Blade Blasphemy: Are Randall Knives Users?

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Well, it's not a Randall, but the same thing happens when knife folks see me carrying my SOG S1. They just can't believe anyone would actually use what they consider to be a collector's knife.
If it ain't cutting stuff, it's not a knife, just a knife shaped object. A paperweight. I like to use a good quality knife for its intended purpose, that being to cut stuff. And, if I had a Randall, it
would cut stuff, too.
 
VorpelSword said:
Will a Randall #1 fighter be durable enough for a deployed warfighter?
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Having been a “war fighter” in the Iraq war, I can say that I only used my combat knife one time and it wasn’t for combat. It was scraping human excrement off the floor of a building in Ramadi so we could clean it and make our sleeping quarters out of it.

I think that a Randall knife would hold up well even if it was pushed into a true combat role given the materials. There are cheaper knives with better materials but sometimes that’s not the point. Using or carrying something cool or rare is fun, even if it isn’t the most practical. If I owned a Randall, I would use it. I don’t think it’s blasphemous to do so
 
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I fail to see any mention of how much easier the "super steels" can snap if abused in ways such as prying. I am not sure a fragile steel is the best choice for a long hard use knife that takes only one mistake to make an easy task of breaking the blade in half. Sure it should not be done regularly but out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people who don't know how to treat a blade around you a very stronger knife that sharpens easily sacrificing super long lasting edge retention may be a better compromise.

Then there is the fantastic heat treat which is fantastic vs the run of the mill production line factory heat treat (which may or may not be bad.)
 
Yes.

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I never took a pic of the knives in a desert enviornment.... I must have been otherwise occupied!

For regular use, the Randall ain't winning any competitions for toughness or edge retention... but it's hard to say they've had a wait list since 1953 that's currently 5 years long by selling junkers. It'd be hard to imagine my 14 getting broken by anything short of trying, or something like prying open a hatch. They're finely made, melt in the hand, and cut like the devil even with a factory edge.

That being said, if burning in an armored vehicle is a concern of yours, I'd pick up a Busse. I'm pretty sure the Randall's are as good now if not better than they ever were, but I'm positive that the Busse is tougher at around the same price.

On the subject of knives for soldiers though-- on the division headquarters wall at 10th Mountain Division is a Gerber LMF mounted on the wall, about 1/2" of the tip is missing from where it was left inside a taliban insurgent. It don't take an expensive knife.

https://imgur.com/a/nvhCmNi

https://imgur.com/a/qWq7tqo
 
eisman said:
A sharp piece of metal has been sufficient in warfare for over 10,000 years. The pocket knife I use daily is a design well over 200 years old. There's absolutely no reason the design and materials used by Randall are deficient for daily hard use. I carry one of mine fairly often, although my experience has been that I do not need, nor did I use, a blade over 4" in the field (or in 33 years in the military) as much as I would a smaller blade. Randall knives were designed to be used. they would never have gained their reputation if they did not do that well.

It constantly amuses me to see knives from famous makers collected (although I am one of those who collects them). I laugh at myself too. It amuses me to think that a tool is "collectable" because it's such a great tool; but it's not going to get used as the maker intended.

Buy a Randall. Use it. It will outlast you and you will be better for having used it.
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Damn well said.
 
Just to dogpile the camera/electronics argument: the nature of electronics is shifting and cameras/electronics are built to be obsolete as the demand for better technology advances. These older items simply can’t keep up with the demand placed upon the market when it comes to things like megapixels, refresh rate, etc. You could claim steel is similar, but I’d contend that O-1 cuts about as well as many modern steels. It may not be as tough or hold an edge as long, but that doesn’t render the steel obsolete as it still does what it’s meant to do and at the highest order currently possible. O-1 will only be obsolete when all cutlery is replaced with plasma knives. Hell, Hinderer’s battlefield pickup line is all in O-1, iirc.
 
