Anyone use their true grail knife for active cutting?

Tseg said:
Thanks. I also am not a seller of my collectibles. I will have the rest of my life so will probably start carrying it, even if just for more select occasions.
Click to expand...
That's the spirit !
(ignore the rest of my rabbit hole about my Grail)
 
Last edited:
fjblair said:
I don't buy knives that I won't carry, which is why I don't own any examples as pretty as the OP's. I just couldn't .
Click to expand...
Oh . . . come on . . . you know you want to :D
Just place that order . . . put 'er in your pocket . . . doesn't that feel good ? ? ! ! ;)
. . . while you got it with you you might as well take a little cut . . . a little slice here and there. What's the harm . . .
Don't look now you've been carrying and using that same knife ALL WEEK. :thumbsup:
 
Wowbagger said:
Well put it this way I wouldn't have made my grail (modded / franken knifed it) if I could have bought what I wanted off the shelf.
Please note fixed blade knives have similar handles to mine for a reason; they work better in hand.. Case in point is my EDC earlier this week; a Buck 102 (fixed) is sort of similar to my Grail (folder).

Folders, most modern high end folders, have wide flat handles for another reason . . . they sit in pockets better.
There are limited exceptions.

Just as soon as I can get a folder with a grippy fairly trapper like handle in even better steel (M4) I will be reaching for that shelf and throwing money at the register ! ! !

My Pattada is close but not grippy.
My Griptillian in M390 is close but funny blade shape for my use; I need the Trapper clip point blade shape.
I could bang on with other sort-of-almosts-but-not-quites but you have heard it from me already.
PS: fixed my post above; added quote and repaired some of the misspellings.
Click to expand...

So... I gather you are dissatisfied with most stock knives. Most people are not. I know we hear a lot about modding knives on this site, but it most certainly is not the norm.

If YOU are not happy with an "off the shelf knife" that does not mean that they all suck universally. It means you are in the very small minority of people who are not satisfied with a stock knife.

I will occasionally modify a knife to suit my needs, but I am perfectly happy with most of my knife purchases as they come.
 
I have a Condor Bushlore that I use for that particular task as well as others that involve cutting soil, gravel, clay, or through rocky soils in general. I know you jest, but I actually cut stuff like that pretty commonly for work and I can tell you that it dulls the hell out of a blade.
 
I probably wouldn't use a damascus blade, so I'm unlikely to even get one.

I instead use a large sebenza 21 in carbonfiber. It's one of my favorite edc users. Wish they would make it in steels like vanax, nitrobe77, etc.

I don't see a problem using damasteel or damascus etc. It just costs a bit to buff out those scratches later. Wonder what the spa treatment costs for that?
 
I got the knife because of the looks and never really thought through the usage. I came across this thread below that sheds some light on the usability of Devin Thomas Damascus, which is what I have. The comments related to its ability to get super sharp are consistent with what I’ve experienced with this knife out of the box. And a monthly touch up is something I would be doing anyway if I was actively using it. I continue to warm up to the idea of actively using it. Baby steps... I may take it out for the next cardboard box that shows at my house so I can compare performance vs. my S35VN alternatives in my possession. It sounds like Damascus is absolutely more useable than I was expecting. I’ll need to continue to research the usability aspect and how it weathers and it’s ability to be restored.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/damascus-blade-steel-on-chris-reeve-sebenza.1353794/
 
My knife journey started with budget Swiss Army Knives. At some point their Limited Editions in Damasteel where grail like to SAK fans like me, and I picked up a LE Explorer when they came out. I used it and found the Damasteel to be a great performer. Sure it dulled and sure I sharpened it. I used it to the point the oak scales turned like an old knife.
fT0VaCt.jpg

I even lost the logo at one point.
R5BRYxL.jpg

This year I sent it back to Switzerland to get the logo fixed.
The knife just came back last week, looking like this.
5I1x1o7.jpg

At first I thought they sent me a brand new knife, but it really is my knife. Looking at prices NIB versions sell for 5 years down the line, double and over of what I paid, I decided to retire this one in the LNIB state it is in. It got the "L" because it has a mirror edge on it. I have enough user knives anyway, and I certainly had my joy from it.
 
