Blade Blasphemy: Are Randall Knives Users?

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Otzi, the Ice Man of the Alps, circa 3300 BC, was carrying not only a stone knife, but also a copper axe, when he was killed. They have traced the copper to a large smelting operation in what is now northern Italy. This was about the same time the Pyramids were being built, and a time when most considered Europe to be a land of barbarians and uncivilized wild men.

It is also a fact that the Americas were Neolithic until the arrival of the Europeans in the late 15th century. That's New Stone Age, for anyone who cares. They were able to work gold and copper, but these were used for mostly for jewelry and religious artifacts. Weapons and tools were primarily stone, and other natural materials.
 
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jbmonkey said:
comparing randalls to old cameras and cars is silly. randalls don't have moving parts and suspensions, changeable lenses and delicate pieces etc.

they worked very well at cutting stuff knives cut back in the olden days and......amazingly enough that same stuff they still work incredibly well at cutting it today. hasn't changed at all.
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The comparison is only made as a reference to what the frenetic pace of "progress" has done to them...
 
A Randall is a cool knife but not a realistic option for most Soldiers and Marines, too expensive and no one wants to lose or abuse an heirloom out in the field. A Buck, Ontario, Kabar/Becker, Esee, Tops, or the new Spartan Kabar line is a better option.

They all make several utility models that can flex into a combat tool (I'm sure im missing some brands but these are the easy to get ahold of). The average young soldier can afford these and afford to use and abuse them, and if its lost it can be replaced. Anything over the 150 to 200 range is really impractical for a 18-24 year old out in the field or deployed. Older soldiers and operators might have something more expensive or unique.

I carried a Ontario "kabar" and a small Explorer knife in the field. Daily carry on duty was a SAK and a SOG multitool. I carried the small explorer knife or a Valor boot knife when not on base, both of those and the SOG came from a shop out in Oceanside.

Again the average Soldier/Marine is best served by a decent priced fixed blade, a good multitool and a serviceable folder that can take abuse, because they will abuse the gear, they are young, on a budget and normally not knife collectors.

All that said I still personally want a Randall or similar homage in my collection.
 
Randall knives are very very good knives, and will stand up to any field use you may find in the army. I had a small Randall collection, and my number 14 was a very rugged knife. The fact that they do NOT use the high tech alloys is a good thing. If you have a few spare moments while on the go, you don't want to have to spend a lot of time sharpening. A Randall can be touched up quick with the little stone they supply in the sheath pocket.

On the other hand, they were a product that was the best in the 1940's, like the 1911A1. Still a VERY viable tool. But do they cut any better than any other sharp knife? No, not really. In the 10 years I served in the army Combat Engineers, my most used knife was the issued MIL-K-818, sometimes called a 'demo' knife. The Randall in its day, was the only knife mad with a 1/4 inch spine thickness. The issued MKII used 3/16th and the private purchase knives of the era used 1/8 to maybe 3/16 if you got a "heavy duty" knife. Randall was the ground breaker of the sharpened pry bar.

Toward the end of my service before the construction accident that left me 50% disabled, I was already scaling down and carrying less. Being an engineer, if I needed to chop, there were hatchets in the squad tool box. Or saws of needed. Or even machetes if needed. My Randall 14 spent most the time shoved down in my duffle bag or locked up in the foot locker. Nice things in barracks tend to walk off.
 
I agree: steel snobbery is rather short-sighted...
I've owned Schrades that you could dull with a sharp glance; but sharpen by drawing them across a Coe bottle.
And they never let me down!
 
A knife is not like an electronic devise / computer which can become obsolete with obscene rapidity . :mad:

If a knife was adequate to perform it's function in the past , it probably will still do so, just fine .

But if you want the best possible functionality and are willing to pay for it , even knife technology , materials and designs DO improve and evolve over time . :cool:
 
Anything is a user… if you’re willing to use it. I’ve lusted over Randall’s since I was a boy, and still find them absolutely beautiful. That said, I’m sure they’re functional for just about any general knife-worthy application. Personally, I’m too practical to use something that beautiful and expensive as a beater when less collectible, and potentially more functional options exist that I’d be far less hesitant to beat on or lose. For combat/tactical/hard use application, it seems to me their cost seems to be a situation of diminished return. I feel the same way about things like the classic CRK fixies. Beautiful? Absolutely. Capable? I have no doubt. But is their price going to justify it doing anything significantly better in those types of applications than something production that is more affordable? I doubt it, but I’m also not a HSLD operator.

But, let’s be honest, this is BladeForums. We can justify buying just about anything when we want to!
 
There is no doubt that there is high demand for Randall Made products. The cachet of the #1 All Purpose Fighter is compelling. That is one reason that, without serious thought or research, I committed to buying one for our son as he entered A&M with the full intention of becoming a Marine. I had attempted to spec it out for rough field use, opting for the more stoutly built f#16-1 Special Fighter based on the #16 Diver's Knife blade stock and avoiding neat looking stag and saw teeth etc.

