I wrote up reviews of these three inexpensive knives from Cold Steel, and have recieved questions on which one is better. If you haven't read the reviews, they're linked here...
Roach Belly: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531663
Finn Bear: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=529604
Canadian Belt Knife: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530744
General Impressions: They're all made in Taiwan. They all use 4116 Krupp stainless steel at 56-57. They all have plastic handles. They all have black Cordura sheaths. They all cost around $11. They're all made for the outdoors. But, which is better for my uses?
Handle Comparisons: The handles of the Canadian Belt Knife and Roach Belly are made of polypropylene, while the Finn Bear's is made of Zytel. The Canadian Belt Knife and Roach Belly have a lanyard hole, while the Finn Bear doesn't. The Canadian Belt Knife and Roach Belly have a slight pebblestone texture, while the Finn Bear is ribbed. None of these knives have a guard. All of the handles are roughly 4.5" long. The Canadian Belt Knife's handle is offset to the blade, reducing the chance of your fingers sliding onto the blade. The Roach Belly's handle is also a bit offset for the same reason. The Finn Bear's handle is straight, and in line with the blade. The Canadian Belt Knife's handle lends itself to a more utility use, while the Roach Belly's is definitely for skinning game. The Finn Bear does a fine job at utility, but not as much as the Canadian.
Blade Comparisons: They're all 4116 Krupp stainless steel, and they're all 2.5mm thick. They all have a hollow ground blade treated to Rc of 56-57. The Canadian's is elliptical, and lends itself very well to general utility chores. It's 4" long. The Roach Belly's is an upswept skinning blade, and has a very pointy tip. It is also 4" long. Both the Canadian and the Roach Belly have thumb grooves on the back of the blade for better control. The Finn Bear has a slightly longer blade, 4.5" long, and also has a sharp point, but not as much as the Roach Belly. There are no thumb grooves, but you can make your own with a Dremel.
I have gotten used to the carrying the Canadian Belt Knife for household work, while the Roach Belly comes with me for general outdoor stuff. The Finn Bear is for when I'm in the woods. It also throws very well.
Sheath Comparisons: They're all black Cordura, and all three have a black nylon belt loop that will fit a belt up to 2" wide. The Roach Belly and Canadian have the same exact sheath, while the Finn Bear's is about .75" longer. There's really no other comparison, except for the sheath that comes with the Finn Bear gets torn up quickly because of the ribbing on the handle. But this is the knife's issue, not the sheath. The sheaths are all interchangeable, despite the .75" difference in length. They'll all work for all three knives.
What's Best? These are made for outdoor stuff, so that's what I'll do with them. Here's what I found out in my variety of chores...
Skinning The Roach Belly won this hands-down. It was very easy to skin with because of the handle / blade shape combination. The Canadian Belt Knife came in second place because of the offset blade. The Finn Bear did a decent job, but became a bother after about 15 minutes. That damn ribbing. They all performed nicely, and required no resharpening. The Finn Bear's ribbing got on my nerves, but it was the least likely to slip from my hands when bloody.
Batoning The Finn Bear was the winner here. Its straight design went very easily into trees, both vertically (think stabbing) and horizontally (think hammering the spine down). The Canadian Belt Knife would be the second-place spot; the elliptical design really lends itself to everything, while not excelling at any one thing. The Roach Belly went effortlessly into the vertical position, but had a bit of trouble when using it horizontally. Again, they all did a respectable job, but not equal.
Slicing The Roach Belly wins again. The blade shape really lends itself to skinning and slicing. The Canadian Belt Knife had a bit of drag to it, but was still a very good slicer. The Finn Bear sliced cleanly, but the straight handle makes it a bit uncomfortable.
Whittling The Finn Bear finally gets one. It whittled better than the rest, but barely. The Canadian Belt Knife took second place again, proving to be very easy to control. The Roach Belly did a decent job, but not as well as the other two. It tended to slip butt-first to the outside of my hand when applying pressure.
Okay, We Get It! Which is Better? If you're cutting up an animal, but the Roach Belly. If you're camping and need to make a shelter, or want to make an improvised spear, buy the Finn Bear. If you want to do everything well, buy the Canadian Belt Knife. I truly think it's the best compromise between blade shape, handle shape, and intended use. It makes a good hunting knife, a good camp knife, and a good general purpose knife.