Twindog said:
The OP's knife is gorgeous, and I wouldn't use it, especially with the Damascus blade. Nothing wrong with collecting a beautiful knife.

My own grail is a Benchmade Rukus that Josh rebranded with Vanax SuperClean. I use it everyday. It's a user grail, and that steel, with the geometry Josh put on it, is a dream to use.
Click to expand...
Damn... now that's my grail now!
One of the original ruckus? From some time in later 2000's?
And in vanax...badass
 
You should absolutely use it, for everything it was intended for. Just don't abuse it by prying or stabbing anything hard.

Here's how I imagine it would be used if it were mine:

  • Cutting food at those places where all you have is a butter knife
  • Opening boxes (tape glue washes right off)
  • Cutting boxes, if needed. (lots of people cut boxes up just to use their knives; all that's really needed is to cut the tape and fold it up)
  • Cutting string
  • Occasional whittling
 
When they first came out, I called the BM 940-1 my “grail” knife. At that time I had never spent over $110(tax included) on a knife.

At the moment, the 940-1 is my most carried folder outside of work.
 
GB940Rookie said:
When they first came out, I called the BM 940-1 my “grail” knife. At that time I had never spent over $110(tax included) on a knife.

At the moment, the 940-1 is my most carried folder outside of work.
Click to expand...
Cost does impact my decision about using or how to use a knife, especially initially after purchase. I have to really want a knife that costs more than $200. I started out similar and I have gravitated to higher quality (at least on paper) knives that I use or may use for regular carry. Perspectives on the hobby change with time. One person may opt to only buy inexpensive knives because they do cut, but may require more frequent sharpening. Another person may opt to use their $400 folder (with higher end materials) immediately or wait and let the use concept "grow on you". The hobby is a journey or has been for me.
 
ShannonSteelLabs said:
Damn... now that's my grail now!
One of the original ruckus? From some time in later 2000's?
And in vanax...badass
Click to expand...

Yes, I believe it's from 2006-08 -- the big 610 Rukus. The Vanax is a dream steel. The original S30V works well, but the Vanax just blows it away in every department. Josh did all the work, and his work is flawless. Not all my experiments or ideas work out, but this one did. I can run a more aggressive edge geometry with Vanax over S30V (15 dps and fifteen thousandths behind the edge).

Josh is working on a second Rukus, a first production run, that will be rebladed in A8(mod), as heat treated by Fredrik Haakonsen to 60-61 Rc, who is the master of this super, super tough steel. It will be another user with the same geometry.
 
Last edited:
Wowbagger said:
Oh . . . come on . . . you know you want to :D
Just place that order . . . put 'er in your pocket . . . doesn't that feel good ? ? ! ! ;)
. . . while you got it with you you might as well take a little cut . . . a little slice here and there. What's the harm . . .
Don't look now you've been carrying and using that same knife ALL WEEK. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

You have no idea, I have been so close to jumping in that side of the pool. I'm just afraid if I jump in, I may not jump back out!
 
fjblair said:
You have no idea, I have been so close to jumping in that side of the pool. I'm just afraid if I jump in, I may not jump back out!
Click to expand...
It’s nice in the deep end. You can tread for awhile and you will become more discerning about the knives you buy
 
22-rimfire said:
Cost does impact my decision about using or how to use a knife, especially initially after purchase. I have to really want a knife that costs more than $200. I started out similar and I have gravitated to higher quality (at least on paper) knives that I use or may use for regular carry. Perspectives on the hobby change with time. One person may opt to only buy inexpensive knives because they do cut, but may require more frequent sharpening. Another person may opt to use their $400 folder (with higher end materials) immediately or wait and let the use concept "grow on you". The hobby is a journey or has been for me.
Click to expand...
A never ending and oh so enjoyable journey without a doubt.:)
 
Buying a Shirogorov F3 was quite a reach for me psychologically. But I needed to see exactly what all the fuss was about. It is and is to be a rough user. A previous $250 purchase was a huge disappointment for me. Now I can see that ... The quality will remain long after the price is forgotten. --- Henry Royce

Here's to hoping a new Chinese flipper on the way is a happier event than the first one was.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top