Congress or Muskrat? - Advise

I

ISKRA

Joined
Sep 19, 2016
Messages
1,298
Hello folks,
I'm pretty new both to the forum and traditional knives, so have patience with me please. :o
Some basic info first. I got a chestnut bone peanut a bit more than two months ago, which I've been carrying now pretty much every day. It's great, it does I expect it to do (which isn't much anyway). Now I'd like a slightly bigger backup. Traditional slipjoints are as good as impossible to get in my country, everything has to be ordered from abroad, so I'd like to give it a good thought and ask you guys for advice, since you know your deal way better than a newby like me.

Solingen knives have been known and popular here for a real long time and now Carl Schlieper has cought my eye. Fit and finish by side, the knive is going to be an user, nothing special though. I've checked around a bit and basically all you can get new are various congress and half congress models from cca 67 to 102 mm in yeller, jigged bone and stag, a 10 cm yeller muskrat and a 3 inch toothpick in stag or yeller. They're all in carbon steel, which I like a lot. I'm honestly sick and tired of Rostfrei, which is all you get here, with the exception of tacticals and Opinels. I'm a bit in a dilema. The shape of the muskrat appeals to me more, but the half congress has two different blades and scales made of natural materials. I'm a student and spend most of my time in college, so the congress seems a better option, but at home I work in the vineyard sometimes and go mushroom picking in the woods accassionally. It's been ages since I went fishing the last time. I use my peanut on apples, pickles, cheese and other food, so this future adition won't be an exception.

Here are a few photos from their website to give you an aproximate idea.


Halfcongress 9 cm jigged bone
IMG_2123-43.jpg


Halfcongress 9 cm stag
IMG_2133-48.jpg


Congress 9 cm jigged bone
IMG_2155-58.jpg


Muskrat 10 cm plastic
IMG_2169-63.jpg


Toothpick 7,5 cm stag
IMG_2066-22.jpg




Given the tasks it'll have to perform and the environment I move in, which one you think is more fitting? Or is it more like "go for whatever makes you happy?" :D

I thank you for your help!

Cheers

John
 
My personal preference would be the half congress. I prefer two blades which I sharpen to a working edge and the other a razor edge. The full congress I feel would be quite bulky while the toothpick not having enough blades.

I prefer a straight edge for a working knife. I like the power I can put behind the edge for heavy cutting, the sharpenability and also the performance in draw cuts across feed or fertilizer bags. It does not perform like a hawk bill for such cuts but performs much better than a blade with belly. In addition, a straight edge is easiest (for me) to do precision cutting around the house. Opening envelopes, cutting clams he'll packaging and sharpening pencils.

The muskrat would be my choice for any skinning or game cleaning but it sounds like that is rare by your description.

Sincerely,
A straight edge fan.
 
Those are some good pix and all knives look worthwhile.
I like the Half Congress myself, very good in the pocket and rather more versatile than the Muskrat.
I've sent you a visitor message too.

Thanks, Will
 
I'd recommend the Half Congress. If it were me I'd go for the stag, my favorite cover material. I'm assuming the knife has a single back spring? That makes it nice and thin in the pocket. At 9 cm/3.5" it's the perfect length for the pocket too. If you are going to carry one knife the two blades will come in handy.
 
If I were only going to have one knife that I carried and used for a variety of purposes, I would want at least one straight-edged blade. However, the Congress offerings you show there have only straight-edged blades (either two or four).

For food prep tasks, I would prefer the blades on the Muskrat, which are also longer relative to handle size and useful when cutting an apple or similar fruit.

Hard choice for me to make for you, since our lives and circumstances are so completely different. I like the looks of the Congress offerings better. Having two identical blades in a knife seems boring to me, but if you are in a situation where that is the ideal blade shape for the tasks, and you will be doing things that would dull the blade quickly, having two in the same package is a plus.

So I guess I don't have much of an answer - still up to you really.
 
The Half Congress or Congress are the right choice here. It's a working brute disguised as a gentleman. Hands down my favorite pattern.
 
I thank you all for your answers! :)

Indeed, I am no hunter and don't deal much with nature other than picking chestnuts, mushrooms and the work I do in our vineyars, which requires different tools. I really like jigged bone and would perhaps give stag a go as well. The toothpic isn't really an option, I just put the pthoto in for some reason, versatility, I guess. I am leaning towards the half gongress, it should come more handy. I am not sure, I asume it has only one spring, I couldn't find any good pics online. I know the muskrat has two, which I have seen from the photos of a certain Bavarian gentleman on this forum. Asuming it has only one spring, one'd want the fit to be rather good to avoid blade rub. It always hurts me to see the rub marks on certain stockmen and other knives. I can live with minor cosmetic flaws in the bone, a small gap here and there, but rub marks are something I quite dislike. Would any of you know how Schlieper is in this matter? I've read a few things about it, usually more about the finish though.
 
