cheap flea market bowies.

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gitarmac

Joined
Jan 20, 2001
Messages
401
This weekend at the "flea market" I was perusing some of the knife booths and was wondering about the feasability of sprucing up one of the better bowies. At least it would be cheap enough to use. Has anyone else here tried anything like that?
 
Gitarmac,

Unlike, most flea market knives, real knives are generally made out of steel, or something else that can hold an edge.
 
If it has Pakistan marked on the blade, go ahead and kick the entire table over. As the knives hit the floor, see if you can count the ones that break into pieces.
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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
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Valuable things are not cheap, CHEAP THINGS ARE NOT OF VALUE!
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Don't do it to yourself man, the E.R. bill from the broken blade, dull blade cut, chipping, ect.......isn't worth it!
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BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!
 
Don't waste your time on that junk.

at least get one of these!

gyby_1619_13620552


Aitor Cuchillo de Monte

[This message has been edited by gary777 (edited 02-06-2001).]

[This message has been edited by gary777 (edited 02-06-2001).]
 
I dunno. I can see the fun of buying a POS knife, or knives, just to thrash. To chuck around for throwing knives.

I might buy some POS folders just to practice sharpening.

Would I take them seriously, or carry one on a daily basis? Probably not.
 
I haven't found most of these comments very informative. Has anybody actually purchased one of these knives and used them? I haven't bought knives from Pakistan in the last 30 years. Way back then my primary complaint was that the steel was the softest I had ever seen used in a knife. I would guess maybe 50-52 Rockwell.

So what has changed? Do they just use 420 J2 stainless at 54 RC or is it worse than that? Do they chip and break or do they dent and bend? Do parts fall off? What actually happens when you try and use one?
 
Jeff,

I'm sure its a mixed bag. Some of the Chinese and Pakistani stuff has improved - well at least the fit and finish is better.

At these prices though, the steel type is not a major selling point, most of it is marked "stainless", "high carbon steel", or "surgical steel". It could be made out of just about anything, and who know if its heat treated. The telling point for me is that most of stuff comes with little in the way of a factory cutting edge, and the steel sounds very soft (i.e. it doesn't exactly ring/vibrate when you tap it).

You should also be careful about the other knife fittings: The sheaths are almost uniformly poor enough to be dangerous, and the guards, pommels, etc. are frequently made of plastic, or pewter under bronze colored metal plate.

It might be worthwhile to dig up one of the factory seconds that sometimes turn up and use this as a basis for a field knife project. Just be careful to pay a well discounted price. I just don't see a point in trying to convert some of the other stuff.

N2S

[This message has been edited by not2sharp (edited 02-07-2001).]
 
I have used a lot of these. Mainly I get them second hand from friends who know I am interested in knives and so they pick them up on occasion at flea markets and such. I clean them up sharpen them and play with them a little. Nothing rough as it doesn't take much to do them in.

The steel is usually very soft and so the edges will dent up severely on hard impacts (quarter sized dents on knots in wood), the tangs can break off or the blade from the tang. The guards quickly come loose or break off. Of course prying will quickly bend the tip or even the main body of the blade.

It is dangerous to do heavy work with them because the breaks can be sudden and violent.

-Cliff
 
I think some big assumptions are being made here. Yes, there is a TON of low quality junk at flea markets. But mixed in with the SAK knock-offs, you will frequently find a Victorinox or Wenger. Often at the same price, since the dealer might not know or take the time to sort knives bought in lots.

Likewise, I've seen Solingen and Pakistani knives on the same table. Frequently, these are used knives, not new. But new ones exist too. I passed on an AG Russel bowie that the dealer wanted $60 for because I didn't think it a great bargain.

The bottom line is, if you have done your research and know what is good and what isn't, brand and quality-wise, and you inspect carefully before buying, you can hit some real bargains.

Cliff's comments apply, too, in that if you're buying a no-name, you may regret it.

My $.02

Mike
 
I have a couple of Pakistani bowies. They look OK and feel OK but the steel sucks. The edge dings up real easy. Impossible to find out what kind of steel or heat treating if any is used. OK for a beater but not good for real work.
 
The last time that I looked at a Pak bowie, it was about 10 years ago. The Rockwell on the blade had to be well over 60 and it had to be just as brittle as all H*ll. The person showing it to me was saying that he had bought it at a garage sale as a "beater" for use in the woods. I asked him if he had tried to sharpen it and he said that he had spent quite some time on it with a mill file(!) and gotten nowhere. It was no surprise to me, given the hardness of the steel. I did suggest to him to be very careful and to wear eye protection when he used it to chop with, as he said that he intended, for I expected that he was going to see chips flying off of the blade. The painful part of this is that this guy is ex-Special Forces and you would think that he would know better.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
 
Well that answers my questions. I was thinking it would be fun to spiff it up as a beater but sounds like it would just be a waste of time. The steel is the most important part.
 
Well I know you shouldn't buy knockoffs, but if you want some cheap practice for filework, or just want to build a trainer, why not? Also I think that some of those would make some allright throwers if you really wanted to.
 
Gitarmac, you are correct. The steel is important, but the heat treatment is the most important thing. Something else that would be poorly done on a POS knife.
If you want to trash it, go ahead buy one. If you want to use it look at the many reasonably priced Bowies out there.

Keith.
 
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