scdub said:
I’m thinking that an appropriate Randall model in the hands of a soldier that knows/cares about knives is a better combination than what 99% of our service people currently use. If anyone is feeling gloomy now that they don’t own a “tip of the spear” knife, shoot me a message and I’ll make you an offer on that old piece of junk. ;)
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75% of guys just have some old gas station knife that has never been sharpened and is probably broken in one way or the other. Was standing guard with this one dude and he pulls out his "EMS Knife" with belt cutter and I swear to god the knife didn't even lock up and was almost serrated it had so many chips, would be nice if the military issued a 3-4 inch blade standard along with a small stone (think what opinel gives with their knives).
 
kafolarbear said:
75% of guys just have some old gas station knife that has never been sharpened and is probably broken in one way or the other. Was standing guard with this one dude and he pulls out his "EMS Knife" with belt cutter and I swear to god the knife didn't even lock up and was almost serrated it had so many chips, would be nice if the military issued a 3-4 inch blade standard along with a small stone (think what opinel gives with their knives).
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It seemed like there would be 1-4 guys in a platoon that carried a knife that wasn't issued to them, because carrying extra pieces of metal wasn't what most people wanted to do, and only 1-2 had anything half decent. Even when we finally got issued our Leatherman multi-tools a lot of guys would leave it behind, because it was weight; even if it was on a mandatory kit list. Having a Spyderco Walker with Aus 8 steel put me at the high end of personal knife users...
 
The Grendels said:
It seemed like there would be 1-4 guys in a platoon that carried a knife that wasn't issued to them, because carrying extra pieces of metal wasn't what most people wanted to do, and only 1-2 had anything half decent. Even when we finally got issued our Leatherman multi-tools a lot of guys would leave it behind, because it was weight; even if it was on a mandatory kit list. Having a Spyderco Walker with Aus 8 steel put me at the high end of personal knife users...
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I carried the same leatherman ever since a Gerber crapped out on me a few days into a particularly miserable field OP. And then there’s me taking bark rivers out to the field. I wouldn’t buy it if I wouldn’t use it but goddamn does it get so much attention. It’s cool to find the knife guys in your unit, all the Rambo and “do you carry that for protection” comments on a knife barely over 4 inches in blade length get old though. Every marine or soldier should have a decent knife and multi tool, but that’s my biased opinion, not everyone gives a crap enough to maintain either properly anyways.
 
kafolarbear said:
I carried the same leatherman ever since a Gerber crapped out on me a few days into a particularly miserable field OP. And then there’s me taking bark rivers out to the field. I wouldn’t buy it if I wouldn’t use it but goddamn does it get so much attention. It’s cool to find the knife guys in your unit, all the Rambo and “do you carry that for protection” comments on a knife barely over 4 inches in blade length get old though. Every marine or soldier should have a decent knife and multi tool, but that’s my biased opinion, not everyone gives a crap enough to maintain either properly anyways.
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Yeah, it's strange the way you get people paying much attention to knives, when you're regularly handling assault rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades. I don't remember a single conversation about knife steel but firearm caliber was something that came up regularly.

 
greater said:
I fail to see any mention of how much easier the "super steels" can snap if abused in ways such as prying. I am not sure a fragile steel is the best choice for a long hard use knife that takes only one mistake to make an easy task of breaking the blade in half. Sure it should not be done regularly but out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people who don't know how to treat a blade around you a very stronger knife that sharpens easily sacrificing super long lasting edge retention may be a better compromise.

Then there is the fantastic heat treat which is fantastic vs the run of the mill production line factory heat treat (which may or may not be bad.)
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What are you talking about?. We are comparing it to Esees, Beckers, CPKs, Busses, etc. Not some brittle super steel knives.
 
I own 1 Randall knife (Model 8) and my father owns 2 (a 12 and 26) and neither of us has ever used our knives. We didn’t buy them to use them, we bought them because of the quality and name and the fact they are fantastic looking pieces. I’m sure many people buy them for the same reason. Do I think they are good quality and would last a long time if used? Yes. Do I think they are the best hard use knife out there? No. To me Randall knives are excellent in fit and finish and have very desirable models and a long standing good name. That’s why I own one and would buy another
 
I firmly believe the Model 24 is still the finest Dagger for EDC money can buy. I deeply regret selling my other Randalls.
 
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