I'm in the minority in that I don't use the straight edge nearly as much as others seem to. Out of the knives you posted I'd go for the toothpick or muskrat. The muskrat pattern is much more comfortable in hand than the congress for me, though that will vary depending on who you talk to. For the food, mushrooms, and vineyard I'd think the muskrat would do better for you. Really though, any of those knives will serve your purposes and you'll never know any different if you only pick one. I don't think you can go wrong here.
 
I don't think the half-congress should have more blade-rub than the whole congress because you have the same two blades on each spring.
 
ISKRA said:
Halfcongress 9 cm jigged bone
IMG_2123-43.jpg
Click to expand...

Definitely this one ^^ Great pattern. I chose the bone over the stag because the quality of the stag wasn't exceptional and the stag was hafted sort of crudely (look at the way it is ground toward the bolster). The bone covers look great.

I might reshape the small blade into a pen since there's two sheepfoot blades. A sheepfoot and pen is a common combination for a half congress.
 
ISKRA said:
Hello folks,
I'm pretty new both to the forum and traditional knives, so have patience with me please. :o
Some basic info first. I got a chestnut bone peanut a bit more than two months ago, which I've been carrying now pretty much every day. It's great, it does I expect it to do (which isn't much anyway). Now I'd like a slightly bigger backup. Traditional slipjoints are as good as impossible to get in my country, everything has to be ordered from abroad, so I'd like to give it a good thought and ask you guys for advice, since you know your deal way better than a newby like me.

Solingen knives have been known and popular here for a real long time and now Carl Schlieper has cought my eye. Fit and finish by side, the knive is going to be an user, nothing special though. I've checked around a bit and basically all you can get new are various congress and half congress models from cca 67 to 102 mm in yeller, jigged bone and stag, a 10 cm yeller muskrat and a 3 inch toothpick in stag or yeller. They're all in carbon steel, which I like a lot. I'm honestly sick and tired of Rostfrei, which is all you get here, with the exception of tacticals and Opinels. I'm a bit in a dilema. The shape of the muskrat appeals to me more, but the half congress has two different blades and scales made of natural materials. I'm a student and spend most of my time in college, so the congress seems a better option, but at home I work in the vineyard sometimes and go mushroom picking in the woods accassionally. It's been ages since I went fishing the last time. I use my peanut on apples, pickles, cheese and other food, so this future adition won't be an exception.

Here are a few photos from their website to give you an aproximate idea.


Halfcongress 9 cm jigged bone
IMG_2123-43.jpg


Halfcongress 9 cm stag
IMG_2133-48.jpg


Congress 9 cm jigged bone
IMG_2155-58.jpg


Muskrat 10 cm plastic
IMG_2169-63.jpg


Toothpick 7,5 cm stag
IMG_2066-22.jpg




Given the tasks it'll have to perform and the environment I move in, which one you think is more fitting? Or is it more like "go for whatever makes you happy?" :D

I thank you for your help!

Cheers

John
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Cult of the Peanut! I have tried to carry my peanut alone, and it serves most of my knife needs. However, I am OCD about blades, and often carry a SAK and a single blade slipjoint with it. I carry a Case Bose ebony Tribal Spear, and now an alox olive cadet. I find that my wandering ADHD/OCD/BS ;) mind is at ease with all of those blades.

Over the years I've found that my initial dislike of congress/senator and whittler patterns is only for plain knives, I really like that four blade congress. The only congress I have is my old Remington two blade that has been worn down, not quite toothpicks yet. I rarely if ever carry it, maybe it in my shirt pocket. In my eyes, either the muskrat or the congress would be great for your needs. Maybe the congress about town, and the muskrat at home. I would get the four blade congress, and the muskrat. I don't know your $ situation, not sure about the import taxes etc. But, if possible, get both. Both should be great "enforcers" for the peanut. Don't be surprised if you accidentally leave either at home but take the peanut with you all the time. It has happened to me.

Darth Vanadium
High Muckba of the Cult of the Peanut.
 
