Challenge: Carry only one for a month

Very nice challenge :)

I hope you won't mind if Iadd some thoughts to the original question.

IMHO there is no point in looking for a knife in the range of 500-700$ for a 18 month daily use.
I don't think a knife is to be compared to a cell phone, or to a car.
A better comparison can be done with a hammer, or any other tool.

Computers, laptops, cellphones, cars.... are dedicated to one purpose. And because of their price we take care to use them on their purpose and to maintain them in good conditions.

A tool, and therefor a knife, has to serve is purpose, but more than it should, we use them for different purposes.... and they have to deliver... and sometime they are damaged.

For this reason I think there is more sense into getting the best value for the money.
And to be honest, most of the time you can get some good materials and assemblies in the range of 50-150$.
Going up to 250$ for fancy materials, and bellow for dubtious quality...

In my collection, a PM2 or a griptilian may fit your need and are far under 700$.

On many occasion I have stay with only one knife for over a month.
PM2 (120$), ZT0801 (160$), BM943(180$), mini sebenza (350$).... did 2/3 months in a row without problem.

My use is mainly urban EDC, but I take them when walking in the forest.
But clearly the less they cost, the less remorse I have to abuse them ....:)
My PM2 has been hard used sometime on wood, plaster, plastics.... he has some slight marks but still it stands and delivers.

At the end mayby one think to consider is how you usually dress.... jeans or pants... may influence your chioce
 
I just got my PM2 and it looks like it's going to be in the pocket for a long time. This knife is perfect! I'm in on his challenge.
 
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Okay, I can play, now.

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Although I don't carry a knife at work, so it's mostly just weekends. If I find something worth cutting, I'll post.
 
I carried & used my custom Seamus Knives Uber, every day for 4 years. There is nothing wrong with carrying & using a custom knife.
 
Third week for me now. Knife has performed very well. I have opened a lot of lumber units.
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I had to cut some trim loose to get it in a garage.
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Then last night and tonight I have been painting bleachers down at the ball park. There were three really bad rotten spots in the wood. I cut them out with the grip.
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Now it is time for a sharpening.
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Will post up tomorrow how sharpening went.
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I would go for a Hinderer XM-18 in either 3.5 or 3". That way if you had the itch to change knives you could simply order up some new brass/copper/Ti hardware and change up how it looks.
 
The grip is back to razor status again. It took a little bit of work but I am very happy with it.
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a knife dude has got to do.

OK I’m doing it. Remember the Cold Steel Kitchen Classic paring knife that I have said is close to my grail. If it only had some species of super steel, had a tad longer blade and handle ?

Then I got the idea of thinning out a CS Pendleton Hunter in 3V but I couldn’t imagine grinding off that nice DLC coating so I gave that up a month or two ago. I got the Para 2 with DLC and decided it didn’t reduce cutting fiction but actually caused more drag so was impractical in a user knife.

Sweet ! CS Pendleton Hunter in 3V is back on the list and I was committed to grind off the DLC with out a second thought.

Got it this evening, cut a bit of card board, and after The Chef retired for the night I hit the shop and started grinding. First I ground off the DLC from the spine so I could dye it and scribe on some layout lines to grind to. I only had a little time before I had to stop making noise for the night so I took some off the forward half of the blade.

What’s weird is I just watched a YouTube last night of a guy comparing the old Pendleton Hunter in VG-1 and his was all super thick nearly the full length of the knife. Then he showed the new one with DLC in 3V and it was ground thinner toward the tip. Mine is fat all the way down.

Oh well I figure the sooner I stopped throwing a drag about it and start grinding the sooner I would have a knife instead of a railroad spike.

This is a fairly heavy knife. I suppose the “balance” is going to suffer once I finish with my surgery.

That’s the way it goes.

I removed the belt loop part of the sheath, at least for now, and am just going to carry it in my pocket like I have been carrying the paring knife. Interestingly enough, even though it has a longer blade and handle it hardly sticks up much farther out of my pocket than the paring knife.

Eventually I hope to get the CS Peace Maker just for the sheath to use with this Pendleton Hunter and then clip it to my pocket or maybe inside my waste band; don’t know until I try it all.

So you said lots of pics. Here you go. Starting tomorrow, 8-26-16, I will be carrying this one as my one EDC knife for a month. it is obviously a lot heavier than the paring knife but I bet I have the only knife that will be getting lighter as the month progresses. I plan to take it down from the PREPOSTEROUS thickness of 5mm to 2.5 mm then probably down to 2 mm if I find that seems like it would be better. See the photo with the allen wrench for perspective. That is a 5mm wrench. Not a perfect comparison since it is viewed corner to corner but . . . anyway.

A little at a time.

I’m certainly liking the larger handle. Looking forward to trying 3V
I think I am going to like this.

PS: I made the mistake of buying this from Amazon. I should have went with Knife Works. The knife had been carried and then returned. How do I know ? The sheath had been converted over to left hand carry and the handle smelled like cologne. Also the blade edge had some minor abuse.

I was impatient to start carrying this and to grind it so I would rather get on with it than waste another week sending this one back and getting another shipped out.



















