British Army Clasp Knife opinions wanted.

I have somehow ended up with two of them. One has a main blade that seems surprisingly soft. The other has a main blade that is equal to a SAK main blade in hardness. It could be that QC was not tight on this "GI" item.
 
I've been tempted a few times by these Brit sailors knives, but I haven't quite been able to pull the trigger on one yet. Not that I'm a sailor or anything, but they seem like a cool pattern and its one I don't have. One reason I don't buy one of the Brit models is because I think if I ever buy one, its going to be one of those nice Myerchin's. They look good and I've heard that they are excellent users.
 
In the early 1970's I bought a surplus, NIB, non-locking issue knife of the style identified as #3. Mine is marked on the handle with the Broad Arrow, dated 1968 and bears the "oil the joints" caution I have seen on other Brit knives. No markings on the blade, the can opener proudly proclaims "JAPAN'. This knife certainly holds an edge as well as a SAK but I can't comment on the Joseph Rodgers' quality. I am a bit shocked at the price being asked for these.
My first hand knowledge of Canadian/Brit style mess tins is something I'd rather not think about. ;)

Koot
 
[QUOTE... VERY strong springs....[/QUOTE]

Yep, mine as well, and no thumb nick on the blade, only on the opener. ???
 
Mine weighs a ton, has very stiff springs...and I mean VERY! Almost turning my nails into mush. The fit and finish were sub Frost!
Matt
 
I have a Joseph Rorders English Jack and it is very good, I have not seen their version of the British army knife.

I own several rigging knives, my favorite is a Captain Currey made in Sheffield though I should say that I had to fix it a bit since the edge would hit the spring when closed. I own a Chinese copy of the British army knife, finish is fine but does not hold an edge much. My Camillus rigging knife with locking spike is very good though kind of heavy for my taste.

For a good rigging knife I suggest checking out Myerchin and Ibberson.

Luis
 
I had one of the knives shown in the link as No.2 the 3pc Jack.

The blade was good steel and took a very sharp edge, but the weight, the difficulty opening the blades because of the strength of the springs, the almost useless can-opener (perhaps I just never got the hang of using it?), made it unpleasant to carry and use..... I gave it away
 
The one I had as a child, which was actually my Dad's issue one that he'd been allowed to keep on finishing his conscription, took & held a good edge. The marlin spike was great for making holes in condensed milk tins so you could drink the contents!
Happy memories of that knife. :)
 
Time to resurrect this thread !

I picked up one of these surplus folders with the copper bail, marlinspike, can opener and main blade, some have a bottle cap lifter but not this one. First the bad news the can opener is pretty crappy though it sort of works , the older folks I showed the knife too recognized the old style can opener and agreed it was a poor design.

The rest of the knife is good , the marlinspike is great for prying with - no more broken knife blade tips. The mainblade is sturdy and holds a decent edge. These are not pretty knives but are made for rough service so I like'em.

I made a leather belt pouch as it is a bit bulky for a pocket carry

One thing though you need a strong thumbnail as the bolsters have been pinched very tight so the snap is very good.
 
Hi all, I have three British Army knives: a three-piece, a two-piece and a
single, locking blade. The three-piece is a large and heavy chunk. I have
not used the can-opener so can't comment but it also has a bottle-opener
on the same blade. This works well.

The two-piece is thinner and lighter, and sits more comfortably in the hand.
The locker is very slim and would, I think, be hard on the palms in prolonged
use. Those more adept than me could add scales quite easily I guess. The pull
on the locker is much easier than on the other two.

All three came with good edges and, being dead straight, they are easy to
sharpen. As for the steel, it's simply marked "stainless" so, who knows? I
have found the Army (and Navy) knives to be consistent in quality. What you
see is what you get and I would describe them as plain tools, no more.

I hope this is of use and I'll happily try to answer any questions but I am
a noob; technical queries would go right over my head! :)

Edit. Thomas Linton mentions quality control above. As a collector/user of
Sheffield knives I have to say their QC varies wildly and I have bought two
really poor knives. I gave them away to a folder maker to play with! But
the army folders seem reliable.
 
Here is a UK site

http://www.littlemesters.com/

Under 'Pocket Knives' click on 'MOD Defence' and you'll see a range of these
knives. I have no connection with the company and can only say that the
knives they have sold me have been good quality.

I would guess that you could get them cheaper elsewhere. I post the link
purely for information.

:)
 
Militaria fairs or ex-army stores in the U.K. Occasionally they may turn up in car boot sales. Other than that, I'd reckon that fleabay is your best bet.

BTW, mine is carbon steel.

Edit:
Parkman, I've just had a look at that site. What amazes me time & again is that the version with marlin spike is almost always called the Navy version. The one my Dad passed down to me was the black handled version (Called a jack on Little Mesters). It was his issue knife.
He was in the Engineers (I forget if it was R.E. or R.E.M.E.), not the Navy. ;)
 
I had one of those Army clasp knives when I was a kid, but it got stolen.

Could never work out what that marlin spike was FOR?? Stabbing sharks...grey colour looks nice, is that what you get these days? The one I had was black and a monster to open.
 
Hi....Sorry for the repetiton. I bring this one out every once in awhile in hope that someone can help me. This knife is 5 inches long has the old style tin opener, marlinespike and stag handle. The blade is marked with the broad arrow and I which I believe was government issue for use in India during Victorian times. The other mark is Hunter Sheffield. If you have any further information it would be most appreciated.

Hun-3.jpg

Hun-4.jpg
 
No need to apologize for a terrific knife SK...My mind starts to wandering when I think of the Victorian era and India in the same sentence. Can you imagine the history this knife may have seen...

Sunburst
 
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