BTW, I have heard mixed reviews of the Carl Schleiper products. However, those are the nicest examples I've seen (I've seen them in a certain catalog and at gun shows).
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I would get the four blade congress, and the muskrat.
Click to expand...

In general, I like the 4 blade congress pattern but this one has 4 sheepfoot blades. I like a 4-blade to have more variation. And the bone on this example looks poor.

The bone on the 2-blade looks very well done. If he goes with the 4-blade, I'd look one with bone covers similar to that 2-blade.

silenthunterstudios said:
BTW, I have heard mixed reviews of the Carl Schleiper products. However, those are the nicest examples I've seen (I've seen them in a certain catalog and at gun shows).
Click to expand...

I should note that I don't have much experience with this brand. Only had a few over many years. And none recently.
 
I apreciate your answers.

I'f I'll choose the congress, it will be the half congress in bone. I really like jigged bone, especially in earthy colours. I'm no expert by any means, but isn't the small one a coping blade and the main blade a sheapsfoot? IIRC the site describes them with different names as well but in German (which I'm fluent in, but I'm more familiar with the English "terminology"). I often eat out when I'm in university and we get an awful lot of apples with our meals. Everyone just keeps giving you them damn apples ... :D

Some of you proposed I should get both. Not a bad idea, I have thought about it too. Only that financially it is quite a portion for me. I also have concerns - what if the fit and finish doesn't please me and I'm stuck with two knives I don't like. I don't mind a "bad" finish on my Linder lockback, which is my heavy duty knife when I'm on a trip or in the wood, or my dull Giesen&Forsthoff small gent knife. I know what I paid for them and I got to handle them in the shop, so I knew what I was getting (although I noticed some things only later). On the other hand, if I order only one and it displeases me, I sure won't order another one, despite it might be well crafted. Like with Case, I think it's a bit of a gamble. I was lucky with my peanut, since it was brought by a friend who went on a trip to California and he knows nothing about knives except that they cut things.

silenthunterstudios said:
BTW, I have heard mixed reviews of the Carl Schleiper products. However, those are the nicest examples I've seen (I've seen them in a certain catalog and at gun shows).
Click to expand...

I suspect these are made for display and better than the actual deal you get. It most probably aren't the pictures of the exact knife you get when you place your order (unlike KniveShipFree, I believe?).

As for my peanut, thank you for welcoming me in the cult. :) I've posted a picture of it here, but it does not do it justice. It is a nice grey with some brownish to it, turning almost black at the tip and towards the edge. On the pen blade I forced it by cutting a few apples and vinegar, since I mostly use it for cutting threads, duct tape and similar. It's evening here already and neither the twighlight nor artificial lightning will let me pleased with a pic, so I'll take some tomorrow. Don't expect too much, with my crappy phone ... :(
 
Look for an old farmers jack, if you can find one. Actually made for most of the tasks you list. Otherwise, to me, it might come down to blade length. Arguments can be made for all the styles you mention, but would it help to have a shorter or longer blade for your needs? Just a thought.
Thanks, Neal
 
You're right, I was wrong to say 4 sheepfoot blades. I should have said 4 straight edge blades. I would round the corners off the coping blades anyway. ;) I still prefer a 4-blade congress to have more variety like the Boker Carver's Congress.
 
Good thinking, Neal. I think one long one short blade combo fits be best and 4 blades seem to much for me. Not that I've tried, but I just don't know what to do with 4 almost the same blades. And with the single Turkish clip of the toothpick I'd feel underbladed.

supratentorial said:
You're right, I was wrong to say 4 sheepfoot blades. I should have said 4 straight edge blades. I would round the corners off the coping blades anyway. ;) I still prefer a 4-blade congress to have more variety like the Boker Carver's Congress.
Click to expand...

I don't want split hairs, the swedges make them look almost the same. That Böker offers a lot of variety, I looked it up. That'd be a whole different story.


I won't buy the knife all that soon yet. In October I go back to university, untill then I will think it through real good and save some additional money. Perhaps I will order two instead of just one, like some of you say. I just don't want to go crazy on cutlery now that I'm on the forum. :D I already see I'll have to get a GEC some day, it's my goal. But let's leave that to future me ;)
 
Your peanut already gives you a clip and a pen blade, so it only stands to reason that your other knife should have a straight blade or two. I like the choice of a half congress. But I think the single knife that would serve you best is an improved muskrat, with a Turkish clip and a long sheepsfoot. I don't know who makes one these days other than Rough Rider. I have seen pics of some old Schrades, but those might be hard for you to get.
 
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