As that time came closer, I made regular payments on that knife. When Randall Made outright refused to make it right and dull it down for use in the desert I freaked. Not a knife industry follower, I looked around and found that most manufacturers were offering whatever they considered to be a tactical knife with some form of non-reflective blade finish. So I bought what seemed at the time to be a peer quality knife, (CRK "Green Beret") ready from the factory for desert use with a dark finished blade. I don't think he used the CRK to dig a hole, but it was used hard and he came home with a regard for that knife as an EDC tool, while the Randall is set aside in a box in the closet.
Centermass said:
Anything is a user… if you’re willing to use it. I’ve lusted over Randall’s since I was a boy, and still find them absolutely beautiful. That said, I’m sure they’re functional for just about any general knife-worthy application. Personally, I’m too practical to use something that beautiful and expensive as a beater when less collectible, and potentially more functional options exist that I’d be far less hesitant to beat on or lose. For combat/tactical/hard use application, it seems to me their cost seems to be a situation of diminished return. I feel the same way about things like the classic CRK fixies. Beautiful? Absolutely. Capable? I have no doubt. But is their price going to justify it doing anything significantly better in those types of applications than something production that is more affordable? I doubt it, but I’m also not a HSLD operator.

But, let’s be honest, this is BladeForums. We can justify buying just about anything when we want to!
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I absolutely agree with most of what you say. I was not buying for myself. I was trying to asuage my anxiety for our only son. If I could have, I'd have sold everything we owned to buy him a better tank than the USMC LAV-25 he was in charge of. He wouldn't let me up grade his body armor because he couldn't have better gear than his men. So I sank my money into the toughest cutlery I could find. I still didn't sleep well.
 
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VorpelSword said:
There is no doubt that there is high demand for Randall Made products. The cachet of the #1 All Purpose Fighter is compelling. That is one reason that, without serious thought or research, I committed to buying one for our son as he entered A&M with the full intention of becoming a Marine. I had attempted to spec it out for rough field use, opting for the more stoutly built f#16-1 Special Fighter based on the #16 Diver's Knife blade stock and avoiding neat looking stag and saw teeth etc.

As that time came closer, I made regular payments on that knife. When Randall Made outright refused to make it right and dull it down for use in the desert I freaked. Not a knife industry follower, I looked around and found that most manufacturers were offering whatever they considered to be a tactical knife with some form of non-reflective blade finish. So I bought what seemed at the time to be a peer quality knife, ready from the factory for desert use. I dont think he used the CRK to dig a hole, but it was used hard and hee came home with a regard for that knife as a tool, while the Randall is set aside in a box in the closet.

I absolutely agree with most of what you say. I was not buying for myself. I was trying to asuage my anxiety for our only son. If I could have, I'd have sold everything we owned to buy him a better tank than the USMC LAV-25 he was in charge of. He wouldn't let me up grade his body armor because he couldn't have better gear than his men. So I sank my money into the toughest cutlery I could find. I still didn't sleep well.
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I hear you. I recently helped my own out, knowing Uncle Sam doesn’t always provide. he’s a combat medic in the Army. Over the holidays he came home on leave, and I provided him a variety of options for a fixed knife, from not very expensive to moderate, but all reliable, and told him to pick based on his needs. Seeing as how his uses are probably more for camp needs during field exercises, and not likely CQC thank goodness, he chose the Becker BK7. That said, I did also get him some better trauma shears and a medical backpack he was looking at that aren’t issue. He still carries the Benchmade 550hg Griptilian with AWT scales I gave him before basic.
 
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Hello. I don't claim any more knowledge and experience than most anyone in these forums. However, I can relate my personal experience with Randall knives. I purchased my first maybe in 1981 and have owned maybe 6 over the years. Sorry, my memory of all the knives I've owned is hard for me to recall 100%.
Regardless, all of the Randall's I've owned were/are absolutely very good, well performing knives. I currently have 2 bowies (Smith and Bear). I've had my Smithsonian maybe 15 years. It is stained, scratched, and has been sharpened many times. I've used it for many tasks one would use a large knife for. It is O1 and it has a VERY sharp edge. I wouldn't hesitate to use it when a large blade is preferred.
Cost is relative and for some things, good enough is good. Personal preference, likes, interests, reputation, history, etc. can be big factors in knife choices.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting Randall's are "the best" anything. However, in the hypothetical "if my life depended on it", I would be fine with a Randall knife as my cutting tool.
Sorry for sounding like I'm preaching the "Gospel", lol!!
Best regards and God bless.
 
About the current prices for Randall's. When I received my first catalog from the company back in 67 I was actually surprised how reasonable they were. Most Model 1's were in the mid $30 range. You could by the Solingen bladed 14's, 15's and 18's for less. I don't know what current troops consider over the top in price but they are making a hell of lot more money than a Sp/4 did in 68. That said, I think collectors have driven a lot of ordinary knife users out of the market for both Randalls and Ruanas. There weren't that many people buying them purely to collect them in the old days.
 
If I had a Randall, I'd use the hell out of it. What I'd do with that knife would make safe queen collectors cry themselves to sleep.

He passed away last year, but I had a friend who was in the 10th SF group for about 20 years. He was very attached to the Randall he received when he joined that team, but he also used it heavily for years.
 
I've owned a couple Randall Made's...used one of em a bit...that one was stainless. No trouble with the steel...no trouble with anything about the knife.

However, my concern with "heavy use" with Randall Made would be the tang and handle materials themselves rather than the steel.

I don't put full faith in rat tangs or stick tang knives...But, even at that, I'd use my Randall Made hard, if needed.

For true hard use...Busse Combat is unmatched. Jerry continues to innovate, even up to this minute.
 
One warning issued for insults.
 
They are beautiful knives (Spyderco has Randall knives for sale at their factory outlet store in Golden -- dro-o-o-o-l) but there are lots of others just as functional and a lot more affordable.
 
I use mine all the time, I prefer the carbon steel ones and nothing looks better than a nice patina on a Randall.
 
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