Are Pakistan-made Bowie knives safe to use?

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Don't do pullups with one, don't use one when your life might depend on your knife (outdoor wilderness in the middle of winter with just a backpack people) etc, the kind with the rat-tail tangs will usually be okay with light use but flop over or break if you push em, the full tang giant bowie knives I've seen were solid enough, sure the steel sucks and I wouldn't pound through a steel pipe with one or something stupid, but they're functional enough. It's not like guns where junk steel will make it explode and put your eyes out and mess up your hand, generally the blade will just bend really easy or the pins/screws will fall out of the handle. Other than that use your own judgement.
 
The Timbler Rattler Western Outlaw Bowie Knife with full tang that I mention above is a heck of a knife, especially considering the price tag. It's plenty heavy, and throws quite well. Chuck it like a spear, as I saw demonstrated on a Youtube, and it flies well, and sticks well, too. Would I want to throw a $300 knife? Well, I haven't yet. Although if it gets beat up, that should be expected. With the TR, getting beat up isn't a prob.
 
Of course there are good makers from Pakistan, the whole world really. Many of these countries have been making knives before us (USA) even became a country. Just wanted to put this out there.
 
I have ran into too many pot metal Pakastani knives in my time to ever trust them again. I've had friends bring me knives they bought at a great deal ( at the dollar store) and asked me to sharpen them. I did one and refused to do any more. The blades looked like steel but sure didn't act like it. I doubt very much it was heat treated and question if they could be.

I got a sawmill cutlery knife from SMKW to try the file steel blades. I typically like file steel knives. I really like W1 and W2. What I found in the Pakistan file knives were made from real Pakistan files that were case hardened steel and didn't make the best knives. The parts left not ground made fairly decent light use files. :)

Joe
 
Most of the Timber Rattler models are remarkably solid, good quality knives especially for their lower end price! They are very good working knives, unlike the dangerous pieces of breakable crap that Winchester sells! However, I would stay away from Timber Rattler's "Sinfully Spiked" model! Not very well put together, and may give you problems! All in all, great knives for the price! I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
 
It's not a case of people saying all knives from Pakistan suck, it's a case of a LOT of very poorly crafted, often flimsy and easily breakable blades, frequently with false or misleading descriptions coming from there, which makes people generally wary about knives from that region.

It's like telling someone not to walk alone after dark in your city's "bad part of town". I mean sure, not everyone who does so is necessarily gonna get mugged or assaulted or w/e, but enough people do that caution is advised regardless.
 
bridge47 said:
I am looking for a good Bowie knife at a good price
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bridge47 said:
Who makes the $30 to $40 Bowie knife. And Where can I get one online
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bridge47 said:
If anyone can please help me fine a $30 to $40 bowie knife online I would appreciate it
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Just looked over this thread again.

First, Welcome to the Forum!
Second, we don't like when people bring back really old threads. Just start a new one!
Finally, as I said, Condor Knife and Tool makes a great knife for a great price. Mora also makes great knives for even cheaper, but they are not "bowies." For $75 and up, you get a lot more options, like Becker Knife and Tool, ESEE, Scrap Yard/Swamp Rat, Ontario, etc.
 
If you use them safely, should not be a problem. I would rather use all knifes like they are Pakistani made, at least in the beginning.
For me it's more about edge retention than the safety.
 
Colt has good pocket knives made in China but most of their fixed blades are made in Pakistan. I wonder if the importer makes them use the same QC as the RR line. Probably not. I started to buy the Colt 45 Bowie one nite off the TV show till the operator told me it was made in Pakistan. I noticed RR has at least one fixed blade made in Pakistan and not China.
 
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First of all there is a difference between "use" and "abuse". A Pakistan knife will cut, might not be very well, but it will cut. On the other hand, I wouldn't try to process wood with a knife from Pakistan. Beating it through a log might end really bad.


If you have $30 to spend either buy.........

a Cold Steel G.I. Tanto

a Condor Rodan

a Schrade Extreme SCHF3

Not a lot too pick from at that price range.
 
There are two kinds of knives. Knives you can actually use, and knives that you hang on the wall. The knife you are describing is a wall hanger, IMHO. It's not a snob thing, it's just that knives are tools, and there are great tools, good tools and crappy tools. For a long time I used to buy cheap tools thinking I was saving a lot of money. Then I realized, after having to buy the same tool over and over, when they broke, I wasn't saving anything. I have a fake Rolex watch. It looks great, and it works, but I wouldn't wear it in the shower. :D
 
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