camp knife advice needed - please !!!

Originally posted by mikemck
Well good lord, finally some pics of the full lineup :D

I am incredibly excited about the Swamp Rat knives, and now, seeing actual pics of the knives, I'm surely hyped.

I was just about to post in the Swamp Rat forum asking when the pics would be up...Thanks much Eric, those are some great pics.
Click to expand...

Mike,
Glad you like them. However, keep your eyes on the forum, as I've got plenty more where that came from ;):D
 
That Swamp Rat in the middle (unnamed) is an awesome knife! As are the two on top. I always loved the Basic handles, and these are even better (a little harder, and textured). The Camp Tramp feels great in the hand, and I guess I'll just have to get one:) I don't see how anything will be able to compete in this price range.

Zenghost...
I just got my 4.5" TTKK w/plain black G-10 in 1/8" S30V from Trace at Blade. Thin, sharp, and made to fit my hand. It is an incredible knife, and I think it outcuts any I have used to date. You did good, Joe, awesome design:)
He had a couple more like this without the pinky hook, but I'm sure somebody bought them-I was just there for a little while Friday.
My scan isn't the greatest, but here it is so you can see the "other" handle style...little scuff marks in the G-10 complements of my driveway:rolleyes:
 
Uncleknife, please email me. Your email isn't listed, but i think I can help you out with your "dilema" :) Thanks.
 
Originally posted by OwenM
Zenghost...
I just got my 4.5" TTKK w/plain black G-10 in 1/8" S30V from Trace at Blade. Thin, sharp, and made to fit my hand. It is an incredible knife, and I think it outcuts any I have used to date. You did good, Joe, awesome design:)
He had a couple more like this without the pinky hook, but I'm sure somebody bought them-I was just there for a little while Friday.
My scan isn't the greatest, but here it is so you can see the "other" handle style...little scuff marks in the G-10 complements of my driveway:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Greeeaaat...now I have another one to buy...:rolleyes: I really have to get another job. Anyone know of a job where I can sit on bladeforums all day and get paid six figures? :p

Thanks for the pic, dude.
 
Originally posted by OwenM
I just got my 4.5" TTKK w/plain black G-10 in 1/8" S30V from Trace at Blade. . . .

He had a couple more like this without the pinky hook . . . .

My scan isn't the greatest, but here it is so you can see the "other" handle style . . . .
Click to expand...

I checked out the website and sent an e-mail to the contact address requesting quotes for a 5" version in Talonite, S30V and D2. (If I'm going to spend that kind of dough on a knife, I might as well go all out, eh?) I didn't see anything about S30V or the other handle style.
 
Removing the bird's beak really cleans the design up! Arguably, the bird's beak isn't that necessary on a knife this small designed for this use, but I really like the way it locks the hand in. Still, I'll probably have to own an S30V TTKK w/o bird's beak myself!

Joe
 
uncleknife..I have to throw my chip in for the marbles too...one nice knife for not alot of money..carver models are real handy and fit the hand like a glove.
 
Originally posted by diletante
I checked out the website and sent an e-mail to the contact address requesting quotes for a 5" version in Talonite, S30V and D2...
I didn't see anything about S30V or the other handle style.
Click to expand...
Let me encourage you to be patient waiting for a return email. This is probably not the best week to expect a quick response from makers who were at Blade, particularly Trace, who drove with his family all the way from California.

S30V isn't mentioned on his site, yet, but Trace had a good selection of knives in that material on his table. I believe this was the first batch of S30V knives he got back from heat treat. The handle is not standard, either (well it wasn't, but Trace did make more than just the one for me). Our own chad234 had one made like that sometime ago, and I like it-he let me borrow it: very :cool: It is more like the handle on the Chimera, but with only one finger groove.
Chad's knife is 5/32" stock, and has more belly. I think it is a better "all-around" knife than my TTKK. Even though it's thickness gives up a little performance on thin materials, it makes up for it in others. I had both knives outside making fuzz sticks, and pointing stakes today. The thicker model wedges apart the wood better, and was easier to use for this. It also works better for splitting wood with a baton for the same reason, and has a stouter tip, which I would be more comfortable with doing rough work. Both are awesome knives. One a little more special purpose than the other. Either makes for a wonderful kitchen knife when you're not doing "real" stuff with it.
Here's a scan of both to show the differences in the blades, and the handles (Trace made the handles on mine to fit my hand based on measurements from Chad's knife-that's what is great about working with a custom maker).
 
Here are some pics of that TTKK:
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As compared to a MEUK (A. Blade)
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A regular TTKK:
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fdde8e80.jpg


Enjoy,
Chad
 
Uncleknife,
Nothing wrong is with the knives you have mentioned and others in this thread.
There is also newcomer in decent camp knife bunch, you can find it here
 
I vote for the F-1 on your list as it has served me well in the Canadian bush for several weeks. If you want something larger step up to the S-1 both very nice knives for the money in the kydex sheath.
 
Just my own opinion...Marbles is good; I have a couple and I cannot say anything bad about 'em!

However, I have a feeling the Swamp Rats are going to outperform everything out there in their price range...again, my opinion..YMMV~
 
Ragnar at http://www.ragweedforge.com has a nice selection of Scandanavian knives, many of which might do very well as camp knives.
Has anyone here tried using them for that purpose?
There are several sizes of leuku as well as a lot of choices of "regular" knives. Almost all of the "working" (not dress) knives are well under $100.
 
I've used puukkos for camping. I have one of the regular models (Lynx), and a Tommi.. They are great knives overall. The blades are very thin, and the scandanavian grind is fantastically sharp.However, I tend to like my camp knife to have a guard -- not just for myself, but for the people in camp who will borrow my knife, who might not be as careful as me. In addition, my knuckles end up so much lower than the blade on those puukkos that it's not a useful for food prep, which is the majority of camp knife usage for me.

Anyway, great knives, and a fine choice for the backcountry, but for my own reasons I'd rather have a TTKK, Deerhunter, etc.

Joe
 
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