Brother is really hard on knives, looking for an inexpensive tough knife in a decent steel
- Thread starter Macchina
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Agree.
Get the best cheap alternative, the Rat 1. Has been a good work knife for me, but I don t abuse my knives. I do use them hard.
Thin ground and keeps a working age for a long time. D2 blade is a good choice.
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No. Cause it's lockbar is too thin and will travel to 100% lockup and its om bearing, which you don't want to use like he suggests his brother is gonna use it like. Really wranglestar just likes that it's a flipper. Wait until he tried more flippers that are better than that thing.
Of the 2 traditional knives mentioned, the Opinel and Buck 110, I would go with the Opinel for this, particularly in the 9 or 10 size. I think the 110 is a funner knife and I carry one most days now since finding the aluminum framed one from Copper and Clad. But the joints of the 110 are nowhere near as rugged as the joints on the larger Opinels. You can pry all day long with an Opinel and all you're going to do is work harden and eventually snap the blade. I've never seen one develop blade play even when abused.
Note: your brother shouldn't pry in a way that could cause the knife to close. The Opinel's lock will fail in that direction very quickly. It's more like a slip joint. If your brother needs to pry towards the blade, he should be using a fixed blade. I would recommend the Mora Companion as a great beater work knife, or the HD version if he really needs a pry bar.
Note: your brother shouldn't pry in a way that could cause the knife to close. The Opinel's lock will fail in that direction very quickly. It's more like a slip joint. If your brother needs to pry towards the blade, he should be using a fixed blade. I would recommend the Mora Companion as a great beater work knife, or the HD version if he really needs a pry bar.
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This is about the way I feel about it generally. You can trash a more expensive knife, so why even bother?
I know how it is for knife folks and family wanting to "show them the light" and all that stuff. But, sometimes I think it best just to learn on your own with perhaps an occasional suggestion for a new knife when the topic comes up. Something from Cold Steel sounds good.
bikerector
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Cold Steel Pocket Bushman
The lock takes some gettin used to, but I'm not sure it can be beat in the inexpensive abuse resistance category.
I've been looking at these, seem like a neat knife to do non-knife stuff with.
Maybe a multi-tool would be better? I know a few have replaceable blades. Otherwise, I was was thinking a buck 110 or 112 would be good as they're stout and durable.
Really, it sounds like he needs a fixed blade. Get him a Bk2 or an esee 5. Really, even the esee cr2.5 is pretty stout for a small knife. I sold one I had because it was excessively thick for a small fixed blade, IMO.
I think the spyderco byrd knives are well made and durable as well.
Henry Beige
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Cold Steel Pocket Bushman
The lock takes some gettin used to, but I'm not sure it can be beat in the inexpensive abuse resistance category.
That will teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget. There’s no gettin’ used to that lock.
I like the Opinel suggestion, too. For a fixed blade, Mora, Hultafors GK, or Schrade SCHF55, which was designed with abuse in mind.
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Agreed. Though Cold Steel might even be much, to me. If the brother is getting into knives, they might be a good choice. But it doesn't sound like it. Crazy as it sounds, some people have no passion for knives whatsoever. Sounds like he is one of them.
I'm sure if I bought him a Cold Steel (which aren't cheap anymore), then I saw him opening paint cans with it, throwing it into trees, and using a pull through sharpener on it....I would just be po'ed at him.
I would just spend the money on something he appreciates. Buying something for someone that you appreciate never works.
Opinel is not a "hard use" knife. This guy is going to break it in a heartbeat if he doesn't leave it out in the rain first.
Mora actually is a nice choice. They really were designed to be abused and then tossed.
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Cold Steel Recon 1 or Code 4 might be good options.
Moras are a good option if he can tolerate a fixed blade.
Moras are a good option if he can tolerate a fixed blade.
A buddy of mine is a carpenter/GC. Not surprisingly, he's into knives and hand tools in general.
He saw an Opinel 8 I had at the time and raised his eyebrows so I gave it to him and told him to try to break it. We would joke about when we bumped into each other at church and he would shake his head that it was still going.
Eventually after 18 months, he snapped the blade and brought the busted up knife for me to see. He reported that he went out of his way to bust and specifically noted that he specifically reached for the Opinel anytime he had to open a paint can or pry some wood just so he could see when the knife would fail. That knife never developed blade play.
Opinels have comparatively thin blades and overbuilt joints. Like any knife, they can be broken and the weak link is the blade generally speaking. You can try this at home for $15 a pop. Put the blade in a vice and go at the handle. You'll bust off the blade but in most cases, the joint will be unaffected.
The person who tipped me to the Opinel was named Pete. He used to post in the Traditional forum and used to work HVAC where he used a #9 to plunge cut duct work.
Honestly though, nobody but traditional nuts would consider either the 110 or an Opinel or any other traditional. They're too hard to carry unless you use a holster or use rear pocket carry.
Yes, just like I said, he will break it. As you say, it has a weak link.
Knives that don't break don't have one.
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Steel Will Cutjack.
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Pretty good suggestion in D2. I have the M390 Mini Cutjack and like it alot. He will probably have trouble sharpening it however.
Why not have him buy the knife himself and learn to care for it himself, i.e., loctiting the screws, cleaning out the gunk, and resharpening it himself, too. He might take a little better care of the knife if he buys it himself and learns to be responsible for its maintenance instead of relying on you to do it. Then it might last a year instead of 6 months.
With the way he uses his knives, 8Cr13MoV is probably a good steel choice for him. I would NOT recommend a higher-end knife with more expensive steel if it's essentially a throw-away item to him.
Jim
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I think you're spot on with the Kershaw Barge for your brother. It's a tank with a pry bar and a better steel won't help much. My brother is the same way with a knife - he either loses it or destroys (breaks blade, etc) it in 3-6 months. Guys like our brothers need/deserve replaceable $17 dollar Kershaw's so they don't go broke buying knives over and over.