Roach Belly: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531663
Finn Bear: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=529604
Canadian Belt Knife: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530744
General Impressions: They're all made in Taiwan. They all use 4116 Krupp stainless steel at 56-57. They all have plastic handles. They all have black Cordura sheaths. They all cost around $11. They're all made for the outdoors. But, which is better for my uses?
Handle Comparisons: The handles of the Canadian Belt Knife and Roach Belly are made of polypropylene, while the Finn Bear's is made of Zytel. The Canadian Belt Knife and Roach Belly have a lanyard hole, while the Finn Bear doesn't. The Canadian Belt Knife and Roach Belly have a slight pebblestone texture, while the Finn Bear is ribbed. None of these knives have a guard. All of the handles are roughly 4.5" long. The Canadian Belt Knife's handle is offset to the blade, reducing the chance of your fingers sliding onto the blade. The Roach Belly's handle is also a bit offset for the same reason. The Finn Bear's handle is straight, and in line with the blade. The Canadian Belt Knife's handle lends itself to a more utility use, while the Roach Belly's is definitely for skinning game. The Finn Bear does a fine job at utility, but not as much as the Canadian.
Blade Comparisons: They're all 4116 Krupp stainless steel, and they're all 2.5mm thick. They all have a hollow ground blade treated to Rc of 56-57. The Canadian's is elliptical, and lends itself very well to general utility chores. It's 4" long. The Roach Belly's is an upswept skinning blade, and has a very pointy tip. It is also 4" long. Both the Canadian and the Roach Belly have thumb grooves on the back of the blade for better control. The Finn Bear has a slightly longer blade, 4.5" long, and also has a sharp point, but not as much as the Roach Belly. There are no thumb grooves, but you can make your own with a Dremel.
I have gotten used to the carrying the Canadian Belt Knife for household work, while the Roach Belly comes with me for general outdoor stuff. The Finn Bear is for when I'm in the woods. It also throws very well.
Sheath Comparisons: They're all black Cordura, and all three have a black nylon belt loop that will fit a belt up to 2" wide. The Roach Belly and Canadian have the same exact sheath, while the Finn Bear's is about .75" longer. There's really no other comparison, except for the sheath that comes with the Finn Bear gets torn up quickly because of the ribbing on the handle. But this is the knife's issue, not the sheath. The sheaths are all interchangeable, despite the .75" difference in length. They'll all work for all three knives.
What's Best? These are made for outdoor stuff, so that's what I'll do with them. Here's what I found out in my variety of chores...
Skinning The Roach Belly won this hands-down. It was very easy to skin with because of the handle / blade shape combination. The Canadian Belt Knife came in second place because of the offset blade. The Finn Bear did a decent job, but became a bother after about 15 minutes. That damn ribbing. They all performed nicely, and required no resharpening. The Finn Bear's ribbing got on my nerves, but it was the least likely to slip from my hands when bloody.
Batoning The Finn Bear was the winner here. Its straight design went very easily into trees, both vertically (think stabbing) and horizontally (think hammering the spine down). The Canadian Belt Knife would be the second-place spot; the elliptical design really lends itself to everything, while not excelling at any one thing. The Roach Belly went effortlessly into the vertical position, but had a bit of trouble when using it horizontally. Again, they all did a respectable job, but not equal.
Slicing The Roach Belly wins again. The blade shape really lends itself to skinning and slicing. The Canadian Belt Knife had a bit of drag to it, but was still a very good slicer. The Finn Bear sliced cleanly, but the straight handle makes it a bit uncomfortable.
Whittling The Finn Bear finally gets one. It whittled better than the rest, but barely. The Canadian Belt Knife took second place again, proving to be very easy to control. The Roach Belly did a decent job, but not as well as the other two. It tended to slip butt-first to the outside of my hand when applying pressure.
Okay, We Get It! Which is Better? If you're cutting up an animal, but the Roach Belly. If you're camping and need to make a shelter, or want to make an improvised spear, buy the Finn Bear. If you want to do everything well, buy the Canadian Belt Knife. I truly think it's the best compromise between blade shape, handle shape, and intended use. It makes a good hunting knife, a good camp knife, and a good general purpose knife.
