W.T. Beck said:
Cliff Stamp is not a "zero". He is the most objective, honest, and knowledgeable contributor to Bladeforums. No one else comes close.
Kevin Cashen, Keith Montgomery, Ed Schempp, OwenM, Burchtree(Michael Burch), and STR, just to name a few are very knowledgeable, and just as, if not more honest and objective than Cliff.
I have my problems with what Cliff presents, how he does it, and his perception here. I think that 3Guardsman puts it EXTREMELY well when he says that he "appreciates Cliff's reviews for what they are, informative and interesting to read.", Temper also said similar things.
My biggest problem is that Cliff says things that incite friends and good acquaintances of mine to get pretty pissed off, if for nothing else, than some of his "findings" here threaten their incomes, directly or indirectly. This being predicated on each reader here being a potential customer.
That being said, as above, it IS about the steel AND the design. Bill Harsey is an acquaintance of mine, and a pretty good one at that. I have known him for about 10 years, and we have had our agreements and disagreements.
The facts on design and craft;
-Bill has used knives professionally, as a lumberjack, and outdoorsman for a good portion of his adult life.
-Bill was chosen by Col. Rex Applegate, an undisputed expert in hand-to-hand combat, crowd control and knife design to handcraft the Applegate-Fairbairn knife, after other makers proved to be unreliable. He may still, I do not know, but I own one of these, and it is top notch.
-Bill was chosen by Al Mar to build the original Shiva, I own one of these, and it is a beauty as well.
-Chris Reeve is no slouch in the design department, and he certainly did not NEED Bill to design more knives. I am sure that Chris had his reasons, and I intend to ask him at SHOT this weekend, and will report back, when I have the answer.
The steels-
Chris has used A2, ATS-34, BG42, and S30V. This alone should indicate that there is no "wonder steel". There isn't.
INFI seems to be a very good steel, I own a Thick NICK, use it, and enjoy it very much.
HOWEVER, when we talk about Busse, you cannot ignore certain bads, with the goods. The knives from Busse are almost as hard to get as a good custom knife from a popular maker. The choices of current offerings are EXTREMELY limited, and having owned 4 Busse knives, I conclude that they are averse to putting a "pointy" point on their knives. This bugs me for practical and aesthetic reasons.
I have information from an excellent and trusted source who has looked at S30V under an appropriate microscope and has concluded that the Japanese, specifically with ZDP are producing a superior product. What has not been determined yet, is how THAT steel will hold up in large knives.
I have a Green Beret 5.5, and have not used it a whole lot, but do find the ergonomics to be excellent. I hate the sheath that it comes with, although our servicemen may like it quite a bit.
S30V has become another "must have" steel, just like BG42 before it, just like ATS-34 before it, just like 440C before it. You know, 440C is an excellent steel, but like the others is VERY much subject to more variables than can be reasonably discussed here.
The jury is still out on S30V, but it SEEMS ideally suited for knives in the folding category, 4" blades or so, and smaller fixed blades, with lengths of 7" or less. This is based on my own experience, and constant consultation with industry professionals.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