 
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earlier this year, I picked up a new Ontario RAT-1 folder in D2 steel. I took it on a long vacation in VA, TN, and NC. Camping and just having fun in the mountains. It was the only folder I had with me. On purpose. Have to say that it did everything I needed doing, and had no issues.
As soon as I got home though, I cleaned it, put it back in the box, and brought out a Spyderco Delica to use for awhile. :)
 
UPDATE :
One thing I rediscovered is the sheath if used at work on dirty stuff contaminates blade for food prep where as a folder once the blade is washed stays cleaner.
Oh and as far as the sheath being full of cosmoline from the factory : The first thing I did when I unboxed the knife was spray the sheath full of WD-40 ( had removed the belt loop accessory first). Took an engine oil galley brush to the inside to get things dissolving. Then T-paper and a screw driver. Then citrus solvent and a pipe cleaner; water soluble so under the hot water tape it went. Repeated a couple times. No more greasy stuff and clean enough for food prep.

To night I took the blade thickness down bellow 3.5 mm along the whole usable length. A couple of more sessions and I will have a cutting machine.




After grinding it down bellow 3.5 mm I swear I can notice the weight difference. I know it isn’t that much steel but the knife feels noticeably lighter and not imbalance to me. I’m liking this.

Also I noticed that in my work pants which have deeper pockets the whole knife disappears. That is best for where I work. I don’t think they would understand some one packing a “hunting” knife in a “scabbard” (sheath). I would like to have the whole sheath on my belt so it would be quick and easy to drop the knife into the sheath without clicking it in while I worked on something then pull it out to trim but I may have to introduce the concept slowly to them. Part of why I want the Peace Maker sheath that could clip inside my pocket; I could drop the knife in and draw it one handed. As it is now I have to monkey around with the short sheath. it is worth it to have this knife though. Time will tell if I tire of the process.

End of handle disappears into the deeper pockets of my work pants.
Looking from above :


Looking from the side :

 
Day 13

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Pup dreaming of Florida Gator football :) ONE more week until her first full college football season


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I think I'll name her : G_L_O_R_I_A

and the nightmares, and the nightmares, and the nightmares, and the nightmares :

What’s weird is I just watched a YouTube last night of a guy comparing the old Pendleton Hunter in VG-1 and his was all super thick nearly the full length of the knife. Then he showed the new one with DLC in 3V and it was ground thinner toward the tip. Mine is fat all the way down.

Oh well I figure the sooner I stopped throwing a drag about it and start grinding the sooner I would have a knife instead of a railroad spike.
Click to expand...

Weirdness averted

I couldn’t let it go and finally found the dang vid in my history. I have been searching on and off for days. I couldn’t believe Cold Steel would have such a brain fart so it must have been mine.
More than anything I was doing self diognostic, you know, to see if I should check in at the android shop for a new brain fit up. Yep . . . doesn’t look good . . .
anyway here’s the vid. Nice job of comparing the two knives !
even though they aren't my knife model.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HawkzDRMNi8[/video]

Day 3
Oh yah baby ! We are now, officially, well bellow 3mm.
Today I hope to thin out the tip and smooth and blend the sides. Maybe even, if the juices are flowing just right, thin out the area behind the edge . . . .
. . .
makes my hands tremble just thinking about it . . . :eek:
just breath . . . slow and deep . . . just breath . . . :o
Luckily the Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter is playing so that's alright then. :cool:

I’ve had some trouble with that thick handle running into the motor of my little grinder. I’m not set up to do this sort of thing. On knives that is. Today I may have to busssout the other white grind stone I have; the one that chucks into my lathe.
Then I even have speed control 40 rpm to over 3000 rpm. I don’t like to get the grit anywhere near the ways if I can do things any other way instead so I am always reluctant to go there.



You will all be happy to hear, I’m sure, that the 3V seems to have suffered little or no damage from the peach cutting durability test . . . so I’m quite gratified that, so far, I have at least done no harm and hopefully some good in the effective cutting geometry.

 
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One month of carry in now. I know the thread started just two weeks ago but I started carrying my custom 551 a month ago. It has performed flawlessly over the course of the month. I really put my knives through hell and this one is awesome. I can barley tell it is even there because of how lite it is but when I need it, bam she is ready to go. I don't think I will be looking for another EDC for awhile so hope this one last a good bit.

I did use it a lot today. Cut some units open.


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Messed around with a praying mantis.
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Cut some cardboard.
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Well a lot of cardboard!!
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That's about it. Came home and put a real nice edge on it again and ready for work tomorrow. It always surprises me how much cardboard dulls a knife.
 
Day 18

My favorite knife use of the challenge so far! Opening up my brand new tv for opening day of college football season! And yes y'all have Sebenzas and such that cost more than this thing, but it's the nicest tv I've ever personally owned. I'm not a tv person except for sports, and I only have cable because they gave it to me free for messing up my internet service for two weeks. I'm looking forward to watching all my sports on this thing! And yes, the Ritter cut it open perfectly :)

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Started yesterday,work knife is a cv sod buster Jr. my everyday knife will be my new carter perfect model.


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