standard models with red wooden handles or the newer Clipper models with plastic handle and sheaths. You can get them in high carbon or stainless steel.

I recommend a stainless Clipper for your work from Ragnar at www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html Run down the whole page to get an idea of what's available. At these prices, you might consider picking up a few for the kitchen & fishing & an emergency kit, too.
Click to expand...

Essav is right on the money here. For general utility, if you don't want to worry about price, Mora's are hard to beat. Ragweed is a *great* guy to deal with. Of the folders, I greatly prefer the Native 3d in VG 10.
 
I'd go with the Native. I've had some really bad experiences with Buck liner locks, both my Alpha and Crosslock folders had lock failures. I don't trust Buck liner locks anymore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top